Is Tuition-free College or Single-payer Healthcare better for Dems to focus on?

[Blue3]

Is Tuition-free College or Single-payer Healthcare better for Dems to focus on?




College costs might do better for investing Millennials, the healthy ones don't really deal with healthcare costs yet, and increasing their turnout could be key...

[GoTfan]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

[Blue3]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Of course.

But if you had to choose to focus on one, which would be better for the Democrats?

[Kamala]

Healthcare. It's a winning issue, both policy-wise and electorally.

[Webnicz]

I think its a dangerous path to start saying everything should be free. We will. have to pick one or the other, it appears they have chosen healthcare. However maybe some will choose college and say through education they will be able to good jobs and good healthcare through work.

College really should be made more affordable both parties should agree on that

[Kamala]

Healthcare, I guess, but we've had great success with healthcare already, and should turn our attention to something like immigration reform, tax reform, infrastructure, or climate change.

I wouldn't say 12-ish % uninsured in the US is a good enough stopping point.

[PoliticalJunkie23]

They both won't happen, but it seems like single payer is a more popular among the progressive base right now, so it would make sense to have that be a central part of the 2018 campaign. Either way, Democrats are risking scaring away moderates by embracing either of these at the national level.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Single Payer Healthcare, no doubt.

The "need" to go to college is overrated.  I have a BA degree, but I have never worked in my major.  I've worked in other fields where I've gotten certifications and OJT, but my degree really did nothing but show folks I had the perseverance and intellect to get one (FWIW).  College was once an unnecessary requirement for many jobs just to ensure that the sons of the rich who could afford college get the best positions.  Many, many positions could be occupied by OJT, or by college training sponsored by corporations, rather than by colleges, and folks would be equally educated.  Additionally, high school in America could (and should) be an experience where youth come out of it with some kind of tangible employment skill.

Medical care, on the other hand, reuquires a doctor, and a doctor has to be paid.  Doctors won't see folks without money; the ER is "the doctor" for millions of Americans.  Folks leave the ER with broken bones uncasted, and barely set and splinted; they have referrals to orthopedists who won't see them because they don't have the money.  We are becoming a nation of folks with unset broken bones and missing teeth; the richest nation in the world at that.  

[Rookie Yinzer]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Go to Middle America and tell them why they should be taxed to hell and back so other people's kids can go to college and get a degree in finger painting.

Healthcare is the way to go. And no. Both won't work. It has to be one or the other before Democrats start looking like the party of Karl Marx.

[Bojack Horseman]

I'm weary of another 2009 health care summer where people would be convinced the Democrats are trying to kill their grandparents if we try to do universal health care and more major Congressional losses.

[Chief Justice Keef]

Single-payer health care is probably a more relevant issue right now, but Dems would be wise to campaign on both.

[Sumner 1868]

I think saving lives matters more than white-collar access.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

Now this is an actual time where the both button should be available.

[Tancred]

Single-payer healthcare. Everyone needs healthcare but not everyone needs to go to college.

[Tekken_Guy]

Not being able to afford college just means you can find other alternatives. Not having healthcare is life-or-death. And it's pretty clear what the number one issue in the country is.

[Shadows]

Healthcare. College is a long time policy win for multiple reasons - Millennials are strong Dems & this will make the next generation even more  left. it is rational, an extension of K-12 funding & would prevent a future Student Debt bubble to not wreck on the economy through large scale defeaults.

Healthcare will cost 1-1.5T a year while Tuition Free College costs 70B a year - So one is expensive while another is incredibly cheap. 0 Tax increases for Tuition Free College which can be paid for an incredibly low Financial Transaction Tax (like 0.01% or 0.001 on stocks, bonds, derivatives, which Bernie calls Wall Street tax).

Healthcare is a winning issue but Tuition Free College is a much easier issue to implement. Even the GOP Gov. in TN went with community college tuition free or something. Healthcare is life & death & the system is dysfunctional. It can appeal to everyone under 45 while Tuition free has a small demographic.

[Thunderbird is the word]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Go to Middle America and tell them why they should be taxed to hell and back so other people's kids can go to college and get a degree in finger painting.

Healthcare is the way to go. And no. Both won't work. It has to be one or the other before Democrats start looking like the party of Karl Marx.

because there aren't any 30 somethings in America struggling to pay off student loan debt or parents wanting to ease the burden of having to pay there kids tuition that wouldn't vote for that.

[Thunderbird is the word]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Of course.

But if you had to choose to focus on one, which would be better for the Democrats?

I think running on both would be a winning combination

[Xing]

I'd love to see more focus on college, but it's clear that Democrats have a winning message on healthcare.

[NOVA Green]

Although both are important issues, Health Care effects all Americans in a fundamental life and death manner, not to mention to impact of medical debt when it comes to the universal dream of home ownership in America, and impacts of credit rating scores to hit the magic 650/660 level.

I think it is possible to do both, but "tuition free college" as a general concept is likely too expensive and unrealistic to be obtainable.

What is obtainable is more like something to the effect of a "free" two years of Community College for first time college students, as well  as increased ability to leverage CCs for "free" Vocational Retraining, or workers shifting occupations, or at least add a 0% interest loan adjusted for inflation for adults pursuing vocational career changes, and take out all of the sticks that punish working adults trying to advance their occupational skill-sets, to make job retraining/education more accessible so that individuals don't have to incur a ton of debt, or be unable to provide the upfront money for tuition that is going to pay the rent/mortage, make the car payments, pay for the kids daycare, and all of those other normal expenses that working-class Americans deal with as part of their Household budgets.

Business always talks about how they have major shortages of qualified employees to fit positions, but yet companies that actually fund college classes for employees are as hard to find as a Buffalo Head Nickle these days.... Meanwhile, we have a huge amount of individuals, or "Human Capital" in the language of the Technocrats, that work hard, are willing and excited to learn new job skills, but no financial means to work towards their vocational/career goals that require a certain level of coursework and certifications.

[MM876]

Healthcare. It affects more people than tuition does, will probably be less costly overall, and universal college isn't necessarily a catch-all when there are other options like trade schools or apprenticeships.

[publicunofficial]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Go to Middle America and tell them why they should be taxed to hell and back so other people's kids can go to college and get a degree in finger painting.

Healthcare is the way to go. And no. Both won't work. It has to be one or the other before Democrats start looking like the party of Karl Marx.

Oh we wouldn't want that now would we.

[Technocracy Timmy]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Go to Middle America and tell them why they should be taxed to hell and back so other people's kids can go to college and get a degree in finger painting.

Healthcare is the way to go. And no. Both won't work. It has to be one or the other before Democrats start looking like the party of Karl Marx.

Oh we wouldn't want that now would we.

No we wouldn't. The Soviet Union was a failure.

[publicunofficial]

You can do both. They're not mutually exclusive.

Go to Middle America and tell them why they should be taxed to hell and back so other people's kids can go to college and get a degree in finger painting.

Healthcare is the way to go. And no. Both won't work. It has to be one or the other before Democrats start looking like the party of Karl Marx.

Oh we wouldn't want that now would we.

No we wouldn't. The Soviet Union was a failure.

Don't worry you'll see the light one day.

[YE]

You people realize that the free college bill that's been introduced is not funded by the middle class but rather wall street, right?