Meeting at the Middle

Ross Douthat [left] and Bob Beckel face similar challenges. Douthat writes for the liberal New York Times, and Beckel is a commentator for the conservative outlet FOX News. But Douthat is a Republican with a book to his credit on how to reform the GOP. And Beckel is a Democrat who managed Walter Mondale’s 1984 campaign for president. Both have learned how to operate in unfriendly environments, very much like the New York Times’ David Brooks and FOX News commentator Mara Liasson, the odd pair we discussed favorably earlier.

Now both have columns on how to fix health care, Beckel (not Douthat) telling Obama how to win over Republicans, Douthat (not Beckel) telling Republicans how they should support Obama. Both columns make sense to me; too bad both will be ignored.

Beckel says Obama should support tort reform, quoting Obama in 1996 saying, "Anyone who denies there is a crisis in medical malpractice is probably a trial lawyer." Beckel’s key points:

➢ Democrats advocating medical tort reform will fundamentally change the healthcare reform debate and in the process may save universal healthcare legislation.

➢ [According to the Congressional Budget Office,] “studies have found that state level tort reforms have decreased the number of lawsuits filed, lowered the value of claims and damage awards... thereby reducing general insurance premiums. Indeed premiums fell by 40% for some commercial policies".

➢ adding tort reform to healthcare legislation will instantaneously change the debate; take a major weapon to defeat healthcare reform from the GOP arsenal[, and]; bring huge numbers of doctors and healthcare providers to the reformers side.

➢ National standards for medical malpractice would mandate full payment for economic damages[, and] a cap of $250,000 in punitive damages would be a reasonable award in most . . . cases. [Anyway,] trail lawyers won't abandon [Democrats] because they have nowhere else to go.

Douthat should be a hero to all Democrats for advising Republicans “to say ‘no’ to retirees.” Talk about something that won’t happen!

As Douthat notes, Republicans have suffered for decades from Democrats demagoging the GOP for proposing even modest changes to Social Security and Medicare. Now, all of a sudden, the tables are turned, and Republicans are surging by defending seniors against Obama’s proposals to lower Medicare costs. Douthat adds that Americans over 50 cast over 40% of the votes in the 2008 elections, and half the votes in the ’06 midterms. Republicans just aren’t going to give back the amazing gift Obama handed them when he proposed to reduce Medicare funding.

I was disgusted when many Democrats who knew better demagogued Republicans on Iraq because they knew voters hate war, and will back fighting only when the U.S. is directly attacked. In spite of Iraq, and in spite of Democrats’ past demagoging on Social Security and Medicare reform, I would agree with Douthat that Republicans should help Obama curb rising Medicare costs.

Republicans should be better than Democrats, not happily matching their demagoguery. Anyway, I applaud both Beckel and Douthat for searching for a middle way that works, however futile the effort.