Howard Dean on Baucus Bill: 'Worst Health-Care Bill I've Seen in 30 Years'
Dr. Dean overcomes his natural shyness to share his thoughts on the Baucus bill and lobbies for using reconciliation to pass it:
Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chairman, minced no words about Sen. Max Baucus's health-care proposal, unveiled to the public this morning. "The Baucus bill is the worst piece of healthcare legislation I've seen in 30 years," Dean said last night at a healthcare town hall and book signing in Washington. "In fact, it's a $60 billion giveaway to the health insurance industry every year," he said. "It was written by healthcare lobbyists, so that's not a surprise. It's an outrage."
The Baucus bill leaves out some of the president's goals for healthcare reform, such as the controversial public option. While more palatable to Senate moderates, the Baucus proposal also drew criticism from Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, who said yesterday he would not vote for it in its current form.
"I'm glad Senator Rockefeller is not going to vote for it. I wouldn't vote for it at all under any circumstances," Dean added.
Instead, Dean said Senate Democrats should and would end up using the reconciliation process to pass a plan with the public option. "It can be done, and that's how it will be done," Dean said, pointing out that a majority of Senate Democrats still support a more robust bill.
Who cares what Gingrich thinks?
On January 21, 1997, the House voted overwhelmingly (395 to 28) to reprimand House Speaker Newt Gingrich for ethics violations dating back to September 1994. The house ordered Gingrich to pay an unprecedented $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House's 208-year history it had disciplined a speaker for ethical wrongdoing. (Wikipedia)
... after all he dumped one of his wives, while she was being treated for breast cancer, by going to the hospital himself and serve her the divorce papers while she was undergoing treatment.
Apparently for the American mass media, that makes Mr. Gingrich an expert in healthcare.
apparently went to WATCH her be served, presumably to gauge her reaction. That makes him an even bigger bastard.
all of us about family values during the whole Clinton blowjob-gate.
HR 676 single payer is the only way.
The public option, the way it will come down will be flim flam.
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
!
you are correct, or make medicare available for everyone. thats what congress has, even the GOP has public health care, the lying fart nozzles.....
With primarily only five LARGE corporations running all the medical insurance companies, requirements for everyone to have insurance or face onerous fines, and without public option it's giving monopolistic practitioners carte blanche to do as they will regarding premium costs, deductibles and co-pays, and become "too large to fail," like Wall Street that the taxpayers had to bail out, with no strings attached, no discernible liquidity in credit, and record CEO profits.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
We ain't gettin it are we?. Watered down crap, it is WTF?,
I personally hope you live a 100 years or more - we need ya now - more than ever.
Cough...cough....plotz
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Worst.Bill.Ever.
Ruh oh. Public option dropped from Obama's site as a requirement for healthcare reform.
http://www.therealitycheck.org/?p=7200
Guarantee choice – Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option.To fail.
Repubs don't want a Dem/Obama success, Dems/Obama don't have the stones to force something meaningful through in case it bites em in the ass come election time.
Solution? A bill no one likes. Meticulously crafted to make sure it has something for everyone to object to.
All win for congress. (all lose for the people, but thats the norm anyway)
Hello?
It's as old as the suuqs.
You ALWAYS come back with a completely ridiculous, even insulting offer, so that the other side will drop his price, make concessions, throw in something to sweeten the deal. The bill isn't intended to pass - it's intended to be used (I strongly suspect) by both sides to try to make everyone happy - the Reublicans their big money interest backers and the Democrats... well, I'm not sure if the Democrats remember who they're supposed to be serving anymore, either.
The problem here, though, is that it isn't the Republicans, or the Democrats, in Congress who are going to have to pay for any watered down 'compromise'...
... WE are...
One of the things that is so insulting is that this slimebag is trying to use the force of law to compel people to participate in their own victimization by applying mandatory coverage requirements and then promising fines if anybody fails to get coverage. We'll be forced to shop at a company store where we'll only get shoddy merchandise and fraudulant promises.
The insurance industry needs to pass into history, and these crooked politicians need to do a perp walk into prisons.
It just seems so scripted.
This committee puts forth a piece of shit to show the country that the Repugs aren't voting for shit.
Now they can put through anything they want.
In the world of 24 hr news it all gets muddled.
Look at the big picture.
The Dems know they have a mandate and will use it.
All this hemming and hawing is all bullshit.
