Bernie Sanders' government plan to provide "Medicare for All" is getting increasing support from prominent Democrats and appears headed to become an important part of the party platform in the future.

The idea to put the entire health care industry under government control for all 320 million Americans is not popular. A Pew survey from last June shows only 33% support the idea of single payer. More importantly, a large percentage of Americans strongly oppose the idea. In short, using Sanders' plan as a catalyst for a takeover by Democrats  of the House and Senate would cost more votes than it attracts. This spells doom in swing districts where Democrats must attract a sizable number of Republican votes to be successful.

But that hasn't stopped an ever growing number of liberals from announcing support for Sanders' plan.

Business Insider:

Sanders on Wednesday will roll out a Medicare-for-all bill, which aims to extend the Medicare program, federally funded insurance for people over the age of 65, to all Americans.

A single-payer healthcare push has previously been well outside the mainstream for most Democrats. But Sanders' legislation has picked up support from high-profile Democrats.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey on Monday became the latest to offer support for Sanders' legislation.

"I'm signing onto Medicare-for-all, which I'm excited to do this week," Booker said in an interview with NJTV. "Sen. Sanders, myself, and some others are going to be announcing some legislation this week along with some of my other colleagues."

Booker, who has been floated as a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, said Obamacare was just a "first step" in securing healthcare for all Americans.

"What we have right now is a country where just because of your wealth, it will depend on whether you have healthcare or not," Booker continued. "You should not be punished because you are working-class or poor and be denied healthcare. I think healthcare should be a right to all."

Booker's announcement comes after other high-profile Democrats said they would cosponsor the bill.

Sen. Kamala Harris, who also has been floated as a 2020 contender, said at a town hall late last month that she would also co-sponsor the bill.

"This is about understanding, again, that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. And it's also about being smart," Harris said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another senator popular with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, announced her support on Thursday in an email to supporters.

The basic problem with Sanders' plan is that he wants to add almost 300 million beneficiaries to a program that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says is "unsustainable." Obamacare reforms of Medicare haven't worked and costs continue to spiral out of control. According to the Heritage Foundation, Medicare has an unfunded liability of $85.6 trillion. And the Democrats want to pile on 300 million beneficiaries on top of that?

Aside from the fiscal and economic disaster that would result from Sanders single payer system, it is political poison for a strong majority of Americans.  But the radical socialist Vermont Senator is looking to the future, laying the groundwork for a time when liberal Democrats will have the votes to ram single payer down the throats of citizens. A temporary electoral set back isn't as important as pushing the Democrats farther to the left, positioning them for 2020 and beyond.