Health Reform Habits of The Heart

What are the habits of the heart that make us, the beliefs and practices that shape our character and give us our social order?

Robert N. Bellah, et al, Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life,  University of California Press, 1985

May 25, 2012 -  The habits of my heart and mind  stem from the habits of my reading.

Today, in his Washington Post column, Charles Krauthammer writes  of the “Joys of Winning.” He says his heart  and mind belong to the Washington Nationals baseball team. 

Each morning he gives the front page of the paper about 90 seconds before going straight to the box score to see how his favorite players performed.

In my case,  I scan the cover pages of the New York Times,  Wall Street Journal,  Washington Post,  and Washington Examiner.  I then breeze through The Health Care Blog,  The WSJ Health Blog, Kaiser Health News, and Health Leaders Media.

Political Box Scores

Then I go straight to Real Clear Politics to read the political  and health reform box scores.

This morning the average of  general election box scores reads: Obama 45.5%, Romney 43.6%.   In other words, a near dead heat. Romney is slightly ahead among likely voters, 45.0% to 44.0%, and Obama leads among registered voters,   48.0% to 42.8%.   The average for Americans favoring health reform repeal is 51.0% compared to 38.0% opposing repeal.  The Intrade odds are 57.5% Obama will be re-elected versus a 38.0 % chance for Romney.

Most of what the papers say is predictable.  The New York Times and the Washington Post are for Obama, the Wall Street Journal  and the Washington Examiner are for Romney.  

Still Early 

It’s still early in the baseball and political season.  

My sense is that Americans are at an inflection point on the direction of the nation and health reform.  They are undecided on what the balance should be between free markets and government control – the proper mix twixt  business and government,   individualism and collectivism, Obamacare and Romneycare,  Obamanation and Romneyadulation,  personal doctor choice and goverment doctor choice. 

I predict the Supreme Court will tilt the balance towards the center right rather than the center left.  Still, at this point in the season,  it’s impossible  to tell what the mix of hits, runs, errors, and wins portends.

In the game of baseball and political campaigning,

It’s hard to tell who is losing and who is gaining.

But in my case,  I  try to do the best I can,

To guess between the winner and also-ran.

I read a little on the left, and I read a little on the right.

I go to box scores and polls to see what happened last night.

I  look for hits, runs, and gaffes

To separate wheat from the chaffs.

To choose between the  good chaps,

If I can, to spot and ignore the  bad raps.

Tweet:   It’s early in the baseball and political season, but it’s not too early to read the  box scores and polls to guess the final outcome.