Woolsey retreats from public option demand for health care

[angelicwoman]

The Press Democrat:

"In an acknowledged turnabout, Rep. Lynn Woolsey said Tuesday she is prepared to vote for a health-care bill that lacks a government-funded insurance plan, known as a public option.


“I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water,” Woolsey said, underscoring the need to get health care legislation through Congress. “We cannot stop health care from going forward.”

Woolsey, a Petaluma Democrat and co-leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, insisted last year that the health care overhaul must include a “robust public option.” As recently as Monday, she reiterated that a public insurance plan is crucial to reining in the “skyrocketing costs” of health care.

“We need to reform our health-care system, and the public option must be included,” she said in a commentary Monday in Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill.

More: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100309/COMMUNITY/100309488?Title=Woolsey-retreats-from-public-option-demand-for-health-care

[Clio the Leo]

1. good for her. NT

[LooseWilly]

24. Bad for a number of her constituents.

Am I the only one who notices that polling of the HCR bills without a public option are in the neighborhood of 35% support, but support for HCR bills that include the public option are closer to 65%?

I didn't think this was rocket science... but maybe I was wrong...

[Cha]

2. Lynn is a pragmatist..good for her.

[angelicwoman]

8. But aren't we going to get public option via reconciliation? n/t

[pnwmom]

9. But she will probably have to vote for the current Senate bill first.

Which is going out on a limb probably more than she's comfortable.

[saracat]

11. In this case a pragmatist is a sellout. But I am sure she was "pressured"

They are forcing folks to vote for the "best we can do" when we could have had the real thing but we sold out to the GOP who won't vote for it anyway. This is just sickening and very disheartening.

[CreekDog]

12. You don't know anything about Lynn Woolsey --nobody pressures her into anything

that lady is tough.

but go ahead and tell us how one of our best congresspeople for almost two decades now is doing something because someone got to her.

[saracat]

13. They can all be gotten to.That is how business is done in DC.

[CreekDog]

16. what's the percentage chance that you are wrong and she's voting her principles?

0% 5% 25% 50%?

:shrug:

[saracat]

18. To quote the article itself"the fact that it is an "acknowledged turnaound" and the fact that she

is less than enthusiastic "not throwing the baby out with the bathwater" is hardly a ringing endorsement, would lead one to suspect, considering that it was only yesterday she was demanding the PO, that she was leaned on.This is likely a political vote rather than one of principle.

[Go2Peace]

14. come on now, That's a lie, she isn't even allowed in the mens locker room.

[saracat]

15. That was good!

:rofl:

[ibegurpard]

3. too bad

considering all the flak Kucinich is getting I'm sure she's getting a lot of pressure.
I don't hold it against her.

[Ozymanithrax]

4. I am going to donate a little money to her campign...

as soon as she casts her yes vote.

[stopbush]

5. Glad she's being pragmatic, but she's about the worst spokesperson the progressives have.

She's the crazy aunt that is always flustered. Makes Kucinich look like Obama.

[eridani]

6. Progressives aren't supposed to be fucking over the public

I'm ashamed of eveyone in the progressive caucus for caving in on this.

[xchrom]

7. What an intersting read this thread has been. Nt

[saracat]

10. Wonder what she was threatened with?

[CreekDog]

17. that lots of kids and adults would not get Medicaid

Woolsey was once a single mom on welfare and votes to help people that are in the dire straits she was in.

I'm sorry you only think the worst of people that disagree with you.

I've disagreed with Woolsey many times, but I have never doubted her sincerity.

[saracat]

19. There are no politicians whose sincerity I do not doubt.They are politicians.

Some are better than others. Woolsey does not seem to be a bad person.But she is a politcal being.

[CreekDog]

20. is there any chance whatsoever that Woolsey genuinely thinks

voting for the bill is better than voting against it at this point?

can you even entertain that possibility?

and no, neither will jeopardize her Marin/Sonoma county congressional seat.

[saracat]

22. Only for political reasons.I would guess she isn't happy about voting for it.It doesn't sound as

though she is.You do not champion one point of view fervently and suddenly deeply believe that you were wrong.And she doesn't say she was mistaken previously either. It is just political.

[CreekDog]

23. you have this habit of ascribing only bad motives to people who disagree with you

i should have just said that in my first response to you.

[saracat]

25. I didn't say she had "bad" motives. Where do you get that? I said likely she cast a political vote

That is what politicians do. They cast politically nuanced votes for various reasons. I may not like their vote but that doesn't mean it is a "bad"thing they do.

[CreekDog]

27. then why the heck couldn't you say that in the first place

because this is the first hint you've given that you think Woolsey could have a reason to ultimately support this legislation that isn't an slam on her character.

[saracat]

28. No. I said I guessed she was "pressured".I meant politically.

and I said pragmatism was a sellout, and it is. But thats politics.I also said I didn't believe in the sincerity of any politician. And I don't. She is making a political decision. It isn't good or bad .It is political.

[LooseWilly]

26. Saying it's a political vote isn't ascribing a bad motive... it's just making a realistic judgement.

There're some aspects of the bill, as it stands, that don't completely suck. Caving and voting for a bill just because it doesn't completely suck isn't a "bad motive", per se... just an emminently Democratic Party motive.

"We're the Democratic Party... as long as a bill only mostly sucks, we'll consider supporting it... it's probably the best we can do anyway."

[saracat]

29. Exactly.

[CreekDog]

30. i'd rather have the legislation pass

even if i lose the zinger-fest that this thread has become.

[LooseWilly]

31. Hehe... I nearly responded to your pre-edit post... that would've been embarassing.

Ok... you'd rather have the legislation pass.

I think the legislation is weak, and think those willing to settle for it are weak kneed cowards.

I'm probably an asshole for thinking that... but I can live with that.

If the legislation that is voted on is that which Obama has proposed... I hope it fails. The government will have to try to fix it again soon... or go bankrupt. Maybe next time the Congress will have the nerve to push for real reforms (but most likely, being Democrats, they will think they need to push further to the right, rather than the left... the trauma of '94 haunting their electoral dreams to this day, I suppose).

Or maybe it will all collapse and we'll have anarchy...

Fine by me. I'm no centrist.

Lets count the votes...

[CreekDog]

32. are you saying one has to be a centrist to support the legislation?

because i'm not.

[flamingdem]

21. Good. We need it. nt