Kerry Pushes For Public Option Trigger In Closed-Door Meeting

[blueclown]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/25/kerry-pushes-for-public-o_n_220822.html

In a closed-door meeting of Senate Finance Committee Democratic members and their staff Wednesday evening, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) suggested that the committee bill include a ten-year delay between passage of health care reform and the implementation of a public option that Americans could buy into, according to two Democratic aides.

Under the plan floated by Kerry, a public health care option would only be triggered by private insurance companies failing to meet certain criteria after ten years. Known as the "trigger" in legislative lingo, the idea is vociferously opposed by health care advocates who consider it the death of reform.

Reform advocates say that the system is already broken and that there's no need to wait any longer, also warning that the insurance industry might be able to game the criteria and prevent the public plan trigger from ever being pulled.

One source familiar with Kerry's unexpected suggestion said that the idea seemed to have little impact on the meeting and that the senators quickly moved on.

Previously, Kerry has expressed strong support for a public option without a trigger so that would be available immediately.

Unreal!

A supposed "liberal" like Kerry is advocating something like this? He deserves a Massachusetts primary in 2010. He has been bought and paid for by Big Pharma and the insurance companies. Such a shame, too. He used to be a fighter for liberal causes. Now he's just a sell-out.

[LaurenG]

1. Ten-year delay!

No! :wow:

[Better Believe It]

They can compromise and make it only 8 years!

Meanwhile let the insurance industry continue to screw us.

[kenny blankenship]

35. Outcome A) Insurance industry continues to suck America's blood without pause

Outcome B) Insurance industry mends its ways for 8 years, after which it reverts to sucking America's blood with even more viciousness than before.

[w4rma]

2. Good grief. The people want it, just give it to us NOW. (nt)

[Better Believe It]

3. So Senator Kerry is trying in his own way to kill the public option

That's what a trigger really means.

Now I understand why Kerry has been sitting on his behind for weeks instead of campaigning for a public option.

Some posters thought he was just to busy with other Senate business to get involved.

Now we know the truth.

[beachmom]

41. Wrong. Kerry is not killing the public option. He is for it.

Or go believe your anonymous sourced article with no witnesses ...

[dionysus]

133. these knee jerk reactions have passed from pathetic to just plain delusional...

[DrToast]

4. Hang on...

As of right now, the Finance bill isn't even going to have a public option. It sounds like Kerry was trying to get it back in there somehow.

[SpartanDem]

16. That was my thinking too

it was a way to get a public option in the finance bill

[jgraz]

5. Kerry was never a liberal.

But I love the part where his suggestion "seemed to have little impact on the meeting".

Dude should stick to apologizing for his jokes.

[DrToast]

7. Yeah, it had little impact. That means no public option at all. Why are you happy?

Kerry supports a public option: http://standwithdrdean.com/where_congress_stands?chamber=Senate&party=D&state=&hc_status=1&commit=Filter

[blueclown]

11. Kerry supports a public option trigger.

Not a public option.

[blm]

24. YOU are wrong - Kerry supports public option. Grim found an audience for his outofcontext distortion

just as he intended.

[jgraz]

12. A 10 year delay means no public option at all

The only difference is that the bought-and-paid-for clowns in DC may be able to fool a few more of the people for a bit longer.

[cadmium]

130. I think you are buying into a deception.

I call Kerry, Kennedy, and Tierney (my rep) office periodically to make get definite word on where they stand on health care as the debate gets fluid. Always all three are for a public option. Expect more deception --- Blue Cross etc are very powerful and can float rumors in a lot of unlikely places.

[LittleClarkie]

136. Happy I might add

some people seem to take such glee from accepting whatever comes down the pike re: Kerry

[kenny blankenship]

6. THEY'VE HAD SINCE 1994 TO CLEAN UP THEIR ACT.

10 more years is out of the fucking question.

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. Geez, Kerry's pandering to the right again, just like he did from 2000-2004

Is he running for 2012 or something? :eyes:

[blm]

37. Kerry's for public option - anyone paying attention to this debate KNOWS THAT BY NOW.

Why are you falling for Grim's OBVIOUS DISTORTION of a closed door session when it is apparent he only crafted this piece to cause backlash against Kerry that he doesn't deserve?

Geez....don't any of you remember this exact same thing was done by corpoDems who didn't want to filibuster Alito and planted stories to undermine Kerry then, too?

[karynnj]

86. No he's not

He is one of 7 on a 23 member committee for the public option. Not to mention, he has pulling Obama to the left on foreign policy.

[SunsetDreams]

9. "according to two Democratic Aides"

This is upsetting, but I wonder if it's even true, or yet another example of, a media run story without any facts.

