Dems hedge on healthcare: Schumer "...not sure that we're ready for a major national healthcare

[antigop]

plan."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-hedge-on-healthcare-2008-04-23.html

Congressional Democrats are backing away from healthcare reform promises made by their two presidential candidates, saying that even if their party controls the White House and Congress, sweeping change will be difficult.

It is still seven months before Election Day, but already senior Democrats are maneuvering to lower public expectations on the key policy issue.

In the back of their minds is the damage done to President Bush’s second term by his failed attempts to change the nation’s Social Security policy.

For some senators, the promises made by Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) outside of Washington may not match the political reality on Capitol Hill.
...
“Healthcare I feel strongly about, but I am not sure that we’re ready for a major national healthcare plan,” Schumer said.

[mnhtnbb]

1. Disgusting. Just disgusting. Not only are we ready, we're past ready.

[Solly Mack]

2. lolol

"...to lower public expectations on the key policy issue"

Oh, mine couldn't possibly get much lower

I got none

[Hugabear]

3. While you fucking twits continue to fiddle, people are DYING

How many people will die because they can't afford life-saving procedures or medication while you assholes dither around?

This BULLSHIT makes me fucking sick. We should take away their health plans, get rid of their outrageous salaries, and force them to live like the vast majority of people in this country - you know, the people they're supposed to be REPRESENTING. I wonder how long it would take them to come up with a health care plan?

[bdamomma]

13. I would love to see these Senators without their healthcare.

bring them down to our level, and see how long they would last.

[Hugabear]

15. We'd need to take away their millions and huge salaries first

Otherwise, it would be just one more entry in their expense report.

[latebloomer]

62. Exactly

As a self-employed person, I pay for my family's health insurance. It's a struggle, but I manage. To these millionaire politicians, it would mean next to nothing.

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. Edwards was going to do just that! Take away their health care. But we couldn't have him as our

nominee-----oh no---couldn't have that! :argh:

[poppysgal]

36. someone with a plan

oh the horror of it all :scared:

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. No kidding!

[area51]

42. Great post, PIB.

Wish I could nominate it for the Greatest Page. :thumbsup:

[PVnRT]

48. Absolutely right

If "socialized medicine" is bad, I'm sick of subsidizing these leeches in government.

[Lasher]

4. Now there's some rationalization for ya.

In the back of their minds is the damage done to President Bush’s second term by his failed attempts to change the nation’s Social Security policy.

Uh no, the damage was done because people realized Junior has been trying to gut Social Security. Well I guess that would be a change, but the point is, it would not be unpopular if we were to actually improve healthcare. Big difference.

[midnight]

5. I would just like to take a stab at this. O hell yes we are ready....

We are more than ready. We had a co-pilot program that we had been trying on Congress for years. guess what? It is so great, and helpful that our elected officials are maintaining their health,and staying alive. We are ready and those who are feeling indecisive about it, get out of the way.

[napi21]

6. WHY? Haven't our elected Dems heard enough from us?

I can't see any link between health care change andthe DimWit trying to destroy SS!

[CTyankee]

27. Uh, they'd lose financial support from the health insurance industry?

It's usually money that drives these things. UNLESS, we all rise up and demand it. Evidently, not enough Americans have given their reps and sens. an ultimatum to get this done!

OTOH, they may just not care what happens to our health care...

[Delphinus]

39. You got it.

They'd lose all the money they receive from the insurance industries - they'd be out the door next election.

Kick them ALL OUT! Let them live WITHOUT like us.

[Donnachaidh]

7. See -- we'll have the *business as usual* Democrats fighting AGAINST us again.

And it will enable the Democratic President to *set aside* any promises made. From what I've seen so far, I'll bet both the Obama AND the Clinton camps are breathing a great big sigh of relief. What's that flushing sound -- that's the BIGGEST promise made, circling the loo, heading south.

So much for gaining control of the government. Even our own party is sending the voters an early "FUCK YOU" message via Schumer. :grr:

[SammyWinstonJack]

25. But Obama and Clinton will still use that promise on the campaign trail

hoping we all won't know about this latest development to try and stop what the MAJORITY of Americans want and many desperately need!

We ALL should have supported Edwards and not allowed the corprat media to run him off!

He was going to suspend the congressional health care plan until they got off their greedy butts and did something for us for a change! :argh:

[Donnachaidh]

41. yup -- and their followers will be bleeting along, playing the *MY candidate is BESTEST* Game

Not knowing (or probably even caring) that Schumer just gave them a *Get out of Jail FREE* card for the one damned thing we NEED.

I'm STILL an Edwards supporter. The two that are left are useless, spineless, and carrying around huge IOU's from their corporate sponsors.

Bend Over America -- You get what you ASK for. Too bad the saner heads are going to get reemed too. :grr:

[SammyWinstonJack]

43. I am an Edwards Democrat! Yes and too bad we once again allowed our corprat overlords to pick our

front-runners for us. Neither will get a damn thing that matters, accomplished. And that's if either of them manages to win the GE, not holding my breath on that one. Too bad just those who asked for this can't be the only ones to get reamed. I am tried of getting crapped on by people dumb enough to fall for this con game election after election. :banghead:

[pleah]

8. This from the man who brought us Mukasey.

:eyes:

[antigop]

9. Schumer needs to go -- when is he up for re-election? n/t

[bdamomma]

14. I think so too.

these Senators get a little to comfortable in their positions, time to clean out the Senate.

