Updated: Blue Dogs Oppose Health Plan

Not Blue Dogs - Yellow Dogs (4.00 / 1)

Where were the Yellow Dogs on the Iraq invasion and occupation votes?  How deficit neutral has that debacle been?

They don't want a Medicare-like public option because it would negatively impact "local hospitals", doctors and patients?  How many hospitals are local anymore?  That's like saying Wal-Mart or Exxon is local.  I also don't hear a bunch of Medicare patients demanding the system by scrapped because they're negatively affected by it.  Where do they come up with this stuff?

If the final health bill doesn't meet every single one of these points, I dare all of the Yellow Dogs to vote against it.  Let's see them apply their "principles" when it matters most.

No, these politicians are among the most egotistical in Washington.  They're not happy unless they're issuing letters and garnering attention in the Beltway media.

I want Democrats in office that want to pass Democratic legislation, not Conservative legislation.  The Cons do not want to reform health care - they want to continue the monopolistic market domination that delivers as little care as possible.  The American public does not want these fools to give away the farm.  They want real reform, by an unbelievable margin.

Better Democrats in 2010.

A Responsible Plan for Iraq: endorsed by Jared Polis

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by: WeatherDem @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 11:40:20 AM CDT

Blue Dogs crumbling? (4.00 / 2)

Loretta Sanchez backs away from the Blue Dog plan that ignores the wishes of voters.

If I thought John Salazar would answer my question on this, I'd ask.....

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by: Zappatero @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 13:07:48 PM CDT

What Voltaire said. (4.00 / 2)

The only thing to do with these Blue Dogs is to target them with primaries and, if they survive, refuse to support them in the general. There will be two results: (a) a nominal Democrat and de facto Republican is replaced with an actual Republican (not really much of a change given our commanding House majority) and (b) the sacrificed Blue Dog becomes an object lesson to his divisive friends. Taking out one Blue Dog at the polls will encourage the others to behave better. Like Voltaire said:

In this country (England) it is thought well to hang an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.

There is no elite, so take your place in the driver's seat.

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by: Stagarite @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 15:31:05 PM CDT

Progressive Bloc a counter (4.00 / 1)

to the Blue Dogs.  The Progressive Caucus, plus some allies, have drawn a clear line in the sand that a bill without a robust, day-one public option will not pass the House.

Maybe nobody told the Blue Dogs, but progressives are starting to flex their own political muscle now.

Also, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio indicated to TPM that he and a number of his colleagues would have great difficulty voting for a bill without an actual immediate public option.

The key point to remember is that crappy legislation (which would not include the already massive compromise--down from single payer-- of a public option) is far worse than no legislation at all, because once "reform" is passed, the response to calls for additional reform are met with "been there, done that."  If no legislation passes, pressure increases to actually pass effective legislation.

52 Blue Dogs, yes; but there are 81 members in the Congressional Progressive Caucus (78 from the House).  

Incidentally, I'm sure he has his reasons; but, why isn't Jared Polis a member (apologies to Rep. Polis if I am wrong about this).  

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by: dfh @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 15:40:34 PM CDT

The pressure's working! (4.00 / 2)

Senator Russ Feingold just posted this over at firedoglake:

Keep up the Pressure for a Strong Public Option
By: Russ Feingold Friday July 10, 2009 2:00 pm

Since I began serving in the U.S. Senate, I have consistently heard how our broken health care system affects Americans. I have heard about sky-rocketing premium increases that small business owners are paying in order to continue providing health care to their employees ... I have heard from people with "pre-existing conditions" who simply can't get coverage ... And I have heard absolutely heart-breaking stories from retirees who have had to sell the family farm or other assets to pay for medical procedures for themselves or their loved ones.

The stories I hear are reflected in national polls that show the majority of American people support health care reform, and also support making health care available to the approximately 47 million people in this country who are without health insurance. Fully 72% of Americans polled in a recent New York Times/CBS poll favor the creation of a "public health care option."

We can take an important first step toward that kind of system immediately by demanding a strong public option and making sure it is included in the bill that we send to President Obama by this fall.

I want to thank everyone here at Firedoglake for your efforts in pressuring members of the House to support a strong public option. Thanks also to Democracy for America and Open Left for pressuring me and my colleagues in the Senate. (See my response to their questionnaire here.) Please keep it up.

Insurance industry executives and special interests shouldn't rule the debate, and they shouldn't rule decisions about the kind of health care your family needs. Every letter or email you write, every phone call you make, every person you get to do the same makes all the difference. You may not hear everything you want to hear every day on this issue from Washington, even from Democrats, but know that it is working. This public option would be nowhere if you had not exerted the pressure that you have over the last few weeks.

You can join me in helping to overhaul our current health care system with one that guarantees affordable, quality health care for all Americans, and includes a strong public option. Please visit my website and pledge your support for real reform. Take action in support of a strong public option and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Keep the pressure on!

Let's not allow the Yella Dogs (great coinage, WeatherDem) to beat us down.  Keep calling and pressuring Bennet!  He can be a real Dem and a real leader on this issue, if we just show him the way!

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by: dfh @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 16:33:02 PM CDT

3.5 out of 5 are not unreasonable. (4.00 / 2)

1. (This is the 0.5) Cost is actually one of the main reasons we're pushing so hard for healthcare reform. A good reform would save a lot of money over time, so even if there is some up-front cost, ultimately health reform is a winner. When they say "fiscal responsibility", what the Blue Dogs really mean that they don't want to raise taxes. If they were honest, fiscal responsibility would include the idea that we could raise taxes to pay for it. I'd prefer doing this progressively, but you can make the case for using a national sales tax, because that means that foreign tourists and undocumented workers are paying in, therefore they should get needed services.

