Bernie Sanders has rejected that approach. So far, the Senator from Vermont has not modified any of his proposals in a bid to get centrist Democrats on board, let alone moderate Republicans.
Bernie is not advocating socialism, any more than did FDR or Eisenhower. Both of those were, in practice, Democratic Socialists, or Socialist Democrats depending upon your interpretation. The extremely popular programs put into place by both saved capitalism from itself.
The idea that we must take the most liberal-leaning conservatives as the model for the party of the people is how our nation slid rightward for four decades and is now teetering on the brink of outright fascism. Republicans (and the faux Democrats that should be Republicans) will never allow the Overton window to slide back to center (where Bernie’s policies are) without brute force.
Establishment Democrats have become too insulated from the plight of the people and far too corrupted to be considered Democrats in the FDR tradition. They only trot out things the people want to hear to get elected and then go back to governing to the best interest of their donors and the limousine elites. The only thing separating them from Republicans is which donors they cater to, but even that line is now being blurred.
But it’s critical for Democrats to look outside their primary race bubble on these topics and focus on the issues that will work for them in the general election. Medicare for All is not one of those.
I believe Medicare 4 All will be the defining issue of the ’20 election and will highlight conservative hypocrisy. Every study I’ve seen so far has M4A “saving” large amounts of money while also covering “all” medical needs and “all” people. If American voters are so profoundly stupid that they can’t understand “costs less” then they deserve Trump and all the misery he and Republicans will bring on them.
It’s not like Bernie is suggesting some grand experiment. Our government already pays around half of all healthcare dollars spent in America and we are the only major country using private insurance as an intermediary payor between consumers and providers. We are also the only country that ignores tens of thousands of deaths directly attributable to a lack of coverage or makes many people choose between life-saving medicines and food. Other nations consider this an unthinkable failure of their government, which it is.
There is no “middle ground” where any rational thinking person can meet someone who condones our current healthcare system, so seeking their approval should not be considered commendable or even tolerated within a party claiming to be “for the people”. The fact that Bernie stands his ground on many issues is one of the best reasons for supporting him.
