Courtesy of Jon Stewart, getting conservative pundit Bill Kristol to first admit the government can provide first-class care, as it does to our military … but that the rest of the public doesn’t deserve it.
A few highlights, as cited by ThinkProgress:
Why is government-run health care “good enough for the military,” but “not good enough for the people of America?” Stewart asked.
Kristol — who has urged conservative activists and Republicans to “resist the temptation” to work with Democrats in crafting health reform and instead “go for the kill” — responded that the military “deserves it,” but the American people do not:
STEWART: Are you saying the American public shouldn’t have access to the same quality health care that we give to our better citizens?
KRISTOL: To our soldiers? Absolutely. [Crowd boos]
I would agree that our soldiers deserve the very best health care. I’m not sure I can defend that they should get better health care than civilians, or that, once discharged they should (except for conditions that the VA agrees stem from their time in uniform) be stuck with civilian health care.
Kristol explained that soldiers get paid less, but “one way we make it up to” them is by giving them “first-class health care.” “I feel like you’ve trapped me somehow,” Kristol observed. Indeed, Stewart explained the flaw in Kristol’s logic:
STEWART: I just want to get this on record — Bill Kristol just said that the government can run a first-class health care system.
KRISTOL: Sure it can. [Crowd applauds]
STEWART: And a government-run system is better than a private health care system.
Kristol tried to backtrack, saying he wasn’t sure the military system is “better,” and later argued that other government-run systems aren’t providing the best health care.
The problem here is that, in fact, the government military health care system isn’t always providing “the best health care” (see any number of complaints about the VA). But, then, nobody’s proposing an NHS for the population. The “marketplace of services” will remain under any current health coverage proposal. The difference being that then the government would be committed to seeing that everyone gets the basic health care they need.
Stewart wrapped up Kristol’s argument by stating, “So what you are suggesting is that the government could run the best health care system for Americans, but it’s a little too costly, so we should have the shitty insurance company health care.”
Given that one doesn’t hear Congresscritters from the Left or Right complaining about their government-issued health care, I think that’s just about the size of it.