Kucinich: The Democrats' Plan Lets the Insurance Industry to Pick the American People's Pockets

[Truth2Tell]

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/21/as_obama_continues_push_for_healthcare

...

AMY GOODMAN: But do you think that a public plan, that’s being proposed, could lead ultimately to single payer? Because most people would opt for the public plan, which is the health insurance companies’ greatest nightmare, and ultimately would go in that other direction.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: I don’t know that, Amy. I mean, right now what I see is a public plan that gives the insurance companies the option to pick the people’s pockets. As long as you have a public plan, which now is going to be supported by what? Cuts in Medicaid, on the other hand? And undermining benefits to the elderly? Are you kidding me? I mean, this is—the balance that’s being constructed right now indicates an inherent flaw in the proposal, to begin with. Now, I will vote for it, if we can keep the single payer in, because I think it would be worth the price. But without the single-payer provision in it, I don’t know what’s in the bill that would really be worthy of supporting.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/21/as_obama_continues_push_for_healthcare">Whole thing here...

Video at link

[Lorien]

1. The Dems have one LAST chance here. One chance to prove to America

that they are a party worthy of our continued support. If they fail us on health care-a major cause of personal bankruptcy, early death, suffering, lost wages, and whole whole host of other problems in this country-then they can kiss 2012 goodbye. The public overwhelmingly supports a single payer option. The economy cannot recover under the stranglehold of the insurance and Wall Street profiteers. It's now or never. Truly.

[OhioChick]

2. You're absolutely right. n/t

[provis99]

3. wrong.

we don't have any alternative but to support the Democratic party far into the future, no matter how badly they screw us, because the only other party is the Republicans.

[Lorien]

5. Then the only party is the Republican party

If we can't change the Dems and the Dems continue to vote with the GOP, then we DO have a choice; third party. Other parties do exist, but most of us would prefer to change the one we have. If we fail at that I, for one, will vote for whatever party supports a liberal platform. My loyalty is to the ideals of the Democratic party, NOT to individuals who pretend to be Democrats. If the Greens or whoever else become the champions of a traditional Democratic platform, then they'll get my vote. We can't continue to support corporate whores, even if they put a (D) behind their names.

[Truth2Tell]

10. As a tactical matter,

I think voting Green is the same as not voting. Which can certainly be a principled thing to do, but isn't always effective. I think the only real hope we have is to move the Democrats back to the left. Get those Greens to join the Democratic Party and help us bring it home.

[bertman]

13. Not if enough of us vote Green and we have good candidates. That changes it all.

To imagine that we will ever change the Democratic party is like believing in the tooth fairy. The party is controlled and financed by Big Bidness and it's not gonna change unless there's a revolution in America. And that ain't gonna happen either.

[Truth2Tell]

15. Maybe.

I spend a lot of time working to try to change it. It's difficult to acknowledge that it can't be changed. But you may be right. I don't know yet.

edit: spelling

[bertman]

16. I tried joining a Democratic party group right after President Obama was elected.

It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. They were more interested in distributing cloth grocery bags to reduce global warming than doing anything about the voting machines that are being used to disenfranchise us. When I mentioned that as a very important topic that we needed to work on, it was as if I'd farted in church.

(I didn't, by the way) At least not that night.

There were a couple of folks who said afterward that they thought it was a good idea but the party wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Not ready to deal with stolen elections??!! WTF

The other buzzkill that I brought up was investigating and prosecuting for war crimes. That was another lead balloon.

Anyway, I gave up. This is a very liberal area we're in. But our Congressman won't even join the Progressive Caucus. Very fucked up.

[Truth2Tell]

19. Then what you need to do, in my humble opinion,

is find 10 other people who want to address the voting machine issue and also get them to join the local Party. Or 20 more. Take the thing over, then address your priorities. (I'm fighting the voting machine issue in my local Dem organization also, so that's a great example.)

I think the 2 major Parties are just vessels. Structures. They only represent what those who choose to engage with them want. And they are all we have on the inside I think.

