John Edwards - No Excuse for the Pres and Congress to Have Health Care When America Doesn't Have It

[jsamuel]

Run time: 05:09 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWbXNUbUj0A   Posted on YouTube: September 17, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 17, 2007 By DU Member: jsamuel Views on DU: 1501

 

The campaign of fellow Democrat John Edwards, which has already put out a detailed a health care plan, will up the ante Monday during a speech to the Laborers' International Union of North America in Chicago, Illinois, campaign sources said.

The Edwards proposal would cut off health care for the president, Congress and all political appointees in mid 2009, if a universal health care plan for all Americans has not been passed by then.

Edwards is expected to outline "basic principles" the health care plan would have to meet, the sources.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/17/health.care/?iref=mpstoryview

"The cost of failure 14 years ago isn’t anybody’s scars or political fortune, it’s the millions of Americans who have now gone without health care for more than 14 years and the millions more still crushed by the costs.

"So I’m glad that, today, the architect of the 1993 plan has another care proposal - and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then I’m flattered.

"But unless Senator Clinton’s willing to acknowledge the truth about our broken government and the cost of health care reform, I’m afraid flattery will get us nowhere."

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/09/edwards_rips_hillary_on_health_care.php

http://www.actblue.com/page/du-presidential

[dk2]

1. No choice about it!

Edwards is the best candidate for 2008, he has it right!

[jsamuel]

2. absolutely

:bounce:

[rodeodance]

3. K and R

[saracat]

4. Edwards rocks! This is exactly true!

[Cleita]

5. If John Edwards becomes President, the first thing he should

do is cut off Congress's, the Supreme Court's and the Executive Office's health care coverage. You will see a workable health care plan in place before you can say February, 2009.

[aquart]

6. How could he do that, btw?

[Cleita]

7. How about a signing statement?

It seems that the former President, Bush, set a precedent of signing statements covering what seems like dictatorial powers. I suppose his succsessor could carry on the tradition. I should have qualified my original post as being sarcastic, but I guess now I will use the little emoticon.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[aquart]

9. I find emoticons pretty useless, myself.

If you don't mean what you say, why say it?

Signing statements would be a real good trick if someone attempted to use them that way. The entire thought was muddy, passing it off as sarcasm...please.

[Cleita]

10. I guess you must know my mind better than I do.

Buh, bye on this conversation. Not worth my time.

[Deja Q]

8. Impressive.

On the plus side, all that money would probably pay off the national debt; fairly quickly too.

[Ninga]

11. Us humans need to reach out and support those who need it the most, some call it reaching

in side ourselves to get in touch with our "Better angels"

It is a national disgrace that such a large number of people do not have health care.

John Edwards has a lot of fight in him, and it is up to us to see that he, as our next President, gets to fight for those who need it the most.

We need to summon up our "Better angels" and support his candidacy for all it's worth.

[waiting for hope]

13. Amen!

Edwards is calling for something that hasn't happened in a long time, he's asking us, we the American People, to be involved in our government. That tells me, he is a person that believes, Of the People, By the People, For the People and for that, I trust him.

[lovuian]

12. Edwards is right

glad he is seeing this as a major issue

[JDPriestly]

14. Go! Edwards!

Edwards is great.

And Hillary's healthcare "plan" doesn't sound like much of a plan at all. Let people pay for their own healthcare. That is what we have now. Hillary is out of touch. She does not understand that people are not earning enough money to cover the cost of healthcare. We need universal healthcare. And we need strong government regulation of health care insurance companies. We need to cut out the those who profit from the misery of others -- the health insurance moguls. They take millions in profits from the drugs we buy and the health insurance payments we make. And after they have paid for their mansions and yachts, they donate money to right-wing causes. That's what the health insurance industry is all about. And we have to pay for their excesses because we have to have health care especially for our children. The for profit healthcare industry literally sucks the blood from American workers (and business owners). They are the vampires of our society.

John Edwards has fought the excesses of big business for his entire professional life. He knows what he is talking about. He is a fighter. We need John Edwards.

[ultraist]

15. Go Edwards! n/t

[iaviate1]

16. So here's what Edward's site says:

The Edwards Plan achieves universal coverage by:
* Requiring businesses and other employers to either cover their employees or help finance their health insurance.
* Making insurance affordable by creating new tax credits, expanding Medicaid and SCHIP, reforming insurance laws, and taking innovative steps to contain health care costs.
* Creating regional "Health Care Markets" to let every American share the bargaining power to purchase an affordable, high-quality health plan, increase choices among insurance plans, and cut costs for businesses offering insurance.
* Once these steps have been taken, requiring all American residents to get insurance.

http://johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/

Sounds like the Insurance Companies are still in business and profiting. And it sounds like you can get really crappy coverage under this plan too.

[Ladyhawk]

17. Denying politicians health care is purely symbolic

because they can afford to just pay.

Still, I like what Edwards is saying. Does he really mean it? If so, can he get elected considering the obstacles in his way? If he gets elected, how much dangerous would he be in? I doubt Mr. Smith can get to Washington these days.