Kent 'Co Opts" Conrad says Republican votes are needed to pass health care
By John Amato Sunday Jul 26, 2009 9:02am
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and the author of the meaningless "co opt" plan appeared on ABC's THIS WEEK and said that even with a 60 vote majority in the Senate a health care bill can't get passed without Republicans.
It's just not possible to have a Democrat-only bill?" I asked Sen. Conrad.
"No, it is not possible," he told me, "and perhaps not desirable either. We're probably going to get a better product if we go through the tough business of debate, consideration, and analysis of what we're proposing."
Conrad would not commit to Obama's August recess deadline for health reform legislation.
"Look the critical think is that we do get this right. This is going to affect every American. Very few legislative initiatives affect every single American. And it's one-sixth of the national economy, so it's critically important we get it right. But that shouldn't be used as a pretext to kill it," Conrad told me on "This Week."
Conrad added, "Jim, I think has been very clear, he wants to kill it. And I think that would be a tragedy because we've got a crisis here for the country."
The follow up question should have been "why can't Democrats pass health care legislature with a 60 vote majority?" That would be asking a little too much. The conservative Dems are destroying any real chance we have at reform. Here's a memo to these bipartisan trolls. Republicans want to kill the bill and destroy President Obama's presidency. Wingnutter Jim DeMint from SC already said it so why does Conrad feel that he can work with them? Orrin Hatch dropped out of the negotiations for a reason. I'll be calling Conrad's office on Monday and ask him to work through the August recess if they try to stall the bill.
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"Very few legislative initiatives affect every single American". Just how fucking stupid is this elected representative??
"We're probably going to get a better product if we go through the tough business of debate, consideration, and analysis of what we're proposing."
No, the more politicians talk, the bigger the mess they create.
Kent Conrad needs to do one thing and say just two words:
He needs to point to Canada's healthcare system, and he needs to say, "Copy that."
It really is that simple.
U.S. Senator Kent Conrad, D-N.D----in my youth, we used to call feeble minded people as yourself, stains, or a line, or a stiff....
Get off your ass and with your Senate pals get into a real discussion about this issue instead of using lame reasons of why this cannot work.
The longer you say why and how this will not work, the more I will think that you and your stains in the U.S. Congress are not willing to get the job done.
This is why term limits are necessary. So you career politicians will not always be thinking about re-election when making these "tough" decisions. I say fire all of you useless people in the Congress who are opposed to the needs of the people over the interests of the corporate whores, in the insurance and pharmaceutical businesses!!!
I do not care if you stains get re-elected or not. You are sent there to get things done now, not for the next election.
By the way, Mr. Conrad---you don't deserve to get re-elected anyhow. You are so consumed at dissuading others regarding this issue than you are concerned with persuading others in the Senate that this is necessary.
Hey, Conrad---you and your pals have no problem voting for more war and military and giving billions of dollars to other countries in the form of foreign aid. The military budget is so bloated that even cutting it by 10 percent of what is now could be spent on programs that are being cut all across the U.S.
Conrad---you are a stain....and a useless senator.
I have three Dem reps and all are getting the same message.
Approve a public plan, or I will never vote for you again!
Democrats, especially their leadership, are the enemy of a progressive agenda. From impeachment "off the table" to the b.s. line about needing 60 votes in the Senate (Just how many filibusters have occurred since the '06 elections? Any?) to the "need" for bi-partisanship, it's always another
excuselie.You've gotta wonder if this party is simply beyond fixing.
In Conrad's world, that's probably true...because he doesn't really want what's best for people in this country. He wants what's best for his corporate donors.
The real question is, if the media is so big on "presenting both sides of the story," where are the conflicting opinions today? Where are Bernie Sanders, Henry Waxman, Kucinich, Ron Wyden, *ANYONE* from the House Progressive Caucus?
Until we start hearing from these people whenever the DINOs are on the bobblehead shows, it's all just media-conflated concern-trolling.
Please, you're making a huge mistake lumping Wyden in with the good names of Sanders and Kucinich.
Wyden is bought and paid for by Blue Cross and other industry corps. He is pro-insurance corporations.
Call his office in DC and ask the person who answers if Wyden is for a robust, national, public healthcare option. They will say NO.
Ron Wyden is owned by the "Health" and Insurance industries.
You're correct that Wyden is not for single payer. He isn't Sanders or Kucinich--or Feingold, or Ronald McDonald, for that matter. But he also isn't a "blue dog." If you're not from Oregon (although it seems you may be), the reason he made it to Congress in the first place was his position as head of Oregon Gray Panthers, who were often at odds with the insurance industry. That said, yes, he currently accepts a lot of money from BCBS--more than I'm comfortable with. He's a paradox, but he's a guaranteed left-wing vote--the question is simply this: how left-wing will the bill he's voting on be?
I have called Wyden's office. I was told that Wyden is on record as being in favor of (his words) "a strong public option." Is that "robust?" Uh, I don't know what that means at this point. Is that a legal term being used in the legislation? There are so many competing proposals that we don't have all the information. Maybe he isn't in favor of something "robust." Maybe he's just in favor of something "ruddy" or "husky." Is it single payer? No. Is that disappointing? Yes.
