Krugman: "Centrist" Democratic Senators Pose Real Danger To Successful Health Care Reform

nytimes.com:

America's political scene has changed immensely since the last time a Democratic president tried to reform health care. So has the health care picture: with costs soaring and insurance dwindling, nobody can now say with a straight face that the U.S. health care system is O.K. And if surveys like the New York Times/CBS News poll released last weekend are any indication, voters are ready for major change.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[ncmom54]

Tell ABC to include SINGLE PAYER in Health Care Debate!
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3816

[NKR]

In an ideal world, single-payer would be a realistic option in the US. But right now, it is very very far from being so. It would get maybe 5 votes in the Senate. People for the most part have realized this and switched to backing the public option, which currently has only 38 supporters and will need something big to happen for it pass at this point. This is a serious debate and we only have one oppurtunity to reform health care for the next several years. There is simply no reason to talk about single-payer; doing so would likely only hurt the chances of the public option passing as it would be all too easy for Republicans to bring up scare tactics about "socialized medicine".

[ncmom54]

Will it affect the Democratic Party if life long supporters become so disgusted that they change their registration to Independant? Don't they get a percentage of candidate funds? on a local level ... the state and National offices receive a % of what's raised locally .
I was born a democrat but if they can't pull together any better than this... I'm through with them.

[Hiphopcrates]

I for one, will work tirelessly to make sure my "centrist Senator" Feinstein never gets elected to anything for the rest of my life! Shame on these traitors!

[HST]

Hiphopcrates
agreed Feinstein is a DINO. She probably doesn't care cause she going to retire. I am glad that she stayed out of the governor's race we can't afford DiFi after Ahnold the governator.

[crystalcakes]

I also am concerned about doing a half - a...ed job with this health care reform. Doing just something isn't necessarily better than doing nothing. It could be a huge waste of money if the job isn't done right and completely. Make sure to let your leaders know your opinion. I often forget to do so, but I'm not going to this time!

[jane gutowski]

Didnt Obama say in one of his trillion speeches before he was elected that all of congress as well as the president would have the same health plan as the rest of us? If this plan is so great why are congress and the president exempt from the same plan the rest of us have?

[Balancement]

Our "representatives" need to contemplate this quote as they continue to defy the will of the people on health care:

"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

[freddiefreeloader]

If you are uninsured or under insured than you are not a good candidate for organ transplant surgery, So if you want universal healthcare than you should not sign the donor part of your drivers licence and advise your familly that you don't want to donate your organs in the event , until the U.S. gets universal healthcare. Why donate to a program that will refuse you their services if you ever need them? Make the rich and well insured have to travel to India to get proper healthcare.

[FreedomAgain]

We need to make lobbying illegal, and somehow get rid of the congress members that accept the bribes. In fact, they should be tried and sentenced for treason. Lobbying is bribing. Its terrible that we criticize other countries, while our own government runs on bribes. Its bad that democratic congress members want to go against the American public's interest in order to get some more bribe money. The democrats finally got power in congress and now they are like "I won't sign, because I want more bribe money". At least republicans are obvious about it. The democratic party should throw these congress members out of the party so that they don't get re-elected.

[RTIII]

Lobbying is not bribing; _campaign_­contributi­ons_ are bribing.

.As for who should do the trowing, WE THE VOTERS must do that.

Try paying attention in the Democratic Primaries -THAT is where we reform our system.
.

[Davwbaird]

You got that right.

[DRaymond]

If health care reform is going to pass it will likely have to do so without a single Republican vote. Of course they will want to talk about needing to have a seat at the table and bipartisanship, but when it really boils down to it none of them will have the nerve to stand up to the possibility of being called a 'socialist' by Rush Limbaugh or in giving Obama a 'win' and will find some excuse whey the final bill is unaccaptable. It will be just like the stimulus.

[layman]

It's Dems on the take, and Rethugs on the take and whoever has financial interests in the related industries.

[epiphany1234]

All three are hard hitting articles -- thank you Messrs Krugman, Westen & Bard.

Pres Obama -- we need to FIGHT the antagonists of the public plan, even those within the Democratic party. I'm formulating a list and will be writing to each one individually. On my list so far are Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Max Baucus, and Dianne Feinstein. Though not a constiuent, I pledge to send as much money as I can to their opponent in the next election if they fail to support single payer public option.

I am sick of the defeatists....get them out of Congress!

[Fredrick Nevins]

You can also put Sen. Mary Landrieu on your list.

[marignymitch]

I hope you're not confusing my right-wing $enator, Mary Landrieu DINO-La., as a centrist Democratic senator.

[1088]

You got that right , Landrieu is a right wing indeed! She voted with Bush 95% of the time.

[houseafire]

Mary Landreu...

Sheesh! She has received a C for the past 2 years and her rating is only at 67% for the year to date of 2009!

Check it out....

http://www.themiddleclass.org/legislator/mary-landrieu-460

[Gmoney1]

the dems have the vote - it's those dems from the repub states and those Hillary Clinton dem backers like Evan Byah and Diane Finstein who seem to be all so critical - makes you want to say ummmmmm -

[Artemis34]

Favor a public option?

Stand with Dr. Dean
http://www.standwithdrdean.com/LastChance

Stand with Sen. Sanders
http://sanders.senate.gov/petitions/index.cfm?uid=7fd59f2e-88e1-477a-8eaf-762a5b050809

[Artemis34]

Stand with Pres. Obama
http://pol.moveon.org/popetition/?rc=homepage

[AlsoSarah]

I am a union member. Everytime we negotiate a contract, health insurance always comes into it. I would like to be able to negotiate contract where this isn't the main concern. I am sure employers feel the same way.

[Bernique]

I agree. Why isn't the U.S. Chamber of Commerce behind this movement to free business from the headaches and expense of health care paper shuffling that the rest of the business world doesn't? They should be leading the way!

[Davwbaird]

The chamber is why I will not join the local chamber. They have their own health plan and that is one of the few things that keeps their members interested in them.

[Davwbaird]

Stand with 65% of the American people.

[RedneckDem]

Just think, universal healthcare could be a perfect excuse for companies that have offshored operations to return to the US. Kinda makes it a patriotic issue now as well...

[Lavafalls]

vie2012ne I'm a Fan of vie2012ne permalink
Most people arguing for single-payor pay no taxes. Seems you should have some "skin in the game" as our invisible vice-President once said ..
==========­==========­==========­========
So explain why do so many doctors support national single payer healthcare?

http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/pnhp_research_the_case_for_a_national_health_program.php

[madatnewsmedia]

I pay plenty of taxes as a single woman, but I still favor a single-payor system! I think private insurance companies have gone amouk and they need to be reigned in! I hope the President doesn't fall for the okie-doke!!

[Davwbaird]

They are crazed getting wealthy off the misery of their fellow country men.