Reply #3: Democrat Gives Up Single-Payer Measure to Back Party Leaders

[joeycola]

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/

November 6, 2009, 1:16 pm
Democrat Gives Up Single-Payer Measure to Back Party Leaders


By David M. Herszenhorn
Representative Anthony D. WeinerPatrick Andrade for The New York Times Representative Anthony D. Weiner

Representative Anthony D. Weiner, Democrat of New York, a fierce champion in Congress of a single-payer health system that would be fully run by the government, said Friday that he had agreed not to insist on a vote on that issue, in an effort to help Democratic leaders pass their plan.

Previously, Mr. Weiner had obtained a commitment from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote on a proposal to create a single-payer system like the one used by Canada and many countries in Europe, including England, France, Germany and Spain.

Single-payer supporters form a large bloc among liberal Democrats, although there has not been enough broader backing to make the idea politically viable. So Mr. Weiner’s vote would surely have been defeated, although it would have enabled those liberal Democrats to demonstrate their continuing support for a single-payer system.

But as House Democratic leaders struggle to round up the votes that they need to pass their health care legislation, Mr. Weiner in an interview said it was clear that forcing a vote on single-payer would be counter-productive and could endanger support for the larger bill at a critical juncture. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: