Dennis Kucinich: Here's What We Need to Do on Health Care (People 'Compromising their Compromises')

[Hissyspit]

Run time: 04:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWXRwrYa4oU   Posted on YouTube: August 08, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: August 09, 2009 By DU Member: Hissyspit Views on DU: 8284

 
KUCINICH: Here's What We Need To Do On Health Care In August

http://beavercountyblue.org/2009/08/08/cong-dennis-kucinich-what-we-need-to-do-in-august

Dennis Kucinich speaks at health care reform briefing in D.C. about the Kucinich amendment for state single-payer option.

KUCINICH: "We need to show people that the only real way to control costs and to make health care widely available and to have your doctor choice is through a single-payer system. There's just no question about it. It's not even disputable. We need to re-empower all those statewide movements. And we need to start ones where they do not yet exist.

The second step is: in September when this bill is brought forward, one of the amendments to H.R. 3200 and labor education I was proud to offer, and it was passed, and that is an amendment that confirms that states will have the option to have single-payer. Now, we need to protect that amendment...

- snip -

I'm just gonna give you a little of the technical background in case anyone asks any questions, but the ERISA Act, which is the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, was written so that states would basically have a uniformity in their employer-related health care programs. As of late, ERISA has been being used to try and defeat single-payer initiatives. Recognizing that, what I did was draft an amendment which would give states... bring forward an automatic waiver from the ERISA.

Because we have to anticipate the insurance companies, which are fighting for, not just their lives, they're 'fighting for OUR lives,' that they are not going to relent until they have a total victory, creating a mandate and forcing people to buy more private insurance. What a deal! Hello??

- snip -

The third step ... we need to redouble our efforts toward the single-payer movement nationally. Everywhere, as a national construct. No matter what happens with this bill. This bill could eventually fall of its own weight. There are so many compromises being made, people are compromising their compromises which were already being compromised - this is so compromised a bill, and after a while people meet their shadow coming around the corner. There's confusion, but there's the possibility that the thing could go down. We have to be ready with the only solution that exists - and that is 676, the bill that John Conyers and I worked on together, that is the single-payer solution. And that's part of a national movement."

MORE IN VIDEO

FROM PDA: How to help -

- Become a part of the growing single-payer movement

- Visit PDA and CNA on the web

- Support State Single-Payer initiatives at the national and state.level

- Tell your congressional representative and Democratic Leaders in Congress to support the Kucinich amendment to HR 3200.

- Tell your congressional representative to support HR 676

[NYC_SKP]

1. First of many recommendations!

:applause:

[G_j]

2. excellent

K&R

[Hissyspit]

3. Already unrec'd from the Greatest Page. Hooray for the trolls!

In fairy tales, trolls are filthy and devious.

From wikipedia:

"These trolls have a human-like appearance. Sometimes they had a tail hidden in their clothing, but even that is not a definite. Many of these trolls had a single lock of hair that no human could comb, whereas the rest was generally messy.

More often than not, though, the trolls kept themselves invisible.

The trolls sometimes abducted people to live as slaves or at least prisoners among them. These poor souls were known as bergtagna ("those taken to/by the mountain"), which also is the Scandinavian word for having been spirited away. To be bergtagen does not only refer to the disappearance of the person, but also that upon returning, he or she has been struck with insanity or apathy caused by the trolls.

Occasionally, the trolls would even steal a new-born baby, leaving their own offspring – a (bort)byting/skifting ("changeling") – in return." I think this is also referred to in Norse mythology as a 'söokpuppit.'

[nightrain]

6. knr#11. seems the unreccs come quickly at first, and then lose steam, can

be discouraging.

[ro1942]

4. let's be honest

does the u.s. really deserve this man

[Stevepol]

5. This needs 676 recs.

[Roland99]

24. HR 676 is the ONLY viable, permanent solution

[midnight]

61. I agree. Making people wait till 2013 to be obsorbed into a

an insurance program via HR 3200

•few or none of the uninsured would be covered till 2013
•you could be forced to purchase junk insurance
•the right to bargain drug prices down has been given away
•the administration won't reimport Canadian drugs
•the public option will only cover about 10 million people instead of the promised 120-130 million
•the public option won't be able to keep insurance companies honest or drive prices downward
•the public option was emphatically NOT Medicare, and expressly designed not to lead to any version of single payer or Medicare for All.
•nobody knows what the "health care co-ops" which the administration has agreed might be substituted for the public option are, whether they are "co-ops" of health care providers or health care consumers or health insurance brokers or providers, and no explanations have been offered
http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/battle-heal...

Credit for this info. given to poster Karmadillo

[GivePeaceAchance]

7. Kucinich will one day deserve a bigger mention in the history books than * ever will. May his days..

and tenure be long.

[suzie]

42. If he helps to defeat health care reform by his "it's only my way or the

highway", he will deserve the same kind of treatment that Ralph Nader will get in the history books for his role in delivering the nation the last 8 years of devastation.

[GivePeaceAchance]

64. I think his progressive caucus support a strong public option and local single payer program...

I don't think he'll destroy the healthcare reform bill when it comes around.

[SemperEadem]

8. Rec #16.

I recommend this--and the trolls can't erase my post! Ha Ha!

[JimWis]

9. K&R

[valerief]

10. 666 + 10 to beat the devil of insurance. You go, DK! nt

[earcandle]

11. Dennis, thanks for keeping us on track. And for looking out for our rights and prvileges, costs

and benefits, as well as the features that matter.


love, davis

neo sends his love too. 

[sabrina 1]

12. One more rec. for one of the few

members of Congress who cares about the American people.

[ihavenobias]

13. K & R n/t

[Eyerish]

14. K&R n/t

[defendandprotect]

15. k i c k

[eagertolearn]

16. K & R and kick!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

17. Rec #42

"Insurance companies have us in a death grip...."

A truth-teller and a primo patriot.:patriot:

[Hissyspit]

39. I can't believe I left that out of the transcript!

One of the best lines! :grr: at me. :D

The correct quote:

"Why?

Because we have to anticipate that the insurance companies, which have a death grip on our political process right now, the insurance companies which are fighting for, not just their lives, they're 'fighting for OUR lives,' that they are not going to relent until they have a total victory, with the government creating a mandate and forcing people to buy more private insurance.

What a deal!

Hello??"

[Mind_your_head]

18. K & R

Kickety :kick:

[handmade34]

19. recommend and vote single payer

[wroberts189]

20. KNR

[ProudDad]

21. FIRST Tell your rep to vote YES on the Weiner Amendment!

The Weiner Amendment will be voted on first...it would substitute Enhance and Improved Medicare for All for the 1100 page hodge-podge of sell-outs and compromises that is HR3200...

VOTE YES ON THE WEINER AMENDMENT!

[Enthusiast]

22. Rec! Thank you Dennis!

Go HR 676!

[Vroomfondel]

23. Thanks, Hissyspit

Why can Americans not get their heads around the greatness of DK and Bernie Sanders?

[NikolaC]

25. K&R

Most concerns that opponents have about Single Payer are addressed in HR676, but they don't want to even bother reading it. Kucinich tells it like it is again. I just wish that more would listen to him and take him seriously.

[NorthCarolina]

26. K&R for Americas Concressman nt

[abluelady]

27. How Can Our Opponents Listen to Him

He makes so much sense! And he's not trying to frighten us. Imagine thinking without fear. Thanks Mr. Kucinich, again.

[suzie]

44. Does the public know what single payer means?

Does the public understand that single payer is like Medicare? Is there a reason that a Dennis Kucinich never mentions Medicare for all--only single payer?

Could it be that Kucinich is such a narcissistic egomaniac that he doesn't want anything he says to be tied with any politician from the past--like those who got Medicare passed? And those who've continued to deal with the program?

Howard Dean explains single payer by using the Medicare example. Is Kucinich more knowledgeable about health care/insurance programs than Howard Dean?
Or does Kucinich simply not want anything that does not have the Kucinich name on it to be passed?

[abluelady]

55. Perhaps He Realizes the Limitations of the Public

I can just see people I know saying "but I'm not old!" I also don't know if really young people know what Medicare is. They might think it is Medicaid--only for the poor. I don't have a problem with the term single payer.

[nightrain]

59. suzie, what is your point?

"Does the public understand that single payer is like Medicare?" What do you mean by this? Is there something you don't like about Medicare? What?

Are you sure Kucinich is a narcissistic egomaniac? Based on what?

[suzie]

68. Medicare is a popular program. A very popular program.

And since so many people have contact with it, it's an understandable program. Explaining that Medicare is a single payer program and that advocating for single payer basically means "Medicare for All" as Howard Dean does, might make it more accessible to the public.

But, Dennis Kucinich is linked with "single payer". Talk about Medicare and LBJ or JFK are often mentioned, or even the GWB prescription drug benefit. So, Kucinich will only talk about "Single Payer", because otherwise how would he be able to stand out for his adoring followers? And I've noticed that his many DU followers will only talk about single payer--never mentioning that popular program, Medicare.

Dennis Kucinich simply doesn't care about the rest of us, he's playing to the crowd on DU and the tiny group out in the country that just thinks he's so wonderful for helping advance the cause of nothing.

[justinaforjustice]

28. Thank You Dennis -- and Howard!

Dennis had the best presidential platform of all the Democratic candidates. He still does. If we could unite Kucinich's policies with Howard Dean's enormous organizing ability, we would have a really powerful engine for improving the lives of millions of Americans.

[Turborama]

29. Thoroughly recommended (#81) n/t

:kick:

[KillCapitalism]

30. K&R

Dennis rocks!

[ensho]

31. yes - single payer

don't let the insane mobs win

[Mithreal]

32. K&R nt

[Auggie]

33. ****¡K&R!****

[spedtr90]

34. When will Kucinich be on TV?!

Turned off the Sunday morning talk (Meet the Press? Right.......)
Instead of repeating the crap from the right and discussing how misguided they are, it's time to get people on TV to simply state the case for health care reform, especially universal care.Demonstrate what discussion looks like. Demonstrate that it's OK to not follow blindly. I certainly support Obama's plan, but I like HR676 much more! Everyone can read it online - so eighty-some cosponsors should be hitting the airways.

Stop repeating and giving all the media time to the manufactured mobs and Palin's fantasy "death panel".
Newspapers,radio,TV; stop reacting and get moderate and progressive voices out there with INFO.

[Greyhound]

35. K&R, Dennis Kucinich is indefatigable, honest, and always works from a

position of what's best for The People. A true patriot.

[varelse]

36. recommended

:kick:

[euphoria12leo]

37. Life Without The Blue Dogs

The Blue Dog Democrats will vote against

Single-Payer won't they? I'm tired of them.

[redqueen]

38. "We need to re-empower all those statewide movements. ...start ones where they do not yet exist."

K&R

[man4allcats]

40. K&R and signed

the petition for HR 676, the Medicare for All Act.

[lefthandedlefty]

41. Dennis must have balls of brass

He always stands up for what he believes in and for us no matter how unpopular it is with the powers that be.He was the only one that had the balls to bring articles of impeachment against Bush and he did it more than once and if I had my way he would be our next president.

[suzie]

43. Dennis has no courage whatsoever.

It takes zero courage to talk. Doing something that involves dealing with other people takes courage. Dennis Kucinich totally lacks that.

[Zodiak]

48. Three posts in this thread, all slamming Kucinich on a personal level

You have it in for the man, therefore your opinions concerning Kucinich will always be clouded by that bias.

So why should anyone here listen to you?

And if it takes zero courage to talk, why aren't any other Democrats talking but instead capitulating and hiding behind Republicans and Blue Dogs?

Telling the truth DOES take courage in today's idiocracy. But you would prefer to slam that person.

What do you champion re: health care reform? Subsidies for insurance companies? Watered-down public option?

[suzie]

65. A good many Democrats are actually trying to do something with health care legislation.

Dennis Kucinich is the guy on the front lines garnering publicity for himself, not trying to get legislation passed.

I have it in for Kucinich? Unlike his adoring claque here, who have it in for Barack Obama and every other Democrat that actually tries to do something, because they are not Dennis.

My impression is that Howard Dean is far more of a truth-teller than Kucinich and he doesn't say the same thing as Dennis at all.

[GivePeaceAchance]

66. I can see where you're coming from, but a voice of conscience is always a healthy thing in any ...

arena. He's always been way ahead of the curve on a lot of legislation that got enacted in the end.

[suzie]

67. Sorry, my experience of the legislative process is that

the "voices of conscience" who spend their time trying to be famous are usually those that have only their own self-interest in mind. And that goes for left and right sides of the spectrum.

Meanwhile, the other legislators who aren't always on TV are actually trying to get something enacted that may benefit the citizenry. \

Dennis Kucinich certainly falls into the first group as far as I can see.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

58. because he's compassionate, he must have more than balls of brass...

he must have ovaries of steel!

:D

[pleah]

45. K&R

[slipslidingaway]

46. "We have to be ready with the only solution that exists - and that is 676"

:applause:

[wroberts189]

52. Yep. nt

[slay]

47. Another K&R for DK and single-payer

:kick:

[windowpilot]

49. Thank you Dennis for all that you do.

[Union Yes]

50. DK 2012! knr

[wroberts189]

51. kick ...no more compromising our compromises!

[rjones2818]

53. Dennis, as almost always, hits the nail on the head!

Go Dennis!

:woohoo:

http://kucinich.us

[onestepforward]

54. Thank you D.K. You've always made sense to me. K&R n/t

[cadaverdog]

56. K&R You go Dennis!

Straight outa Cleveland.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

57. AWESOME!!!! and thanks for the How You Can Help info!!!!! K&R&B n/t

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

60. K & R

gladly

[chill_wind]

62. K&R for DK.

:kick:

[Better Believe It]

63. K & R

[Uncle Joe]

69. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.:thumbsup: