Candidates run on platform Edwards built
Bold policy proposals pushed campaign in unexpected direction
PAUL KRUGMAN
New York Times
So John Edwards has dropped out of the race for the presidency. By normal political standards, his campaign fell short.
But Edwards, far more than is usual in modern politics, ran a campaign based on ideas. And even as his personal quest for the White House faltered, his ideas triumphed: Both Democratic candidates left standing are, to a large extent, running on the platform Edwards built.
To understand the extent of the Edwards effect, you have to think about what might have been.
At the beginning of 2007, it seemed likely that the Democratic nominee would run a cautious campaign, without strong, distinctive policy ideas. That, after all, is what John Kerry did in 2004.
If 2008 is different, it will be largely thanks to Edwards. He made a habit of introducing bold policy proposals -- and they were met with such enthusiasm among Democrats that his rivals were more or less forced to follow suit.
First with health care plan
It's hard, in particular, to overstate the importance of the Edwards health care plan, introduced in February.Before the Edwards plan was unveiled, advocates of universal health care had difficulty getting traction, in part because they were divided over how to get there. Some advocated a single-payer system -- Medicare for all -- but this was dismissed as politically infeasible. Some advocated reform based on private insurers, but single-payer advocates, aware of the vast inefficiency of the private insurance system, recoiled at the prospect.
With no consensus about how to pursue health reform, and vivid memories of the failure of 1993-94, Democratic politicians avoided the subject, treating universal care as a vague dream for the distant future.
But the Edwards plan squared the circle, giving people the choice of staying with private insurers, while also giving everyone the option of buying into government-offered, Medicare-type plans -- a form of public-private competition that Edwards made clear might lead to a single-payer system over time. And he also broke the taboo against calling for tax increases to pay for reform.
Suddenly, universal health care became a possible
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