Kamala Harris joins the fray (Democratic Primary).

[His Divine Shadow]

Kamala Harris backpedals on medicare for all statement after angry donors make angry phone ncalls

https://twitter.com/jesse_marioneau/sta ... 0841566210

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this is the reaction of some towards Harris' comments.

Harris is taking the same approach that Sanders, Warren, Merkley, and others have done: given the realities that exist in the senate[1] and public polling on various alternatives that have been described as "Medicare for All"[2], it is unlikely that a true single payer plan will be implemented in 2021, which means that Democratic presidential contenders are likely going to end up in a situation where they need to accept something less than perfect. That's why Harris has co-sponsored not just Sanders' single payer Medicare for All bill but also Schatz's public option bill and Merkley's "Medicare for More" bill. This is why Sanders not only introduced his bill but also cosponsored Schatz's bill and voted for the ACA!

But, of course since we can't have nice things, we need to ignore this element and start breaking out the pitchforks and inventing imaginary donor pressure without evidence rather than seeing this as an obvious clarification from her team. As her press secretary Ian Sams said: "Medicare-for-all is the plan that she believes will solve the problem and get all Americans covered. Period. She has co-sponsored other pieces of legislation that she sees as a path to getting us there, but this is the plan she is running on." Or, as it was put more colorfully on twitter: "I want a burrito. I'd accept tacos in the meantime, but I want a burrito."

[1] Getting to 50 Dem senators for 2021 is a challenge; getting to 50 Dem senators willing to strike down the filibuster in 2021 is a near impossibility. Ultimately, it's going to be up to the senate parliamentarian, but it's going to be much, much easier to get some form of "Medicare for More" than single payer "Medicare for All" through reconciliation, which is the venue that we have available to expand health care in the country.

[2] Optional Medicare buy-in plans (of which there are many already on the table: Merkley/Murphy, Schakowsky/Whitehouse, Bennet/Higgin/Kaine, Schatz/Lujan) are much more popular than the plans that ban private insurance wholesale like Sanders' bill. "Medicare Extra for All" and DeLauro/Schakowsky (look, another shill who dares to have multiple approaches to healthcare, those damned donors are corrupting everyone!) seek to bridge this by providing universal coverage that maintains employee coverage for those that like it while automatically enrolling uninsured individuals into Medicare.

How to lose an election encapsulated in a post.

[Gandalf]

I’ll vote if she gets the nomination but the fact that she’s defended tainted convictions repeatedly makes me sceptical

Since scepticism means nothing in a voting booth, does it matter how sceptical you are?

[The Romulan Republic]

Harris has had a strong start- her CNN town hall was the highest-rated ever for a single-candidate town hall, and she just effectively tied (arguably surpassed, at least in number of individual donors) Bernie Sanders' one-day fundraising record:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4275 ... -hall-ever

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/201 ... ernie.html

[The Romulan Republic]

Here's the second link again, since its too late to edit:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/201 ... ernie.html

Hope it works this time.

[The Romulan Republic]

Harris is now polling first among Democrats who have announced their candidacy, though Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden still out-poll her (presumably due in part to name recognition):

https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris- ... es-1334461

The numbers for this poll (among registered Democrats/Democrat-leaning independents) are:

Joe Biden: 29%
Bernie Sanders: 16%
Kamala Harris: 11%
Elizabeth Warren: 8%
Beto O'Rourke: 7%
Mike Bloomberg: 4%
Cory Booker: 4%
Amy Klobuchar: 2%

Note that the poll does not include Julian Castro or Tulsi Gabbard, and that if 2016 patterns hold true, the poll is very likely under-counting Bernie's support, due to only polling registered voters (and thus excluding young voters who would be voting for the first time).

Edit: I am disappointed that Warren isn't polling higher, although of actual declared candidates she is running a not-too-distant second to Harris.