Centrist Dem’s spokesman says nixed public option wouldn’t be enough

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

Centrist Dem’s spokesman says nixed public option wouldn’t be enough
By Kathleen Miller
Monday, September 28th, 2009 -- 11:38 am

The spokesman for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu told Raw Story Monday that removing the public option from the Senate’s health care reform bill wouldn’t be enough to win her vote.

“The senator’s number one concern is passing a bill that drives down costs,” Landrieu’s Communications Director Aaron Saunders said during a phone interview with Raw Story. “And that’s costs for families, costs for small businesses and costs for the government.”

A New York Times story indicated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may drop the public option from the final version of the Senate’s health care reform legislation.

According to the Times, in order to appeal to Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe “as well as to centrist Democrats like Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana,” Reid’s effort to reconcile competing health care reform proposals “would not include a proposal for a government-run insurance plan, or public option, despite the clamoring of liberals who support it, senior Democratic Senate aides said.”

Read more: http://rawstory.com/2009/09/centrist-dems-spokesman-nixed-public-option/

[robinlynne]

1. want to drive down costs? Public option is the answer. Want to REALLY

drive down costs? go with single-payer, Mary.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Maybe the Dems can drive down their own costs and stop giving her campaign funds.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. True. When it comes to health care, let us paraphrase the Gipper . . .

Private industry isn't the answer to the problem. Private industry is the problem.

[Jackpine Radical]

12. Abso Goddam lutely.

The CBO proved that, at least as far as the PO goes, and there is no doubt that SP would do even better. Not to mention what universal coverage would do for our industry, particularly small business.

[roguevalley]

19. what a total hack she is.

[fascisthunter]

4. Mary Landrieu and her spokesman are full of shit

wanna know why she's against a Public Option? Because she's been bought by the insurance industry to put a stop to it.

[Eric J in MN]

5. Does she understand the tension between those cost-areas?

=================================================
“cost-containment approaches” for families, small businesses and the government.

- Mary Landrieu spokesperson on what she wants.
==================================================
If there is a small business mandate, then small businesses have to spend more, and the gov't has to spend less.

If there isn't a small business mandate, then it's the other way around.

If more families get subisidies from the gov't, then the gov't has to spend more, and those families have to spend less.

If fewer families get subsidies, then it's the other way around.

Someone has to get less to lower costs.

Single-payer means health insurance companies get less.

A public option with Medicare-rates means doctors get less (per patient.)

Increasing the number of doctors would mean their salaries come down and doctors get less.

[DesertDiamond]

6. Ms. Landrieu is doing Orwellian doublespeak...

War is Peace... Freedom is Slavery...Profits for the Corporations are Savings for Everyone Else

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. Has the CBO scoring somehow missed her attention?

She should just switch parties and be done with it.

[ladywnch]

11. first thing I thought when I read this.......the CBO is now some partisan hack?

[librechik]

8. I demand that the only thing that would cut costs be removed! I also demand we cut costs!

Whatever, Mary--get a brain. Or do some homework. Or return some of that healthcare money in your campaign coffers. You are non functional.

[bad_robbie]

9. Translation

"I will not be satisfied until the health care situation in this country is worse than when I took office."

Why the hell would anyone negotiate with someone (many someones) who states up-front that they will never give you anything you want, no matter how much you give up? It would be like trying to buy a car from someone who's told you he wouldn't sell it to you at any price. I don't get it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

10. What else do her Masters want her to nix?

The Blue Dogs won't be happy until not only the public option is dropped, but also the other parts of the bill that put stricter guidelines on the "pre-existing condition" excuses, and premium rate increases etc..They want a bill passed that only forces everyone who doesn't have insurance to get it, and let them self-regulate their own industry.

Hey, they're "too big to fail" after all....what could go wrong?
:sarcasm:

[t0dd]

18. To be fair

Landrieu voted against bailing out Wall Street. But yeah, I wish I understood her firm opposition to the public option. A few weeks ago, someone posted an inspiring video of her passionately defending public housing for the poor, so it's depressing to hear her on this issue.

[tridim]

13. Does she have a primary challenger yet?

I sure hope so.

[Q3JR4]

14. Everybody remember this come election day.....

If the people of Louisiana, Nebraska and Maine don't like what their congresscritters are doing then they need to vote them out of office.

Also, I hope there's some interest group with deep pockets taking down names and gearing up for showdowns in the states of any "centrist democrat" who votes against a public option.

Q3JR4.

[SandWalker1984]

15. $800 Billion a year for war, Zero $$ for health care for Americans

I have a question for Ms Landrieu and everyone else that says we cannot have health care reform that adds to the government's budget?

If you are all so concerned about costs, why do you continue to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at $150 billion a year? Why is the military budget now $651 billion a year?

Under your theory regarding paying for health care, should you not also have made budgetary cuts before you started 2 wars in the mideast? Should funding cease for those 2 wars until you find a way to "pay" for them in the budget?

[populistdriven]

16. because military spending is on the discretionary side of the budget

I guarantee if it was non-discretionary and a line item on folks paychecks that military spending would drop

Our national security isn't discretionary is it?

[SandWalker1984]

17. If national security was the real issue, why are the borders unsecured?

If this was really anything but a military industrial complex war profiteering, if they were really concerned about national security, if this was really a "war on terror,"

then the US borders to the north and south would be totally secured with US troops 1st.

[populistdriven]

22. beautiful and concise -thx

[Zorra]

20. Typhoid Mary must hate poor folks. She was useless during Katrina

and now she wants to insure that poor folks can't get medical care when they need it.

She's a cancer in the Democratic Party, a total tool of the plutocracy, and she needs to be replaced by a Democrat ASAP.

[Cha]

21. Is Senator Landrieu being a disingenuous

Insurance corpwhore? It really reads like.