In the The New York Times, Steffie Woolhander and David Himmelstein, co-founders of Physicians for a National Health Care System, argue that the Democratic plans are sell-outs -- that they're the weak legislation of Nixon, not the necessary reforms of single-payer. This idea that Nixon proposed such legislation is, in the op-ed, supposed to be the killing blow. But I take the opposite lesson: I think one of liberalism's great mistakes was not working with him in the 1970s towards reform, thinking instead that something better could be achieved. It was a fair expectation, but a wrong one. And contrary to their op-ed's implication, it's a moment that teaches a very singular lesson: Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Moving closer to single payer is far superior to sticking with the status quo.
