Interesting that Dennis Kucinich is
against the most popular bill. Here's
Kucinich:
The hotly-debated HR3200, the so-called health care reform bill, is nothing
less than corporate welfare in the guise of social welfare and reform. It is a
convoluted mess. The real debate which we should be having is not occurring.
Removing the public option from a public bill paid for by public money is
not in the public interest. What is left is a private option paid for with
public money. Why should public money be spent on a private option which does
not guarantee 100% coverage nor have any cost controls? A true public option
would provide 30% savings immediately which would then cover the 1/3rd of the
population who presently have no healthcare.
http://bit.ly/42dkF
Patrick again:
Could it be the Republicans dislike HR3200
for the same reasons Kucinich condemns it?
I'm not following the players closely enough
to tell.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rf...@... wrote:
Democrats Seem Set to Go It Alone on a Health Bill
WASHINGTON Given hardening Republican opposition to Congressional
health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance of the
minority's cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are
increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within
their own ranks.
Top Democrats said Tuesday that their go-it-alone view was being shaped
by what they saw as Republicans' purposely strident tone against
health care legislation during this month's Congressional recess, as
well as remarks by leading Republicans that current proposals were
flawed beyond repair.
Rahm Emanuel
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/e/rahm_emanu\
el/index.html?inline=nyt-per , the White House chief of staff, said the
heated opposition was evidence that Republicans had made a political
calculation to draw a line against any health care changes, the latest
in a string of major administration proposals that Republicans have
opposed.
The Republican leadership, Mr. Emanuel said, has made a
strategic decision that defeating President Obama
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_oba\
ma/index.html?inline=nyt-per 's health care proposal is more
important for their political goals than solving the health insurance
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthto\
pics/health_insurance_and_managed_care/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier
problems that Americans face every day.
The Democratic shift may not make producing a final bill much easier.
The party must still reconcile the views of moderate and conservative
Democrats worried about the cost and scope of the legislation with those
of more liberal lawmakers determined to win a government-run insurance
option to compete with private insurers.
On the other hand, such a change could alter the dynamic of talks
surrounding health care legislation, and even change the substance of a
final bill. With no need to negotiate with Republicans, Democrats might
be better able to move more quickly, relying on their large majorities
in both houses.
Democratic senators might feel more empowered, for example, to define
the authority of the nonprofit insurance cooperatives that are emerging
as an alternative to a public insurance plan.
Republicans have used the Congressional break to dig in hard against the
overhaul outline drawn by Democrats. The Senate's No. 2 Republican,
Jon Kyl
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/jon_kyl/in\
dex.html?inline=nyt-per of Arizona, is the latest to weigh in
strongly, saying Tuesday that the public response lawmakers were seeing
over the summer break should persuade Democrats to scrap their approach
and start over.
I think it is safe to say there are a huge number of big issues
that people have, Mr. Kyl told reporters in a conference call from
Arizona. There is no way that Republicans are going to support a
trillion-dollar-plus bill.
The White House has also interpreted critical comments by Senator
Charles E. Grassley
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/charles_e_\
grassley/index.html?inline=nyt-per of Iowa, the top Republican
negotiator in a crucial Finance Committee effort to reach a bipartisan
compromise, as a sign that there is little hope of reaching a deal
politically acceptable to both parties.
Mr. Grassley, who is facing the possibility of a Republican primary
challenge next year, has gotten an earful in traveling around his home
state. At one gathering last week, in a city park in the central Iowa
town of Adel, a man rose from the crowd and urged him to stand up
and fight the Democratic plans. If he does not, the man yelled,
we will vote you out!
The White House, carefully following Mr. Grassley's activities,
presumed he was no longer interested in negotiating with Democrats after
he initially made no
