So, dean phillips has been kind of nebulous with healthcare policy. He originally seemed pretty moderate, then on yang's program he was talking about different payment models and how to bring prices down. And now Dean Phillips is basically openly embracing Medicare for all. I have to say, I know I gave dean a lot of crap early on as he seemed more centrist than joe biden, but he seems to be shifting hard not just in a progressive direction since his campaign began, but also in a human centered capitalist direction. He has given some attention to UBI, and while he hasnt openly embraced the idea fully, he supports trials and was talking about bringing Yang into his administration as some "UBI guy", and now this. So he's really shaping up on my priorities in a good way. Williamson is still a little more progressive than me on some traditional leftist planks like free college/student loan forgiveness, but other than that, Dean seems to be really getting closer and closer to me ideologically. He's not some weirdo leftie blabbering on about socialism, and he is someone with a decent amount of congressional experience and a good head on his shoulders. I'm starting to actually like the guy. I mean, at this point, I gotta go back to my metrics and re-evaluate the guy. So let's do that, this time in more detail.
Metric #1
Universal basic income- Ok, so Dean Phillips both supported Biden's Child Tax Credit initiative and also has pushed for UBI pilots. He's also supported a carbon tax dividend. He has not FULLY embraced UBI, but he has shifted toward it in several ways in a positive manner. So I'm gonna give him a 4/10 on this front, which is the highest I feel justified in giving someone who isn't openly advocating for some concrete UBI plan as a central plank of his presidency.
4/10
Medicare for all- He now fully supports medicare for all.
10/10
Economics- Eh I gave him a bad rap before but he actually did vote for a $15 minimum wage and has a 100% record from the AFL CIO. So, good enough for me on bog standard labor issues. Isn't progressive enough for me on SOME things but he's pretty solid overall.
8/10
Social issues- He seems like a pretty bog standard democrat, which is good enough for me. This includes a pretty moderate stance on immigration, although I kind of break with him on guns a bit and am a bit more moderate.
9/10
Foreign policy- He shows support for Ukraine and a fairly balanced view on the Israel/Palestine issue.
10/10
Worldview/Ideology- I largely seem aligned with him. He is a bit more moderate than me on a lot, but I would say I find him increasingly agreeable.
14/20
Consistency/commitment to progressive ideological goals- he has a decent record, although a lot of his progressive shifts beyond bog standard democratic policy seem new. I don't think it's not genuine, but im not sure how solid he is on those positions I support.
6/10
Experience/competence- He's only been in office for 5 years, but that's still 5 years longer than most lefties running against Biden. He also seems to understand legislation pretty well so I gotta give him credit for that. I could see him doing the job.
7/10
Doesn't act as a spoiler- He's running as a democrat.
10/10
Overall: 78/100
I think we found a winner for 2024! And possibly 2028. I think he's a good rising star in the party, although idk how much he's gonna be blackballed just for not being a team player and waiting his turn. Still, he seems more polished than Marianne Williamson, is pushing in a direction that I like, and is fairly progressive. i think the left is sleeping on the guy. Sure, Williamson is great too.
As far as Metric 2....
Metric 2
Basic income- Same rating as last time, 15/40
Medicare for all- He's now for it. 25/25
Free college/student loan forgiveness- Same as it was, still a bit moderate but supports some shifts that way. 8/15
Climate change- Eh, he's still a bit weak here. Supports a carbon dividend and other relatively moderate solutions. He did support Build Back Better and the Inflation reduction act, but more because he was a team player rather than because they were ideas he believed in. 6/10
Housing- He wants to build 6 million new homes. 8/10
Overall: 62/100
Yeah, also beating out Williamson now.
So yeah. As it stands, Im kind of shifting from supporting Marianne Williamson to supporting Dean Phillips for president. Williamson is great too, but eh, she's a bit less polished than phillips is, and phillips now objectively aligns more with my specific policy preferences compared to Williamson. Unlike in 2019, when I shifted from Yang to Bernie around this time of year mainly over healthcare, I'm now shifting away from the traditional bernie candidate toward the more yang like candidate BECAUSE their healthcare plan put them over the edge. Still wish he was better on free college/student debt forgiveness, but you can't win them all.
So yeah, now I'm to the point of probably endorsing dean phillips for president instead of williamson. There's still time for me to change my mind, but yeah, I'm shifting here. He has the right policy proposals, is moderate enough to reasonably challenge biden and isn't outright insane, and he's progressive in a lot of ways where it counts. Still not progressive enough in some ways, but meh, no one's perfect. Not like williamson supports UBI this election cycle. And she has some flaws that make her kinda cringey to me. So...yeah. Dean it is.
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