The opposing sides together probably made several thousand stump speeches and distributed millions of pamphlets. Though neither side admits to having added up its costs, total lobbying expenditures exceeded several million dollars. Such a reckoning would also have to include research expenses, paper and printing costs, telephone calls, and a host of miscellaneous items. In American society, as in most others, a delicate balance always exists between conflict and consenus. Without a relatively high degree of agreement on fundamentals, no orderly social and political life is possible.
Some theorists argue that such conflicts are a manifestation of human nature.
Others take the position that such conflicts are simply a product of our culture, or, in the view of the Marxists, our economic system. Conflict was an important and highly visible aspect of the Medicare debate. Yet the contending parties also displayed a high degree of consensus. This is often taken for granted in our society, but it is no small achievement. Beyond that, the heated debate obscured the fact that there was substantial agreement on certain fundamental points.