You can make a good argument, as David Leonhardt does, that health care is getting far too much time and attention during the debates. However, as an illustration of the philosophical differences between realos and fundis, health care plans are hard to beat. That is undoubtedly the reason the debate moderators like to lead with that issue.
Elizabeth Warren has decided to release a detailed health care plan in the next few weeks. While we obviously don’t know its contents yet, we can safely assume the following:
- Warren loves wonks, and they love her. As a result, you can expect the plan to be molded and endorsed by some of the best health care wonks in the country.
- Nevertheless, it will be based on assumptions that are highly questionable, simply because that can’t be helped.
- Warren will expect her critics to defer to the expertise of her wonks. They won’t; instead, they will hire their own wonks, who will reach vastly different conclusions.
- The dispute over the merits of the Warren plan will be the focal point, other than impeachment, of the campaign. The public will believe whatever it wants to believe.
- In the meantime, the risk aversion issue will hang out there, and nothing about the Warren plan will resolve it, because plans are one thing, and hard reality something completely different. The public understands that. Warren doesn’t; she thinks the combination of will and enormous brains can solve any problem. Just like the best and the brightest and Vietnam, right?