Betting on Healthcare

By Marc Cooper

This article appeared in the April 16, 2007 edition of The Nation.

April 3, 2007

Las Vegas

Trying to push universal medical coverage to the top of the '08 agenda, the country's largest healthcare union, SEIU, summoned the candidates to a Sin City forum on the issue on March 24. And all of the Democratic contenders except Senator Joseph Biden showed up, not only to present their respective plans but also to court the crucial union vote.

The endorsement of organized labor, a powerful and growing force in Nevada politics, will be central to any Democratic candidate wishing to carry the state. With the January 19 Nevada primary coming second in the country--only five days after the kick-off Iowa caucuses--winning here could fuel momentum going into the mega-Super Tuesday of February 5, when Californians and as much as half the rest of the country will be voting.

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About Marc Cooper

Marc Cooper is a Nation contributing editor and a contibutor to The Notion. He is a visiting professor of journalism and associate director of the Institute for Justice and Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication.

His books include Pinochet and Me: A Chilean Anti-Memoir and Roll Over Che Guevara: Travels of a Radical Reporter. His work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, PEN America and the California Associated Press TV and Radio Association.

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