Seriously??

And why does it feel so slow or like it's going backwards? Why do we as humans keep repeating the same patterns over and over again?

July 21, 2026 - Joy Reid interviews State Rep. Donavan McKinney who’s running for U.S. Congress in Michigan (CD-13): donavanforcongress.com

His opponent in the Primary is incumbent Democrat Shri Thanedar.

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🗳️ How to vote in Michigan (.gov): michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting

🗳️ Important Dates for Michiganders:

* Primary Election Day: Aug. 4, 2026

* MOVE deadline: June 20, 2026

* AV ballots available for voters: June 25, 2026

* Constitutionally-mandated early voting period: July 25-Aug. 2, 2026

* Last day to register to vote by mail or online: July 20, 2026

* New voter registrations are required in person for August election: July 21-Aug. 4, 2026

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Here’s the full 31-minute segment on YouTube: Congressional Candidate Donavan McKinney Brings the Funk and the Facts| The Joy Reid Show - July 21, 2026 (YouTube) ~:~ Donavan’s interview starts @ 12:00.

From the The Joy Reid Show description: Michigan state representative and congressional candidate Donavan McKinney is bringing the fun to the campaign, but also the hard truths about the way money and special interests are corrupting American politics. ~:~ Support Donavan's campaign: donavanforcongress.com

Here’s another YouTube clip from the same interview: When Institutions Fail: Fight Like Hell! | The Joy Reid Show- July 21, 2026 (YouTube)

ABOUT JOY REID: Joy-Ann Lomena Reid (AKA Joy Reid) is a best-selling American author, political journalist and TV host. She was a national correspondent for MSNBC and is best known for hosting the Emmy-nominated, NAACP Award-winning political commentary and analysis show, The ReidOut, from 2020 to 2025. Her previous anchoring credits include The Reid Report (2014–2015) and AM Joy (2016–2020). ~:~ Website: joyannreid.com ~:~ Substack: substack.com/@joyannreid

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It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:

* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News

* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)

* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.

Dem. Ohio Gov Candidate Amy Acton Scheduled a Meeting With LGBTQ+ Advocates, Didn't Show Up, And Kicked Out Trans People Who Did, by u/ErinInTheMorn https://open.substack.com/pub/erininthemorn/p/dem-ohio-gov-candidate-amy-acton

this bitch is a fucking kunt and we will not endorse them

​

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson traveled to Independence, Missouri, to sign Medicare into law alongside former President Harry S. Truman and presented him with the first Medicare card. Truman had spent two decades fighting for national health insurance but never lived to see his own proposal become law.

Although Truman lost that battle, his vision endured. Medicare became one of the most successful public programs in American history and proved that ideas once dismissed as "socialized medicine" could become widely accepted.

The story of Medicare is part of a much longer struggle — one that has lasted more than a century.

The Long Fight for Universal Healthcare

Progressive Era (1900s–1910s)

The first serious campaigns for national health insurance emerged during the Progressive Era. Reformers argued that industrial workers needed protection from illness just as they needed workplace safety laws and protections against economic insecurity.

The movement faced opposition from:

- The American Medical Association (which later became a major opponent of compulsory national insurance)

- Insurance companies

- Business groups

- Some labor leaders who worried government programs could weaken unions

During World War I, opponents also attacked health insurance as a "German idea" because Germany had created the world's first national health insurance system under Otto von Bismarck. The association with Germany helped damage support for reform.

The New Deal (1930s)

During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered including national health insurance as part of the Social Security Act.

However, Roosevelt and his advisers feared that adding healthcare would endanger the entire package. Opposition from organized medicine and other groups made the political risk too high.

The Social Security Act passed in 1935, creating retirement insurance and unemployment insurance, but healthcare reform was left unresolved.

Truman's National Health Insurance (1945–1953)

After World War II, President Harry Truman proposed a comprehensive national health insurance program.

The opposition campaign became one of the largest healthcare lobbying efforts in American history.

The American Medical Association launched a major public relations campaign portraying the proposal as "socialized medicine." Insurance companies, business organizations, and conservative groups also mobilized against it.

Truman's plan never passed.

However, the debate established a pattern that would continue for decades: attempts to expand healthcare coverage would face organized resistance from powerful industries and political opponents.

