Kent Conrad Bashes Media Portrayal Of Reconciliation, Defends Passage Of Health Reform

Plum Line:

In an interview with me just now, Senator Kent Conrad tore into the media for repeatedly botching its reporting on reconciliation, and confirmed that in his view, the current plan being entertained by Obama and Dems to pass reform via that tactic can, in fact, be made to work.

Conrad, the budget committee chair, also offered his most detailed explanation yet for why the House must pass the Senate bill first, before the Senate passes its reconciliation fix.

Read the whole story: Plum Line

Comments

[helonias]

09:22 AM on 03/02/2010

Ezek. 16:49ff. "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it."

[Dosadi]

05:40 PM on 03/02/2010

You are dangerous to those who would lie and spin. Fanned.

[OleLadySquawking]

08:40 AM on 03/02/2010

I wish the GOP could explain excactly why an elected official like Cheney deserves good affordable health care that keeps the Grim Reaper at bay not once, but five times, while the little guy who voted for him struggles to survive even one swipe of the scythe because he can't afford basic care.

What is offered to the elected officials on the Hill to keep them alive, should be a right offered to all Americans.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life..."

You can't have "life" if you don't have your health.

[helonias]

09:20 AM on 03/02/2010

Luke 16:19-25. "Now there was a certain rich man named Dick and he was, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.'
But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony...'"

[EmmaJ76]

08:09 AM on 03/02/2010

Some valid points made. There has been a very real twisting of the reconciliation process. What I have seen, the right have named it as one thing and most of the media have gone along with it unchallenged. No one has stood up (or hardly anyone) and said "wait a minute" - unless you see that Maddow and Stewart both looked at reconciliation.

Yet this is just another in a long line of distortions that the media do not, as their duty is to do as the fourth estate, question of call people up - there seems to be a complete crumbling of the basics in research and balanced portrayal - too often politicians are allowed to say somethign and their words remain unchallenged.

[MakersMark]

05:33 AM on 03/02/2010

I heard Conrad when he talked about this on Sunday morning, and I understood it.

What is wrong with the US media, do they only hear what they want to hear or do they hear things they way they want to hear them? Imo, they hear things through Republican ears, and the slant is always Republican.

[Dosadi]

05:42 PM on 03/02/2010

Republicans are the party of the corporations. The corporations do not want their gravy train to end so they post memos to their media sl@ves to not challenge the republican lies.

[hippie4ever]

03:12 AM on 03/02/2010

I could have sworn Conrad was a republican. He sabotaged HCR like a republican, made lots of uninformed, stupid comments and sold out the voters who got him elected.

Hope he gets voted out soon.

[suese]

12:51 AM on 03/02/2010

You can't fool anyone now.

When can this guy be replaced.

There's gotta be a real Democrat there to run against him and replace him.

[MartyJo]

12:19 AM on 03/02/2010

Really!.... Where the he// was Conrad when the temperaature was boiling?

[City of Evil]

11:33 PM on 03/01/2010

Hey Kenny boy... The House and Senate both already passed very similar bills. You lost ONE Senate seat, but you still have a solid majority. If you blow it NOW, you'll have nobody to blame but yourselves. Yeah, the US press sucs. Quit whining like a little girl and do your job.

[MikeDu]

11:53 PM on 03/01/2010

"...nobody to blame but yourselves"
... AND the lunatic fringe obstructionists blocking it at every turn. Don't forget them. This is just what the RNC wants to see', the Dems to get th blame for THEIR constant dirty politics.

Whenever 'hillary care' is mentioned its always in the context of Clinton failing to pass it, never in the context of the obstructionist right killing it. Enjoy your 24% Blue Cross rate ike next month.

[City of Evil]

02:33 AM on 03/02/2010

Blaming the GOP is just one of those things that goes without saying. If I were to talk about all the outrages they commit every day, I'd never get any work done.

