Harold Ford’s Play Against Obama Health Care Bill
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein reports: As Harold Ford Jr. contemplates a Senate run in New York State, he’s taking a provocative tack in the Democratic primary: He’s coming out against President Obama’s health care plan, as currently written. Expanding on an interview he gave to The New York Times, Ford sent identical letters today to New York’s senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, asking them to commit to voting against the health care bill if it imposes “increased financial burdens on New Yorkers.” “The health reform bill that you voted to pass would add at least $1 billion a year in new costs to New Yorkers,” Ford writes. “In light of the state's $14 billion budget deficit and the city's projected $5.5 billion budget deficit, I ask you to protect hard-working New Yorkers from paying the additional fees and taxes that the health bill as currently proposed would surely impose on us.” The move aligns Ford more closely with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, I-N.Y., and Gov. David Paterson, D-N.Y., who have complained that the health care bill as passed by the Senate would saddle states with vast new costs as part of a Medicaid expansion. Ford, a former House member from Tennessee, is mulling a primary challenge against Gillibrand, who was appointed by Paterson to fill Hillary Clinton’s old Senate seat. The Obama White House and Gov. Paterson are backing Gillibrand, and Bloomberg has told Senate leadership that he would not personally help Ford if he challenges Gillibrand, according to the New York Post. Underscoring his anti-Washington message, Ford’s letter makes an oblique reference to the now-infamous “Cornhusker Kickback,” where Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson extracted a special deal in the Senate bill to protect his state from the extra Medicaid costs — a deal that other lawmakers would love for their own states. Writes Ford: “Moreover, the reported negotiations by other senators to protect their home states from increased Medicaid costs is proof that more can be done on behalf of the 19 million New Yorkers you represent. … So I'm asking both of you to make a public commitment to vote against any health care legislation that imposes increased financial burdens on New Yorkers.” The letter concludes: “I served in Congress and am aware how political pressure can mount to vote for legislation. I call on both of you to show courage and independence and withhold a yes vote on health care until the interests of New York families are satisfied.” Schumer’s office declined to comment, and Gillibrand’s office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
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Actually, everyone should be against this bill, as currently written. Only blind followers would agree to pass this bill, irregardless of the consequences.
That means, only sheep would follow the leader off the cliff!
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 13, 2010, 4:08 pm 4:08 pm
I think this bill is toast. I would be suprised if any body even brings this to a vote . This will be a huge loss for BO. Too bad he didn’t bring in the repubs like he said he would in his campaign.
Posted by: jjj | January 13, 2010, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
What a waste of time and money the dems put us through.
Posted by: jjj | January 13, 2010, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
It is about time Democrat patriots stand up for our great country and their own constituents. Everyone’s freedoms and pocketbooks will be affected by this horrible bill…and every doctor I have talked to is against it whole heartedly because their care of patients will be negatively impacted. Only 20% of American doctors belong to the AMA that backed this bill. No wonder!
Posted by: Linda | January 13, 2010, 4:58 pm 4:58 pm
HAROLD! This definitely makes you an INDEPENDENT!!!! I can seriously respect your honesty..REFRESHING! (Plus the WH stabbed you in the back first brother..)
Posted by: cindy | January 13, 2010, 4:58 pm 4:58 pm
I don’t know how serious Ford is about running for office in New York but this won’t help him if he is as I’ll bet Schumer is spitting mad about his letter.
Good to see someone that has never appeared to be a hack step up and state his opinions.
Posted by: david | January 13, 2010, 5:03 pm 5:03 pm
Thank you ABC for bringing this story to our attention
It further proves why New Yorkers should not support Harold Ford Jr. He is a social climbing weasel who lacks moral character. I have never encountered someone so hungry for power and money in all of my life.
This man cannot be trusted. His record in Congress shows the lengths he is willing to take in order to seize authority over unsuspecting voters.
Mr. Ford after the lie you spread in USAToday (dated Dec 22, 2005) about your paternal grandmother being white to gain the acceptance of whites, I will make sure that no black supports you. How dare you do that to a deceased relative. I am thankful that the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Black Commentator investigated your false claim. I commend your aunt, Barbara Ford Branch, for speaking the truth even though her brothers (your uncles) urged her not to. The only white that you have in you comes from your great-great paternal grandfather. Why can’t you accept that? And why did you hide your white girlfriend, Emily Threlkeld, during your 2006 campaign? Will you showcase her now since she is your wife?
