This is more to preserve the link for me,
Some revealing paragraphs:
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think it’s better than what we have now?
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: No. Actually, it’s not, because it locks us into a for-profit system that the government subsidizes.
That takes care of the B0bots argument.
On the public option:
Keep something in mind. When Mr. Hacker first came out with his proposal for a public option, it was going to cover 129 million Americans. That really would compete in an exchange with private insurance. But that’s been whittled down to, depending on who you talk to, covering six to 11 million people. So only a fraction of Americans will have access to the public option, which means that there’s not effective competition with the insurance companies to drive down rates.
and a possible solution
AMY GOODMAN: Do you see, Congressman Kucinich, a way to get from where you’re talking about from here?
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Yes, if we are able to get back in the bill a provision that says states will be shielded from legal attack by insurance companies if those states go with their own single-payer plan. I mean, states should have the right to do that. You have ten states which are actively involved in single-payer movements.
and why he voted no
I felt that my vote was the only way that I could make a statement about how this is not a state of affairs which is celebrating Democratic principles, Democratic economic philosophy, or the hopes of people to have real healthcare instead of having real health—instead of being forced to pay for insurance.
a bit on Obama
And the administration, obviously, was terrified that anything could be identified as being adverse to the insurance companies, which is why they took privatization, they took single payer off the table immediately, they knocked down the robust public option.
Nothing new on Stupak, which apparently was known since July but nobody cared.
Except for this hopeful piece of news:
at least 41 House Dems are writing directly to Pelosi, telling her that they will not vote for anything “that contains language that restricts women’s right to choose any further than current law.”
I am hoping this is about an upcoming vote – after the reconciliation with the senate bill, rather than a failed attempt at rebellion before Saturday’s vote.
3 comments
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November 9, 2009 at 9:16 pm
cj
Thanks for posting. The Democratic Party may have morphed into something out of the Twilight Zone, but at least we’ve still got Dennis
Meanwhile, the Superfeminist & fierce defender managed to talk out of both sides of his mouth in the same sentence …
“I want to make sure that the provision that emerges meets that test,” he said, “that we are not in some way sneaking in funding for abortions, but, on the other hand, that we’re not restricting women’s insurance choices.”
http://www.politico.com/politico44/
And wouldn’t you know it, the fab garden, the naked arms & even the impressive hula hooping didn’t stop MO’s numbers from sliding:
[From] a peak of 72 percent last March to a slide to 61 percent in a recent Gallup Poll.
That 11-point stumble – some might call it a tumble – seems at odds with the focus of a White House publicity team that is carefully crafting her image and building a decidedly current, wholesome, upbeat brand.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29347.html
November 10, 2009 at 10:25 am
Buttered
Thanks for the info – informative and unique.
And as always you’ve got great graphics again in today’s posts!
November 10, 2009 at 10:56 am
morninmist
Some in congress will fight for justice. Of course she ‘hopes’ obama will fight.
I am not counting on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Wi78ErSJA
MADDOW: “I know that you’re currently collecting signatures of House Democrats who will oppose a final version of health reform if it restricts abortion rights. What kind of support are you getting now?”
REP. DEGETTE: “Well, let me put it this way. That letter that we’re sending, it says that we will not vote for a conference report that extends abortion restrictions beyond current law. We think that’s fair. That’s the compromise we reached this summer.
I got those 41 signatures in one hour. I put the letter out after we lost the amendment. I had collected those signatures before the final vote on the bill, so we’re still continuing to get more signatures this week. And what we want to say to everybody is ‘look, we’re willing to work, we’re willing to work on language, but we’re not going to accept language that vastly restricts a woman’s legal right to choose.”
MADDOW: “The President today voicing some support for your position in saying that the goal is to not change the status quo in terms of abortion laws and funding for abortions. Have you had any response from the White House? Are you at all encouraged by those words from the President tonight?”
REP. DEGETTE: “I just found out about the President’s statement about an hour ago, and I’m enormously encouraged, because the President is really saying what the rest of us think. This is a health care bill. This bill is designed to expand health care to 36 million Americans, and all of us have worked so hard to pass this bill for months and months. To have it torpedoed by this extraneous but very dangerous amendment is wrong, and I’m hoping that the President will sit down with us in the next few weeks and really start to hammer out some language that we can all accept.”