Dean tells Dylan Ratigan Democrats will have huge problems in 2010 without public option.

[madfloridian]

Run time: 03:58 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UafcFJLTumE   Posted on YouTube: November 23, 2009 By YouTube Member: taylormarsh Views on YouTube: 1113   Posted on DU: November 23, 2009 By DU Member: madfloridian Views on DU: 2048

 
Says the bill has been watered down a lot, says without public option it just means that much more money to insurance companies.

Huge problem for Obama and Democrats in 2010...will rue the day they did not use reconciliation to pass the bill.

[FBaggins]

1. It's a tough tradeoff

Right now we're coming close to a bill that will allow the right to demagogue, but that doesn't give the left what they're expecting.

At what point does it cease to be "better than nothing"?

[madfloridian]

4. And when does a majority matter?

That is the question.

We make the right happy, and ignore the left.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. it certainly has not mattered to the D leadership,

and that includes the mostly AWOL White House.

Don't give me any crap about how well they are working behind the scenes. If it was, do you think we'd be seeing such a pathetic POS bill out of the senate? They have caved in to every single GOP demand. Instead of pacifying them, it strengthens their hands. At first I thought that they were simply naive and would wake up in August.

Nope. To the contrary, our White House has sold us out to big Pharma. They have stopped any effort to get single payer. They have complied with the GOP EVERY SINGLE TIME the GOP makes a demand. And then we get Rahm bitching at the left, instructing us to leave the DINOs alone.

FUCK YOU, RAHM. FUCK the White House policy makers that are rewarding Big Insurance, to the detriment of every single American. How much more of this crap must we take before we starting thinking about a primary candidate in 2011?

[pattmarty]

8. Oh, I don't know, maybe about 4 months ago?

[bjobotts]

36. Sounds like he's been reading my comments.I've been posting this for months now

[bjobotts]

37. President Rahm Obama wanted the trigger which is no PO at all.Tells on the WH huh

[bjobotts]

38. Stop pre existing and we'll give you millions of new customers subsidized with Tax dollars

[bjobotts]

39. Private ins have pulled Joe Lieberman out of their pocket to get rid of the PO

[bjobotts]

41. Rahm and his bulue dogs have got to go.Obama needs to keep his promise on Lobbyists

[bjobotts]

42. Only when the costs double for those with ins will action be taken.Our demands are ignored.

[bjobotts]

43. Expanding Medicare's budget to cover everyone can be done via reconciliation with 51 votes

[defendandprotect]

15. You mean "worse than nothing," don't you?

And that's where we are now --

Simply huge profits for insurance industry, etal --

We have to get private "for profit" health care industry out --

and a a universal health care program in --

[FBaggins]

20. I guess it depends on your perspective... and which way you see it moving.

If it's currently "better than nothing" but getting worse... the question is when it crosses that line.

I guess you're seeing it as currently worse than nothing an wodering if it can get any better.

I'm not sure a "good enough" bill is possible in the current environment. Then there's the remaining question of how much damage NO bill will do if we can't pass anything that they can even pretend is HCR.

[defendandprotect]

46. We need legislation which provides a public option -- MEDICARE FOR ALL ...

We don't need to reinvent the wheel -- it's up and running and ready to go --

[madfloridian]

49. Medicare for all would solve so many problems.

[LibDemAlways]

2. If people are forced by law to buy insurance from crooks who

have more motive to deny their claims than pay their bills, and there is nowhere else to turn for coverage, the Dems will be in big trouble next year. That's not the "change" people voted for.

[SandWalker1984]

13. If the Dems persist in passing a Wealthcare for the Health Industry....

.....instead of healthcare reform for Americans, which BOTH bills are currently intent on doing,

my spouse and I have decided it is our line in the sand. If the Dems cave in to the corporations on health care reform, if they give us a national version of Massachusetts care (who now has the 2nd highest premiums in the nation), then

after almost 30 years as card carrying, election voting, money contributing Democrats, we are going to change our party affiliation to Independent.


We were told if we put Democrats into the majority they would fix the Patriot Act,

they would end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,

our government would quit spying on us,

they would re-regulate Wall Street so we wouldn't have another meltdown,

we would have an open, work in the sunshine White House,

we would get meaningful health CARE reform, etc, etc,

We were NOT told we would get a continuation of the Bush administration practices and policies.



When the Democrats in Congress treat us as bad, if not worse, than Republicans, toadying up to the corporations and telling us the crap they are passing is "good for us," then it's time to JUST SAY NO and dump the Democratic Party.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. he's right.

And the Obama Admin is oblivious about the obvious.

On one hand we have the crazies gathering strength, stocking on ammo, and following around Sarah like thugs ready to start a revolution.
On the other hand, we have moderate Dems, scared of ballot, scared of health care reform, scared of taking a stand, scared of their own shadows, and scared spineless.
On the third hand, we have a White House which is doing as little as possible to support a public option or a single payer system. They mouth the words, but behind the scenes and even through mouthpieces like Rahm, every time they throw us a bone, they snatch it up, taking the rest of the dog food with them, the very next day. Obama's performance on Health Care Reform has been pathetic. Either he's getting some very bad advice, or all he cares about is not making waves in preparation for 2012. And that would be pathetic.

Change? WHAT CHANGE?

[msongs]

9. lol let's all play golf with our corporate masters instead of working. nt

[alllyingwhores]

18. Can we please drop the pretense that it's the GOP or the Dinos...or blue dogs...

...it should be more than obvious at this point that Obama and 99% of the Dems are owned by their corporate overlords...and all of this shit about about political fear, spineless blah blah, BIPARTISAN BULLSHIT are all BLATANTLY TRANSPARENT STRAW MAN ARGUMENTS!!

[RufusTFirefly]

28. +1

Bingo. Once you realize this fact it cuts down on a lot of hand-wringing and wondering "Why are they doing this?" The answer is simple: Because Congress and the White House serve corporations not the American people.

[asjr]

5. Howard Dean has been right for a long, long

time, but no one is listening.

[ooglymoogly]

12. The corporate media does not listen to anyone that threatens them

and the truth threatens them. Howard has been on the right side of every issue I can think of. Howard Dean/Allan Grayson in any order with Elliot Spitzer, AG. You want to see change, that would be change. The crooks and criminals would be hung from the nearest yard arm and the pretending, the kabuki, the fake grandstanding only to capitulate, would be finished and the balance would begin to return. Senate and House would be shamed into doing the right thing instead if their usual crooked shell game. It would be FDR all over again and that is desperately what is needed.

[defendandprotect]

16. Dean should have been president . . . maybe in some future time he will be -- ???

[asjr]

19. I am still a Deaniac. Was and always will be. If it takes

until he is 80 yrs. old to run if I am still around I will beg him to run for President again. He is the first person I have seen in years that says what he thinks and actually thinks.

[defendandprotect]

45. What's really sad . . .

is that my son contributed a great deal to his campaign and really believed

we were going to do it. And then he saw what happened. He won't vote now!

Hard to say I don't understand how he feels.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

6. Come on wealthy folks out there, where is it in their interest ...

to see insurance companies horde all the wealth of society. If takes donating to Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, Bayh, Baucus, Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Feinstein to get this done it's worth it. It's Nadars theory that only super rich can save the nation. Well now is the time to step up collectively it's spend money to make money as the bill will cut costs leaving folks with more money to spend on other things. Let alone once the system get going people will have a vested interest in reaching for single payer which is even cheaper as they will be forced into the system.

Sure if there were a other ways to get the bill passed we'd take it but it's the only way there are a lot of celebs that backed Pres. Obama if they really believed in him they can help him now and everyone across the nation. It's business you spend money to make money. If all these celebs love their country want folks back on their feet so they can buy their products again, the only logical step is to co-ordinate contribute and demand the public option is passed. It can't afford to fail because in the end everyone fails. With the combined pressure they are receiving from the public I'd imagine it can get them on board in the end. At this point it may well be a better tactic to twitter your favorite celebs than contact your rpresentative. Also, if we can target the Stupak crew to drop their amendment and vote for the final bill, it's all money in the end than faith. Unfortunate to say but just a reality.

[defendandprotect]

17. Junk this junk bill --

[dotymed]

10. Scrap this monstrosity

Go to reconciliation to pass HR676 and watch our nation join
the 21st century. That would also guarantee a continued
Democratic majority. If the disenfranchised know that our
government is fighting for them, they'll outvote that pesky
1% that owns us. Too bad that 1% owns our Congress too. IF it
is all about getting re-elected and the funding from the
wealthy to do it, they won't have to worry. The workers and
unemployed will vote for them if we get health care for all.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. too logical. And too late.

We have too many D's on the briberolls of K Street, and who would they rather follow? Their ebbing conscience? or their growing campaign wallets?

More and more, the Obama administration is falling behind Wall Street, K Street, and Big Insurance. Watch their next step to be a sweeping reform of medical malpractice laws.

[defendandprotect]

14. Couldn't agree more with this . .. MEDICARE FOR ALL. .. would set Dems up for 40 years!!

[xxqqqzme]

21. Howard Dean has been

actively supporting a public option since March. He has not stopped. He is the most sane voice out here in the wilderness. It is to the country's detriment that his voice is not allowed or heard inside the White House or congress

[parasearchers]

22. He's right, currently I am sitting out the next election, screw the Dems.

I want Public option or they can do without my vote.

