I Will Continue To Fight For Single-Payer

[inna]

Just got this email from Dennis Kucinich...

I Will Continue To Fight For Single-Payer


Dear Friends,

Forty-seven million Americans are without health insurance. Why? Because they can't afford it.

And what's Washington's solution? Require people to buy private insurance with the government providing a subsidy to the health insurance companies.

What a pathetic state of affairs that our national government cannot respond to the needs of the people and must first respond to the needs of Wall Street and the health insurance industry and their stock prices.

I am going to continue to fight for single-payer. And I'm going to continue to try to get in the final legislation a provision which will protect the rights of states to be able to move forward with single-payer health care plans of their own.

It is time that we broke the chains, which the health insurance companies have on our political process. It's time that we have a government that we can call our own. And it's time that Congress respond to the needs of the American people first, and recognize that health care is a basic right in a democratic society.

Thank you.

Dennis


Click here to view video: http://kucinich.us/SinglePayer

On edit:

Just noticed that there is another thread on this! Sorry I missed it before I posted, but I'm not going to delete this one - the more exposure, the better. GO Dennis!! :yourock:


Also, this link might work better: http://kucinich.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2876&Itemid=2

[endless october]

1. feels good to have someone on our side.

[dionysus]

9. he'll never accomplish anything towards that goal, buthe talks real good...

:shrug:

[endless october]

17. fighting for the average citizen IS accomplishing something

even if the corporatists don't go along with it.

[treestar]

20. As long as President Obama gets equal credit for his talking

and not dismissals of "it's just a speech" I'm with that.

[slipslidingaway]

31. LOL, Obama and Kucinich have the same power over Congress and ...

access to the people through the media???

Sure sounds as if that is what you are implying.

[slipslidingaway]

18. Especially not when our leaders point people in a different direction...

Video of Waxman

"I'm now working on legislation .... that fits with the plan outlined by President Obama ..."

Single Payer Action Confronts Henry Waxman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7bTC9lKcv4
1:40


And under Clinton ...

Conyers speech yesterday on single-payer and the public option...

back in the 90's they were asked to step back from single-payer and they did so...this time they were pretty much ignored.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6522383&mesg_id=6522383

[StarfarerBill]

2. One of our few fighters in the mire of corruption that is DC. K&R

[amborin]

3. Kudos to Kucinich! K&R

[Howler]

4. Just got that one too!

I just love him!!!

[hayu_lol]

7. The little man is a talker, not a fighter...

one of the least cost-effective Reps we have who sorta claim the Dem party.

He made statements about voter fraud years ago...Diebold is in his area of responsibility...and under a new name, continue to turn out their fraudulent machines.

[dionysus]

10. it doesn't matter that he can't accomplish it, as long as he talks about it he's a hero, right?

[Desertrose]

12. Someone needs to talk about it....

what is your problem with that?

Be nice if one man could change everything wouldn't it?

Or are you happily insured and don't care if so many of us can't afford insurance??

[dionysus]

13. my point is that dennis gets to say things, things that we all would wish to happen, without the

power to make them happen. and the responsibility to get it done. that's all. it's easy to be a hero when you're not accountable for getting results.

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. I also get to say things without the power to make them happen -

does that mean I should shut up?

His voice IS louder than mine. If he is unable to single-handedly force 500 other members of congress to do his will, does that mean he should shut up?

[dionysus]

15. i'm not saying he should shut up, i'm just saying that simply saying the right things doesn't make

one a hero.

[RaleighNCDUer]

21. You are the only one saying 'hero'. Everyone else is saying 'voice'. nt

[dionysus]

23. come on, you read DU, to many, he is their biggest one.

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. "...their biggest one." Well, that does make your position clear.

You are NOT on the side of the people, the voters who WANT single-payer, liberal Democrats. "They" are the other guys, to you.

[dionysus]

32. that's utterly absurd. this is why no one takes you guys seriously.

you just make shit up and look foolish.
:eyes:

[Alexander]

34. What do you expect from the straitjacket wing of the Democratic Party?

Some of these DUers love to froth at the mouth and accuse others of being DLC corporate stooges, even if they know nothing about the person they are attacking.

[RaleighNCDUer]

39. I don't need to know anything about the person when it is the policies

that I am attacking.

If someone is bashing liberals, and espousing corporate control of the government I think it is safe to make the claim that person is a DLC corporate stooge. Possibly a perfectly nice person, but that has nothing to do with it - it is the policies that disgust me, not the person.

[dionysus]

40. pointing out that dennis is completely ineffectual is not "espousing corporate control", but

apparently it hurts your feelings.

it's not like i said he has a really bap toupe or anything.
:shrug:

[Alexander]

41. Perhaps dionysus prefers action over talk?

"I don't need to know anything"

Just about sums up the content of your posts.

[RaleighNCDUer]

42. What 'action' would you suggest?

Action like sponsoring a single-payer health care bill? Did that. Is HE at fault for it going nowhere? He certainly talked enough about it. Or is it the fault of the corporatists who call him a socialist while taking the industry's bribes - er, campaign contributions?

What, exactly, is he doing wrong? How does he counter corporate bribery to become 'effective'?

[Alexander]

43. Maybe supporting measures that might pass?

"Action like sponsoring a single-payer health care bill? Did that."

Yes, I'll give him that. He tried. But it was doomed to fail from the beginning, and anyone politically aware knew that.

"Is HE at fault for it going nowhere?"

Nope. But he is at fault for voting against the House bill, which, flawed though it was, still contained a public option and was still far better than the crap we're probably going to be stuck with, if we get anything at all.

