Who Will Run the Free Hot Dog Stand?
Watching conservatives cheer the demise of the “public option” has left me shaking my head. Now, if this were a reality show — “Who Wins Health Care?” — it would all make sense. The conservatives turned the “public option” into the symbol of big, expensive government taking away your health care to give it to immigrants. I kid you not: This is exactly how I’ve heard it described in more than one television debate, which leaves you denying that you want to kill your mother (mine is already dead, but still). Susan Estrich It’s not easy to beat back such an idea, particularly in a country that is full of people who are on edge to begin with about their economic security, and with reason. So score this round for the conservatives. The country doesn’t want (even) big(ger) government. The private sector does everything better. Deja vu all over again. But is the private sector ready to run a free hot dog stand? One of the best lines in recent political campaigns is the one where Democrats say
