You should also mention that Fineman's claim that Dean favors a health care plan similar to Hillary's (whatever that means these days) is simply not true. He favors an incremental approach that expands medicaid to all people under 23 (who are cheapest to insure), add a prescription benefit to medicare and subsidize small businesses and the self-employed between 23 and 65. Dean says that he favors this method because it will win the support of, among other groups, small businesses.
It won't only make Dean popular with small business, it'll make him popular with the people in the country who have to work for small businesses. Turnover will decrease if people don't have to worry about their health benefits, not only allowing small business owners to keep quality employees, but empowering people to get a job more in line with what their current situation will allow and keep it, to improve their economic standing... all without worrying what will happen to them if they are sick.
I have a good job with good insurance and I like the Dean plan because it likely wouldn't change my benefits... it merely brings other people into the fold. Insurance companies should like it because they'll have more paying customers. It should make everyone's premiums go down, I'd assume...
sorry bout the duplicate comment...
Yes-- I was under the impression that Clinton's plan failed because of (among many things) opposition from small businesses, and fears that people's benefits would change. Dean's plan looks pretty good to me, though I am no expert on health policy issues.
Yes, a huge opponent of the Clinton plan was the Small Business Association, which would have faced huge additional costs had that plan become law. Dean's plan is good, because it does start out incrementally, insuring people, who by actuary tables, are somewhat inexpensive to insure. The key is gradualism and expansion over time, not a one size fits all, must happen now program.
Describing Howard Dean as a cross between an "ER doctor, Paul Wellstone, and Michael Moore," is typical hogwash from Howard Fineman, "Fine" to his friend Bush. Wellstone was a great American, but a bit too left for a presidential race. Moore has been marginalized by the very media "Fine" represents, and I have never watched ER. As we all know, Dean is not an idealogue, but a centrist. "Fine" feints with damn praise in this article, giving Dean his due, but saying he basically doesn't have a chance. But "Fine" represents one of the biggest obstacle for Dean or any Dem in 04: the bumbling, sycophantic, lazy media that helped create Bush and the "invicible" aura around him. "Fine" wrote this gem about Bush after 9/11: "He's doesn't bother reading history; he's too busy making it." "Fine" wasn't voted Media Whore of the Year by mediawhoresonline.com for nothing.
Awesome comment, I got a free years subscription to Newsweek for supporting Maryland Public Radio (thank God it was free) and am going to write Fineman and his editors for such a lousy, inaccurate, caricature of Dean's positions. If we don't speak out when these guys lay these kind of eggs - we only encourage them. For pete's sake...all I ask of my media is to be accurate!
Why on earth did I think I saw that in Newsweek....oops!
He's not "ER doctor, Paul Wellstone, and Michael Moore," he's Jeb Bartlett of the West Wing - New England governor, wife's a doctor. Period, end of story. 
Maybe it's just because I'm from Minnesota, but hearing someone described as a cross between and ER doctor, Paul Wellstone (RIP), and Michael Moore sounds like a complement to me!
Re: Charles' comments. Absolutely no disrespect intended toward Paul Wellstone. I am a former Minnesotan and I admired Paul greatly. I was just crushed at his death. (And I generally support Michael Moore...but how could he have supported Nader in 2000?)
My point though was about the media, which has become a right-wing tool, which as Al Gore said in December, is so lazy and cowardly that they merely recite talking points from the Republican National Committee. Reread the transcript of Dr. Dean's interview with Russert on Meet the Press. Three times Russert infers that Dean was supporting terrorism after 9/11 by calling for nation building. Dean handled it very well.
Also, read www.dailyhowler.com, to see how low the media has sunk--from the Washington Post, to NBC, to the NY Times, etc., etc., etc. The media is eager to pin labels on candidates and early in the race, so they won't actually have to do any work. So calling Dr. Dean a "Wellstone liberal," is an honor to supporters of Sen. Wellstone, but it is not an accurate depiction of the stances Dr. Dean has so clearly demarked. It is not the way to win national elections. And the media is waiting to paint Dr. Dean all over with the civil unions issue. I think it can be said fairly that the media destroyed Al Gore in 2000 (he "lied" about the creating the Internet, he reinvented himself with "earth tones," he lied about he and Tipper being the models for "Love Story." What about Bush's cocaine story, his DWI, his financial swindles, etc. Not a word. Let alone a word about serious stories.
I think it is imperative that in this election we all need to call these lazy pundits on their mischaracterizations and generally shoddy reporting. The mainstream press was pathetic in 2000. If we see Howard Fineman playing loose with facts, let's call him on it. That goes for anybody in the Wasington press corps. (Unfortunately that means we will be very busy this year) For an example of this kind of work at its finest go to Bob Somerby's Daily Howler. I have nowhere near the eloquence of Mr. Somerby, but there is strength in numbers. If we don't keep them honest, then nobody will. Here's a link to Bob's site. It should be daily required reading.
http://www.dailyhowler.com
As a matter of fact, if I can track down his email address, I will write him tonight! If anyone has it, feel free to post it.
There is an exhaustive list of addresses & email addresses of many many in our press corps at takebackthemedia.com
"Him" being Howard Fineman. Although maybe I'll drop Bob Somerby a mash note too.
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