There is something to the distinct difference between a real Progressives and a real Conservative. It is not about wrong or right. It is about different views on human nature and how best to have a society that best functions within its constraints. This interview is probative.
A real Conservative Republican
I attended the Bridge Alliance in Washington DC a couple of weeks ago. I interviewed, north of 20 people from various ideologies. I intended all the interviews to be between five to twelve minutes. I found Bill Shireman not only honest and a strong man who practices the true tenets of his ideology, not the sham of the current crop of Right Wingers, that the interview was four times the intended length. Look, like all of us, Shireman is not immune to his ideological rhetoric, but we went way beyond that.
I must admit that I was purposefully biased in this interview as I wanted to highlight competing ideas. And we got just that our\of the interview. Neither one of us was attempting to change the other’s ideological bent. It was all about a solution that we could all feel proud to live with day in and day out.
Those who follow Politics Done Right know that one of our passions is Medicare For All. We believe healthcare is a right and that we must have a system where all have equal access to medical care. I have spoken about the mathematical absoluteness of a single-payer Medicare for All system as the most efficient method of paying for services and drugs. My respect for Bill Shireman grew exponentially not because he agreed with the math, but he acknowledged that all things being equal it would provide better service. But that is where it ended. He believes that after a few years of success it would begin to fail because of human nature. He is willing to pay the price of keeping competing interests in the game even at a 20%+premium. And that is the difference between a Conservative and Progressive. I believe that humans are good by nature and we can force the government to fulfill our will. After all, government is “we-the-people.” He addresses the government as a lone-standing entity designed to take power away from the individual.
Mr. Shireman is honest and at least allows one to debate not on fallacies like death panels, but on real issues that are in fact debatable. Please spend the time and listen to the entire interview. Please ensure that you share with both Democrats and Republicans, Progressives and Conservatives, anarchists Libertarians, and everyone in between. This kind of dialogue that the Bridge Alliance and similar groups like Coffee Party USA is the type of conversation that can move minds into a cooperative state.