Democrats grapple with ‘socialism’ label on health care

Feb. 20--Democratic presidential hopefuls continue to move leftward on health care -- and will have to figure out how to fend off GOP attempts to brand them as "socialism" if they want to get anywhere with it.

Most of the 2020 candidates have embraced the loosely defined concept of "Medicare-for-all," as some advocate for buy-ins to Medicare or Medicaid or even an approach in which the government runs a single-payer system.

"We've gone from Obamacare to Che Guevara-care," GOP strategist Patrick Griffin said, referring to the Latin American Marxist revolutionary. "Most Americans look at this and say, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.' Once people hear, 'The government is here and we're going to help you out,' people get suspicious of that."

But Kate Norton, a Boston-based Democratic strategist who's worked on various health-care causes, said Democrats, who often ran on health care during the 2018 midterm elections that led to big House gains, should not back off from the issue. But she acknowledged that Democrats are still figuring out how to grapple with the branding battle.

"The second you throw 'socialism' into it, that's when people start going off the walls -- though it's been interesting to see the Democrats just care less about that."

She noted that the polling for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, polls very differently depending on how the questions about it are asked.

She said, "Single-payer would be great, but if you're having trouble branding the Affordable Care Act, you'll have a hard time with single-payer, because it seems scary to people."

President Trump lately has increasingly looked to brand Democrats -- who count among their numbers self-described 'Democratic Socialists' such as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- as "socialists," tying them to failed socialist regimes like the one in Venezuela.

"I do think you'll continue to hear it," said James Merrill, a New Hampshire veteran of various GOP presidential campaigns. "What Democrats are talking about is completely outside the mainstream."

Merrill added, "Republicans in 2020 are going to try to adopt the mantle of 'we're the more responsible ones.' "

But Democratic strategist Scott Ferson said, "The quote, 'We hate socialism,' just appeals to the folks who are cheering on the president every day."

He praised the approach of Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who spoke in New Hampshire on Monday night and said the "Medicare-for-all" idea could be something to move toward in the future, but less extreme solutions are needed now.

Ferson said, "You do what's practical -- you do what you can get done. That's the way to win."

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