[MarjorieG]

10. Desperation suggestion. His plan in 2004 was great, and he understands this issue really well.

Definiitely doesn't deserve a primary. One the great unsung heroes on BCCI, Iran-Contra, climate change and foreign policy expertise, generally.

They already tried to promary him with a no-nothing, vacant, pseudo-progressive, unsuccessfully, thankfully.

[karynnj]

88. Exactly and he doesn't run again until 2014

Kennedy will clearly not run in 2012 - so he will be MA's senior Senator, running for his 6th term. He very likely will be seen as one of the best chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has ever had - judging from his extraordinary start. It is highly unlikely anyone will run against him in 2014. (It is likely that his opponent in 2008, best know for defending drunk drivers, would not have gotten on the ballot except for a core of people angry over his endorsement of Hillary Clinton.)

[blm]

13. KERRY IS FOR PUBLIC OPTION - this article is GINNED UP.

His remark about a trigger was only as an alternative to no public option at all.

This article was deliberately framed to distort Kerry's position from a CLOSED DOOR SESSION, and, undoubtedly this was distorted deliberately to get this type of reaction from the UNINFORMED who buy into this tactic every time.

[DrToast]

17. This thread is a like a bad game of telephone

The Finance bill DOES NOT HAVE ANY SORT OF PUBLIC OPTION IN IT AT ALL.

Kerry was trying to get it represented in some form.

Jesus Harold Christ, chill out, people.

[politicasista]

23. Nah. Let's bash good Dems by buying into whatever the media says

I am interested in what he has to say also.

[Cha]

It just gets all the

knee jerkers jerking off..what they do best.

[politicasista]

29. Yep. They do this with

President Obama, Durbin yesterday, and Kerry today. It's a nasty pattern, though it's not suprising.

[flpoljunkie]

51. That Baucus wouldn't even accept a 10 year trigger tells us more about him than about Kerry

Baucus is one of the biggest recipients of health industry money in the Congress, and it shows.

Insurance companies makes profits by denying care. This is an insane way to provide health care to a nation's citizens.

[ellacott]

28. People won't even take the time to confirm the story, it's sad

This story has no sources but people believe it. I think it's bad that people are so quick to condemn Kerry.

[politicasista]

31. Uzzybone had a point

in a thread yesterday. People are so quick to complain and cry foul about the MSM, yet buy into whatever lies/spin they spew. (Paraphrasing).

[blm]

40. This isn't even MSM - it's a rumor story intended to deceive readers about Kerry's position.

.

[politicasista]

44. Oh. I though HuffPo was one of the top blogs for the MSN

I am not in the health care field though I have a family member that is and I too want to know about his stance, so I am trying to learn about the difference between public option and single payer.

[beachmom]

45. John Kerry's stance is not a mystery. He is FOR the public option. nt

[politicasista]

49. Thanks. I hear a lot about single payer

on the blogs. Wow. This thread took off fast.

[beachmom]

53. Only the socialist Senator Sanders supports single payer. No one else. nt

[politicasista]

57. Got ya

Though I don't trust them blue dog Dems. They are the main ones holding up progress.

[ellacott]

66. So true

[karynnj]

89. There's a Daily kos post, from a MA resident who called and his office denied it

They said his position hadn't changed.

If anything was said of that sort, it could have been a question to tease out what Baucus' willingness to add anything. the fact that 10 years is a very long time suggests that.

[liberal N proud]

14. The economy will never recover until something is done about

medical cost in this country.

10 years of this economy will have America at it's knees.

[Cleita]

15. Kerry is no liberal. I was very disappointed when he became the

candidate in 2004 instead of Howard Dean. Neither he nor his heiress wife ever have had to struggle to put food on the table. They don't know how means testing boxes people in and keeps them poor.

[beachmom]

27. He is so a liberal. Huff Po needs better journalistic integrity. nt

[blm]

34. Cleita you jumped the gun on this distorted claim against Kerry. He's FOR public option

and someone had this article written to distort his position.

Kerry's had one of the most liberal lifetime records in senate history - in the 2004 primary he had the most liberal lifetime rating of ANY of the candidates including Kucinich, but, too many underinformed and newly activated Dems bought into the distortion of his career - a career that actually shows more courageous stands taken against government corruption than any lawmaker of the last FORTY YEARS.

Kerry's the STRONGEST advocate for public option in those meetings, and someone is out to deceive the left about this.

[Cleita]

50. I didn't care for his health plan back then either although it seems that Obama

is selling us the same one with the addition of a public option, that Kerry didn't include in his. I agree with you about his early career and the courageous stand he made against the Vietnam war. Granted he is no DLCer and maybe I shouldn't have taken this article at face value, however, you have to admit he is left of center and not a liberal the way I understand it. To me a liberal is a Social Democrat like Bernie Sanders.

[sandnsea]

58. Which would be Howard Dean's 2004 plan

A socialist is a socialist. A liberal can be many things - including a progressive Republican whether you want to believe that or not. John Kerry is a liberal, more liberal than Howard Dean.

Nobody is running for office. You don't play politial potshot when you are actually trying to get legislation passed.

[Cleita]

61. Howard Dean, self-described.

"I am a centrist, but the nation has shifted so far to the right that I look like a liberal". They probably shared a lot of political ideas but Howard, as a former practicing physician, was more in touch with the average American and his problems IMHO. You are entitled to your opinion of him, but I kept tabs with his positions during the 2004 presidential race because I had to stump for him and he's really to the right of Howard.

[blm]

64. far beyond Vietnam, his career in the senate shows most liberal record of ANY 2004 candidate

including Kucinich,

Beyond his LONELY investigations that uncovered more government corruption than ANY LAWMAKER in modern history, he also submitted the first gay-friendly legislation in the senate, crafted the first public financing of campaigns legislation that he submitted with Wellstone and that some states adopted for their own elections, and his record overall then showed his 20yrs was just a 3% left voting difference from Wellstone's 8yrs in the senate.

I loved Dean as party chair, but, I also know full well that Dean shifted left for the primary (thankfully and rightfully so), but spent most of his career as a centrist governor who even sided with Reagan-Bush's IranContra policy.

Things change and politicians change and patterns of governance can evolve, but, for CERTAIN, Kerry's lifetime record of the last 40 years has effected this nation's historic record more positively than any other lawmaker. There is no doubt in my mind that if Reagan and Bush's covert operations hadn't been uncovered, then this nation would be living under full-on fascism by the mid90s, and what most know of our nation's actions would be an even bigger lie than exists now.

[karynnj]

96. By your definition, there are NO liberals in teh Democratic party

Kerry did speak of expanding medicare (for a fee) down to an age younger than 65. Dean's plan did not have a public option either and Edwards covered only kids. that was the most that could be done in 2004 - the climate of the country was not what it became by 2008.

SCHIP benefited from Kerry's work on the precursor bill. SCHIP was the largest expansion of government health insurance since the 1960s.

[karynnj]

94. Kerry has a more liberal record than Howard Dean

The fact of the matter is though Kerry was born to an elite, though not wealthy family, he has written legislation for people who are. Kerry wrote and sponsored legislation to create an affordable housing fund that passed after more than a decade of effort. Kerry has been the Senate sponsor for Youthbuild, for which Michelle Obama did a WH event, for decades. He also wrote with Kennedy the (more liberal)precursor bill to S-CHIP for children's healthcare.

Amazing that you believe Edwards, who voted for the bankruptcy bill and did NOTHING for the poor when in office, but ignore Kerry's actual accomplishments and write this nonsense.

His "heiress" wife runs a foundation that actually has helped provide funds for health care programs. She is an extremely good, warm person who does not deserve your attack.

[Still Sensible]

18. Absolutely Unacceptable...

and unbelievable coming from Senator Kerry.

[beachmom]

19. This story is highly, highly misleading. John Kerry is for the public option!!!!!

[blueclown]

21. John Kerry is for a public option trigger.

Meaning he's not for an immediate public option and he's for passing the buck for another 8 years.

[SunsetDreams]

25. Do you have proof? were you there at the closed meeting?

Or do you choose to believe an article that says, "According to two Democratic Aides"?

No names, just anonymous "sources".

[beachmom]

33. No, Kerry is for a public option NOW. nt

[karynnj]

98. No he's not - he's for public option now

and that would be true even if this story - unsourced as it is - were true.

If you liked chocolate cake for dessert, but the restaurant you were at served only pie - and you asked for apple pie, would it mean you are no longer for chocolate cake?

[Blaukraut]

22. Facts never get in the way of a good Kerry bashing on DU n/t

[sandnsea]

20. "The Senators Quickly Moved On"

So he probably threw out the idea in fairness so that it could be reported that it was considered.

What a bunch of fuckwits I swear to god.

[beachmom]

30. I would treat the article with skepticism. No press were there. Relying on anonymous sources. nt

[Mass]

126. Which is worse is that some people think those who moved quickly are the good guys.

They do not seem to understand those are those who do not want ANY TYPE of public option.

Amazing how some people here are credulous. If these people (Baucus and co) were for a public option, we would not be having this thread, but it is the guy who is for the public option that gets blasted.

[bvar22]

26. How many more will have to DIE?

N/T

[Sebastian Doyle]

36. Indeed. Or to paraphrase the senator himself....

How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for corporatist health care?

