Kucinich is right on healthcare

[redqueen]

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/08/29/kucinich_is_right_on_healthcare/

By Derrick Z. Jackson | August 29, 2007

DENNIS KUCINICH rarely gets much airtime in Democratic presidential debates. That was underscored recently when ABC's George Stephanopoulos called on him in an Iowa forum to talk about God. Kucinich said, "George, I've been standing here for the last 45 minutes praying to God you were going to call on me."

With poll numbers at 1 or 2 percent, the Ohio congressman is the nudge kicking at the knees of the Democratic Party to offer more than incremental change. He deserves more attention than he gets. On healthcare, he says what Americans believe, even as his rivals rake in contributions from the industry.

In a CNN poll this spring, 64 percent of respondents said the government should "provide a national insurance program for all Americans, even if this would require higher taxes," and 73 percent approve of higher taxes to insure children under 18. Those results track New York Times and Gallup polls last year, in which about two-thirds of respondents said it is the federal government's responsibility to guarantee health coverage to all Americans.

Such polls allow Kucinich to joke that, far from being in the loony left, "I'm in the center. Everyone else is to the right of me." More seriously, in a recent visit to the Globe, he accused the other Democratic candidates of faking it on healthcare reform.

(more at link - well worth a read!)

Derrick Z. Jackson's e-mail address is [email protected].

© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

[Totally Committed]

1. That was a great article.

Thanks for posting it here. I should have done that this morning after reading it, but I got caught up in other things.

TC

[againes654]

2. He is right on everything

He is the man, and should be our president. I would be proud to call myself an American again, and to proudly say, "That is my president".

[redqueen]

6. Same here... I would be so proud to have that man lead this country...

in the RIGHT direction... to the LEFT!

:hi:

[rjones2818]

3. Dennis, right the first time, again!

At least Edwards has finally reached Dennis' position on the war, which should tell progressives that Dennis is the one!
:)
:hide:

Go Dennis! :woohoo:
http://dennis4president.com
Choose Peace!

[GreenArrow]

4. One of those candidates reached his position

because he understood from the onset it was the correct thing to do, while the other has come around to it over time, and for purely self-serving reasons. One's real, a person of character, vision and integrity; the other's a vapid, opportunistic huckster. I'll vote for one of those two candidates, the other can take a l-o-n-g walk.

[redqueen]

5. Aww... no need to go all negative...

the facts speak for themselves... we only have ONE candidate willing to take the PROFIT out of healthcare by cutting the insurers out of the payment system.

And that's a HUGE issue, one that a big majority of Americans can get behind.

As for the war... Kucinich is one of the few (only? maybe Gravel agrees) who would make sure ALL our troops come home, and not make up some reason to keep troops in Iraq.

[Adelante]

7. Indeed nt

:thumbsup:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. K&R...

I'm proud to have provided the fifth rec for the Greatest Page!

Kucinich is the man...

And I wish so much that more people would listen to him...

*sigh*

[redqueen]

10. Thank you CaliforniaPeggy

I wish for the same thing!

:hug:

[superkia]

9. Those who close their eyes and minds to Kucinich...

only enable the corrupt politics to continue to run this country in the ground! I wish Americans would turn off the television and do some research before they would cast such an important vote.

[redqueen]

12. Yup... they believe there's no hope for subsantial, desperately needed changes...

and spread that meme... and hey presto! Fewer people even try...

[Cameron27]

11. He had the first, and best health care plan.

K&R

[redqueen]

13. Yup... he knows what we need...

and he's not afraid of pissing off the huge insurance industry in order to say it plainly.

[LWolf]

14. Damned right, he is.

Health related costs have literally bankrupted me in the last 2 years. I'm tired of hearing about how I have "the good" insurance, as I add another large chunk of debt to pay for what isn't covered, or just to pay for my portion ON TOP OF the pricey premium payments.

I'm not interested in so-called universal health care that leaves the insurance companies controlling the gates.

[burrowowl]

15. K&R

[Desertrose]

16. Good post, redqueen.

K&R for DK

DR