Kucinich a ‘Yes’ on Health Care; First Dem to Switch from ‘No’
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein and Z. Byron Wolf report:
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the liberal Ohio Democrat who has repeatedly vowed to oppose President Obama’s health care bill because it lacks a public option, today reversed course and said he would support the bill after all.
“I’ve decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation,” Kucinich told a crowded press conference on Capitol Hill.Kucinich said he wasn’t backing away from his criticisms, but instead wanted to “incorporate them into this statement” in his fight to continue to push for a more drastic overhaul of the nation’s health care system. Kucinich
But Kucinich said four meeting he had with President Obama on the subject — including a chat aboard Air Force One on Monday, as the president headed to a rally in Kucinich’s Cleveland-area district — “gave me more to think about.”
“The president’s visit to my district Monday underscored the urgency of this moment,” Kucinich said. “In the past week, it’s become clear that the vote on the final health care bill will be quite close…. I know I have to make a decision — not on the bill as I would like to see it, but as it is.”
Kucinich is the first Democrat who voted “no” on the original House bill to announce that he’s switching his vote this time around. House leaders are seeking roughly 10 such votes, to make up for Democrats who support abortion rights and are threatening to vote “no” after having voted “yes.”
Last week, on ABC’s “Top Line,” Kucinich said he was still opposed to the bill — attacking his fellow Democrats for “fronting for insurance company interests” — and indicated that he would not change his mind unless a “robust public option” was included.
The liberal Kucinich doesn’t like the final version of the bill one bit. For starters, it lacks the public option he had vowed to fight for. Kucinich had called the Senate bill a giveaway to insurance companies; Americans are required to buy health insurance without having a government-run option to choose from.
But for Democrats the time for fighting their party is over. And even Kucinich will support his President, with whom he has met four times, and vote for the reform bill.
“We have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama’s presidency not be destroyed by this debate,” said Kucinich. “I feel that even though I have many differences with him on policy, there’s something much bigger at stake here for America and that’s what I’d like people to think about.”
Kucinich’s announcement will come as a blow to liberal activists who are still lobbying for a public option.
Kucinich had opposed even the more liberal House reform bill, but said the President told him what the stakes are on Air Force One.
Given his prior vote, Kucinich joked that his “proper attire might have been a parachute.”
But he said the President was convincing on Monday and part of his calculus was “what the President is going through.”
Kucinich also, at the press conference, mentioned his own outlook to health care – Eastern medicine and a plant-based diet.
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His logic is that it is ok to destroy the nation, but we need to save Obama. What a pile of BS.
Posted by: Jeff | March 17, 2010, 10:59 am 10:59 am
“His logic is that it is ok to destroy the nation, but we need to save Obama. What a pile of BS.”
NO!…your logig is BS.
Everybody who thinks this will destroy the nation should kick grandma off of medicare (which was the same argument then)
Posted by: watching | March 17, 2010, 11:10 am 11:10 am
I hope this stupid bill passes. all you libs can start crying in 2 years when when the insurance that you have paid into hasn’t even started yet and Obama is gone and so is the money that you have been paying into it. but wait that means you will only have to wait another 2 years and your covered. In the mean time all those uninsured that have been covered under medicade will still have there coverage and rest of you will blame the new administration for not being covered. What a bunch of FOOLS.
Posted by: clay mont | March 17, 2010, 11:25 am 11:25 am
Nice to see that even progressives get sold out by their so-called leaders. Just as the Republicans get sold out. Maybe this will wake people up that both parties really are owned by the same controllers (big corporations, international bankers, military contractors).
Posted by: Ed | March 17, 2010, 11:53 am 11:53 am
Bad decision Kucinich. That will come back to haunt you in November.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | March 17, 2010, 11:59 am 11:59 am
Everybody who thinks this will destroy the nation should kick grandma off of medicare.
Perhaps it should be scaled back but then again Grandma is forced to contribute so she should get something. Not to mention when medicare was proposed it was to have cost 1 billion but went 10 times that amount the first year. HR, just like any program proposed and managed by the government will cost much more than we’ll ever get out of it.
But this is good addition for a society becoming mediocre, content with food stamps and unemployment checks. It is far easier for any politician to give something to someone rather than being creative and finding a way to for the people to have jobs that pay them enough to afford their own way of life. And this way control over ones life is far easier to manage.