[blm]

54. You should know better SebDo... article is intended to smear a strong ADVOCATE for public option

knowing the kneejerkers on the left will react without getting the real story first.

[Oregone]

32. I think this is BS

That sounds to unbelievable to be true

[SpartanDem]

39. I think it's true, but people are misunderstanding it

the finance committee bill does not even have a public option. I think this was his way to get a public option in some form in the bill.

[beachmom]

47. I don't think it was a proposal, though. More like, so what WOULD you support, guys?

[karynnj]

99. exactly -and 10 years is exaggerated enough - that it was a

way to prove that it was really really off the table - and not because Kerry wanted that.

[Oregone]

48. Wouldn't a sane person just moon them and leave the meeting?

[Faryn Balyncd]

56. It's beginning to look like whatever "reform" comes out of Finance Committee needs to be DEFEATED.

Whether it is a no public option mandatory insurance bill, or a "triggered" option, both will be disasters, and worse that passing nothing.

The faster route out of power is to pass a bill mandating that Americans purchase overpriced, inadequate insurance.

[Blaukraut]

38. Finance Committee Members:

Dems:

Max Baucus, Chairman, Montana
Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia
Kent Conrad, North Dakota
Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico
John Kerry, Massachusetts
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Charles Schumer, New York
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Maria Cantwell, Washington
Bill Nelson, Florida
Robert Menendez, New Jersey
Thomas Carper, Delaware


Reps:

Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member, Iowa
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Olympia Snowe, Maine
Jon Kyl, Arizona
Jim Bunning, Kentucky
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Pat Roberts, Kansas
John Ensign, Nevada
Mike Enzi, Wyoming
John Cornyn, Texas


Now check which of the Dems have already spoken out against a public option and add them to the Reps. That should tell you what is likely to come out of this committee in terms of healthcare reform.
Kerry is FOR a public option, but he is in the minority opinion in Finance.

[beachmom]

43. Yes, he is, unfortunately. nt

[sandnsea]

55. Well if that group "quickly moved on"

I'd say the trigger is done for.

[wryter2000]

42. His fax #

202-224-8525. I'm sending a note...

[blm]

46. I KNOW Kerry's the strongest advocate for public option in those meetings and someone is intent

on deceiving the left about this.

Check and see who Ryan Grim is plugged into it and you'll have the culprit.

[beachmom]

52. Too bad there weren't 10 John Kerry's on the committee. Then we would have the public option

already passed.

Sigh.

[blueclown]

60. If there were 10 John Kerry's on the committee, there would be 10 proposals for a trigger. nt

[SunsetDreams]

62. according to two anonymous sources and you.

[beachmom]

63. You are dead wrong. Who would leak this to the Huff Po? That is the question

you must ponder. John Kerry, the guy who is the biggest supporter of the public option on the committee, gets smeared at the Huff Po. Quite interesting. Who had to gain from knocking JK down?

[karynnj]

101. Not to mention the guy who is most sussessfully defending Obama on his Iran position

and the one with the most balanced Middle eastern position.

Listen to Kerry in Jordan at the World economic conference - start at 41 minutes in - http://www.weforum.org/en/knowledge/Events/KN_SESS_SUMM_28780?url=/en/knowledge/Events/KN_SESS_SUMM_28780 (imagine Clinton taking those positions - not to mention having the courage and committment to leave her security behind to go to Gaza as John and Teresa did.)

Kerry is an influence on Obama on foreign policy - and he is to the left of Clinton, Biden and many others. This is Kerry's strongest area - and I assume there are people who would prefer he have less credibility.

[blm]

69. Says RYAN GRIM and YOU. Grim's article DISTORTS Kerry's position. You stand with distortion.

Schumer-Lieberman tactic, as usual.

[karynnj]

100. No there wouldn't

He wants a public option now - the problem is that on the committee he is one of 6 out of 23 who do.

[Mass]

No, there would be NONE. Huffpo has already corrected its reporting.

[zulchzulu]

59. I'm going to bet that this is bullshit. Does the reporter have closed-door meeting access?

I doubt Kerry would do that. If he is, as a longtime fan, I'd be disappointed. But I doubt the story is true.

We'll see...

[Sebastian Doyle]

67. Were you disappointed in any of his pandering to the right from 2000-2004

I know Kerry has his fans here, but he does have a track record of pandering. Or "moving to the center", as the DLC calls it. Granted, back then he was acting on their advice, positioning himself as a presidential candidate. Not that it excuses his pandering, but it does explain it. And that begs the question of why he would do so now.

