Is Dianne Feinstein still against the public option?

[Alhena]

I saw the post below about 13 Senators holding out on the public option. Well, if this month-old article hasn't changed, Dianne Feinstein is a "no" vote as well. She is single-handedly responsible for Leslie Southwick being an appellate judge now, so she's got renegade tendencies.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/24/MN4N18U122.DTL

[valerief]

1. She's got a really, really big wallet, so there's a good chance she's still against it. nt

[begin_within]

2. She's a useless blob of lard.

Totally against the removal of the O'Shaunessy Dam and the restoration of the Hetch Hetchy valley too. So much for the "environmental credibility" of San Francisco...

[babylonsister]

3. Begich, Dorgan, Feinstein and Warner Want a Public Option...Only For Part D

So who knows? This is from July.

http://www.ourfuture.org/stories/2009073026/begich-dorgan-feinstein-and-warner-want-public-optiononly-part-d

Begich, Dorgan, Feinstein and Warner Want a Public Option...Only For Part D
Jonathan Walker's picture
By Jonathan Walker
July 26th, 2009
Posted in

* Health Care for All

A group of 22 Democratic senators (including senators Begich, Dorgan Feinstien and Warner) recently sent a letter to Baucus strongly asking him to find greater savings from the Medicare Part D. One of their three ideas to find greater savings from Medicare Part D is to set up a Part D public option:

Create a Medicare-administered Part D plan that would compete against existing Part D plans. A model with a workable formulary is outlined in S.330, the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2009. Such a plan could also serve as a national default plan for low-income beneficiaries.

I'm glad to see that Begich, Dorgan, Feinstien, and Warner support a strong public option for Medicare Part D. They clearly understand that HHS can do a better job of providing health insurance at a lower price than private insurance companies. They know that including a public option as part of an insurance exchange will dramatically reduce the cost for both consumers and the government.

The letter does raise one very important question: If Begich, Dorgan, Feinstein, and Warner support a public option for Medicare Part D, why are they not publicly supporting the idea as part of the new health insurance exchange? (According to DFA) They have already stated in the letter that they support the underlying logic of a public option. If a public plan is a good idea for Medicare Part D, it should be a good idea for the new health care exchange.



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From today, she's not mentioned either way.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6405533&mesg_id=6405533

Meet The 13 Senate Dems Holding Out On Public Option

[gateley]

4. Look upthread - someone posted that HuffPo said she will come out tomorrow

in favor of a public option. :thumbsup:

[Alhena]

5. I saw that- good news. I do worry how she will vote on amendments though

she could give us a lipstick on a pig bill and call it a public option.

[gateley]

10. Yeah, you never know about DiFi. Hmmmm. nt

[jannyk]

7. That's not what her DC office said as of a few minutes ago - see post #6

nt

[gateley]

11. I'm just REALLY hoping the new 'script' hadn't made it to the person answering

the phones yet. :) We'll have to wait and see - drives me nuts.

Great message, by the way. I always add that I am prepared to contribute to their competitor's campaign when they're next up for election -- that way I can actually carry some weight when I'm not a constituent. Lovely, isn't it, that sometimes we're driven to threats or to withdraw our support because our representatives just don't do what's right? :grr:

[jannyk]

6. I just got off the phone with her DC office...

Had to hold as all lines were busy....then, a male staffer answered.

I asked about DiFi and where she stood on the PO issue. I got some prepared doublespeak speech about how DiFi thinks affordable, easy access to Healthcare for all Americans is important to her. However, she has not yet decided whether the PO or Co-ops is the way to achieve her goals.

I explained that, as a SF resident and Business Owner, I had been a DiFi supporter for 30+ years. That I, and my family, contributed time and money when she was a City Supervisor, Mayor and Senator. However, if DiFi did not announce her firm support of a Strong Public Option, she would never receive another dime in contributions nor a second of support from me or my family.

I also added that, if the bill passes without a Strong Public Option, or fails to garner enough Democratic votes to pass, that I and my husband will no longer call ourselves Democrats and will resign from the party. I added that if for no other reason, then do it to honor 'Teddy'.

The young man was a little taken aback (can't think why) and repeated most of what I had said and ensured me he would pass along the message. He asked for my SF zip code and thanked me for the call.

[City Lights]

9. Nicely done!

:thumbsup:

[movonne]

8. The post a few above this says that she will be coming out tomarrow

for public health..