Rep. Hodes: ‘Health Care Reform is a Jobs Bill’

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: The Massachusetts Senate election has reordered the political landscape, scaring Democrats nationwide about their 2010 prospects and casting new doubt over the political wisdom of pressing for sweeping health care reform. But Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., who’s running for the New Hampshire Senate seat held by the retiring Republican Judd Gregg, said on ABC’s “Top Line” today that Democrats still need to pass a health care bill — and to convince the public that it’s critical to job growth.
“I’ve been very, very straightforward with the folks in New Hampshire about the importance of substantial health care reform. We’ve got to have lower costs, [increase] quality and putting the folks of New Hampshire and this country back in control of their health care, instead of the health insurance companies,” Hodes said. “And health care reform is a jobs bill, and that’s what I’ve been telling the folks all over the state that I’ve been talking to, and they get it here. Small business is big business in New Hampshire and small businesses in New Hampshire are getting pummeled by double-digit premium costs going up every year. They can’t afford it. They know we need health care reform, and I’m finding a lot of fertile ground because people get that health care reform is a jobs bill, especially for small business.” Though many analysts — and some Democrats — interpreted Republican Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts as a statement by voters against the health care reform push, Hodes said he’s not worried about such sentiments crossing the border into the Granite State. “The first thing to remember is New Hampshire is definitely not Massachusetts and never has been,” Hodes said. “We’ve always had independent-minded voters in New Hampshire. I’m out every day fighting for jobs for our people and making sure that the people of New Hampshire and independent voters on all sides of the aisle and who are actual independents know that my priority is jobs and fiscal responsibility. So New Hampshire has had its tea parties for a long time, and we’re on message and we’re doing the fight for the people of New Hampshire.” Hodes is also running on an economic populist message, citing his opposition to Wall Street bailouts. He also told us that he supports Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke “for now.”  (And look for his band — an old partnership with his wife, Peggo — to get back together before the campaign is through: “I’m a guitar player and I think it’s time we brought a little rock and roll to the US Senate,” he said.)  To watch our full discussion with Hodes, click HERE. We also unpacked a wild week in politics with Dan Balz of The Washington Post. “It’s hard to imagine a tougher week when you lose the seat that Ted Kennedy had for 40-plus years, and that much of it is aimed certainly at what’s going on in Washington,” Balz told us. “I mean there has been, as you guys know, a significant shift over the last year. If you look at what has happened to the president, it was summed up this week.” You can see the segment with Dan Balz HERE.