Howard Dean: 'Kill The Senate Bill' (More complete account)

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

I earlier posted a linkless account of TV reporting of this story. This is a much more complete account. There are other accounts kicking around. At least one in LBN. A good one here in GDP from a Vermont paper. etc.

Published on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 by The Plum Line
Howard Dean: 'Kill The Senate Bill'
by Greg Sargent

In a blow to the bill grinding through the Senate, Howard Dean bluntly called for the bill to be killed in a pre-recorded interview set to air later this afternoon, denouncing it as “the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate,” the reporter who conducted the interview tells me.

Dean said the removal of the Medicare buy-in made the bill not worth supporting, and urged Dem leaders to start over with the process of reconciliation in the interview, which is set to air at 5:50 PM today on Vermont Public Radio, political reporter Bob Kinzel confirms to me.

The gauntlet from Dean — whose voice on health care is well respsected among liberals — will energize those on the left who are mobilizing against the bill, and make it tougher for liberals to embrace the emerging proposal. In an excerpt Kinzel gave me, Dean says:

“This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”

Kinzel added that Dean essentially said that if Democratic leaders cave into Joe Lieberman right now they’ll be left with a bill that’s not worth supporting.

Dean had previously endorsed the Medicare buy-in compromise without a public option, saying that the key question should be whether the bill contains enough “real reform” to be worthy of progressives’ support. Dean has apparently concluded that the “real reform” has been removed at Lieberman’s behest — which won’t make it easier for liberals to swallow the emerging compromise.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/15-6

[mcablue]

1. Nate Silver said Howard Dean is "batzhit crazy" for thinking that way

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/why-progressives-are-batshit-crazy-to.html

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. And I think they are both right. I can argue either side.

If I were in congress I would vote for it... but I sure wouldn't be bragging about it.

[jefferson_dem]

2. God Bless Howard Dean.

I love the guy.

Gibbs on Dean saying #hcr bill should be killed: "I wouldn't argue medicine with Dr. Dean. I would argue policy with him"

[Clio the Leo]

4. And then went on to explain how what the President has proposed....

... is an improvement on what Dean proposed in 2004.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=59686&mesg_id=59836

[cali]

5. Howard Dean has a policy record on health care reform- unlike Gibbs

or Obama for that matter.

[karynnj]

11. Obama has less of a public record, but he was one of the key

people in IL on their version of SCHIP. Dean has instrumental on VT's. Neither compare to Kennedy.

Here, from his comments on reconciliation he seems very far from what every Senator I have heard has said. I would trust Rockefeller's conclusion after looking into it before I would trust Dean's as he never was in the Senate.

[cali]

12. um. I live in VT. Dean was more than just instrumental

and yeah, his record is one that's more solid than Kennedy's. In large part because Kennedy wasn't ever in an executive position where he could actually execute anything. Compounding that is Dean's experience as a practicing physician.

As for trusting Rockefeller over Dean on healthcare, I find that laughable.

[karynnj]

13. I did not say I trusted Dean over Rockefeller on health insurance,

but on SENATE PROCEDURES.

There is NO ONE more responsible for SCHIP than Senator Kennedy. Bill Clinton the President had NOTHING to do with its design or passing. What he did do, was to agree to add funding for it in the budget. It is silly to say that only the executive position should get credit.

The fact that Dean practiced law back before 1991, does make him a health care expert, but it doesn't mean that he knew more on policy than Kennedy did.

I do realize that you live in VT, but that doesn't mean that you can more fairly compare Dean and Kennedy. Instrumental is usually considered a word giving a hugh amount of credit.

[quiller4]

6. God d**n Howard Dean for this!!

[IndianaGreen]

10. Is your health portfolio going to go down if the bill is killed?

Better your stocks die, than us.

[tularetom]

7. Obama doesn't have the speaking skills needed to sell this piece of crap to the voters

I'm sure the plan was to pass whatever they could get and try to convince the rest of us that it was a really good deal and then spend the next couple of years patting themselves on the back. Unfortunately while they weren't paying attention, people started finding out (not from the liberal media that's for sure) that the whole thing was a joke.

They're gonna pee on our leg and try to tell us its raining. But thanks to Dean and others I don't think it's going to work.

If the president doesn't get his head out of his ass, he'll find out too late that even his inspired oratory won't turn this pile of shit into a happy meal.

I'll say it again, we voted for FDR, we got Clinton.

[KansDem]

8. Just like William Holden in the final scene(s) of "Bridge on the River Kwai"

When he screams "KILL HIM!!!," but substituting "it" for "him."

[IndianaGreen]

9. Exactly!

Great movie, btw.