Sen. Kent Conrad says "screw you" to the health-care coalition, since we don't have a vote in Congress
By John Amato Thursday Jun 11, 2009 1:45pm
With Democrats like these, who needs conservatives? (D) Sen. Kent Conrad had this to say about health care activists:
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said Wednesday that he is "frankly not terribly interested" in what the major health care reform coalition thinks and is pushing ahead with a proposal the group rejects.
"I am unaware that HCAN has any votes on the floor of the United States Senate," said Conrad when told that the coalition Health Care for America Now opposed his plan to create regional health care co-ops instead of allowing consumers to have access to a public plan option.
"They have no votes on the floor of the United States Senate. And I am dealing with votes in the finance committee and the floor of the United States Senate. I am frankly not terribly interested in what these myriad groups all think. I am interested in what people who vote think," he said, flailing his arms and knocking a Politico reporter's recorder to the marble floor.
"I don't even respond to that kind of thing. I think it is just chatter. What matters is results, legislative results at the end of the day," he said.
But aren't the "myriad groups" he's referring to the base of the Democratic Party? Shouldn't he give some weight to their position?
Conrad wasn't having it. "What is it that they want to get? Are they interested in the name of something or are they interested in getting a result that delivers on what is behind the name? I am interested in actually achieving a result. Not a label, but an alternative to the delivery model of for-profit insurance companies," he said. "The great thing about democracy is we get to debate. It's healthy. It's good to have a debate."
What is wrong with Conrad? Hasn't he learned that co-ops are meaningless in this new push for health care reform? We already have non-profits running these co-ops and look where we are now!
Digby has much more.
He's obviously interested in what Republican voters think. They are the control group. And never let it be said that your Democratic leaders are elites who would prefer to listen to health industry lobbyists (who you can bet are pounding down the doors and crowding the hallways) than their own constituents. They figure we'll take whatever scraps they feed us and be thankful for them.
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Let's be clear here. Conrad's brilliant idea for "health care co-ops" is meaningless. There are already a bunch of non-profits in the marketplace and It's done absolutely nothing to control costs. The only thing that will (short of single payer which was written out of the debate by the presidential candidates) is for millions of people to sign up for a public plan that has the clout to influence pricing and efficiency. Anything short of that is a gift to the insurance companies who are undoubtedly ecstatic that Conrad has put this "compromise" on the table.The only people who are engaged in the details of the health care debate on the merits are liberal interest groups and the activists. The great stressed out middle is too confused to believe anything will ever change and the right and the Medical Industrial Complex (for various reasons) are determined to defeat reform by any means possible. Why do the Democrats think it's a good idea to dismiss and deride their only allies in a situation like this? Is it too cynical to entertain the thought that they are actively courting failure?...read on
It's hard to wrap my head around what Conrad is saying. It's unbelievable that he would dismiss his own base in favor of trying to curry favor with a bunch of teabgging conservatives that will never compromise and never be bipartisan unless Conrad collapses and bows down to their will. WAKE UP! Grow Up! We are all you have in this fight and you are elected because people like us voted for you. You are supposed to represent us, the people and not the Health Industrial Complex. Republicans have been doing one thing only and that's called "obstructionism, get it? These people are making me sick.
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on his show if Obama should go "whole hog" and push for the public option. Not even a mention of the single-payer option. I am almost speechless.
Might we delve into Mr Conrad's donars to his most recent campaign? Might we find some insurance companies there?
might is not the correct word
just who is a better option.
Conrad recieved donations from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Kindred Healthcare among others for the 2010 election cycle.
and tell him he is elected by the PEOPLE to serve the PEOPLE and NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND HMO"S 1.800.828.0498!!!When the switchboard lites up with complaints...they tend to get nervous and listen..
With thinking like that.
First we had blue dog democrats and now we have chicken shit democrats. Pretty soon the ASPCA is going to be keeping an eye on the democratic party.
Nobody can. It's been demonstrated over and over. The conservatives can never be placated, sated or mollified. No matter how much you cave, what you relinquish or how basely you capitulate, they'll always want more and none of them will vote for you or with you.
.
He is an endangered species! BlueAmerica bring us his replacement!
The Democratic party could secure itself for generations if they would step up and force through single payer. Business interests would benefit. Ma and Pa redneck would benefit. Everyone would benefit except the insurance industry. Someones got to loose and I think the ones providing nothing and stealing everything should be the ones.
When they blow this, again, I'm an Independent for the rest of my life.
You're right but too many are in the pockets of the insurance industry.