I ask everyone to research this man’s past before casting your ballot on November 2, 2010. From what I have learned, he is a Democrat in name only. He is African-American in name only. The only person he cares for is himself.
Posted by: Concerned Voter | January 13, 2010, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
concerned voter sounds like a political appointee for the Shumer clan!!! C’Mon Chuck, you should be on your weaselly way out too!!!! You stabbed Hillary in the back and your protege Gillibrand is another puppet for you to corrupt! By the way, Chuckie, what is your “real”opinion of Reid and Pelosi..you will stab them the first chance you get!!
Posted by: ross | January 13, 2010, 9:33 pm 9:33 pm
More than half of Americans are aginst this bill, yet those in congress feel they know what’s best for us. This is against the constitution to make us participants of this bogus bill.
Posted by: bailedout | January 13, 2010, 9:41 pm 9:41 pm
I’m no longer surprised when Democrats push through legislation that Americans don’t want. They have a history of doing that. What does amaze me is that in spite of that, Americans still vote for them.
Get ready to give amnesty to illegal aliens which will make them eligible for Medicaid. Get ready for more gun bans. Get ready for open borders and more taxes. Look forward to borrowing more money from China for another round of bonuses for top executives.
Democrats do whatever they want to do regardless of what their constituents want.
The worst part is, they get re-elected.
Posted by: oonogil | January 13, 2010, 11:27 pm 11:27 pm
The health care reform bill should be considered as illegal since it involves bribery of votes (by sen. majority leader Reid), which is illegal by law. This seem to be the opinion of the California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who urged in his state of the state address that all lawmakers from California should vote no on the health care bill, which will cost the state of California billion of dollars more in deficit.
Posted by: austin | January 13, 2010, 11:55 pm 11:55 pm
Some other story somewhere said BO is “encouraging compromise” to help pass the health bill. Compromise? Hogwash! The Democrats are doing everything in their power to sneak this bill through, even though many people oppose it. They don’t care one iota about compromise or doing what’s right. And the sad thing is that too many people are dumb enough to keep voting them back into office.
Posted by: JustMe | January 13, 2010, 11:59 pm 11:59 pm
I am pleased that my local news outlet that used to report the WH generated “fact checks” now reports the truth about the despicably shady actions by the senate as approved by the 60 senators including one of my senators.
Senator Kay Hagan, we have your number and question your integrity!
Posted by: Ed Taylor | January 14, 2010, 12:13 am 12:13 am
If this bill fizzles, maybe Congress will get its act together and do the thing right – in the open and directed towards solving the real problems with health care – but I doubt it. My opinion is that President Obama is secretly rooting for it to fail, so that he won’t be linked to this abomination.
Posted by: Publius | January 14, 2010, 12:24 am 12:24 am
The Democratic party (that would be my party) had a great chance to move Harold Ford into the power position and failed to do so. Now the entire country is stuck with the poster child for really bad plastic surgery. Can the good voters in CA please do us a favor and get rid of this woman?
The rest of us need to do our part and get rid of all of our incumbents also. It’s time to have your voice heard and it’s time for main street to take back Washington DC…….you can do it at the polls folks. All incumbents must lose in the primaries.
TAKE BACK AMERICA!!!!!
Posted by: dk | January 14, 2010, 2:03 am 2:03 am
Congress is so close to being owned by the special interests -both parties- that if there’s any chance the current bill will slow down the growth of health care costs to any extent we should consider it, warts and all.
One provision of the House version that seldom gets mentioned would require private insurers to apply 85% of our premiums toward our health care. Today it’s only 71%, as they skim off 22% for overhead (corporate jets, bloated bonuses and stock options, etc.) and 7% for profits. Just a few years ago 3% was for profits. In Europe only 6% goes for overhead.
The Senate bill has an 80% provision. Even that would be a 13% improvement.
Non-partisan groups say that the bill would add 0.6% to America’s total health costs. But if it puts a significant dent in the fleecing of America by the health industry it will be worth it. And then maybe the rest of the world will stop calling us “The Land of the Fee.”
Posted by: The_Mick | January 14, 2010, 2:50 am 2:50 am
Obama’s comparison of Obamacare with the USPS is better than he intended, just think about it!
