"I’ll Spend the Goddamn Money"

"But even if Obama fails, the authors offer one large consolation. There is an art to losing, too — in a way that can tee up the issue for future presidents. Truman lost but nonetheless redefined the terms of debate, setting the stage for Medicare (which is why Johnson honored Truman when he signed it into law). Compare him with Clinton, who walked away from the wreckage of his health care plan and rarely mentioned the subject again. According to the authors, this allowed opponents to gain control over the spin and history, so that the Democrats’ signature cause slipped out of political sight for a decade."

Robert B. Reich in The New York Times reviews David Blumenthal and James A. Morone's The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office.