Kucinich kisses the ring; will vote for Health Care Reform
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After an intense White House lobbying effort, Dennis Kucinich announced on Wednesday morning that he has decided to vote for health care reform when it comes before the House in the next few days, reversing his previous position and giving a boost to President Obama, congressional leaders and the reform effort.
"In the past week it's become clear that the vote on the final health bill will be very close," Kucinich said at a Capitol Hill news conference. "I take this vote with the utmost seriousness. I'm quite aware of the historic fight, which has lasted the last century.
"I have doubts about the bill. This is not the bill I wanted to support," Kucinich said even as he promised that he would vote "yes" on the proposal.
"If my vote is to be counted, let it count now for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform," the Ohio Democrat said.
Kucinich explained his decision in the following terms: He fought to make the bill better as long as he could. The bill is now written and the decision is not whether it's the bill he'd want but whether it is better to support it as it is or oppose it. If this health care reform effort failed, just as Clinton's effort failed a decade and a half ago, it would make future attempts at reforming the system that much more difficult. "This is a defining moment for whether or not we'll have any opportunity to move off square one on the issue of health care. And so even though I don't like the bill, I've made a decision to support it in the hopes that we can move towards a more comprehensive approach once this legislation is done," he said.
A health care failure could destroy any transformative potential left in Obama's administration, he worried.
"We have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama's presidency not be destroyed by this debate. And I feel, even though I have many differences with him on policy, there's something much bigger at stake here for America," he said.
"If we stay riveted on this health care debate and don't get out of it at all, we've actually created a kind of a prison here of our own making. And so I don't want to be a party to that. I've taken the debate as far--farther than anybody else who opposed this bill and who has held the positions that I've held about single payer."
Kucinich was asked repeatedly whether he got any specific deal or assurances from Obama. He said he did not, other than the president's commitment to continue to improve the health care system, including issues related to diet, nutrition and well being.
"This wasn't about the kind of deal-making that is essentially self-defeating," said Kucinich. "That's not what my support is all about here. I come at it from a different level, taking a more historic, long-term view, [with the aim to] empower our president and the Congress to start to move the country forward, notwithstanding the differences we have."
Kucinich said his vote should be an indication to other progressives that it is an effort worth getting behind. "Well, if I can vote for this bill, there's not many people who shouldn't be able to support it," he said.
Kucinich had been one of the few remaining holdouts who felt that the bill did not go far enough. A former presidential candidate, he objected that the bill did not include a robust public insurance option tied to Medicare rates and did not include a provision to allow states to enact single-payer legislation if they so chose. His support gives House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a much-needed vote as she looks for 216 members to move the package through this week.
Kucinich came under intense pressure from liberals, with blogger Markos Moulitsas, the founder of DailyKos, going so far as to suggest he should face a primary challenge if he votes no. House leadership, however, largely considered his vote lost.
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3 cheers for pragmatism! That Jane Hamsher ? can suck a fat ? .
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/dennis-kucinich-health-care_n_502182.html
"In the past week it's become clear that the vote on the final health bill will be very close," Kucinich said at a Capitol Hill news conference. "I take this vote with the utmost seriousness. I'm quite aware of the historic fight, which has lasted the last century.
"I have doubts about the bill. This is not the bill I wanted to support," Kucinich said even as he promised that he would vote "yes" on the proposal.
"If my vote is to be counted, let it count now for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform," the Ohio Democrat said.
Kucinich explained his decision in the following terms: He fought to make the bill better as long as he could. The bill is now written and the decision is not whether it's the bill he'd want but whether it is better to support it as it is or oppose it. If this health care reform effort failed, just as Clinton's effort failed a decade and a half ago, it would make future attempts at reforming the system that much more difficult. "This is a defining moment for whether or not we'll have any opportunity to move off square one on the issue of health care. And so even though I don't like the bill, I've made a decision to support it in the hopes that we can move towards a more comprehensive approach once this legislation is done," he said.
A health care failure could destroy any transformative potential left in Obama's administration, he worried.
"We have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama's presidency not be destroyed by this debate. And I feel, even though I have many differences with him on policy, there's something much bigger at stake here for America," he said.
"If we stay riveted on this health care debate and don't get out of it at all, we've actually created a kind of a prison here of our own making. And so I don't want to be a party to that. I've taken the debate as far--farther than anybody else who opposed this bill and who has held the positions that I've held about single payer."
Kucinich was asked repeatedly whether he got any specific deal or assurances from Obama. He said he did not, other than the president's commitment to continue to improve the health care system, including issues related to diet, nutrition and well being.
"This wasn't about the kind of deal-making that is essentially self-defeating," said Kucinich. "That's not what my support is all about here. I come at it from a different level, taking a more historic, long-term view, [with the aim to] empower our president and the Congress to start to move the country forward, notwithstanding the differences we have."
Kucinich said his vote should be an indication to other progressives that it is an effort worth getting behind. "Well, if I can vote for this bill, there's not many people who shouldn't be able to support it," he said.
Kucinich had been one of the few remaining holdouts who felt that the bill did not go far enough. A former presidential candidate, he objected that the bill did not include a robust public insurance option tied to Medicare rates and did not include a provision to allow states to enact single-payer legislation if they so chose. His support gives House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a much-needed vote as she looks for 216 members to move the package through this week.
Kucinich came under intense pressure from liberals, with blogger Markos Moulitsas, the founder of DailyKos, going so far as to suggest he should face a primary challenge if he votes no. House leadership, however, largely considered his vote lost.
===========================
3 cheers for pragmatism! That Jane Hamsher ? can suck a fat ? .
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/dennis-kucinich-health-care_n_502182.html
Comments
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Now that's wassup.
at least he realizes the seriousness of the issue. -
Hell yeah!!! Gimmie some of that FREE health care!!!!
