Disgraced former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has been in the news quite a bit lately. First, he admitted paternity of his mistress' child; that revelation was followed by the publication of a tell-all book by former aide Andrew Young that painted an unflattering picture of the politician. Finally, he and his wife Elizabeth have separated. The dissolusion of their marriage seems to parallel the prospects of healthcare reform.
The downfall of Edwards could partially explain why Democrats' attempt at expanding affordable health insurance to all Americans has stalled. During the 2008 primary season, Edwards was further left on the health care issue than either Hillary Rodham Clinton or now-President Barack Obama. As a candidate, Edwards called for universal healthcare reform. He supported the creation of regional health care markets a public option that would compete with private health insurance companies in hopes of lowering costs--as well as increased regulation, employer mandates and subsidies, which made him a darling among the progressive wing of the Democratic party. Some liberals may have wanted a completely Canadian- or European-style single payer system, but the well-groomed, suave Edwards was deemed more electable than the short Rep. Dennis Kuchinich. At the time, his position was more liberal than Obama's. His hype and support in the early primaries helped push both candidates further towards that viewpoint.
Even after he lost the Democratic primary, the Edwards family continued to hold out hope that the former senator would be selected for a position in the Obama administration. After all, fellow primary opponent Clinton was appointed Secretary of State. In order for that to be possible, they attempted to keep the seamy details of Edwards' affair under wraps. Obviously, they were unsuccessful--reports of secret payments to mistress Rielle Hunter (alleged campaign finance violations) began to spread, hammering the final nail into the coffin of his political hopes. With one of the most prominent advocates of the government-run public option having squandered his voice, liberal Democrats had less leverage against moderates who were against it. Some people speculate that if Edwards was an adviser to the current administration, Obama would have been more adamant about passing a comprehensive health insurance reform bill including the public option, and less likely to allow the Senate to drop it.
A position in the current administration would likely have made John Edwards even more egotistical and reckless. However, he would have had some influence in pushing his pet issues. If only for the sake of his own ego (or his wish that both Americas have affordable dental insurance to get teeth as straight as his), he may have been more likely to stick his neck out as opposed to letting Congress debate the issue for months. Despite the fact that his "Two Americas" poverty rhetoric turned out to be phony, a portion of the public was nevertheless convinced. Knowledge of his horrible behavior has not improved the status of the uninsured. At this point, he would be an even worse advocate for healthcare reform than Lady Gaga would be a pitchwoman for Banana Republic. Still, many feel that the issues haven't evaporated with his reputation.
While the recent book The Politician portrays Elizabeth Edwards almost as negatively as her husband, a more charitable interpretation would imply that she participated in the later stages of the cover-up because figured her own humiliation to be less important than what her husband (guided by her) could do for the millions of Americans struggling with a lack of health insurance. A desire to be the First Lady at any cost was certainly a part of it, but Elizabeth's terminal cancer diagnosis made it unlikely that she could survive for even a single term. Healthcare reform is a personal issue for her, since health insurance companies consider breast cancer to be a pre-existing condition and will refuse to cover treatment. Most cancer patients are not married to rich ex-trial lawyers, and therefore struggle to find affordable health insurance.
We will never know how healthcare reform would have turned out if John Edwards had a little more self-control.
