Elizabeth Warren on Health Care and Religion

In my column today, I noted that I had interviewed Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. In the course of the interview, Warren offered what I thought were particularly interesting thoughts about the Affordable Care Act, and also about the role of her religious faith in her public engagement. I share a partial transcript of the interview here.

I was struck by her comments on the Affordable Care Act because she is arguing that Democrats have been reluctant to claim and defend the act as a major achievement, and that this is a mistake. Warren believes (and I happen to agree) that the law is not only a substantial accomplishment, but also provides a foundation for further improvements in the American health care system. For too long, many of those who supported and voted for the act have been reluctant to talk about it. This is changing in the campaign because faced with Republican promises to repeal the act, Democrats have discovered that reminding voters of what they would lose if the disappeared is good politics. And for the long run, it is good policy to make the case for expanding on and improving the law rather than scrapping it. I share her energetic answer because she is a rarity among Democrats in offering a comprehensive argument for the law and its possibilities.