It's simple. He supports those insurance/HMOs/big pharma who have bribed him. Too bad we don't have a recall provision in the Constitution.
Perhaps, since so many politicians spend their time campaigning AFTER being elected, and this leads to the disgusting scenario of multi-million donations from insurance companies, you can send a message to them.
By electing no incumbents for one election. None. Of both parties. Everyone that had the job is now out.
What kind of message do you think that send?
It seems that in most districts in the US, people feel Congress is doing a poor job, but THEIR Rep is doing a heck-of-a-job. They get a fancy tri-fold 4-color glossy flyer twice a year that tells them so. Pathetic.
As for this clown Kent – who the hell does he think he represents?
dems like conrad make you want to either
slap the ship out of them to wake up or
you just want to sit on their faces and fart.
to get rid of fuckers like Conrad and to put their corporate bosses in their place. Then we need a constitutional convention to scrap our Roman duopoly and replace it with a parliamentary government like the rest of the civilized world. There will be no health care reform or any other kind of reform until that happens. Before we can do any of this, we need bigger balls. Semper Fi.
If single-payer can be passed with 51 votes, THEN IT SHOULD BE! None of this namby-pamby across the aisle nonsense. We need this one. The republicans lost. Didn't they or is it all a great big scam?
Group Health, Blue Cross, Aetna, etc don't have any votes in congress either but he sure cares what they think.
I promise that if any one of these companies pays me $1,800,000, I will move to this clown's district and vote for him. I'm for sale too...
Until then - nada.
I guess what he's really saying is 'They haven't contributed enough to my campaign, flown me around on their private jet, etc. so I'll side with the insurance industry.'
elected politician? Why are there not criminal indictments? Especially since those who take the bribes are the same ones who make the laws? This is just wrong.
Because the Democrats will always do their dirty work for them. Nothing ever changes.
since the insurance lobby is talking to all and sundry on the Hill, does this mean they have A VOTE Congressman?
You obviously don't understand what is actually occurring in politics today.
There are so few actual liberal or progressive politicians in the Democratic Party, that the line was long ago blurred between the two parties.
Obama is not, nor ever was progressive or liberal.
It is the same for 95% of them.
Wake up, Sheople.
you people are nauseating.
present solutions...
If you do a check as to where Senator Conrad gets his bread buttered on http://www.opensecrets.org/ you will see that the man is not stupid. He knows who is paying his bills.
Conrad, Nelson, and Landrieum should get rid of their own health care plans, because it's run by the evil, socialist government.
It boggles the mind when these "Dems" would rather side with unpopular Republicans on the most important issues of the day.
If I had a law degree, I would sue these corrput politicians for accepting "payolla." They are corrupt to the core, and completely on the take.
Their blatant conflict of interest is staggering, and 2nd only to their heartless, kiss-my-ass, in-your-face arrogance.
FDR must be spinning in his grave when f**kers like this open their mouth. FDR warned us about corporate fascism 70 years ago. Now his party is baught and paid for by those same fascists. Sickening.
How do these parasites sleep at night? Oh yeah, they are sociopath's like Bush, so no problimmo.
the new big tent baby,, what a fucking jackass..
Here is a list of elected people taking payoffs to cheat the American people and the amounts of bribes being taken. This is just from health care and insurance.
It is mind boggling to think how much these people are taking from others!
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)
And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:
Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)
Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)
We need to investigate and prosecute these criminals now. Severe jail terms are in order for these criminals!
My guess is he has millions of reasons to be against health care!
“It's hard to wrap my head around what Conrad is saying.”
I'd say he doesn't see any Senators who will vote for the people's interests first, and corporate interests second. Unfortunately, since health care cost containment is deficit reduction, categorically rejecting the most cost effective approach will result in larger deficits, and a weaker economy than would otherwise be the case.
With the free trade, we threw out our manufacturing base, which could have helped us pay for an expensive health care system. When the borrowing bubble bursts, and it will, we'll be revisiting the "hard choices" being faced now, but from a position of greater weakness.
I think in 2010, health care cost reform (single payer) needs to be made the 3rd rail in the elections.
These Republcrats should be thrown out of office and prosecuted for accepting Bribes.
These people should not even be allowed to negotiate any health Care Reform due to the huge conflict of interest in the form of so called "campaign contributions"
For a guy sitting on the soldiers of Democrats across the country who won the Senate majority, Sen Conrad seems not to like us or our principles much.
I say we propose a bill that strips ALL people who hold elected office of their TAXPAYER provided healthcare!
Why should OUR money go to these fatcats healthcare, when we do without?
FUCK THAT!
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