I'd like to believe he knows better. Especially since he lives in Massachusetts and should know for a fact that mandatory corporatist healthcare isn't worth a shit, because Romneycare is a failed system. Of course the so-called Kennedy bill calls for exactly that, though it's hard to tell how much of that was really Teddy's doing, as opposed to being the work of Chris Dodd and his big pharma shill wife.

[zulchzulu]

83. Wow. Hey, can you start a "I Hate Kerry" forum and take it there

That's some old crap you'll pulling out...

[backscatter712]

65. ACHTUNG!!! This is a Beltway rumor.

It's a story told by a couple Democratic aides about something that may or may not have happened behind closed doors.

My guess is that it's aides of Baucus or Nelson trying to spread discord.

I called John Kerry's office and talked to one of Kerry's aides today, and he said that this story was outright false, and that John Kerry strongly supports universal health care with a public option. He said that Kerry would have health care reform implemented tomorrow with a strong public option if he could.

That's my scoop anyways. We don't know what was actually said in that closed-door meeting, maybe Kerry did say that. But there was no press in the room, and I suspect that the people who leaked this alleged thing Kerry said did so with an agenda...

I do wish that Huffpo would not repeat Beltway rumors as if they were fact.

[beachmom]

70. Now that makes two people who have called his office for which the office said it was untrue.

Yet liberals believe this stuff.

[blm]

75. You should post that in an original thread - someone is deliberately distorting what was said

to mess with Kerry's influence and effectiveness for public option advocacy.

[SunsetDreams]

76. agreed

[backscatter712]

82. I posted one...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8496716

[CreekDog]

68. Dammit!

:wtf: :rant: :banghead:

(on edit: if the story is not true, my ranting and wtf-ing was ill-advised :eyes:)

[SunsetDreams]

74. actually you can still

do some wtf-ing on the rumormill. I heard it on the internets, even though the sources were not named, by gosh I bet it must be true!

[TheKentuckian]

71. Kerry bashing is beyond stupid.

Have you paid any attention to this man over the years? He's one of the precious few that actually works for the American people. Reactionaries need to cool their heels.

[TheKentuckian]

73. Not to say a trigger isn't a worthless cop out because it is

but you must evaluate these things within some context.

[midnight]

72. No. I don't think so Sen. Kerry. A majority of American's have

suffered enough at the hands of the profit over patients mentality that keeps the insurance tigers in business. We want a public option now.

[Mass]

106. So does Kerry. May be you could call those who do not want one.

Click on the OP link and read what Kerry had actually said.

[mvd]

77. Update on the story

"UPDATE: Kerry spokeswoman Jodi Seth responds with a statement: "Let's be clear, if Sen. Kerry had his way, there'd be no debate: we'd have universal coverage tomorrow with a strong public plan at its core. Senator Kerry strongly supports a robust public option and has been pushing for it since day one of this debate. When he ran for President, he campaigned on a public option and everywhere he went he reminded the country that Congress shouldn't deny them the public health care that Members of Congress give themselves. The past five years have only strengthened that conviction. Any suggestion that he prefers proposals that would delay or trigger the implementation of a public plan is outright false, end of story. But it's no secret that the Finance Committee is looking at a whole range of progressive options with an eye on what can make its way to the President's desk to become law, and obviously if it's the only way to get universal health coverage then people will consider a trigger that ultimately guarantees a strong public option."

Kerry never PUSHED for a trigger.

[SunsetDreams]

78. Thanks for the update, this needs its own thread.

[high density]

79. 2004 showed Kerry is an idiot when it comes to PR and politics

This confirms he learned nothing from that experience. Do not even bring up the "trigger!" It is not a good option and starts the Democrats out at an already compromised position on the issue.

[karynnj]

131. If he was an idiot on PR and politics,

how did he so easily win the nomination when in December 2003, he had no media support and no party support and, even with motgaging his house, a fraction of the money Howard Dean had. If Kerry is an idiot what are they?

Then he nearly won a year when doing so would have been a major upset. In December 2003, Dean polled nearly 20 points behind Bush. Kerry was good enough that before the media played along with a character assassination to be slightly ahead. That even though the media was stacked in Bush's favor - it wasn't even subtle, remember the panel MSNBC had for the two conventions - all Republicans and Ron Reagan jr? Remember the terror codes being raised (with the attendant coverage) every time he gained traction. On top of that, he had parts of the Catholic church illegally pushing Bush. The two most prominent cable news Democrats, Carville and Begala did nothing to help get his message or his biography out - preferring snark at Bush and repeating Clinton people whines that he wasn't listening to Bill and speaking of the economy. Not to mention, the party pushed him to take one of the lamest VPs ever - who then refused to be a team player and refused to have Kerry's back. In spite of all that, he would have won with an adequate number of voting machines.

You also ignore taht Obama's team thought well enough of him that he was the most prominent supporter in both the primaries and general election.

