Is Silence Golden?

The election is just around the corner. Campaign ads monopolize the airwaves. I expected to see the news filled with candidate interviews and photo ops, but this year the McCain team has taken a quieter approach.  

They aren't talking. Really.

And reporters are getting frustrated. Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."

Check out the YouTube video of frustrated reporters. Thanks for the tip from The Huffington Post.

McCain's not talking. And Sarah Palin has ruffled more than a few feathers by refusing to talk to reporters too. The campaign has restricted journalist access to her meetings and events. Makes me wonder just what is going on. At the United Nations conference, journalists threatened to boycott her events unless they're allowed more access. What is the McCain team hiding? Are they worried what she might say? Does she need more time to prepare for it? Ask any high schooler and they could tell Palin just how to cram for a test like the UN meeting.

Palin, the small-town mayor turned governor, has accomplished a great deal recently.  She seems like she would be able to handle herself just fine. All the secrecy just seems plain odd. What exactly does the McCain team think reporters would witness?

Oh yeah... She does need to brush up on her American History trivia. Shouldn't be too tough. Even my kids can do it. I think you can even quiz yourself online. (I suppose this cram session would work, that is unless you expect a VP to know more than a typical high school student. I'm thinking I have slightly higher expectations--our Prez and VP should be able to hold forth free form and discuss almost any question intelligently.)

But back to the issue at hand: Meeting foreign leaders. We all know Palin has never met a foreign head of state before. This fact didn't seem to bother her, in fact she told ABC news recently that although had never met another foreign leader, "I think if you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer I just gave you.

Hmmm. Sure sounds believable, but it's not! In fact, Spiro Agnew (former governor of Maryland) who served as VP under Nixon (1969-1973) is the most recent VP with no experieince meeting a foreign head of state before taking office.

The McCain campaign gave in and finally agreed to let a CNN reporter in the UN meetings. And at the UN on Tuesday Palin met two foreign heads of state. 

What was all the fuss about?

Better Not Get Really Sick If You Vote For McCain

No one wants to get sick. But it happens. If you vote for McCain, let's hope you stay healthy or only get moderately sick. But good luck if you have a pre-existing condition like cancer, arthritis, or severe food allergies. If you vote for McCain, then you better be rich enough to buy private health insurance.

McCain's solution to the health care crisis: tax rebates. Wow! Talk about blind faith in the free market. His plan might work for some of us, but what happens to the poorest people who won't benefit from a $5000 family tax rebate because they don't pay $5000 in taxes? Since administrative costs can dramatically increase on the open market, private health insurance could end up being more expensive and less generous according to the WSJ.com.

McCain wants more competition between private health insurers. He wants to bring down the cost of health care by having individuals/families shop for their own insurance. McCain would give direct refundable tax credits to individuals to offset the cost of buying private insurance. But inorder to keep the costs down for the insurance companies, the "human price" of moving to private insurance will be that some people with pre-existing conditions like cancer would be denied insurance by private insurance companies. Corporations would be less likely to offer health insurance benefits because McCain's plan would eliminate the current tax exclusion for health care benefits. McCain has mentioned some plan requiring individual states develop plans to help those with pre-existing conditions, but I haven't seen the details on this. Makes me wonder if under his plan, those under-insured people will then be forced to move just to find the best state health care.

Obama would increase federal regulations while still giving consumers more options like private insurance. His plan would set up a new national health plan to cover everyone so no one would fall between the cracks. To help pay for it he would tax large corporations that do not provide health insurance. Obama's plan would include private insurance plans with increased federal regulation to ensure coverage to everyone, at consistent prices and include those with pre-existing conditions. Private insurance plans under Obama's plan would feel the pressure to offer the same generous benefits as the government-run plan. The cons? This would lead to higher premiums for private insurance. How would the uninsured fare under Obama's plan? Much better. Sometimes children--the most vulnerable--are the ones who lack appropriate care because under current plans they are not insured. By mandating health coverage for all children, Obama's health plan would improve the health care of children. Obama's plan is expected to reduce the number of unisured people by 18 million in the first year according to the Tax Policy Center.

It's ironic that under McCain's health plan, McCain himself would not be covered. Under his plan insurance companies do not have to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions like melanoma and breast cancer. 

Elizabeth Edwards forcefully denounced the McCain health care proposal during yesterday's House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing.

"Sen. McCain and I have something in common, and that is neither one of us would be insured under his health care plan...If you're 55 with cancer...good luck to you," said Elizabeth Edwards during the hearing according to The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report.

To read a detailed comparison of the McCain and Obama health care plans, check out this link in the WSJ.com

Elizabeth Edwards talks health care on Capital Hill during a House subcommittee hearing on health care reform.