True, LBJ DID cram down that civil rights bill. But that was a different time, when Republicans and Democrats differed on the size of government, the amount of regulation, and such things. Now, Republicans have gone to the dark side, where it is no more possible to negotiate with them than it would be to negotiate with Darth Vader. As for Buttigieg, he COULD have said screw the insurers, and that would have meant that both Medicare for All and Medicare for All Who Want It would have been screwed, right then and there. So, he went with the program he thought might stand a chance.

As an aside, I never understood the difference: Medicare for All Who Want It would have become Medicare for All in a short time. Who wants to pay for medical care plus the huge salaries of the rich and the smaller salaries of a number of people who are paid to reject medical claims when they could, instead, pay for medical care and the smaller salaries of government officials and not have their claims rejected so often.