[high density]

151. I lived through August 2004

Kerry has no clue when it comes to what to say around reporters and the media. Period.

[ProSense]

152. Oh, BS

He help Obama hand his opponents, including Dems, their asses throughout the campaign. You can stay in denial.

[karynnj]

153. Gee I lived through Agust 2004 too

and other than one instance, where the actual question was neither recorded or consistently recounted, he was very good. Far better than Dean or Edwards were during their runs.

[Better Believe It]

80. Kerry's spokeswoman does not deny the story that Kerry proposed a 10 year trigger.

And why didn't Senator Kerry meet the press to respond?

In fact, Kerry's spokeswoman even went so far as to propose that Congress should consider a trigger "that ultimately" (perhaps in 10 years?) guarantees a strong public option"

So the bottom line is that the response is in fact a non-denial of the trigger story.

It was a very, very carefully worded statement.

[zulchzulu]

85. Can you read?

In the statement (and in nice, big letters for you...):

"Any suggestion that he prefers proposals that would delay or trigger the implementation of a public plan is outright false, end of story."

[Better Believe It]

92. Senator Kerry's spokeswoman didn't deny that he suggested a 10 year trigger so what's your point?

Kerry's spokeswoman absolutely did not deny that Kerry suggested a 10 year trigger at the meeting. In fact, she doesn't even mention the meeting or what Senator Kerry said at the meeting in her entire statement!!!!

You failed to notice that?

She merely said that Senator Kerry does not prefer "trigger proposals" and went on to point at that a trigger should be considered
"if it's the only way to get universal health coverage" passed into law.

So what's your point, with or without giant letters?

[rockymountaindem]

108. How are those "giant letters" anything other than a denial?

Or have you never realized that statements to the press by just about everyone tend to just address the issue at hand obliquely? Don't be thick.

[beachmom]

105. He did NOT PROPOSE a 10 year trigger. All he did was ask people

what WOULD they agree to? That is not the same thing as proposing.

[zulchzulu]

84. Thanks for the update. I'll believe Kerry over a "former Politico" writer...

It never stops some people from trashing Kerry any chance they can.

:puke:

[blm]

114. Can we close the threads and put up the Update? This lie is running rampant and

Kerry is being targeted BECAUSE he's the advocate doing the fighting for public option in these meetings.

This article is meant to create friendly fire - Ryan Grim is good at that. Despicable.

[mvd]

125. Hi, someone posted another thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8497215

[Cha]

138. And, those who want to get sucked

into the lies do..even in the face of evidence. Just as I suspected..they're here to distract not to help.

[Uzybone]

81. I do not believe it...typical unsourced BS story

sensible people would call this a smear.

[grantcart]

90. This story is a smear.

Do I get a star?

[Thrill]

87. LMAO. As I said. Obama the only one out there pushing the public Option

Democrats have him out there by himself.

[Mass]

91. Can anybody provide some level of proof, beside 2 unmamed Democratic staffers

after a closed door meeting.

Who knows what was actually said?

[Better Believe It]

95. Yes. Kerry's spokeswoman didn't deny the trigger statement in an official release

She could have flatly denied it, but didn't.

It was very carefully worded. The spokeswoman's release did not deny that Senator Kerry proposed a public option trigger at the closed door meeting.

Read it and read it again.

[beachmom]

107. You are full of it!!!! Most Senators are OPPOSED to the public option.

John Kerry is the biggest supporter of it. In a closed door meeting the idea was trying to find out what the other Senators WOULD support.

[redqueen]

93. I'm not surprised.

Wish I was.

I don't trust any of them... except for Sanders.

[Better Believe It]

97. Perhaps Senator Kerry should have attended todays Capital Hill rally for a public option.

He had an opportunity to make his position clear. He probably would have even been afforded the opportunity to speak. But, he was a no show.

Perhaps he was just too busy attending another closed door meeting on healthcare.

[karynnj]

154. So, you would prefer that he not attend the meeting

where details will be descided on a committee he has a seat on and instead grandstand at a rally? He also had to manage a vote for an ambassador on the Senate floor as chair of SFRC.

[Mass]

102. What Kerry actually said (Huffo corrected its story)

He was simply trying to make sure a bill goes not go out of finance without some sort of a public option in it. In fact, he wants a public option NOW. This said, this allows us to know some in the Senate Finance Committe do not want a public option ever: not now, not in 10 years.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/25/kerry-pushes-for-public-o_n_220822.html

In a closed-door meeting of Senate Finance Committee Democratic members and their staff Wednesday evening, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) suggested that if the committee bill didn't have enough votes for a public option it include a ten-year delay between passage of health care reform and the implementation of a public option that Americans could buy into, according to two Democratic aides.

