Healthcare Reform: Let's Do it For Ourselves

In light of the recent revelation that the uninsured in red states outnumber their counterparts in blue states, and those folks in the former are the main opponents of healthcare reform, I’m reminded of an idea a dear friend—who lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which he calls "a blue pimple on the face of a red state"—had a while back, concerning liberals pushing for healthcare reform on a city and state level, as opposition to do so on a nationwide level increases:

"If they don't want it, well then at least let's do it for ourselves."

Right on.

While the Democrats get their house in order and learn how to sell the message nationwide, we need to look out for ourselves. We’ve tried looking out for the people in the red states whose children are the majority fighting and dying in Iraq, and suffering thru the economic policies of the Bush administration and look what happened in 2004. On Nov. 2nd of that year they said, "No thanks. We're better off without you." Which is quite a thing to say when blue states are subsidizing your economy.

Right now, though, we need to get our social and political agenda going in our own backyard, regardless of the outcome of the Obama administration's push for universal reform. This needs smart, ballsy, high-profile people to get it in gear, and some hard work, but think of the possibilities. If it's true that Hawaii has universal health care, why can't we?