Democratic Debates

I haven't been all that impressed with any of the Democratic presidential contenders so far. Some were better spoken than others. Some like former vice-President Joe Biden seemed to have no clue why they were there. Senator Gillibrand's voice grates.

I liked Tulsi Gabbard's anti-war stances.Senator Harris was cynical and smart enough to attack Biden on his anti-busing position before later admitting that her present day stance wasn't all that different from Biden's. It's really early though.
In fact it's so early that it seems silly even to be talking about debates. As we saw in 2016 anything can happen. Just as I am finishing this post it looks like another candidate is already dropping out. Lightweight.

But there were a few things that came out of the recent first debates that I thought were worth people's notice. The Democrats as a whole seemed to be for decriminalizing illegal entry to the US and providing taxpayer paid health care for illegal immigrants. A few were also in support of eliminating private health care insurance in favor of a Medicare for All system. This will require higher taxes and not just on the rich, however that class is defined. 

I could be wrong but I do not think that there are tons of American voters who want to sacrifice their private health care coverage, enter an underpaid and understaffed public system, have the same coverage as someone who is not even supposed to be in this country, AND pay higher taxes on top of it all.

Supporters claim that Americans' premiums would be so much lower and their benefits would be better. Right. These are the same people who told us that under ObamaCare if you like your doctor you can keep him and your premiums won't increase. They were wrong. A less charitable interpretation is that some of them lied. Some people might argue that it is selfish to want to keep your health care insurance if it's better than someone else's. I disagree. I view that as no different from someone wanting to keep their own home rather than be randomly assigned to new public housing. There are other moral values besides compassion and equality.

The Democrats seemed to be competing to outdo themselves broadcasting their compassion for foreign nationals. That's all well and good I guess but foreign nationals do not vote in American presidential elections. Again, show me the American voters who are chomping at the bit to pay higher taxes to provide allegedly first class health care to any and all illegal immigrants who have entered our nation. I think that position, if the eventual Democratic nominee is stupid or stubborn enough to stick with it, will be a losing one. Even countries with generous public health care coverage for citizens still generally make sharp distinctions between those who are allowed to use it (citizens or legal residents) and those who aren't (illegal immigrants).

The Democrats, if they aren't careful, will maneuver themselves into being the party of not-Americans. Immigration was one reason that Trump won in 2016. I just don't think Democrats and many left-leaning activists understand how angry some Americans get at the demands of illegal immigrants to American resources and political representation. I hope that the Democrats find a way to talk more about their plans for American citizens. That could be a winning platform.