Dennis Writes a Letter, I Write Back
Over at Daily Kos, Dennis Kucinich writes a sad little letter to progressives:
Dear Kos Community,
It is said one should not ask how sausage or laws are made. Are you concerned about a public option? Let me share with you some insight about health care legislation which may not be good for your health.
A lesson in politics. The Kucinich Prediction: Here’s what’s going to happen …
1. House will make a big deal about keeping/putting a public option in HR3200 because it competes with insurance companies and will keep insurance rates low.
2. The White House will refer to the President’s speech last week where he spoke favorably of the public option.
3. The Senate will kill the competitive public option in favor of non-competitive “co-ops”. Senate leaders like Kent Conrad have said the votes to pass a public option were never there in the Senate.
4. The bill will come to a House-Senate Conference Committee without the public option.
5. House Democrats will be told to support the conference report on the legislation to support the President.
6. The bill will pass, not with a “public option” but with a private mandate requiring 30 million uninsured to buy private health insurance (if one doesn’t already have it). If you are broke, you may get a subsidy. If you are not broke, you will get a fine if you do not purchase insurance.
This legislative sausage will be celebrated as a new breakthrough and will be packaged as health insurance reform. However, the bill may require a Surgeon General’s warning label: Your Money or Your Life!
The bill that Congress passes may pale in comparison to the bill that millions of Americans will get every month/year for having or not having private health insurance.
It will take four years for the new legislation to go into effect. During that time, we are going to build a constituency of millions in support of real health care, a constituency which will be recognized and a cause which is right and just: Health Care as a Civil Right.
Join our efforts. Sign the petition. Contribute. Insure a democratic future.
Thank you.
Dennis
Isn’t that sweet? I respond:
NYCeve, who has been fighting her heart out for health care reform posted a diary earlier today which asked for earlier today which asked for
“reflections to illustrate how Americans are feeling about this legislative catastrophe, at the Congressional Black Caucus meeting.”
i will repost my response here, and add to it.
I am feeling deeply betrayed by the party I grew up as a member of. My parents, with one exception, have voted for democrats their entire lives. I’ve been voting democratic for 20 years, and I have never missed an election.
Health care reform and universal health care is a plank in the party’s platform. It’s not some abstract promise of a chicken in every pot.
If the democrats sell me/us down the river on health care, I will be through with the party. It will be the last straw on top of FISA, the push to renew the PATRIOT ACT, the wall street bailout, the continuing use of supplementals for the war, and so much more.
When I leave I not only won’t be back, I will work as hard as possible to see the party go the way of the Whigs.
Adding: like many, Mr. Kucinich, I have signed more than my share of petitions, made persistent calls to my reps and senators, protested, blogged, and written letters to the editor. I have a weekly column at one of Philly’s alt weeklies, and have written at least half a dozen times on the topic, earning the ire of congressman fattah’s office by providing his office phone number and encouraging my readers to tell him they called at my behest.
And this says nothing of the really hard work done by people like slinkerwink, nyceve, jane hamsher, mike stark, and so many others who put their lives on hold to fight for real reform, who’ve met with people, gone on tv, and spent god knows how much money fighting to make this happen.
And after all of this, all you guys have for us is “you’re gonna get a co-op, but just wait til four years from now, sign my petition and give me a couple of bucks”?
well here’s my response: COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS.
Tell your leadership, representative kucinich, that co-ops and triggers are not acceptable; and that forcing people to buy junk insurance they can’t afford to use, with no cost containment, is a recipe for defeat and disaster in 2010 and beyond. Don’t talk to me about what you’ll do in the fucking future: save the “tomorrow” bullshit for Little Orphan Annie.
You want a contribution? PASS A FUCKING REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL.
