Ezra Klein

Not like our present, but a little bit worse and more solar, but amazing. We are doing miraculous things with this technology, electric vehicles made by whomever now, are better than what came before them in a million different respects, right? That is how Tesla became like a player in the market.

Not like our present, but a little bit worse and more solar, but amazing. We are doing miraculous things with this technology, electric vehicles made by whomever now, are better than what came before them in a million different respects, right? That is how Tesla became like a player in the market.

There's a lot to be excited about, but you have to orient the resources of government around making that true.

There's a lot to be excited about, but you have to orient the resources of government around making that true.

I say all that because one of the things we're trying to do with abundance, and it's why we started with this little sci-fi even yet for a couple of pages, is try to say that you win in politics when your vision of the future is both more exciting and more credible than the other people's vision of the future.

I say all that because one of the things we're trying to do with abundance, and it's why we started with this little sci-fi even yet for a couple of pages, is try to say that you win in politics when your vision of the future is both more exciting and more credible than the other people's vision of the future.

And I think it's been a while since Democrats have offered that kind of future forwardness. I think if you look at Bill Clinton, he represented the future very much against H.W. Bush and Bob Dole, certainly. I think if you look at Obama, he represented the future against John McCain and then Mitt Romney, who sort of stepped out of the 1950s. And since that, it's been a little harder.

And I think it's been a while since Democrats have offered that kind of future forwardness. I think if you look at Bill Clinton, he represented the future very much against H.W. Bush and Bob Dole, certainly. I think if you look at Obama, he represented the future against John McCain and then Mitt Romney, who sort of stepped out of the 1950s. And since that, it's been a little harder.

I think you got to win the future back.

I think you got to win the future back.

I also remember that.

I also remember that.

Well, let me say something on healthcare. Cause as you know, it's like, that's my, that's where I come from, man. You were talking about the discourse generation on abundance. And one of the things I did not totally expect was for at least like some faction of like the Bernie left to see it as this big threat to them, which I don't think it is.

Well, let me say something on healthcare. Cause as you know, it's like, that's my, that's where I come from, man. You were talking about the discourse generation on abundance. And one of the things I did not totally expect was for at least like some faction of like the Bernie left to see it as this big threat to them, which I don't think it is.

But I want to sort of make this connection a little bit more explicit. Go back to health care. I used to cover the various single payer bills that would arise in different state legislatures and nationally, and all these different ideas for how to do universal health care. And there were ideas that were much more expansive, much more generous than what we ended up doing in the Affordable Care Act.

But I want to sort of make this connection a little bit more explicit. Go back to health care. I used to cover the various single payer bills that would arise in different state legislatures and nationally, and all these different ideas for how to do universal health care. And there were ideas that were much more expansive, much more generous than what we ended up doing in the Affordable Care Act.

One of the truly lethal weak points of all of these that would not come in when you would pull it the first time, like, does it sound good to you if Medicare gives everybody health insurance, but would come in immediately when people begin to debate it, was the fear of rationing.

One of the truly lethal weak points of all of these that would not come in when you would pull it the first time, like, does it sound good to you if Medicare gives everybody health insurance, but would come in immediately when people begin to debate it, was the fear of rationing.

the fear of wait times, the fear of not being able to get what you wanted or what you needed, which happens in other countries, right? It is not a fake thing. And frankly, it happens in our country. I would always say that the way we ration care is by price. If you can't afford it, you don't get it. In other countries, they do waiting lines and different things.

the fear of wait times, the fear of not being able to get what you wanted or what you needed, which happens in other countries, right? It is not a fake thing. And frankly, it happens in our country. I would always say that the way we ration care is by price. If you can't afford it, you don't get it. In other countries, they do waiting lines and different things.