Rep Dingell gets it

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

He's been working on getting health care done for decades - heck, it's a family tradition for him. Here's what he had to say:

“It’s pretty clear to me, and I think pretty clear to all of you, that nobody is going to be happy with this... There are going to be a lot of surprises, some of them unpleasant, and we’re going to have to start on doing two things: one is setting up the administration and the other is perfecting the legislation as it proceeds.

“Liberal members are concerned about the fact that we don’t have a public option. And that’s a serious problem. But the hard fact of the matter is that the Republicans are concerned in a different way over different matters, and the hard fact of the matter is that we’re going to have to resolve these differences and to make a process that’s inclusive and brings people together on a bill that is very, very important.

“Everybody is going to have to give, that’s part of the great constitutional that we are a part of. Everybody has to give a little. Cooperation, conciliation, those are the important things in a legislative body or in a bicameral legislative body, a kind of which we are apart.

After the vote, Democratic Sen. John Kerry approached Dingell, who presided over Medicare’s passage in 1965 and whose father first introduced universal health care in 1943, saying "There's the man."

Dingell responded appreciatively: "Thank you for what you did. It wouldn't have happened without you."

[bluescribbler]

1. Dingell's the man

He recognizes that the bill isn't perfect, but that it's a step forward. I'm sure that he will work hard to improve it.

[ThomCat]

2. I wish he was that progressive across the board.

Especially regarding financial regulations. We might have been able to accomplish things that benefit people over banks for a change. Instead, he stonewalls for his corporate masters as well as anyone. He just has different corporate masters. :(

[msongs]

3. "everybody is going to have to give" - wrong, only progressives/libs have "to give' nt

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. We got a lot more than we gave.

And if we didn't, we would have given everything. So I find this argument to be entirely false.

[Cha]

6. Lot's of Progressives helped with this bill..It's the regressives

who stand on their stupidity and won't budge.

[Cha]

5. Thanks Nicholas...I know this

is a great moment for those who were in the trenches fighting the regressives every step of the way!