Don’t you just love the sound of printing presses running overtime to print the money and now for the first time being used to print money for social security payments.
Posted by: david | March 17, 2010, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm
I got busted for using a deragatory
term but it goes without saying they
are all spineless people incapable of
knowing about conviction and character.
Posted by: wis134 | March 17, 2010, 12:03 pm 12:03 pm
Jeff…..how in the He!! did you come up with that. So lets see, Bust mislead us into a war that costs Billions of dollars and thousands of lives, gave tax breaks to rich people who didn’t need them all the while telling the nation that we were on solid financial footing, drove deeper into debt, me being a native of New Oleans (Katrina), strained relations with our allies, and a stonger more emboldened enemy. Yea, I can see how you would say Obam is destroying this country after ALL the great things Bush co did. You people will tell any lie, make any irrational statement and do just about anything to criticize this president…..I wonder why is that? And I don’t by the “He’s destroying America” song one bit.
Posted by: A Real American | March 17, 2010, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm
I always thought Kucinach was a dweeb but now I know he IS…. A stupid ride on a plane and he folds. Laughable…
Posted by: Theresa Scheatzle | March 17, 2010, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm
Dear readers,
Make easy access to essential health care for at least every citizen of USA, the foremost non-negotiable requirement for your support of any “health care reform” bill.
If a “health care reform” bill is passed now that does not ensure easy access to essential health care for every citizen of USA, then there is a great risk that decades from now we will still have the unacceptable scenario of having too many citizens of USA be unable to have easy access to essential health care.
If no “health care reform” bill is passed now, then it allows a decent chance that within 4 to 12 years a bill could pass that guarantees easy access to essential health care for at least every citizen of USA. Ensuring free or nominal cost access to essential health care to all who need it, should be the minimum ethical standard for our society. Whether this is done by ensuring that everyone has appropriate health insurance, or by socializing medical care, should be a secondary concern.
Based on a careful analysis of some summaries of the proposed health care reform bills, I find that the proposed bills fail to meet the aforementioned requirement (except for the poorest amongst us whose income is below 133% FPL). Allowing catastrophic insurances for those under 30, or insurances with greater than nominal amount co-payments, will likely result in too many people hesitating to seek health care when the seriousness of an illness is uncertain. In such a system, health care will continue to lean towards expensive treatments rather than moderate cost screenings, check-ups and preventive care. Penalizing uninsured people as low an amount as $750, without guaranteeing that an adequate health plan will be available for about that amount or less, could result in too many people choosing to remain uninsured.
The lack of guaranteed easy access to essential health care for all citizens of USA will keep me, and hopefully you too, from supporting the proposed bills. I do understand that many people with incomes below 133% FPL will benefit greatly from the proposed bills by becoming eligible for medicaid. I also understand that there are numerous desirable features in the proposed bills including novel approaches like co-op style health insurance plans and non-profit run health insurance plans. None of the desirable features, outweigh the significant flaws mentioned in this email. I hope you will voice my concerns on this issue, regardless of whether or not you decide to reject the proposed inadequate bills.
Healthy people will be better able to make the most of life for themselves and for the rest of society. I urge you to work towards passing legislation that ensures easy access to essential health care for at least every citizen of USA.
Sincerely,
Aouie
Posted by: Aouie | March 17, 2010, 1:07 pm 1:07 pm
A Real American: Why do you hate this administraation so much? Everytime you use the Iraqi war your dissing the president and this administration. Didnt you hear Biden a few weeks ago saying the Iraqi war will be the shinning star for this administration. In addition, regardless of your ignorance isnt it nice to see the country now fighting for its freedom and democracy without having a dictator terrorizing them. So it sounds like you are a fraud and not a real American.
Posted by: Steve | March 17, 2010, 1:44 pm 1:44 pm
What goodie did he get for being a wimp. Another Nebraska?
Posted by: Mikyrose | March 17, 2010, 3:23 pm 3:23 pm
It’s supposed to be “life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness” not a guarantee from the socialist government. I paid into the system. If you didn’t or are here illegally, too bad.
Posted by: Mikyrose | March 17, 2010, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
Again Steve you all never respond to the charges just more subterfuge. The frauds are the so called values voters in republican party who value dollars over lives…..and I guess you could wrap Iraq into that as well.
Posted by: A Real American | March 17, 2010, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
come november we will vote you out for voteing yes on obamacare.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: michael gibson | March 19, 2010, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm