World View:On Sunday, February 25th last, Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old child, died in a Maryland hospital as a result of a brain infection which started as an abscessed tooth. At the time of his illness, the family's Medicaid coverage had expired, writes Anthony O'Halloran.
About nine million children in the United States do not enjoy health insurance coverage.
In the aftermath of this child's death, the American Dental Association injected a dose of harsh reality into the debate: "Thousands of these kids suffer from profound dental disease - they can't eat or sleep properly, can't pay attention in school because they're suffering from chronic infections and the resulting constant pain that could have been prevented and easily relieved through treatment".
In the hurly burly of US politics, it is all too easy to write in the abstract about the policy-making process. But political choices made in the White House and Congress can either empower or inhibit the life chances of ordinary Americans.
In Deamonte Driver's case, these political choices ultimately resulted in his death. Bearing in mind that his death could have been prevented by a simple tooth extraction, this story is incredibly tragic for the family and friends in question.
At a political level, it is an indictment of the Republican Party. Proud heirs of the Thatcherite/Reaganite legacy, protecting the interests of wealthy elites is their real raison d'etre. Crucially, this tragic story also highlights increasing inequality and economic injustice throughout the US. The fact that there are currently a total of 47 million Americans who are deprived of health insurance coverage is a testament to this.
However, there is a real glimmer of hope that the
Democrats are prepared to tackle ever-widening inequalities in the
US. A case in point is Sen Jim Webb's inspiring response to
President Bush's State of the Union Address. Webb, a
decorated Vietnam veteran, has a son serving with the marines in
Iraq.
Not confining his attack to the Iraq War, he focused on how
deeply embedded inequality has become within the US.
Webb's speech drew strong praise from the Nation magazine: "Senator Webb, in fact, is more advanced than many fellow Democrats on the seminal issues of economic injustice and our deformed foreign policy." One of the key lessons Democrats learned from last November's elections is that the issues of economic injustice are back on the political agenda.
The Democrats find themselves in an incredibly strong position
at present. That the Bush presidency is in a shambles becomes
clearer as each day passes. Stumbling from crisis to crisis, Bush
finds himself sinking in multiple quagmires. The administration has
been badly damaged by the Walter Reed ArmyMedical Centre scandal.
Mice and cockroach infestation, accompanied by damp and cold
conditions, condemns hospitalised Iraq veterans to the most
appalling of conditions.
Long term, I believe the callous treatment of returning veterans may prove to be the final nail in this administration's political coffin. Americans of all hues will simply not tolerate excuses for substandard treatment of young men and women who have flown the flag in Iraq.
Adding to the woes of the administration, torture of detainees has already become synonymous with the Bush White House. It is a sign of the times that Prof Rosa Brooks of the Georgetown University Law Centre opined in a recent Los Angeles Times column: "In just a few years we've grown disturbingly comfortable with the fact that the US practises torture."
Since last November's Congressional elections, the Democrats are enjoying renewed confidence. The Democrats clearly arrived in Washington during January with a sense of determination. The Democratic Party's race for the coveted prize of presidential nominee has already commenced. The good news for grassroots Democrats is that there will be a real contest. Sen Hillary Clinton is by no means assured of the party's nomination.
Despite the current favourable climate, the Democrats face several obstacles. The congressional honeymoon will not last forever. Now that the Democratic Party enjoys power in the legislative branch, party loyalists and citizens expect results. In this regard, the acid test will be how the party handles Iraq.
Whilst the party will attempt to force a pull-out of combat troops by 2008, this strategy is potentially fraught with danger. In particular, if a perception arises that the Democrats are denying funding to the 130,000 troops currently serving in Iraq, public opinion will swing against them. The Democrats know that this is one card Mr Bush will play with great zeal. The party must therefore ensure that any timetable for withdrawal must be accompanied by clear evidence that serving military personnel are not being abandoned. Then there is the worst enemy of the Democratic Party: itself. Since losing the South to Republicans in the 1960s, it has lost confidence in its ability to implement progressive and economically just policies.
But as Democratic senators introduce legislation to provide health insurance for all American children, the topic of universal health coverage is back on the political agenda. Mainstream party politics since the 1960s have at best given the issue of economic injustice lip service. In the meantime, a 12-year-old black kid, who lived for a period with his family in a homeless shelter, dies because he could not afford an $80 visit to the dentist.
Anthony O'Halloran is a political scientist. He has been a visiting scholar at California State University and Southern Illinois University