[msongs]

10. congresspersons are prostitutes for the health "insurance" scam lobby nt

[boobooday]

11. This is what Obama is saying

If a candidate gets elected with a major national healthcare program, we are going to have to get behind it and raise hell until they make it so.

[marmar]

12. Fuck Chuck.....

:argh:

[poppysgal]

16. the lines get a little blurry

when promises are broken before the election. We need (not just want) a national health care plan and a major overhaul on the entire health care and insurance industry in this country. There are MILLIONS of Americans that cannot afford insurance living right here in the wealthiest (supposedly) country on this planet. That is a shame and something that we have a right to be angry about. A large percentage of law suits that are on the dockets in the civil courts across this country right now are medical billing companies and hospitals suing individuals for seeking and receiving health care. There are literally hundreds of thousands of Americans terrified of becoming sick. Our health care is in a terrible mess and whoever wins this next election (dem of course) had better not back off on this very, very important issue.:mad:

[spanone]

17. no, but we can spend fucking 600 BILLION GODDAM DOLLARS ON THE MILITARY

the ama lobby has all these people by the balls

[Missy Vixen]

18. Hey, Senator Schumer, you should have no problem giving up your FREE healthcare, shouldn't you?

If you think the rest of us aren't "ready" for a major national healthcare plan, you can GO WITHOUT until the rest of us enjoy what you get for FREE, Sir.

Julie

[riverdeep]

19. Exactly where is the unwillingness coming from?

It sure isn't coming from the electorate. What he's really saying is we don't want to take the political risks that would come from a protracted national healthcare restructuring. The same mentality that kept us in Iraq. The same mentality that approved, and in his case-recommended, Mukasey.

This is a party that's gone from "Give 'em hell Harry!" to "If I give you my lunch money, will you stop threatening me?"

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

20. The REPS may "not be ready" to give up their lobbying dollars

from the people who want to keep the staus quo, but, WE THE PEOPLE ARE READY.

At EVERY single political event from here into eternity for every single candidate of both parties, people should carry placards that say Healthcare Now! This is going to have to be a groundswell from the people upward.

They just don't get it, do they?

[magellan]

21. Predictable!

So Schumer's saying national healthcare is unlikely? Even if they sweep both houses on top of gaining the WH, and have the existing national support on the ground?

What it boils down to is they just aren't willing to trip up their corporate friends in the healthcare industry.

Another sad indictment of the Dems. Add it to the existing long sad pile.

[endarkenment]

22. Fuck them.

I'm sure Schumer and the rest of the rich fucks in the senate 'aren't ready'. We are. Get to work.

[Wizard777]

24. We may not have been ready for Schumers' healthcare package.

But ready or not he got it anyway.

[MessiahRp]

26. Chuck Shumer's a slimeball and needs to be tossed out on his ass (and he can take the DSCC with him)

I'm tired of him railroading liberal Senate candidates out of Democratic Primaries and I'm tired of him supporting Bush and Corporate America at every opportunity.

Man does New York need new Senators.

Rp

[Yellow Horse]

28. Fine. Take the House and Senate members' healthcare away. Let 'em live like the rest of us...

...except that most are so damn disgustingly rich they could buy their own hospital if they need one.

Fuckers.

[angstlessk]

29. if the fucking public did not want it they would not 'expect' it and you assholes

would not have to lower our 'expectations'...it is the fucking money you are getting from the insurance and drug companies that you are cowing to, not that the public is not ready you fucking greedy bastard!!!

[demodonkey]

30. Vote 'em OUT. That is IF your vote is counted as you cast it.

Election integrity -- problems with our voting systems -- is the real key issue. And too many Dems are oblivious or if they do know, don't care.

Want healthcare?
Want education?
Want peace?

Then you damn well better take counting the votes seriously.

"It's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes!" -- Stalin

[MisterP]

56. are you kidding? the party has shock troops ready to flood everyone in earshot

with lectures about voter responsibility and how it's our duty to give the Blue Dogs our votes, no questions asked and in perpetuity. They trembly with frenzy whenever the word "Nader" is mentioned (even down to 18th-century Persian history) but shrug when they see Congress holding Bush's stirrup for nearly every damn horse he's gotten onto

[lumberjack_jeff]

31. Fuck political realities you asshole.

Do it.

A president with a strong enough commitment to the topic will get it done.

[Hydra]

32. Anyone still think these guys are working for us?

We have corp approved Party A(Rape and Pillage R US) and Corp approved Party B(Deny the Masses for profit).

Which flavor do your prefer when you get screwed?

[SammyWinstonJack]

38. I stopped thinking that after the '06 elections and they still gave georgie everything he wanted.

Still giving into him.

