Health Reform Realities
Paul Krugman
JAN. 18, 2016
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The question for progressives — a question that is now central to the Democratic primary — is whether these failings mean that they should re-litigate their own biggest political success in almost half a century, and try for something better.

My answer, as you might guess, is that they shouldn’t, that they should seek incremental change on health care (Bring back the public option!) and focus their main efforts on other issues — that is, that Bernie Sanders is wrong about this and Hillary Clinton is right. But the main point is that we should think clearly about why health reform looks the way it does.......

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/opinion/health-reform-realities.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region

With a strong defense of President Obama, she got the better of Bernie Sanders.

illary Clinton’s superb debate performance on Sunday raised an unsettling question: If she can be this consistently good on a debate stage, why can’t she replicate that impressiveness on the campaign trail or in interviews? Clinton was once again in superior form Sunday night in South Carolina, besting Sen. Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley in the last Democratic debate before the Iowa caucus.

Clinton’s debating performance is formidable because it combines her intelligence with a sincerity and level of conviction that often seem absent in other forums. When she opened the debate speaking of Martin Luther King Jr.’s role fighting for increased wages, she used his career as a subtle metaphor for what she is pitching: principled leadership with a strong practical bent. That mixture, along with her strength in close-quarter combat and an ability to wrap herself in President Obama’s record—something that played well to the Charleston crowd in the auditorium—was what won her this debate.

Clinton had several strong moments Sunday night. “Ninety people a day die from gun violence in this country,” she noted, before going on to attack Sanders’ record on the Second Amendment, methodically reciting a series of his Congressional votes. For some reason Sanders still struggles when pressed on his gun rights votes; he called Clinton “disingenuous” and said that guns “should not be a political issue.” Sanders has run an impressive race and is challenging Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire, but Clinton’s ability to bring him to earth and seem like just another politician—his weird, Trump-like quoting of polls tonight didn’t help—is remarkable. (The moderators helped her tonight by making it appear as if Sanders had changed or updated a number of his positions.)

The same dynamic occurred when the subject turned to health care. Clinton’s attack on Sanders’ support for a single-payer system is, er, “disingenuous” (as Jim Newell pointed out in Slate last week). But the way she attacked Sanders on the issue tonight was effective: She essentially claimed that Sanders’s plan would cause a huge amount of disruption in Obamacare, and thus reopen the battle that has barely ended over the president’s signature program. Sanders needs to figure out a way to answer this criticism, but he certainly didn’t do so tonight.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/01/hillary_clinton_bests_bernie_sanders_in_democratic_debate_in_charleston.html

snip>Clinton has also been remarkably outspoken on Taiwan, particularly within the context of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九 ) geopolitically potent China-friendly policies, which began immediately after his election in 2008. In a 2014 interview with Taiwan’s Business Weekly magazine, Clinton criticized those policies strongly, saying they could eventually result in a loss of Taiwan’s economic and political independence. Underscoring the point, she compared Taiwan to the Ukraine, where Russian separatists were then working hard trying to undo the country’s democracy and return it to Moscow’s orbit.......

“Now you have to decide how dependent economically you become… How… do you handle the [cross-strait] relationship, if you say this far, but no farther?” Clinton said. “That will put pressure on you from China, if they want more, but you have to make these evaluations based on what you think is in the long-term interest of Taiwan.”

Clinton’s interview was remarkable, because it clearly suggested that she recognized the strategic importance to the U.S. of Taiwan’s fortuitous location in the geographical center of the first island chain, which gives it the ability to prevent the spread of Chinese naval power eastward, including toward critical American military assets like Guam. In this respect, she has been unique among serious American presidential candidates in the 2016 elections, who have either ignored the issue entirely or more probably are simply unaware of it, which is usually par for the course for otherwise well-informed American politicians.

In sharp contrast to Clinton, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has rarely spoken out on China...

http://buzzorange.com/global/2015/08/31/what-the-u-s-presidential-elections-mean-to-taiwan-and-china-relations/

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan elected Tsai Ing-wen as its first female president Saturday, handing her pro-independence party its first majority in the national legislature and rejecting the China-friendly party that has led the self-governing island for eight years.

Voters concerned that Taiwan's economy is under threat from China and broadly opposed to Beijing's demands for political unification resoundingly chose Tsai over the Nationalists' Eric Chu, a late replacement for his party's original candidate, who was seen as alienating voters.
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Tsai said her victory was a further show of how ingrained democracy has become on Taiwan and showed that its people wish for a government "steadfast in protecting this nation's sovereignty." She too pledged to maintain the status quo with China. She said both sides have a responsibility to find a mutually acceptable means of interacting, while adding that Taiwan's international space must be respected.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/world-news/taiwan-elects-first-female-president

Only one presidential candidate has a comprehensive plan to address autism. Here’s what she’ll do.
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An estimated 3.5 million Americans—including one in 68 children—have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many go undiagnosed for years, and services that would vastly improve their lives are unaffordable for most families.

That’s why Hillary just announced a broad plan to help people of all ages and their families who are impacted by autism.
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Here’s what it will do:

1. Launch a national early screening campaign
Diagnosis is the first step in helping people with autism. Yet, studies show that in many children, especially girls and African American and Latino children, early signs of autism go overlooked for months or even years. Hillary’s plan will boost early screening rates so that kids can get diagnosed and receive the services that will make a difference in their lives.

2. Ensure health insurance coverage for autism services
When autism services aren’t covered by insurance, many families can't afford them. The Affordable Care Act has gone a long way to help those with autism get the support they need—by making it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, ending lifetime dollar limits on benefits, and allowing young adults to remain on their parents’ coverage until the age of 26.
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3. Invest in research to deepen our understanding of autism
We need to invest in more research to better understand autism, create better diagnostic tools, and improve treatments and services for people on the autism spectrum. Hillary will significantly increase funding for autism-related research and call for the first-ever study of the prevalence of adult autism.

4. Increase employment opportunities for those with autism
People with autism are unemployed at a much higher rate: More than half of youth with autism are not getting a job or pursuing higher education in the two years after they graduate high school. Hillary’s plan will work to close the employment gap by launching a new Autism Works Initiative that will include a post-graduation transition plan for every student with autism, along with a public-private partnership to connect people with autism to employment opportunities.

Hillary is the only candidate with a comprehensive plan to support Americans with autism. And her proposals are drawing praise from advocates and families alike.

Anyone who wants to be president should have a plan to make a real difference for families.

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/feed/only-one-presidential-candidate-has-comprehensive-plan-address-autism-heres-what-shell-do/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=20160107feed-autismplan