Nixon's Plan For Health Reform, In His Own Words

[Baculus]

I had posted this link in another thread, but this sort of stuff gets lost in the mix, and, in context of today's political climate, I find this message to be fascinating. I know we don't need another health care thread, but I think this is important for a few reasons:

(1) The Nixonian health care reform plan demonstrates some striking similarities with the 2010 Democratic health care reform.

(2) It shows the difference between some individual Republican efforts in health care and the national GOP. There is no way that Nixon could say his words in today's political environment, as a Republican. (This also goes to show that Nixon wasn't quite the "heartless tyrant" as history tends to remember him, due to his tough exterior and Watergate.)

(3) That the Obama bill is not that radical, and that it has some Republican ideas in it.

(4) That the Democrats "all or nothing" strategy, at this time in 1974, was a failure, since reform could have been passed under Nixon, before he left office. And that, in a similar vein, the Republican strategy may have been just as much of a failure.

Anyway, on to Nixon's words

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/September/03/nixon-proposal.aspx

[aREDSKIN]

I had posted this link in another thread, but this sort of stuff gets lost in the mix, and, in context of today's political climate, I find this message to be fascinating. I know we don't need another health care thread, but I think this is important for a few reasons:

(1) It shows some striking simularties with the Pres. Obama plan in some areas.

(2) It shows the difference between some individual Republican efforts in health care and the national GOP. There is no way that Nixon could say his words in today's political environment, as a Republican. (This also goes to show that Nixon wasn't quite the "heartless tyrant" as history tends to remember him, due to his tough exterior and Watergate.)

(3) That the Obama bill is not that radical, and that it has some Republican ideas in it.

(4) That the Democrats "all or nothing" strategy, at this time in 1974, was a failure, since reform could have been passed under Nixon, before he left office. And that, in a similar vein, the Republican strategy may have been just as much of a failure.

Anyway, on to Nixon's words

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/September/03/nixon-proposal.aspx

Good find, however, I didn't see anything in there about "FORCING" people to participate. Otherwise, I agree that HC needs to be reformed as Nixon realized decades ago.

[greenspandan]

nixon is surprisingly progressive on abortion as well:

"There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white, or a rape."

(source: his own oval office recordings, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/us/politics/24nixon.html)

good ol' nixon.

[Kilmer17]

Whew. I always knew Nixon was a Liberal Democrat. Youve claimed him. He's yours now.

Take Lincoln with you too.

[Baculus]

Good find, however, I didn't see anything in there about "FORCING" people to participate. Otherwise, I agree that HC needs to be reformed as Nixon realized decades ago.

You are correct: There were no mandates in this plan. It was voluntary.

[Baculus]

Whew. I always knew Nixon was a Liberal Democrat. Youve claimed him. He's yours now.

Take Lincoln with you too.

And Teddy Roosevelt, and Ike as well, both of whom had progressive notions, if you are going to add Lincoln to the mix.

So, who DO you claim? Reagan? And the Bushes? Is that all you have left? I was going to add Warren Harding, but since he added a federal bureau, the Bureau of Veterans Affairs, I counted him out. Oh, how about Hoover! Of course, his administration didn't end so well, and he was a bit of a liberal on some matters, too, so maybe you can count him out as well.

Your purges are certainly shrinking your circle, isn't it?

[Baculus]

nixon is surprisingly progressive on abortion as well:

"There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white, or a rape."

(source: his own oval office recordings, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/us/politics/24nixon.html)

good ol' nixon.

Nixon certainly was a complex man, and for all of his faults, was probably a better President for which he is remembered.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Nixon certainly was a complex man, and for all of his faults, was probably a better President for which he is remembered.

He was a horrible combination of right-wing paranoia, racism, and Teddy Roosevelt era populism all fueled by a deep self loathing.

Seriously, Nixon was essentially the distillation of every bad idea to ever emerge in American politics.

[greenspandan]

well i find him hilarious.

[aREDSKIN]

Nixon certainly was a complex man, and for all of his faults, was probably a better President for which he is remembered.

I agree. Those who continually bash him given what had transpired in presidencies before & after him are just being partisan and not objective enough.

[Baculus]

He was a horrible combination of right-wing paranoia' date=' racism, and Teddy Roosevelt era populism all fueled by a deep self loathing.

Seriously, Nixon was essentially the distillation of every bad idea to ever emerge in American politics.[/quote']

But on the other hand, he had a compassion for the poor (he grew up in a hard life and never forgot this), understood the need for environmental legislation, pulled the US out of the Vietnam war, and supported health care reform. He also supported Ike's civil right's efforts during the 50s, and desegregation quickened during his administration in the 70s. He was not an obstructionist when it came to the civil rights plight of the American black, if you look at his record.

Of course, the negative attributes you mentioned are difficult to overcome when assessing Nixon. His alliance with Joe McCarthy is a particularly low point in his career. That was definitely the right-wing paranoia -- his virulent anti-communism -- that you mentioned.

But these are all points of an interesting debate.

Personally, I think we are seeing NOW is a "distillation of every bad idea to ever emerge in American politics." Nixon, in this day and age, would be run out of the part as a liberal RINO.

[Baculus]

I agree. Those who continually bash him given what had transpired in presidencies before & after him are just being partisan and not objective enough.

Nixon is one of those Presidents that definitely produces some ire. It is very, very hard to be objective about him, considering his persona.

I don't think even Republicans want to defend him. After his fall from power, it is hard to do so, I suppose.

[DieselPwr44]

Never thought I'd see the day when lefties were propping up Nixon to defend one of their own.

[GhostofSparta]

Nixon is one of those Presidents that definitely produces some ire. It is very, very hard to be objective about him, considering his persona.

I don't think even Republicans want to defend him. After his fall from power, it is hard to do so, I suppose.

Try coming at it from someone my age, born after 1980. All my generation learns about Nixon in school (if we ever make it that far in American history or government) is Watergate. When I graduate high school I probably knew more about Woodward and Bernstein than Nixon.

[Baculus]

Never thought I'd see the day when lefties were propping up Nixon to defend one of their own.

And I never thought I would see the day when I would see Republicans disown many of their important historical party figures.

It is far easier to say, "Hey, Nixon had some good health care ideas," then it is to say, "I want all of those liberal RINOs, like Lincoln and Teddy, out of our history!"

To me, agreeing with Nixon on some of his health care positions does not mean I totally agree with him on all matters. Because, frankly, that isn't how the world works. Unfortunately, though, this isn't the case with the Glenn Beck sort of logic, where any sort of "progressivism" is the next step to Stalin and Mao.

And that is the flaw from the Right, with their current "all or nothing" attitude: It is too puritanical.

[Baculus]

Try coming at it from someone my age, born after 1980. All my generation learns about Nixon in school (if we ever make it that far in American history or government) is Watergate. When I graduate high school I probably knew more about Woodward and Bernstein than Nixon.

Hopefully text books will mention any of his accomplishments along with his failures.

[DieselPwr44]

Try coming at it from someone my age, born after 1980. All my generation learns about Nixon in school (if we ever make it that far in American history or government) is Watergate. When I graduate high school I probably knew more about Woodward and Bernstein than Nixon.

But but..the history books report all the facts. They're not slanted in any way.

/sarcasm

[Burgold]

I sometimes think of Nixon as being like Clinton. Pretty good President, but what a rotten guy. Nixon was worse in some obvious ways... his abuse of the IRS and FBI, but both actually at the balance of the ledger sheets were pretty good Presidents.