Sen. John Cornyn of Texas made some remarks recently that do a good job of illustrating how far apart the political poles are on health care.
And how easily they might be brought together.
He called his state a model for the nation. He based this on the passage of tort reform, which limited malpractice damages and, he said, increased the supply of doctors in the state.
This shocked the editors of the Houston Chronicle, who cited the June report of The Commonwealth Fund ranking the state 46th in childrens’ healthcare, and 50th in terms of access to care.
But I do not doubt Cornyn’s sincerity. If you’re practicing medicine, or you need top-quality care, Texas is top-notch. The Texas Medical Center may be the best center for acute care in the nation. Doctors’ conditions are improving.
Cornyn’s comments are often reflected right here, where readers praise America’s private health system, blaming its problems on lawyers, the government, or scary advocates like The Commonwealth Fund, which is branded a liberal front.
The American middle class has been divided by the events of this last 30 years into two parts, those who are struggling and those who are well-off.
But most of us don’t know which side we’re on.
Median family income in the U.S. is roughly $48,000 but I often hear TV pundits claim that incomes of up to $200,000 are “middle class.”
The political fact is that millions of people in the low-middle class identify politically with those who are wealthier. This was illustrated by the failed campaign of John Edwards, whose voters actually skewed wealthy even while his message skewed toward those who were not wealthy.
It’s just not true, in modern America, that we vote our economic interest. Some of us do. Many of us don’t, preferring to vote the interests of those we identify with.
As I noted earlier this week, in discussing John McCain’s support among elderly voters, this should hold the roots of compromise in our health care debate. But only if we start being politically honest with ourselves about our real economic situations.
