Trail-Gating: Some Lingering Primary Night Questions

A guest post from the Hotline's Nora McAlvanah

WI has one of boldest and most comprehensive health care plans in all of the US. Last June, the state Senate passed “Healthy Wisconsin” which would have made Wisconsin the first state to guarantee quality and affordable health care for all of its residents.

According to exit polls, the number one issue for voters was, unsurprisingly, the economy, followed by health care. We wonder how many of these health care voters picked Clinton--meaning they genuinely bought her argument that her plan is more universal than Obama's. And if they picked Obama, is this an indication of him making inroads into her most sacred of bases?

On a less serious note: Those CNN Analysts sitting behind their Dell notebooks? Is “The Best Political Team on Television” really taking advantage of technology or product placement?

Does anyone have actual footage of HI Sen. Daniel Inouye voting yesterday? Just saying, the guy misses a lot of votes.

Clinton was speaking at Chaney high school, not Cheney high school, in OH last night when the cable networks cut away from her 7 minutes into her speech to carry Obama’s victory speech. Can someone help her find the nearest undisclosed bunker?

Comments

Everyone asks what Obama's experience is?

Just look at his organization. His experience is paying off. He knows how to handle delegating with confidence. He has handled himself well.

And- if Hillary is in the solutions business then tell me this, where was her solution to health care when she had the chance and if her campaign organization is any indication of her solutions business then I think we have insight into what a Clinton Presidency will be like.

Posted by bsd | February 20, 2008 8:35 AM

Marc,

Actually the State Senate health care bill turned into a bit of a disaster. I'm sure that I don't have all the details but the State Senate Majority Leader who brought that bill to the floor, eventually lost her leadership position because the bill put her in an untenable negotiating position with the GOP-held Assembly and our Center-Left Governor, and they eventually bypassed her for most of the State budget negotiations. This may have influenced Wisconsin health care voters to take what they consider a more pragmatic and incremental approach to the subject (arguably Obama's health care plan.)

Posted by badger | February 20, 2008 8:54 AM

Mandates are an out of the gate killer for any health INSURANCE plan.

That's the crazy thing...they are all getting a free pass that their plans are about insurance, not health care.

Those that want REAL universal healthcare like the VA system won't get it...at least yet. So most folks that are all pragmatic would like Medicare INSURANCE for all as the next best thing.

Obama's plan is easier to amend toward that than HRC's which really focuses on maintaining the existing INSURANCE industry.

Why do we continue to spend so much to insure ourselves rather than provide actual care for ourselves. It's killing business and families budgets.

Posted by G Davis | February 20, 2008 9:04 AM

That is why I like the for-sight of Obama's plan.

I like that he sees the way forward. This is his ability and we see it in many things he does. We need more of this kind of thinking if we want real change and this is what he has been talking about!

Posted by bsd | February 20, 2008 9:51 AM

Why is Nora wondering how many health-care voters picked Clinton when she could just look it up? The exit polls are pretty straight-forward on the answer -- about 55 percent of those who picked health-care as their major issue voted for Obama.

Posted by Fred App | February 20, 2008 10:20 AM

Re: Product placement:

When I checked out Karl Rove on Fox, I experienced some cognitive dissonance when I noticed that he was using a Mac Powerbook. Who would have thunk it? Rove is not a PC!

Posted by Laurie A. | February 20, 2008 10:41 AM