"SEIU's Andy Stern: Don't Kill the Bill. Fix It."

[Clio the Leo]

Andy Stern: Don't Kill the Bill. Fix It.
Jonathan Cohn December 18, 2009 | 10:13 am

Few liberals speak about health care with the credibility of Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union. His organization represents more than two million unionized workers, from janitors to nurses, who care about better health care because it’s an issue that affects them personally. Under Stern’s leadership, they’ve done as much to advance the cause as any single group in America--in part because Stern was obsessed with the issue long before the rest of the country was.

And, like a lot of liberals, Stern has grave concerns the Senate’s health care reform bill. He wishes it still had a public option. He doesn’t like the tax on relatively expensive benefits. And he thinks it doesn’t provide enough financial assistance, or protection, to lower- and middle-class Americans.

But Stern doesn’t want to kill the Senate bill. He wants to improve it--and then, when that’s done, to start fixing the dysfunctional political system that produced it.

A lightly edited transcript of our interview follows:
http://www.tnr.com/node/72017

[BeyondGeography]

1. The long view; probably a smart way to go on a problem that's taken over a century to address

[Vincardog]

2. Dr. Dean also wants to pass a good bill. He wants them to use RECONCILIATION to do it.

[Blasphemer]

4. It's the only way to get anything decent. People like Nelson can't be negotiated with... nt

[BeyondGeography]

7. And here's the problem with that, according to Harkin

Beyond the fact that it offers no guarantee of success:

Harkin said lawmakers have come too far to start over. He said further that reconciliation would not allow the senators to include the insurance reform or wellness provisions, even if it would include the public option.

"Everyone seems to be just focused on how we cover payments and costs, and I have said all along that if that's all we focus on we're never going to get out of this hole," Harkin said. "We've got to focus on wellness and prevention, and I know that's not sexy ... but to me this is the most important part of this bill, and we (would) lose that."

http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/harkin-121809

[Vincardog]

11. If everyone is covered by Medicare we can change Medicare to cover what ever is required.

What if it does not force the insurance parasites to cover anything?
They can cover whomever wants their produce.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Then embrace the two bill solution., but there'a a problem with that

It can't be accomplished by Christmas.

[54anickel]

3. Ya know, I'd probably agree with Andy if I didn't have the example of the

bank bailouts so fresh in my memory. Seems rush jobs are rushed because of corruption and greed that are doing more harm than good to the long term well-being of the "rank and file" citizenry that are actually affected the most. Then again, I'm quite the cynic these days.

[ClarkUSA]

5. Stern credits President Obama for his efforts and reserves his ire for certain Senators.

Smart guy, that Stern. :thumbsup:

[blueworld]

6. thanks so much for posting this

I've been seriously disheartened by journalists I respect (Mr. Paul Krugman for one) who keep insisting that passing this sham of a bill is better than nothing, and noting that killing the bill will kill the idea of health care reform for the foreseeable future.

I don't understand that. Presumably, US voters & taxpayers with loud enough voices should command the same level of attention as Droopy Lieberworst. We can improve it significantly, if our Congress will only DO that.

[Laelth]

8. Wow. Rahm is seriously twisting arms today.

First Weiner, and now Stern?

Anyone who says Obama is weak is dead wrong.

:dem:

-Laelth

[tekisui]

9. You see what they are strong for.

[Laelth]

12. I agree fully.

I would prefer that his strength be directed toward advancing the interests of the people (as opposed to the interests of big pharma and the health insurance cabal).

:dem:

-Laelth

[Bodhi BloodWave]

18. why is it that if somebody agrees with Obama on this, then there HAVE to have been armtwisting

involved, rather them somebody actually writing what they think?

[Laelth]

19. One or two days ago, Stern was more aggressively opposed to the bill.

Did he just "change his mind," or was he "persuaded?"

I don't know, but I suspect a lot of persuasion is going on.

:dem:

-Laelth

[freddie mertz]

10. If they can fix it, then by all means do so.

Dean suggests a method for a fix, involving reconciliation and passage in parts.

If something good can be passed, then do it.

If not, stop it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. Exactly. No one is saying that they don't want an acceptable bill

And no one is saying that every effort shouldn't be made to make this bill acceptable. What many are saying is that the current version of this bill is unacceptable, that it must be improved or it will remain unacceptable. You could consider this a glass half full / glass half empty matter of semantics. Pass the bill if it is improved enough, don't pass the bill without sufficient improvements. Either way it is the same glass being described.

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. +1

[freddie mertz]

16. Right. The White House obviously overreacted to Dean's critique.

(Revealing their contempt for the base in the process.)

I hope the good ones in the Senate can get this fixed.

So does Howard Dean, so do we all.

[Kind of Blue]

17. Sounds like a man who's thought this version through.

Thanks for posting.

[ClarkUSA]

20. Andy Stern understands that passing legislation requires more than whining and grandstanding.

So does Bernie Sanders:

Bernie Sanders on Dean: "I have to deal with the reality, being a Congress member...":
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=69439&mesg_id=69439

Bernie on Countdown, "We are working with the WH to make this bill better...":
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=69408&mesg_id=69408

So much for those idiots who were screaming, "Kill the Bill" here recently.