[karynnj]

103. Thanks Mass

He did a good thing getting it on record how completely opposed Baucus and others are - especially after the bait and switch of Schumer and Conrad.

[wisteria]

104. THIS POST IS NOT SUBSTANTIATED WITH ANY PROOF YET SOME FIND IT ALRIGHT TO ATTACK A GOOD DEM.

I doubt this story is true and was probably planted by some Repub to give Kerry a hard time for possibly speaking the truth about Palin. But, for Dems here to attack a good liberal Democrat who has been a friend to the grassroots and is a true patriot without real cause is just wrong. I find this post upseting for the lack of knowledge of some here about Senator Kerry and the attacks against the character of a good Senator coming from the side he is on for no good reason or just cause.

[Better Believe It]

109. Kerry or his spokeswoman could deny it. They haven't so far.

[Mass]

110. Click on the link. Huffpo has already changed their story to something else.

He was NOT pushing for a trigger. He was trying to find out what was acceptable to the holdouts. Not surprisingly, they do not want any type of public option: not now, not in 10 years. Currently, the Senate Finance Committee will exit a bill WITHOUT a public option at all. (May be it would be better than Kerry would vote AGAINST it, but it has the votes).

The stupidity of the Huffpo reporter (who comes from Politico), has created a tempest in a teapot. Now, have fun with this. Rather than calling those who oppose a public option in the Senate committee, you spend time blasting one of the 6 who support it.

[ProSense]

116. Evidently, there are suckers born every minute. n/t

[LittleClarkie]

117. Actually they did

More than one person has called their office. Story is false.

[Mass]

111. Just poor reporting from Huffpo, who is trying to emulate the low quality reporting from

the regular newsmedia,

Click on the link in the OP and you will see what apparently happened (after Huffpo corrected is story).

[Hippo_Tron]

112. I don't think you get the idea of a DISCUSSION

In a discussion people sometimes throw out ideas that aren't particularly well thought out or practical. The point of having a discussion is that other people can point out the flaws of bad ideas. Or perhaps you throw out a hypothetical in order to guide the discussion in a certain direction.

The problem is that whenever you are a public official everybody assumes that every single word that comes out of your mouth is "on the record" or an "official position". The idea behind these meetings is that since they are supposed to be private, nobody knows precisely what each Senator said and everybody doesn't freak the fuck out when one Senator suggests something that may be a little crazy.

If I were in chairing that committee I would find out who these aides are that spoke to Huffpo and fire their asses.

[Arkana]

113. What the hell is Kerry thinking?

Ten goddamn years?

[LittleClarkie]

115. His office says he is for the public option, and that his position hasn't changed

that this report is false, comes from a hearing that had no press at it, and that they are still looking into where the story came from.

Considering the anonymous sources, it is just possible that someone was trying to discredit the Senator.

[Better Believe It]

118. Do you have a link for that? Kerry's spokeswoman didn't deny the trigger story.

Senator Kerry's spokeswoman didn't even mention the meeting in her statement, much less deny that Senator Kerry suggested a 10 year trigger at that meeting.

If Senator Kerry or one of his spokespeople has released a new statement please post the link.

Hopefully Senator Kerry will appear before the media himself to answer questions directly regarding this.

If Senator Kerry does that and denys ever raising the idea of a ten year trigger at the meeting I will believe him.
One would at least expect a clear denial from his press people. Until that happens, I'm convinced Kerry did raise the trigger idea.

Well, maybe we can expect a new political line from his press people. Kerry was for the public option without a trigger before he came out in favor of a trigger which he now opposes unless it's needed and he's always been against the trigger but has never mentioned that he was against it after he opposed it before he thought it was an idea worth considering.

That should clear things up!

[LittleClarkie]

119. If you really want to know you can call his office yourself

Meanwhile, if you're that into believing the same media we've learned to distrust, knock yourself out. Considering your comments, you're inclined to believe such things of the Senator as it is. Funny how people rail against the media, then swallow whatever they feed us without looking into things even a little.

[Better Believe It]

121. I believe Kerry's spokeswoman. She's not denying the media story!

That's not good enough for you?

Kerry's spokeswoman absolutely did not deny that Kerry suggested a 10 year trigger at the meeting. In fact, in her entire statement, she doesn't even mention the meeting or what Senator Kerry said at the meeting!!!!

Can you figure out why, or are we talking rocket science here?

She merely said that Senator Kerry does not prefer "trigger proposals" and went on to point out that a trigger should be considered
"if it's the only way to get universal health coverage" passed into law.

If and when Senator Kerry or his spokespeople deny that he ever suggested a 10 year trigger at the meeting let me know.