[madfloridian]

23. More from the interview from The Hill:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/69125-...

"Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Monday Senate Democrats' healthcare legislation is so diluted it threatens the party's 2010 chances. Appearing on MSNBC, the former Vermont governor and outspoken proponent of healthcare reform charged Democrats were "playing with dynamite in terms of dividing the party.”

"The big problem is the policy. This thing has been pretty watered down," Dean said during the interview, noting the House bill was "better" than the "decent" Senate bill. "Right now, it's about as watered down as it can get and still be a real bill. For example, there's really no insurance reform in this bill, already."

..."Obama's absence from the 2010 ticket combined with the party's "watered down" work could disenfranchise the party's liberal base, perhaps keeping them from heading to the polls, Dean warned.

Ultimately, the former DNC chairman told MSNBC that Democrats would "rue the day they didn't go to budget reconciliation to pass this bill."

"I believe they should have gone through reconciliation, that would have solved all of these problems, but we're going to see a lot more of this," he said of the ongoing healthcare debate."

[man4allcats]

24. Howard says it for me on this.

Personally, I really don't think anything short of single payer will adequately address health care reform in this country, but that said, if the currently proposed legislation doesn't include, at the very least, a robust public option, I will be either indisposed or voting third party and/or truly progressive candidates only on election day in 2010 and 2012. I am not a single issue voter, but I am willing to use health care reform as leverage in an effort to force the Democratic party to rethink its commitment to its base and to its ideals as a party.

[democracy1st]

48. agreed

[Don Draper]

25. Our political system is broken........

I just don't see how we will possibly get true healthcare reform or universal healthcare (even with a democratic majority in congress) until we have campaign finance reform. As long as the lobbyists control congress, neither party is going to truly pass progressive legislation on healthcare.

If it wasn't for the lobbyists, I'm sure we would have had universal healthcare by now.

[pundaint]

30. No just the spirit of the People

[Mithreal]

32. It works for incumbents. Why should they change it?

[BREMPRO]

34. i agree with you- system is broken. we need to lobby hard for publicly financed campaigns and

the return of the fairness doctrine. Those two things alone would RADICally transform for the better the way our system works and be less beholden to corporate special interests and radical talk show host brainwashing.

We still have to deal with the system we have now, so i still support the bills as long as they have a public option and we can get some benefits and more people insured right away. Americans unfortunately don't have the patience or trust to wait to see if something works down the road.

[LaPera]

26. Fuck the republicans & the moderates - Do what's fucking morally right - people are dying

every fucking day because the insurance companies won't insure the over 50 million people.

Some of the dying just can't afford the outrageous insurance premiums, others because the insurance companies won't accept them because they are already sick and need help.....So they are simply left to die having no other options.

And what's even worst...these same insurance corporations are being paid billions of our tax dollars every fucking year while allowing non insured people to die at almost fifty thousand innocent people a year.

Howard Dean is correct...WE MUST HAVE A PUBLIC OPTION -

If no public option than any bill is completely worthless.

The insurance companies will continue to steal our tax dollars and with no real competition NOTHING will really change...insurance corporations will continue there disgusting practice of throwing people offer because the medical cost will cost them profits and they stall till the patient is dead or they can find a technicality to throw them in the streets to die or go bankrupt.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

27. At the very least Mario Solis says the Stupak amendment will die in conference and is very ...

confident the Public Option will pass. He's been right on many, many things in the GE untill now. (22 minutes in)

http://tinyurl.com/marioption

[pundaint]

29. We should find a progressive candidate for every primary

Make this election not about parties, but incumbents. It's Congress as a whole that is letting us down. They wouldn't even allow discussion of Single Payer as an option. We're bleeding and a bandage is off the table - but we should be happy with a choice between a duller knife and a q-tip or nothing at all?

Bullshit! I demand better, don't you? There is no win here. They are all acting exactly like they have been bought and paid for. I wont vote for my incumbent Democrat again, so I would like to see a progressive primary alternative in MA 2; but I will vote for the alternative every time until he is gone. Wont you all join me in a search for advocacy in the peoples interest? Get these corporate sellouts officially on the corporate payrolls, and off ours!

Let's make the Democratic brand stand for something again, and let's make not standing for the people's interests the exclusive platform of the other guys.

[democracy1st]

31. K & R sad situation

[madfloridian]

33. Yes, it is.

It really is.

[davidwparker]

35. K&R

[swilton]

40. This Kind of a Sham

Is Like the DLC, and the Democrats (with few exceptions such as Senator Brown and the great Dr. Dean) are trying to get back at us for daring to watch Sicko and believe in a better health care system.

Gore and Dean in 2012!

[slipslidingaway]

44. Finally he agrees with PNHP about the bill being watered down a lot...

after spending most of the past year telling Americans the public option would be like Medicare.

[democracy1st]

47. Kick