The New Republic

Following up on my previous item, here's one other note about Jim Cooper, the Democratic congressman from Tennessee who appears prominently in today's David Brooks column. READ MORE >>

Today's David Brooks column, which reexamines Hillary Clinton's record during the 1993-94 health care fight, offers an important reminder of the antipathy she has generated not just among many average Americans but also among some members of Congress.  That, by itself, raises important questions about whether she could really master Washington better than Barack Obama could -- a claim she and her supporters frequently make.   READ MORE >>

DrSteveB, as he calls himself, writes a smart blog for DailyKos that is mostly about health care.  Today, he explains his reasons for supporting Barack Obama.  READ MORE >>

We're going to take a moment from the debate about individual mandates in health care reform -- a topic to which I shall return soon enough -- to bring you some unambiguously good news.  If, that is, you think universal health care is a good idea. READ MORE >>

A quick follow-up on last night's debate over health care reform -- and then a new development. READ MORE >>

Right after the debate, CNN decided to run an hour-long special on health care by their medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta M.D..  I wasn't going to watch it, mostly because of low expectations. On those all-too-rare occasions when television spotlights public policy, they usually do a lousy job.  It's either woefully uninformed or so beholden to the conventions of even-handedness -- which generally means letting people spew untruths without correction -- that they make reality impossible to discern. READ MORE >>

Unlike the focus group on Fox, the viewers in CNN's group broke ever so slightly for Clinton.  According to CNN, they all came in as undecided voters. Afterwards, 60 percent thought Clinton had won and 40 percent had favored Obama.  From what I saw, though, I'd call it 50-50.  I liked her a little better on health care; I liked him a little better on Iraq.  But my takeaway was that they are both very impressive -- and that, for all of the nastiness of the campaign, they've both improved as campaigners.   READ MORE >>

For those missed the first few minutes of the debate, an early question from Jeanne Cummings went to Barack Obama: Why, she wanted to know, was his plan superior to hers if estimates suggest that 15 million people would remain uninsured? Readers of this space have heard about this debate aplenty.  Most of those who care to form an opinion on it have; those who don't have moved on.  And that's just fine.  Personally, I'd be happy to say nothing more about it. READ MORE >>

Barack Obama's promise to move beyond partisan bickering has obviously given a lot of people hope. But, for those of us watching from the left, it's also been a source of concern. Oh, sure, it's nice when everybody in Washington gets along. But Obama's determination to embrace would-be adversaries sounds just a little naive, given the scorched-earth strategy Republicans and their lobbyist friends have waged against liberals in the last 15 years. Serious environmental regulation? Closing corporate tax loopholes? Major ethics reforms? READ MORE >>

John Edwards ends his presidential candidacy today. This is not surprising news: He finished third in every single contest except for Iowa, where he narrowly beat Hillary Clinton. Going forward, he doesn't have the money or the organization to compete with either her or Barack Obama. And, most important, Democratic voters seem content with choosing between the two front-runners—as, in fact, they should. READ MORE >>