Health care: Finger to the wind

... Wherein health care is the weathervane of the governor's race ... or vice versa?

An interesting juxtaposition, from Left In Lowell's terrific Deval Patrick interview and Health Care for All's shiny new blog (now with comments! Be nice...):

Here's Patrick talking to Lynne @ LIL:

Of the [health care] proposals that are out there, there are three, you probably know. The governor has a proposal, the Senate president has a proposal, and then there’s a proposal from Health Care for All. Those are, I’d say, the most developed, the most concrete ideas that are on the table. I do think that the destination of health care for everyone is important. Even if we can’t get there in one step. The most ambitious of the proposals is the one that appeals to me the most, which is the Health Care for All proposal. I’m studying them all but I’m focusing on that one. [my emphasis]

Here's HCFA's John McDonough:

These days anyone who believes there's a chance the Gov. might run for re-election has a thing for the tooth fairy. The Gov's lame duck status is already a given and well factored into anyone's political equation, a fact of life ...

... No disrespect to the Gov. For health reform to happen, it must be bigger and more important than the Governor's personal, political agenda. Bottom line: it's up to all of us, not to him.

The more the governor removes himself from the mainstream of MA politics (and places himself into South Carolina's), the stronger the hand of those supporting a more ambitious, real-world solution.