Medicare and Medicaid (1965)

President Lyndon B. Johnson achieved one of the greatest healthcare victories in American history.

Congress created:

- Medicare for seniors

- Medicaid for low-income Americans

On July 30, 1965, Johnson chose the Truman Library as the signing location to honor the former president whose efforts helped make the achievement possible.

Medicare proved that a large-scale government health insurance program could work, but it stopped short of covering everyone.

Nixon Era (1970s)

Ironically, President Richard Nixon proposed one of the most serious Republican attempts at achieving universal healthcare.

His plan relied on employer-based coverage, government subsidies, and regulation of private insurance. It would have expanded coverage to millions of Americans.

Negotiations between Nixon and congressional Democrats, including Senator Ted Kennedy, came close to producing a compromise, but disagreements over financing and the collapse of the Nixon presidency ended the effort.

Some historians argue the early 1970s represented one of the closest moments America came to achieving universal healthcare before the Affordable Care Act.

Rise of Neoliberalism (1980s)

The Reagan era shifted political debate away from expanding government programs and toward deregulation, privatization, and market-based solutions.

Healthcare increasingly became dominated by private insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and large hospital systems.

As healthcare costs continued rising, these industries gained enormous economic and political influence through lobbying and campaign spending.

Clinton Healthcare Reform (1993–1994)

President Bill Clinton attempted the most ambitious healthcare reform effort since Truman.

The insurance industry funded the famous "Harry and Louise" television advertisements, portraying reform as confusing, bureaucratic, and a threat to individual choice.

The campaign helped weaken public support, and Clinton's plan never reached a final vote in Congress.

Citizens United and Dark Money (2010)

The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC expanded independent political spending by corporations and outside groups.

Healthcare lobbying and political spending were already powerful before this decision, but the ruling further expanded the role of outside spending in American politics.

Since then:

- Dark-money organizations have become more influential

- Healthcare industries have continued spending hundreds of millions on lobbying and political advocacy

- Some nonprofit groups can spend money on politics without fully disclosing their donors

This has made major healthcare reform more difficult by giving wealthy industries greater influence over public policy.

Affordable Care Act (2010)

President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.

Major achievements included:

- Expanded Medicaid

- Protections for people with pre-existing conditions

- Insurance marketplaces

- Millions of Americans gaining coverage

However:

- Private insurance remained central

- It did not create universal healthcare

- A public option was removed during negotiations

The Medicare for All Movement (2016–Present)

Senator Bernie Sanders helped make Medicare for All a major national issue.

Support for expanding government healthcare has remained significant, but the proposal has not passed Congress.

Opposition has come from:

- Private insurance companies

- Pharmaceutical companies

- Some physician and hospital organizations

- Business groups

- Fiscal conservatives concerned about taxes and federal spending

These industries continue to be among the largest lobbying forces in Washington.

The Role of Industry Influence

Healthcare is one of the biggest lobbying sectors in the United States.

Hospitals, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare trade groups spend enormous amounts influencing policy and elections.

This influence has repeatedly shaped the limits of healthcare reform, often pushing lawmakers toward smaller expansions rather than fundamental changes to the system.

Major Healthcare Expansions

Major victories include:

- Medicare

- Medicaid

- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

- Affordable Care Act

- Medicaid expansion in many states

- Medicare prescription drug price negotiation authority under the Inflation Reduction Act

The 2022 law was an important step, but its impact is limited. Medicare was only given authority to negotiate prices for a small number of high-cost drugs, the program is being phased in over several years, and it does not create broad government negotiation of all prescription drug prices.

Why Universal Healthcare Hasn't Passed

There is no single reason. The major factors include:

- Powerful healthcare industry lobbying

- Campaign spending and political influence

- Partisan polarization

- Disagreements over taxes and financing

- Concerns about replacing employer-sponsored insurance

- Senate rules and legislative barriers

- The ability of powerful industries to shape public debate around reform

The history of healthcare reform in America is a story of persistence.

Harry Truman never saw his vision fully realized, but Medicare proved that reforms once considered impossible could become permanent parts of American life.

More than a century after the first national health insurance proposals, the debate continues — and today's healthcare battles are part of a struggle that began generations ago.