"Or is it the fault of the corporatists who call him a socialist while taking the industry's bribes - er, campaign contributions?"

Yes, that's the problem. But you do yourself no favors by attacking people like dionysus. I know him quite well and I know he agrees with you on many issues, but he also is capable of seeing the political realities of the present - that we can't get much done with so many DINOs and DLC Democrats coupled with such ineffectual leadership. Our huge "majority" is pretty much an illusion.

"What, exactly, is he doing wrong?"

Sponsoring bills you know won't pass time and again is nice, but over time it amounts to very little. While I do like that he signed on to impeachment and sponsored single-payer, I knew from the very beginning neither of these things were going anywhere.

"How does he counter corporate bribery to become 'effective'?"

He can show willingness to compromise here and there when the end result is beneficial. Voting against the best health care bill that could've passed the House right now because it isn't good enough isn't exactly helpful. The House bill was still far better than nothing at all and far better than the crap the Senate passed, and yet he still voted against it. How is that effective?

Don't get me wrong, I like Dennis Kucinich. I've met him in person, he's incredibly nice and I agree with him on a lot of issues. But I also realize that the deck is not stacked in our favor right now, and never really was.

A large part of our "majority" consists of DLC Democrats, conservative Democrats and so forth, who will obstruct any meaningful progressive legislation much like Republicans. It's not really a majority for progressives, just for Democrats. Until such time as we are able to get progressive candidates elected in place of them, we have to deal with the realities of the situation.

If Obama's problem is that he compromises too much, too quickly, I'd say Dennis's problem is that he hardly compromises anything at all. Both are extremes that I'd like to avoid.

[treestar]

22. The President, Reid, Pelosi, etc.

Are in a position to do something about things. They can't get single payer, because only Dennis will vote for it (maybe a few others).

But they are in the trenches where Dennis is not.

[RaleighNCDUer]

24. That is really bizarre, twisted logic.

The President, Reid, Pelosi are "in the trenches" NOT fighting for what poor Dennis, the "only (one) will vote for it" is talking about and it is HIS fault for it not happening?

They "can't get single payer" because they are TRYING to get single payer. At least Dennis is still there trying.

BTW, the 'trenches' are on the front lines, not back in Paris with the generals.

[treestar]

26. What are they to do?

Keep trying to get all those representatives to vote for something they are against? how many years would that take?

[RaleighNCDUer]

28. As long as it takes. As long as it takes those representatives' constituency

to realize that those representatives are not voting what what they, the constituents, want.

"Do you want socialized medicine?" Resounding 'No'.

"Do you want Medicare for all?" Resounding 'Yes'.

"What's the difference?" Resounding 'Huh?'.

[treestar]

29. OK, I can accept that

Are they able to try any other measures in the meantime, if they could possibly go through?

[WCGreen]

25. Well, he's my congressperson and he does love to talk the talk...

But he is very ineffective in delivering on what he talks about.

One thing people don't know about DK is that he fought hard really really hard to have most of the freight trains that run through Cleveland to be diverted from the wealthy communities and channeled through the working class neighborhoods...

He also actually fought long and hard to get as much money as needed so that the rich folk who own all the property in his district along the lake will have state of the art erosion control for little to no cost.

He loves to grandstand then move on to the next windmill.

But, and here is why I will vote for him from now to judgment day; he focuses like a laser beam on constituent service and is always helping people get passport, disability, Social Security, all the stuff that most people have trouble getting done on their own. Most stuff that the average person needs the government for.

That is why he can scream and shout and point indignant fingers at the fat cats and still pull off the stuff like the train rerouting and erosion control.

And really, I don't have anything against what he did, I just think that people tend to put this guy up on some kind of pedestal when all he really is is a great student of retail politics. This guy know how to work the streets. He is the best city council man walking the Halls of the House of Reps.

[dionysus]

36. good post. thanks!

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. w00t

K&R

[Shagbark Hickory]

6. I'd fight for it to if I was getting paid $174k a year.

Actions speak louder than words.

[WeDidIt]

8. Until today, for me, single payer was a dream that might have been realized in 10 years

Now, it's a fantasy that only exists in fiction and other countries.

Since the insurance industry no longer has its hands tied in how it can influence the political process, single payer is dead for all time in the U.S.

As is banking reform.

And China just found a loophole whereby it can sell poison to our children and never suffer any consequences from it.

[inna]

30. Oh shit. I didn't even realize you were talking about today's SCOTUS decision at first.

But sadly, you might be right (despite the fact that as you might've noticed, I rarely agree with you). :( :(


"Since the insurance industry no longer has its hands tied in how it can influence the political process, single payer is dead for all time in the U.S."

I don't want to believe this. I really hope you're wrong here. Is this really the impication?? Can this decision be repealed later??


I really need to read up on some analysis of today's ruling and its implications. I haven't even heard about the ruling until I read the comments in this thread.

[slipslidingaway]

11. knr - I'll rec both. n/t

[mzmolly]

16. He'll have to fight for a constitutional amendment to the current

SCOTUS ruling first.

[treestar]

19. I love Dennis

He keeps persisting - it won't pass, but there's someone in Congress keeping the idea out there.

[David Zephyr]

33. This is the voice!

K&R.

[Individualist]

35. ...the voice that DLCers are doing their damndest to silence and utterly failing.

Go DK! :applause:

[Codeine]

45. The voice that will accomplish nothing. nt

[invictus]

37. K&R. Thanks, Dennis!

[Echo In Light]

38. K&R

[LaPera]

44. Yes I will!

[Norrin Radd]

46. kr