And post the link.

OK?

[blm]

120. BULLSHIT! Asking senators OPPOSED to public option IF they'd consider putting it in the bill

IF it was in the form of a trigger is in no way imaginable PUSHING for a trigger as the article portrayed and YOU believed because you have never been able to wrap your brain around Kerry's ACTUAL record of four decades of service and work that NO OTHER LAWMAKER in DC is even close to matching in its positive impact on our nation's historic record.

[Arkana]

123. Dude, I gotta tell you--I wish I was as good at defending Kerry's record

as you are.

[Arkana]

122. OK, all right.

I like Kerry and didn't want to believe that he'd actually support a delayed public option like that.

[TayTay]

124. This story is untrue. I demand a thread that says that

And that apologizes for spread a lie.

If you have any dignity or expect to be taken seriously in the future, then you will write such a diary.

We need accuracy from people in this important debate over health care. This is the reform of a lifetime and those who spread lies and detract from the agenda should not give aid and comfort to the enemies of that movement by spreading lies.

[Better Believe It]

132. But Senator Kerry's spokeswoman doesn't claim the story is untrue

So are you a spokesperson for Senator Kerry and writing on his behalf?

If the story is untrue, I would expect Senator Kerry or his spokeswoman to deny the claims made in the article.

They haven't done that yet.

Why do you think that is?

[Name removed]

137. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

148. Oh BS

Right before your eyes and you're still pushing distortions.

[cadmium]

127. BOGUS STORY

This story is completely overblown and misinterpreted. The headline is misleading. I live in MA and have dutifully called Kerry's office (and Kennedy and Tierney) several times on this issue. ALWAYS all three of them support public option.

I suspect that this is rumor is a plant by someone against a public option to sow confusion.

The debate over health care, especially the public option, is only going to get nastier and more deceptive. If you really care about this issue, try not to take the bait at every rumor.

This reminds me of the bogus controversy of Kerry supposedly lobbying for Sec of State --- Lots of rumors repeated but NEVER one credible citation.

ps: btw senators are elected every 6 yrs - Kerry is up in 2014 not 2010.

[LittleClarkie]

128. Shh, don't ruin their fun

Those who agree with the Republicans re: Kerry, flip flopper, wishy washy, et al, are having entirely too much fun with this to be interrupted now with the truth.

[Better Believe It]

135. But your response has nothing to do with the news story claims regarding a trigger.

The news story didn't claim that Senator Kerry is opposed to a public option and Senator Kerry's spokeswoman didn't deny that Kerry raised the idea of a 10 year trigger for a public option at the meeting.

So what's your point?

Please read news articles before you decide to comment on them.

Thank you.

[TayTay]

139. Perhaps you should read the story

The update specifically states a strong support for the public option.

Is that sentence difficult to read or is "strong support for the public option" not make any sense?

[ProSense]

140. Your posts are suspect. Maybe you should go

man your celebratory threads about Rockefeller and Specter supporting the public option, and stop trying to distort the position of some who introduced it to the Democratic Party.

[dionysus]

143. "suspect"? that's a euphemism if ever i saw one...

:rofl:

[cadmium]

141. The deceptive headline is

part of the story. The headline is bogus -- and that makes the story bogus. The most "push" described in the story is floating an idea -- and that crackles through the internet totally unreferenced. That is bogus.

[dionysus]

142. your fails grow bigger and bigger each OP you post.

[ProSense]

129. You're calling for a primary challenge to Kerry in 2010?

:rofl:


Get Real!

[LittleClarkie]

134. So do I.

It's fun to watch Kerry steamroll right over them again and again.

[rockymountaindem]

147. It's especially humorous since he's not up for reelection until 2014 n/t

[emsimon33]

144. When does Kerry come up for reelection?

He needs to be challenged and defeated!

[ProSense]

146. Did you read the OP? It states 2010, but it's actually 2014, Until then

you may want to check out the facts, and wait for the next bogus Kerry outrage to start making comments about primary challenges.

[karynnj]

155. Though if the op and his friends spend there energy lobbying for a challenge in 2010

to Kerry, it will keep them out of mischieF. Who knows they might be able to convince O'Reilly, who will challenge Kerry to 23 debates again and declare it is unfair that neither of them are on the ballot.

[politicasista]

145. No retraction by the OP or others in this thread?

Interesting...:hide:

[Better Believe It]

149. How could there be if Senator Kerry hasn't challenged the news story?

It must be accurate otherwise Senator Kerry or his spokesperson would at least release a statement saying the story regarding Kerry's trigger comments at the meeting are false.

Kerry's spokeswoman issued a statement which didn't even comment on that meeting!

[ProSense]

150. Right wing traits.

Right before your eyes.