Washington Post: Between a Veto and the Base

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/09/AR2007100901736.html

By Ruth Marcus
Wednesday, October 10, 2007; Page A17

You might have thought, given the popularity of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the unpopularity of President Bush, that the Republican presidential candidates wouldn't be racing to support the president's veto.

You might have thought, given that 18 Republican senators voted to support the expansion, that the candidates might at least refrain from tossing around epithets such as "socialized medicine" (former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani) and "phony smoke-and-mirrors" (Arizona Sen. John McCain, on the financing).

You might have thought that presidential contenders would shy away from alienating one of the measure's leading champions, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-First Caucus State).

You'd be wrong.

Instead, the leading Republican candidates have embraced the veto, demonstrating in varying degrees a combination of technical ignorance, ideological bluster and -- though this is less certain -- political miscalculation.

"Half to two-thirds of the children that they're going to take care of already have private insurance," Giuliani said. Actually, of the 5.8 million children who would gain health coverage, fewer than 2 million -- 1 in 3 -- would be those who have or would eventually obtain private coverage.

FULL story at link.

[dflprincess]

1. Right now it's more important for the candidates to convince the insurance company pacs

that they are worthy of their contributions than to keep children healthy.