The bill (hopefully w/public option, preferably single payer) will pass with no problem.
And Obama, to the horrors of the racist fringe, will have huge approval ratings boost.
Just once I'd like to be addressed as Sir. Without the "You are creating a scene"
I SO hope you are right!
Politically, you are correct.
IF the Dems have found their balls.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
Hold up a sec, there they are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV1LWhNpTJU&fe...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
It would be nice, but time has shown again and again they just don't have the guts a/k/a kahunas. Also, Harry Reid, the closet republican, would never allow it. Lets face it, we will NOT get a single payor OR a public option. The only way we get a public option would be if it does not start until 2025 or thereabouts.
The house bill will have a public option. There is no doubt about that. House republicans can posture all they want - the strong democratic majority wants it and will get it.
The senate's job is to kill any health insurance reform. That's why Baucaus drafted a stillborn bill. I strongly doubt (despite upbeat assertions by Dr. Dean to the contrary) that there are enough democratic votes in the senate for reconciliation. And if there are it is doubtful there will be any public option, because Max and so many of his senate his pals are busy blowing the insurance companies for campaign donations and stock tips.
Baucus better have something up his sleeve because the way it looks now he is not going to be reelected. Way to lead there, Baucus.
What a dick.
But a rich Dick from all the insurance companies.
Baucus is the best thing that the insurance companies can buy for $3,000,000. No real Dem acts like Baucus or Conrad.
Is it too far reaching to think this was Obama's plan all along? Let congress take sides between corporations and citizens and see if we vote them out.
Unfortunately that would be a long-term plan. Baucus isn't up again until 2014.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/263...
When Wall Street stands up and cheers a bill coming out of the Senate and Insurance stocks go up, it's a pretty good indication that it's not going to inure to the benefit of the public. And it certainly won't do anything to reform the health care industry. I reiterate what Congressman Weiner stated "the Baucus Bill is DOA!".
Then lets getter done. Screw the minority party of "NO" and all the obstructionists that only want Prez Obama to fail.
Don't give up America!(77% of US). Support those who provide the health care...the doctors. And, the "Mad As Hell Doctors" want single payer because they are tired of the insurance beaucracy interfering in necessary medical procedures. Don't give up. Support the doctors. Dean is a doctor. Baucus is a MORON. What's the next plan have in it? Shred the Baucus bill for the toilet bowl.
What's Up Doc?
I wonder how much in campaign contributions this guy took from health insurance companies?
was $3,000,000.
The question is...Will his knees give out before he gets to $4 million?
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
He's got great healthcare coverage.
THREE MILLION-----$$$$$$$$$3,000,000. Not bad work if you can get it.
need to be prosecuted for quid qou pro bribery, influence peddling and violation of the "denial of honest services" law. They have perpetrated an astonishing betrayal of the public trust, by means of the travesty that they have fashioned and are attempting to foist on the American People. Their idea of healthcare reform is a naked cash grab, a confiscation of wealth from individuals in order to enrich a collection of malign predatory social parasites. And the attempt to make the fleecing of the American people mandatory under penalty of fines goes beyond the despicable. Baucus may be one of the most corrupt politicins in America's history. He and his cohorts deserve to be in prison, not walking the halls of Congress. More, the bribers need to share his fate.
Amazing. Just amazing. It almost defies the capacity of words to describe how rotten to the core this man is. He needs to be sent back to the stinking cesspit from wence he slithered.
pretty damn well to describe what's happening!!!!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
it took this long for Baucus to figure out what the insurance company CEOs wanted for Christmas.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
He knew right away.
He was stalling.
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
....I've had to quit following the Health Care bill sausage making.
I have one standard. If Dr. Dean is happy with it, I'm happy with it.
not a bad standard.
no shit, it IS an outrage--thanks dr. dean
http://www.squishedfrog.com/images/comicbookg...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
david gerogery has 2,2,2,2 asshole repugs and 1 DEM. WTF. like the post above,asshole ganggrich has no right to comment on anything, the asswipe from texas was kissing bushs ass for 8 years. What! fux news controls this shit also.
Who wrote THAT?
Rahm Emmanuel and the blue dogs...
I trust him on this issue more than most. He has been dealing the facts all along.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
releasing this stinker and getting no dem or repuke support was probably the best thing that could have happened for the public option. This bill is so bad it's actually good in the bizzaro world logic that we have have to use these days.
