Fantasy and Reality

Some thoughts on last evening's Democratic Party Debate:

1.  Fantasy - Medicare for All.  This sounds just wonderful.  Republicans say it would be too expensive; Democrats say we'll just raise taxes to pay for it.  Reality - it ain't gonna happen, not because it's not a good idea, but because the country isn't ready for it yet.  Even a large number of Democrats aren't sure of it -- that was obvious on the stage last night.  My favorite solution? Medicare for those who want it, private insurance for those who want it.

2.  Fantasy - Eliminate private insurance.  Insurance companies have earned the hatred of most Americans, and they are racking up irresponsible profits at our expense.  Reality - imagine if they were eliminated over a short period of time -- even over 3-4 years.  Stockholders and pension plans losing their investments.  Millions of people losing their jobs.  Whole sectors of the economy destroyed.  Are all the employees now going to work for the government?  I don't think so.  My favorite solution?  Expand the ACA to include a public option, but allow anyone to sign up for Medicare, regardless of age, physical condition, income, or residence.

3.  Fantasy - Eliminate all college debt.  Free up billions now being paid on loans to be spent in the economy, allow younger people to buy, buy, buy.  Reality - banks losing legitimate income could lead to a major recession.  My favorite solution?  Eliminate debt for those earning less than $50,000 per year per person.  Eliminate interest for everyone else.

4.  Fantasy - Confiscate all assault-type weapons immediately.  These killing machines were never designed to be in civilian hands, and are the favored weapons for mass killers, so confiscating them will make the country safer.  Reality - again, it ain't gonna happen, may not even be Constitutional.  Gun owners aren't going to give them up willingly, and if we want unending violence in the streets, just try this.  My favorite solution?  A buy-back, paying at least $5,000 or even more for each AR-15 or AK-47 turned in.  Heck, people may even steal them from criminals to sell them to the government.  Will it get all of them?  Absolutely not.  But it may get enough off the streets to cut down on the killings.

5.  Fantasy - We will find the perfect candidate.  Reality - they are ALL flawed simply because they are human beings.  My favorite solution?  I have my favorites, but I'm not against any of them because any one of them would be better than what we have now, so I'll vote for whichever Democrat has the best chance of beating Trump ("Vote Blue No Matter Who").  Because if we don't do that, none of the rest of this matters.

Democrats need to earn the votes of liberals, moderates, and conservatives, of independents and Republicans, in order to win in 2020.  The stronger Democrats and the party embrace these five fantasies, the more a Trump re-election is guaranteed.

Far-left liberals don't want to give up on these fantasies, and in an ideal world, they shouldn't have to.  They hope to see them enacted fully and immediately; liberals love the ideas, but may realize that they are not practical at this time; moderates may like the ideas, or could be persuaded to support some version of them; conservatives may not like the ideas that much, but they need to be shown how ANY Democrat is better than what we have now. 

Republicans?  There may still be some sane liberal or moderate ones out there who would be willing to vote blue in order to save the country.  The conservatives are a lost cause, and we shouldn't waste our time, energy, or funds trying to convince them otherwise.

We are a party which wants perfection, so we don't or can't accept the good or the reasonable.  Medicare for all, eliminating private insurance, eliminating student debt, and confiscating all assault weapons are perfection in the minds and hearts of many Democrats.  We're not going to get ANY of those fully, even if we keep the House, and flip the Senate and the White House.

We seem to forget that the overwhelming majority of people in this country are NOT far-left liberal, and we forget that at our own peril.

So the longer Democrats cling to the pie in the sky fantasies, the less our chances of winning become.  Some Democrats remind me of the starving person who turns down all food offers, because s/he doesn't like any of the choices.

And winning is paramount right now, and in 2020.