What I do know is this: Wyden said he was in favor of not taking taxpayer-funded "vacation" in August until a bill gets to Obama's desk. I'm very much in favor of single payer; Wyden is not a true believer. He does, however, favor a public option and is willing to cancel his water-skiing trip on Lake Titicaca to get something done--a hell of a lot more than either the Blue Dogs or the Democratic leadership is willing to do.
For this reason, I named him. Nothing more.
At a MoveOn demonstration outside his Southern Oregon office a few weeks ago, his spokesperson wouldn't say that he was "for" a public option but kept repeating that "he wasn't against it."
He's been paid a lot of money to stay on the fence, and, when push comes to shove, it's difficult to believe he'll side against those who have already given him many hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Stop bending over for the Block and Blame Republicans. You only look weak and in the end you will not get their support, only their blame. You won the election to get things done, don't think for a moment the Block and Blame Republicans will help you in any meaningful way.
that I only have two feet to break off in peoples' arses.
The one that shows how much all the Congress-critters have taken in bribes from the insurance/pharma corpora-fascists??!
DeMint and Conrad must be on it ----just like everyone else who is currently 'serving the People.'
He and other congresspeople are getting paid to kill any health care reform - simple as that.
The real question is why only conservatives are on the teevee to discuss the issue.
...I was trying to get at above.
I understand the objections to Ron Wyden raised above. Since he's not a reliable-enough left-wing vote, maybe someone could ask Paul Wellstone if he'd like to come into the studio and give his position.
We're all so busy fighting among ourselves, it's no wonder we can't get shit done.
who doesn't understand the rules of the Senate. Terrific.
Conrad thinks we're all dumb as hell.
You don't need 60 votes to pass something in the Senate. All you need is 50 and the vice president will break the tie.
And with 60 votes, you don't need one goddam Republican vote. Saying you need GOP support makes the Dems look like wimps, and it seems they're fine with that.
Is Conrad that stupid that he doesn't know the rules of the Senate, or does he think we're stupid?
Probably both.
So, what's the problem?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE
... and let's get off this bi-partisan bull shit. They will vote against and rag on any bill or health plan the dems put on the table... Obama gotta get off this compromise mind set... you can't compromise with whackjobs.
Should we want ours and our children's health and lives to be in the hands of Insurance Company Executives who receive millions/billions of dollars to make as humongous a profit as possible......or should we want our federal government to manage our health care in the same manner it has managed Medicare, Medicaid and the Veteran's Administration? And before anyone starts trashing the VA, let me remind them that quality of care has always been rated high at the VA. The problem has always been insufficient funds to provide timely care in quantity, not bad doctors/nurses.
Should we want insurance companies to CONTINUE denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions? What are they supposed to do...just suffer and die because they've had the misfortune of getting sick and don't have the money to pay $100+ per aspirin or $10,000+ for a diagnostic test or $100,000+ for surgery or treatment?
Should we want insurance companies to CONTINUE denying claims based on the fine print in contracts designed to trick people into believing they're paying for health care they won't receive?
Should we want insurance companies to CONTINUE increasing premiums at rates that force millions of families to drop coverage, to declare bankruptcy, to close business, to move their jobs overseas and to inevitably cause a recession much worse than the one we experienced in the 1930s?
IS THAT WHAT WE SHOULD WANT?
Conrad just say we're better off making compromises on health care with the Repubs? Did I just hear him say that it is better to give in to special interest and tax breaks for the rich? Did I just hear him say we can't pass reform without making sure the insurance companies and Pharma profits are a higher priority than making health care affordable and accessible to all?
Will the real progressive Dems come out swinging already and call these Blue Dogs what they are, power hungry, elitist, status quo Republicans.
On Oct 15th reconciliation takes effect and it will only take 51 votes in the Senate to pass the bill. As much as I would love Repugs to dig their heals in and just keep obstructing. The closer to Oct 15th it gets the more agreeable the Repugs will become, even the blue dogs will have a change of heart before then.
the media is trying to kill 'single-payer' as much as the repukes and bluedogs. they are all paid very well for the show.
the media wants to further that objective by bringing out the worst type of democrat.
...perhaps he should focus on Kent Conrad for a while.
PS Max Baucus, Ben Nelson, and Harry Reid are also available.
fools all tell them that the peoples work is why they were elected NOT THE HEALTH CARE CORPS
Insurance Co's profits up 428% since 2000. $1,4 million into the coffers of congress a DAY..enough... call them 1.800.828.0498.
Fools on both sides of the aisle---replace them in 2010!
...is a sham and a lie. They CAN pass healthcare without a single republican. But they're pussy-footing and they aren't ratcheting up the pressure on the blue dogs. They need to pressure them, tell them that they may lose support amongsts the democrats, that they'll lose the 'in' with the party.
They don't need a single republican and republicans exist right now solely to be obstructionist. When this guy says they need to have democrats and republicans what he's really saying is that democrats are too weak to get their house in order, even when they control everything. Typical!
I have a very simple question; why does the huge majority of the Democratic congress decline to accept the same healthcare public option that they want to impose on the rest of America? The fact that they do not want the public option tell me that the public option is probably crap.
Signed,
An Independent Minority Voter
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