FEINGOLD SIGNALS HE WILL VOTE NO: I do not support proposals that would replace the public option

[kpete]

http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=320547

“While I appreciate the willingness of all parties to engage in good-faith discussions, I do not support proposals that would replace the public option in the bill with a purely private approach. We need to have some competition for the insurance industry to keep rates down and save taxpayer dollars. I will base my vote on the bill on the entirety of what is in the bill, and whether I think the bill is good for Wisconsin.”
http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=320547

[Bluebear]

1. That's my Senator!

Even though my state is nowhere near his.

[frazzled]

7. Your senator is gonna kill health care for another 15 years?

I don't think so. He's going to kill raising Medicaid eligibility and allowing 55-64 year olds to buy into Medicare? He's going to vote against prohibiting insurers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions? He's going to vote to retain no caps on out-of-pocket expenditures and allow insurers to place lifetime caps on their policies? He's going to vote away subsidies for people earning between 150 and 400% of the poverty level?

Bull. Shit.

Russ Feingold is going to vote for this bill, and you know it.


When was this statement on the negotiations even issued? I doubt it was tonight.

[harkadog]

12. Didn't you look at the link? It is Dec. 8, 2009

[frazzled]

16. But it doesn't say whether it was after the consensus was made tonight

For all I know, it was another attempt by yet another senator to try to move the process their way. Whether Nelson or Feingold, that is what is going on.

Nobody knows what is in that bill now. Nobody. Not you, and not the New York TImes. And the staff were all kicked out.
We won't even know what is in it until after the CBO scores it. Unless they start leaking. But as of tonight, we do not know what the deal is.

[harkadog]

17. No I don't know but Feingold does.

[FBaggins]

13. It says "Tuesday, December 8, 2009 "

CNN's reporting says "But liberal Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, one of 10 Democratic senators working on the deal, said in a statement released after Reid's announcement that he would not "support proposals that would replace the public option in the bill with a purely private approach."

[Bluebear]

18. :crickets:

:toast:

[eridani]

19. Bullshit on pre-existing conditions. AGE is a pre-existing condition, and

--anyone over 50 is going to be royally fucked by thsi bill. What is the point of subsidising a completely shitty product? The Basic exchange plan is barely more than catastrophic coverange, and forcing people to buy it will severely impact their ability to pay for the out of pocket expenses which will not be touched at all.

Medicare buy in could be passed separately.

And insurers can still deny coverage for other pre-existing conditions. Ever been behind on paying your medical bills? Yes? Then you can get denied for having a bad credit record.

[JoeyT]

20. Health care reform?

You mean health insurance reform, right?
At this point it's pretty much fake health insurance reform.

[bvar22]

29. Health Insurance Reform...

You mean Health Insurance Industry Profit Enhancement Bill?

[ima_sinnic]

22. I trust him a lot more than most of the others engaged in the process

We don't know what's in it, but he does, and he does not like it. You are naming the seemingly positive aspects of the bill--but what aren't they telling us? I'm not a particularly close observer of Feingold, living many states away, but have never felt he betrayed the principles and ideals of the Democratic Party; rather, just the opposite--he's known to be principled and progressive and at times outspoken. My attitude is, he must be "killing it for another 15 years" on my behalf (not for some hidden agenda having to do with money somewhere), and I thank him for that.

[Bluebear]

23. you said it

[polichick]

2. Kudos to him. Didn't Obama say it has to create competition? They should all vote no. nt

[derby378]

3. Sic 'em, Russ!

You have the power to kill the bill if they kill the public option in the Senate. :bounce:

[NYC_SKP]

4. K and R n/t

[wordpix]

5. that's one senator with principle, Fine-gold

[kelly1mm]

6. Will he vote for cloture? That is the real question. Only need 50 after that.nt

[FBaggins]

8. Doesn't necessarily mean that he would filibuster it though.

The name of the game at this point is "kick the can down the road" to get this to conference. Feingold can make plenty of noise saying he will "vote no" on the bill, but that still leaves him room to vote for cloture but against the bill this go-round... hoping that we can get a good plan out of conference.

[backscatter712]

28. That's the key. I doubt that any Democrats outside of Lieberman, Nelson, etc. would filibuster.

Feingold knows how important reform is, so he'll likely vote for cloture, then vote no on the bill itself (though enough arms will be twisted that it will get 51 votes.)

Kick it to conference, that's when the real action begins.

[Schema Thing]

9. You're headline is far from what his statement says.

[jpak]

27. ((((ssshhhh))))

:D

[AllyCat]

10. Yes! Maybe my call today helped?

[jefferson_dem]

11. Fine.

Vote your conscience, Russ.

Of course, I wouldn't expect you to obstruct (i.e. support a filibuster) though.

[Bobbie Jo]

14. I'm glad this man is in the room.

K&R :kick:

[PeaceNikki]

15. Send him feedback here:

http://feingold.senate.gov/healthcarereform/index.html

[Vidar]

21. Thank you Russ. At least you & Sanders still have integrity.

[loyalkydem]

24. I say scrap

the whole thing. Go to the midterms. Paint the Republicans and everyone else who objected as obstructionist and then we'll see what happens. Next time, single payer damn it.

[spanone]

25. i'd like to see the senate kissing feingold's ass the way they do lieberman, snowe or collins

don't they want russ's vote?

[undeterred]

26. Thank you, Senator Hardass.

Really. :applause:

[berni_mccoy]

30. This isn't accurate. He said this YESTERDAY before the Compromise was done.

And he didn't say he would vote NO.

He said he would consider the bill and would not support a purely private approach, which the Compromise doesn't appear to be that.

[Individualist]

31. K&R

:applause:

[Dinger]

32. Excellent.

Feingold is 100% right, wait, I mean left, wait, . . . never mind. Go Russ!!!

[Major Hogwash]

33. Under the bus you go!! Bye Feingold.

Under the bus you go!!!!

[rateyes]

34. I hope he fucking filibusters it.