[OneBlueSky]

33. like the Republicans, the Democrats in Congress are beholden to corporations . . .

for their campaign financing and ultimately their re-elections . . . none of them are going to bite the hands that feed them . . . and since corporate greed and lack of corporate regulation are a root cause of many of our most pressing problems, no real change is going to happen unless and until Congress stands up to the corporations and challenges their influence and control . . . and the chances of that happening are slim and none . . .

[slipslidingaway]

60. Agree n/t

[librechik]

34. let's take away his plan and see how fast he gets to work on universal coverage

oh, damn--we'd need his insurance-industry funded vote to do it.

[Individualist]

35. Schumer is DLC

They love corporations and don't give a damn about the average citizen.

[PetraPooh]

40. How stupid is Schumer to not see that privatizing SS is the opposite of what is

wanted for healthcare.

[Vinca]

44. That's it. Take away their fucking health insurance.

If they can get medical care, we should be able to get medical care. If we get a Democrat in the White House and a Democratic majority in the Congress, it will be CRIMINAL if they don't go for broke . . . and by that I mean the Kucinich bill.

[debbierlus]

45. They are not sure they are ready to give up their corporate donations

This has NOTHING to do with us. It has to do with them, and their fear that they will lose their campaign donations and jobs.

[SammyWinstonJack]

46. I don't know how some of these people look at themselves in their mirrors?

I really don't. :shrug: Oh and it never has anything too do with us. We're just their favorite scapegoat to their corprat overlords.

[Kitty Herder]

47. This just boils my blood. It's not like Clinton and Obama were offering much!

Every other industrialized nation provides healthcare for it's citizens! Why the hell do our "representatives" allow the insurance and pharma corps. push them around this way! It's obvious whose interests they serve, and it's not those of the people who elect them to represent them in the senate and house.

[lovuian]

49. Schumer obviously wants Insurance companies to keep

making profits off of sick people

thats the Christian thing to do

[PVnRT]

50. Yes, "we're" ready

If the Democrats in Washington do not have the political will to fight the "socialized medicine omgz" bullshit coming from the right-wing, that's their problem.

[DefenseLawyer]

51. I am running low on smarmy.

Oh nevermind, there's Chuck Schumer.

[slipslidingaway]

52. Sad but not surprising to hear there is no money and that

a major change is difficult. So sorry we would like to, but we can't.

It was pretty obvious that the Dems did not want to discuss certain issues during the debates, single payer health care was one of those issues. The other candidates started from an already compromised position on health care and now the ground work is being laid to compromise even more.

:(

The three videos below are about 7 minutes total and Kucinich makes some interesting points.


Kucinich..."What's lacking is political leadership..."

"Des Moines Register Q & A : Health Care : Kucinich
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PcMb9SDbZ8


Kucinich on Health Care and Prescription drugs 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv8wkh4FMUo

Health Care
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOB0f3I1AXk


Kucinich has been consistent on this issue, he brought the issue of single-payer health care to the 2000 and 2004 Democratic Platform Committees, but the idea was rejected.

As he has said many times this is a fight within the Democratic Party.


When will the Democrats start truly advocating for a sweeping change to the system? Not in 2000, not in 2004, no in 2008.

From your article...

"...Making sweeping changes to health care issues often takes several Congresses to work through. For instance, a bill to create a drug benefit under Medicare passed the House in 2000 and 2002, but didn’t land on Bush’s desk until late 2003..."


For a more in depth discussion of a single payer plan see the interview in this link.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=50402


----just posted the above in this other thread---
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5666250&mesg_id=5667296

[leftofthedial]

53. it's time either to give this country to the elite and let them rot in their own slime

or it's time for a revolution.

[SoCalDem]

54. YANK THEIR DAMNED HEALTH CARE, and I bet they'd "get ready" pretty darned quick

We HAVE to have a national referendum to get this done.. congress will never get it done :grr:

[RedCappedBandit]

55. Says some old fuck who has health care paid for by our tax dollars..nt

[slipslidingaway]

57. Kucinich..."What's lacking is political leadership..."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=50012&mesg_id=50012

Direct link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PcMb9SDbZ8

[slipslidingaway]

58. Kick for health care n/t

[kenny blankenship]

59. Maybe we should take away HIS healthcare plan until he sees how ready we are

[orpupilofnature57]

61. Or one of the two MRI's they get at standard check ups!!

[kath]

63. Hey, Chuck, F*#K you with a rusty fork.

we're way PAST ready for single payer healthcare (not the bullshit our corporate candidates are proposing). How many goddam decades are we behind the rest of the developed world already - 4? 5?

[supernova]

64. CHICKENSHIT!!

They might be our Dems, and we will win in November.

BUT,


We need to ram UHC down their fucking throats!!!! Every last one of them!!!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke:

[OhioChick]

65. Nice....

:sarcasm:

[BreweryYardRat]

66. Schumer's not up for re-election, is he?

If he is, let's support any primary challenger he has. We need a universal health care plan, NOW! Hillary's and Obama's both suck.

Christ, I wish the Repugs hadn't managed to force John Edwards out of the race.

[wisteria]

67. No kidding. This is why Obama's plan makes more sense. Hillary's will be DOA.n/t