Posted by: Ed Taylor | January 14, 2010, 9:47 am 9:47 am
O.k., are Mr. Ford and others comments true about the bill or their interpretation? If it adds a tax burden on citizens in most states than that is not such a good thing. But, if paying a little more now means your premiums stop going up so high every year, it is a wash or in the end, a savings. Be careful how people word things for political gain. I would not just go on the words of one man or a party bent on challenging everything the current President proposes. No republican supports this bill, really?!
Posted by: CitizenAJ | January 14, 2010, 10:31 am 10:31 am
I am so pleased that my local media has begun to report the truth about Obamacare. There was a time that its fact checks were the Obamaline. One case in particular was with respect to rationing. Now that the media has awakened and is using Obama’s USPS comparison, it is pointing out that postal services are indeed rationed with reduced hours, closed branches and etc. Obamacare would also be rationed when the truth of “over-promised and underfunded” comes to light!!
Posted by: Ed Taylor | January 14, 2010, 2:31 pm 2:31 pm
“Only 20% of Doctors belong to AMA who supports this bill”……yea, the rest is “OWNED” by the Insurance Industry, that tells them they will be dropped from the “network” if they WRITE or REFER too many for specialized care. GET it done!
Posted by: sara | January 14, 2010, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm
Wow! I guess Ford has no further use
for his kneecaps.
Posted by: Sir Toby Belch | January 14, 2010, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm
It’s clear for the Massachusetts vote that elected officials had better keep an open ear to what the people are saying and not to the their party or mainstream press. We the people are fed up with business as usual. I really believe the union deal on health care was the tipping point in this weeks election in Mass.
Posted by: hkdakota | January 21, 2010, 10:30 am 10:30 am
Mr Ford wanted Roland Burris’ job and no one offered it to him. He is annoyed by this but had a slight scandle in his own background and I think he does not have a bright future politically anyway. The republicans need to understand that they did not win in Mass. an Independent did so they should not think this means we accept them.
Posted by: talmag | January 28, 2010, 1:30 am 1:30 am
Ford might have some valid points, but oh boy, what a carpetbagger and ultimate loser. I already don’t like him one bit. He’s told some real lies in the past about his heritage, has questionable values in terms of his relationships with women, and will toss anybody, and I mean anybody overboard to further his goals. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t smart (I, for one, like his stand on the reduction of corporate taxes/closing loopholes), but he’s a total sleazebag, whom the African-American community will reject as a total fraud. Obama is a slick politican, but he’s likeable and ultimately the black voters embraced him. Ford has no such likeability and will be rejected outright the minute he starts to espouse policies antithetical to blacks. I know why he wants the Senate seat in NY. He’s planning on a 2012 presidental run, challenging Obama on the ticket, perhaps along with Scott Brown on the other side. First of all, Ford will lose, and in the process, all the past dirty stuff about him will be exposed. Schumer, the party faithful, and the NYC old guard will see to that. Dumb move on Ford’s part. He would have been better off running a race from Tennessee.
Posted by: Laura Brown | February 4, 2010, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
Doctors are against this health scam, the AMa is for it because it monopoly on the billing system so they stand to profit from the government taking over health care. This health scam is bad for all of us.
Posted by: horseforfeathers | February 7, 2010, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
Harold – just go away ..no one wants you and we are sick of your lies..First in Tennessee and now in New York….just go away…
Posted by: jimbo | February 12, 2010, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm
Waste nah…just politics as normal..gives them a reason to sit and debate on nothing..collect pay(our TAX money)collect Medical (our TAX money) collect retirement (our TAX money)and care for nothing but being elected..GET IT…
Posted by: rgw | February 18, 2010, 11:35 am 11:35 am
to all you tea party and right wing race hating fools we need a sensible, good health bill. Of course the republicans don’t want a health bill to pas. they are racist and have come out in the beginning and said they want Obama to fail. Where were you idiots when Bush/Cheney were ruining this country and the world. Obama didn’t cause these problems he’s trying to fix them. Racism is alive and well in America. Good work Limbaugh, Hannity, Palin, Beck. Prager,Pence,Army,Coulter, and company, you’re lies have been so good that they’ve dumbed Americans down.
Posted by: clifford bowen | February 27, 2010, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
The results will be in by 2012, if the reform is bad, Dems will fall like hail. If it’s a good bill, Republicans will be forced to finally apologize…or leave.
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Posted by: kiroshimasylvia | June 30, 2010, 3:15 am 3:15 am