I mean, this might be the worst piece of legislation EVER........
Baucus really embarrassed himself over this. In the bizarre world of politics, this actually helps the public option.
For those who want to roll him out of office, they have to wait. I think he's up in 2012.
Worst piece of legislation ever? Probably close.
1) Bankruptcy Bill
2) Contract on America (thankfully never passed).
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
3) Federal Marriage Amendment
4) No Child Left Behind Act
5) The doctrine of Preemptive War
6) NAFTA
7) CAFTA
8) opposed ratification of the Kyoto Protocol
9) school vouchers for private schools
10) "Star Wars"
11) Withdrawal from ABM Treaty
12) the Schiavo bill (signed by W)
13) European missile defense
14) Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
etc., etc.
Definitely takes the cake but this has to be up in at least the top 5. Basically allowing the insurance companies to deduct 13% right out of your check? That is bold even for these assholes.
after pres obama finish's two terms i say dr dean would be great. always on point. really someone who should be listened to....
eeeeeyaaaaaa!!!!
meaningful on the first term, before we worry about things like re-election and the political future of Dr. Dean.
Frankly, I rather have Dr. Dean in charge of the HHS.
Not Hillary?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHWbsvgQUE
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Since MaxTax admitted yesterday that he put in almost 70 hours of work over the last 5 months cobbling together and negotiating hard into the night with himself, he accomplished what?? NADA..ZIPP...EMPTY BATHTUB...SQUATT...kinda like being beck for a day.
BTW: MaxTax COULD be recalled if there are enough people in Montana are awake..
Baucus opened up the biggest can of super stink yesterday that has been around in a long time and I hope beyond hope that there are enough sane congress folks not to walk into the trap that's been laid by this legislation. It's clear that one thing is motivating this kind of terrible legislation..the Republicans will do and/or say ANYTHING doesn't matter how low, to make sure that a Democratic President has no chance of achieving this kind of major victory (passage of health care reform) while they are still breathing..
Time to take up every option available to us to make sure these republican carpetbaggers get ground into the trail dust.
listening to Dean?!?
NOBODY 2012
Different agenda.
"Howard Dean will not seek a second term as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, ending a tenure marked by an aggressive attempt to reshape the mission of the committee – and to court support by the so-called Netroots - but also marked by frequent quarrels with Democratic leaders over his abilities and the direction he was taking the party."
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/10...
Everytime I hear the Dr. speak the truth, and then realize that Obama fired him and hired Rahm Fucking Emmanuel, I realize how badly Obama screwed-up.
The DLC repuke-lite corporate whores, the ones who lost the majority for 12 years under Clinton - didn't put the democrats back in power. It was the people that Obama and the DLC always screws - us libruls'.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
.
We need to get rid of these senate and congress critters!
We need rid of them for good.
We need new blood not beholding to the insurance company lobbyests.
republicanism is a mental illness!
Look, it's up to us to keep the pressure on to get a bill passed with a strong public option. What do you guys want President Obama to do? Call up every senator to his office, put them in a head lock and force them to commit to the public option? Look, it's been eight years of having a president ram down our throats nearly every thing in his agenda, now it's time to get back to the way things should be handled. That means congress making the laws, the president signing them, and the supreme court ruling whether or not that the laws passed has any validity in the consitution. I know that there are serious problems that need attention, but the machinery of government is broken and needs to be fixed.
President Obama cannot do this by himself. He needs our support to face the slings and arrows of the far right. Does this means that we support him without question or criticism? Of course not. All politicians must have their feet held to the fire by the general public to do the right thing, the president included. On the other hand, however, when trying to do said right thing politicans like President Obama needs the support and activism of the people.
Howard Dean, IMHO gets this. Sure, he could have hanged on to the chair of the DNC, or be a part of Obama's cabinet, but look at him now! He is out there fighting against the right wing smears and strawmen being put out by conservatives. Isn't that what some people especially on this site have wanted? Someone to fight back against the propaganda?
I don't know, but I said once before on this site (I think), heathcare reform is not a sprint, or a heat, it's a marathon. Only by having the faith of conviction, and endurence will the people win.
peace
I wish that Dean would have made it as president, but the Corporate Controled Media put a stop to his bid. Dean wold have Brought the Bloody Blue Dogs to heel long ago.
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