[bertman]

20. Thanks for the idea. I thought of that too. The problem here is that there is an

entrenched group who have been party leaders for years. They don't like new folks coming in and trying to change their agenda. The really odd thing is that the party sponsored Mark Crispin Miller who spoke here about the '00 and '04 election fraud. Didn't have much effect apparently. I am not the type who likes to beat his head up against a wall, so I elected to spread the word through friends. Some are sympathetic, but most just think it's "conspiracy theory" stuff. Or they don't think it's worth the effort to try to fight it.

So, I send my reps and senators and the President emails. That makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile.

[Ladyhawk]

17. We don't have any real choice, do we? nt

[Naturyl]

4. More from the page:

AMY GOODMAN: And so, what is happening right now, Congressman Kucinich? The latest, the possibility that the bill will not be passed by August, which some have taken to mean it’s going to give more time for Republicans and the Blue Dog Democrats to water it down. But they’re not even with the public plan. I’d like you to explain what is being offered, even coming close to the idea of single payer.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Well, it’s not close to the idea of single payer. It’s mandating that people buy insurance. And it’s telling insurance companies they have to sell insurance. Well, you know who wins in that deal.

The fact of the matter is, this debate is all skewed right now. You know, there are—both political parties are in trouble on the issue of healthcare. Our political system is failing the American people, and it’s a bipartisan affair. So, what we have right now is a mishmash, which is being offered up as reform. Well, no wonder it’s in trouble from all sides.

I mean, if people were offered a clear choice of a single-payer plan or not and told what the advantages are of having the government paying the bills, eliminating the overhead, enabling all Americans to have not just basic coverage with doctor of choice, but vision care, dental care, mental healthcare, prescription drugs, long-term care, all covered, if people knew that was the choice they could have, there wouldn’t even—there wouldn’t be much of a debate at all.

But we’re falling back on old ideological arguments, when the fact of the matter is the insurance companies are running Washington and we have to break their hold. And that’s why the single-payer amendment that I offer that gives states an option is a small step in the direction of trying to give states the ability to be able to determine their own destiny, and then hopefully America will be able to see in these laboratories of states that we can have a single-payer plan that can save people money and protect people’s economic security and their health. Healthcare is a basic right. We still don’t hear of that talked about in the major debate here in Washington about the bill that is being presented.

[stuball111]

6. Kucinich is starting to sound Like a Socialist!

And I think he has been studying what Tommy Douglas did up in Canada. He (Douglas) started in 1944 ( about the time Truman mentioned it, but caved into big insurance) and it was at least 20 or so years before it became fully Universal. And about a third party, Good Idea. And I think Kucinich should lead it. The way it brought in up north of the 49th, first of all, it took time to gradually bring it in, and the CCF became the NDP (New Democratic Party) they never had a majority federally, BUT they stole enough votes from the Liberals (Canadian version of the corporate lacky's we call Demsocrats) and forced a few coalition governments of NDP/Liberal so that the Libs had to adopt some of the NDP platform, or face the prospect of being replaced by the NDP and even feared the outright annihilation of their party. The Green Party might be an option to build into a viable threat to the Dems, and force them further left, or steal enough votes to at least make them listen. Hell Nader got almost 3% of the vote in 2000, if that could be brought up to at least 10 or 15%, there would be some eyes a poppin! And that would be enough to form a coalition if the Democrats fell short, or had a slim majority, or at least affect policy.

[leftstreet]

11. "both political parties are in trouble on the issue of healthcare"

Yep. They have been for decades.

And BOTH political parties know that a single issue third party could finally be a serious threat.

It's almost funny watching them squirm.

[Vidar]

7. Thanks for the warning, Dennis.

[pleah]

8. K&R

[Laelth]

9. Hear, hear. K&R for Dennis Kucinich.

He remains willing to tell the truth. The current bills being considered by Congress stink.

:dem:

-Laelth

[slipslidingaway]

12. knr nt

[midnight]

14. That's why the insurance co. need to be removed completely

from the people's right to choose.

[Echo In Light]

18. Too bad DK's views aren't indicative of the Dem party as a whole