I cant wait to wait in line!!!
ch ch ch cheeaaa!!! -
"life should have a price tag on it"
---pretty much every conservative ever -
BOSS KTULU wrote: »"life should have a price tag on it"
---pretty much every conservative ever
No, but services provide by people should. -
bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »No, but services provide by people should.
like fire departments
there actually were for-profit fire departments back in the day and it resulted in much worse service because the team would get to the burning house and haggle for a good price
just like health insurers screw anybody who aint got da goods
but this is different because your health isn't an essential part of life like your home OH WAIT THATS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS EXCEPT EVEN MORESO -
BOSS KTULU wrote: »like fire departments
there actually were for-profit fire departments back in the day and it resulted in much worse service because the team would get to the burning house and haggle for a good price
just like health insurers screw anybody who aint got da goods
but this is different because your health isn't an essential part of life like your home OH WAIT THATS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS EXCEPT EVEN MORESO
So u want you heart being worked on by some ? paid uneducated fire fighter?
Knock ya self out buddy.
I work in government, and these people dont give a ? about their jobs. They why they pay contractors like me the big bucks to come fix their ? ups -
so u wanna ignore the substance of my argument and straw man me with an absurd thingamabob?bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »So u want you heart being worked on by some ? paid uneducated fire fighter?
i would gladly have accept a huge progressive income tax system to make sure cardiologists and whatnot are paid as well as they need to be
yeahI work in government, i got all kinds of anecdotes that prove Ayn Rand is ? and Ron Paul is her prophet
but really, im pretty sure this bill has been turned into some kind of "lets please every lobbyist who bought us lunch" thing just like everything else and nothing short of a constitutional amendment that says "health is a right" would actually change the direction things are going
even obama has started the doublespeak by saying its no longer about healthcare reform, its about insurance reform
dudes a ?
im sincerely sad to say i voted for him, he's not doing well at all and shows no sign of making da big comeback -
Well, Obama has twisted yet another arm....
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bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »Hell yeah!!! Gimmie some of that FREE health care!!!!
I cant wait to wait in line!!!
ch ch ch cheeaaa!!!
I don't know about you guys, but I'm detecting sarcasm here.
(-_-) -
mephistopheles wrote: »I don't know about you guys, but I'm detecting sarcasm here.
(-_-)
Nah, I actually want the ? to pass. One more step towards collapsing this economy :tu -
BOSS KTULU wrote: »
i would gladly have accept a huge progressive income tax system to make sure cardiologists and whatnot are paid as well as they need to be
k
How would u accept such a tax when you dont work? -
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mephistopheles wrote: »How?
..........
Another multi trillion dollar unfunded entitlement to add to Social Secuirty (which is in deficit) and Medicare (which will be in deficite) and our 14 Trillion dollar public debt thats going up every few months. We are already headed over the cliff, its just a matter of what speed, and this bill will speed it up. I look forward to it. Im financially prepared so Im not trippin. But once we do actaully deal with the reality of our situation, this government will have to make some real tough choices. Hopefully put a stop to our ? wars and reform our tax code and and entitlement systems. -
bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »Hell yeah!!! Gimmie some of that FREE health care!!!!
I cant wait to wait in line!!!
ch ch ch cheeaaa!!!
might as well get some health subsidies outta the deal before the ? falls down and we're all speakin Chinese, right? -
BOSS KTULU wrote: »even obama has started the doublespeak by saying its no longer about healthcare reform, its about insurance reform
??? The 2 terms have been interchangeable. The White House calls it "insurance reform" when they want to highlight the new regulations the bill will impose upon the industry. -
bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »Another multi trillion dollar unfunded entitlement to add to Social Secuirty (which is in deficit) and Medicare (which will be in deficite) and our 14 Trillion dollar public debt thats going up every few months. We are already headed over the cliff, its just a matter of what speed, and this bill will speed it up. I look forward to it. Im financially prepared so Im not trippin. But once we do actaully deal with the reality of our situation, this government will have to make some real tough choices. Hopefully put a stop to our ? wars and reform our tax code and and entitlement systems.
lmfao @ "financially prepared"
? there's only 1 man on this board prepared for that kind of "financial scenario" and his name....is Janklow. -
Swiffness! wrote: »might as well get some health subsidies outta the deal before the ? falls down and we're all speakin Chinese, right?
Hell yeah (I dont know about the speaking Chinese part)....but as far as this ? falling down. Hell yeah. -
He knew all this before hand. Ni99a wanted attention. Bottom Line
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thank u. now if the rest of these damn demos get they act 2gether, and jump on board, we'd be straight. u may not get what u want right now, but at least a foundation will be laid down. everything else can be tweeked later on.
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bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »How would u accept such a tax when you dont work?
ill work after i get this piece of paper that says im a big smarty -
i can't take any views expressed by T/S seriously because of his Avi.
T/S: in what way is Obama comparable to Stalin and ? ? -
sickbizzle wrote: »i can't take any views expressed by T/S seriously because of his Avi.
T/S: in what way is Obama comparable to Stalin and ? ?
Because Obama has murdered millions, just like Stalin and ? . He sent my uncle to a death camp for protesting at a Tea Party rally....I'LL NEVER STOP FIGHTING UNTIL OBAMA- sike naw, i just found the pic on google images and thought it was hilarious -
BOSS KTULU wrote: »ill work after i get this piece of paper that says im a big smarty
Oh yeah? What are you majoring in KTULU? -
bornnraisedoffCMR wrote: »Oh yeah? What are you majoring in KTULU?
philosophy -
BOSS KTULU wrote: »philosophy
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=219806
"I would've taught you mathematics....? ."
