General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Sanders Is Losing Primary Battles, But Winning A War [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)How, exactly, do we end the GOP's control of Congress? I agree with Barack Obama's reported statement that focusing on the Trump-Russia issues won't be enough by itself. The emphasis should be on showing voters that electing Democrats will make their lives better.
Some Democratic candidates believe that pushing for single payer is one component of that. Others fear that they'll be open to fear-mongering attacks about "socialized medicine" or whatever. Thus, there's a difference of opinion within the Democratic Party about the politics of single payer as well as about the merits of particular proposals. That intra-party debate was reflected in the 2016 primaries.
The point of the linked article is that, since the 2016 primaries, the intra-party debate has been shifting in the direction of favoring single payer. For example, in 2017, for the first time ever, Conyers's single-payer bill attracted cosponsorships from a majority of the members of the Democratic caucus in the House. In the Senate, Sanders's single-payer bill has been cosponsored by several of the Senators who are often mentioned as possible 2020 nominees. (And, no, this does not mean that I'm a Bernie "cultist" who believes that Bernie thought up the concept of single-payer singlehandedly. It's a factual report about the cosponsorship list, treating that list as one indication of where the Democratic Party is going.)