2. Delivery system is the other expensive portion of our system (insurance overhead the other biggie). Excessive profit-seeking on the part of doctors (specialists) and hospitals (MRI and high tech procedures) drives expense in the delivery side. Primary care and out-patient delivery (clinics, surgical centers, doctors offices, etc) are highly cost effective.

3. Helping small business is a very reasonable goal. In truth, small business is being killed by health insurance. John Salazar should be extremely sensitive to this as so much of his rural district is small business (farmers, ranchers, construction, retail, tourist industry). Mandates are really bad (and expensive!) if they merely subsidize the private insurance 30% take; but, with a good public option, mandates recognize that: "There's no free lunch; everybody pays in and everybody benefits". Let's shift the idea of mandates to "medicare/SS" deduction on everybody's income tax and we automatically make health insurance payments progressive and decoupled from your employment ( i.e. portable).

4. Rural health is certainly about access. We all can agree with this, noting that it isn't just a rural issue.

5. Bipartisan is the only real, bullshit angle. The Republicans are absolutely opposed to health care reform, partly out of ideology, but also because they know if the Democrats succeed, the GOP will be in the wilderness for a long time. I don't understand why the Blue Dogs don't want to let the Republicans just go rot. Fear and timidity, I guess, unless this excuse just hides big payoffs from insurance industry and big Phrma.

In short however, these objections from the Blue Dogs are relatively week, and seem almost like a capitulation. Screw them on bipartisanship, point out that fiscal responsibility is met by a combo of raising taxes on the wealthy, VAT and Medicare income deduction (all balloons that got floated today, July 10), give them some real bones on rural access, and delivery system, and we can go home for dinner.

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by: MetaData @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:23:18 PM CDT

Weak (0.00 / 0)

End of the week.

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by: MetaData @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:26:15 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

True, but a Public Option Would Help Small Business (4.00 / 1)

When a company policy is rescinded because of an employee's difficult pregnancy or cancer, how does a private provision only help small business provide insurance?  I do hope that they are not being disingenuous.  

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by: saindenver @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 11:03:58 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Recession Can Substantially Increase SB Costs (4.00 / 1)

From Moyers' Interview Last Night...

WENDELL POTTER: Rescission is one thing. Denying claims is another. Being, you know, really careful as they review claims, particularly for things like liver transplants, to make sure, from their point of view, that it really is medically necessary and not experimental. That's one thing. And that was that issue in the Nataline Sarkisyan case.

But another way is to purge employer accounts, that-- if a small business has an employee, for example, who suddenly has have a lot of treatment, or is in an accident. And medical bills are piling up, and this employee is filing claims with the insurance company. That'll be noticed by the insurance company.

And when that business is up for renewal, and it typically is up, once a year, up for renewal, the underwriters will look at that. And they'll say, "We need to jack up the rates here, because the experience was," when I say experience, the claim experience, the number of claims filed was more than we anticipated. So we need to jack up the price. Jack up the premiums. Often they'll do this, knowing that the employer will have no alternative but to leave. And that happens all the time.

They'll resort to things like the rescissions that we saw earlier. Or dumping, actually dumping employer groups from the rolls. So the more of my premium that goes to my health claims, pays for my medical coverage, the less money the company makes.

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by: saindenver @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 11:10:53 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

34% of "Blue" Dogs with us! (0.00 / 0)

More evidence that the Blue Dogs are NOT united--16 of them have signed on to the principles of Health Care For America Now, one of which is a robust public option.  The below is from the HFCAN website.

Blue Dog Coalition (34% of Coalition)
Representative Michael A.
Arcuri
Representative Joe Baca
Representative Marion Berry
Representative Leonard L.
Boswell
Representative Ben Chandler
Representative Jim Cooper
Representative Kirsten
Gillibrand
Representative Jane Harman
Representative Stephanie
Herseth Sandlin
Representative Tim Holden
Representative Dennis
Moore
Representative Patrick
Murphy
Representative Mike Ross
Representative Loretta
Sanchez
Representative Adam Schiff
Representative Zach Space

Hey John Salazar, why don't you talk to your "Blue" Dog colleagues who've agreed to back a public option, and see why they're doing it?

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by: dfh @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 11:14:34 AM CDT

Kirsten Gillibrand is a Senator (4.00 / 1)

They should update that, as it's significant.

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by: janus303 @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 12:50:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

And the math is off, too--it's <34% (n/t) (4.00 / 1)

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by: dfh @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 15:05:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Washington Post gaming the debate (4.00 / 1)

and corrupting their reporter Ceci Connolly in the process. Or maybe she was already corrupt.

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by: Zappatero @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 14:51:28 PM CDT

Pay to Play Should Be Kept in the Open (0.00 / 0)

If we could, it would be best to simply stop this kind of thing, but there have been salons throughout history (consider War & Peace and the innumerable Washington salons over the centuries).  If outings such as this drive them to such places as the Cosmos Club,  the many country clubs or other private venues where no one will really know what's going on.  Access to political power has nearly always been the tool of the wealthy and powerful.  Is there a way to bring it all into the open as we in Colorado and in many other states do?   Or, can progressives get enough strength to demand hearings of our own?

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by: saindenver @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 10:20:19 AM CDT

[ Parent ]