My point is: the Democrats can do this right now if they want it. If the goppers win, it'll be because the Democrats let them.

[Mafdet]

11:22 PM on 03/01/2010

Blah blah blah blah.

Here's what every graduate of the 3rd grade knows: The Dems have a clear majority in the House and Senate and if they only had the public good and a spine on top of that, health care reform would have been accomplished by August 2009.

In other words, Sen Conrad, it's not that we don't understand the current plan to put healthcare legislation to a straight-forward vote NOW. It's that we don't understand why you didn't do it in the FIRST PLACE. the media has nothing to do with how we now perceive you and yours.

[CoronaDischarge]

11:02 PM on 03/01/2010

Rachel Maddow did a good job tonight explaining the new Republican lie about the "nuclear option" being about reconciliation. In fact in the past the "nuclear option" that the Republicans used to threaten was modifying filibuster rules. To be calling the Democratic use now the "nuclear option" is disingenuous (like that's new to them) when in fact reconciliation is what Republicans have used any number of times to circumvent Democratic opposition in the past.

[EmmaJ76]

08:10 AM on 03/02/2010

Yeah I saw that show and Maddow did a great job on showing the distortions of the rights portrayal of reconciliation and that the rest of the media had not picked up on this.

[Seattlelite]

10:44 PM on 03/01/2010

I've got an idea Senator, why don't you Democrats get this friggin thing done and you won't have to worry about the media. Everyday this drama continues is another nail in dem's coffins!

[vinny]

10:39 PM on 03/01/2010

We now have 30 Senators who have signed the letter to pass the Public Option.

http://whipcongress.com/?action_id=3065582&akid=.512253.M8bMyx

Keep the pressure on. Write your senators. Demand an up or down vote.

[max hp]

10:36 PM on 03/01/2010

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A PUBLIC OPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

............................................................. DON'T REFORM WITHOUT IT ...............................................................

Let our Congressional leaders clearly understand that lack of a condition-free Public Option in any successful Health Care Reform legislation will have negative consequences in the upcoming election.

Health Care Reform is MEANINGLESS without a strong condition-free PUBLIC OPTION, with clear unrestricted path to SINGLE PAYER.

A Public Option must be administered by the Federal Government.
A Public Option must be available to anyone who wants it, effective immediately.
A Public Option must be available to anyone, irrespective of Pre-Existing Conditions
A Public Option must be available to anyone at affordable rates.
A Public Option must be available to anyone whether employed or not.
A Public Option must be available to anyone whether his/her employer offers it or not.
A Public Option must NOT have any conditions placed on it by any private or for-profit entities.
A Public Option must NOT restrict anyone from opting in or out of it.
A Public Option must NOT be restricted from evolving into Single Payer.

A Public Option, and ultimately Single Payer, must be fully financed from federal taxes.

A Public Option must be made mandatory for ALL government employees, including Congress.

.......................ELIMINATE THE ANTITRUST EXEMPTION FOR INSURANCE COMPANIES.......................

~~~~~~IT'S WHAT WE WANT ~~~~ IT'S WHAT WE NEED ~~~~ IT'S WHAT WE CAN AFFORD~~~~~

........................................... THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A PUBLIC OPTION ....................................... ************************************************************************************************************

[Kache]

12:04 AM on 03/02/2010

Dream on. No "Public Option" has been proposed - ever - in either chamber that is "available to anyone who wants it". The "Public Option" in the House bill, and the one that was in the Senate bill, would be available to only 13 million people according to the CBO.

On the other hand, opening the same insurance to all persons that federal employees get is in both bills and was passed by the Senate. That insurance is government run. But, alas, it is not called by the magic words "Public Option" so people like you are totally unaware that it is there. But that's OK, as long as you keep screaming for a worthless Public Option it keeps the Rethugs as confused as you are and unable to strip this much better plan out.

Keep up the good work, and stay alert - the world needs more lerts.

[socalgal38]

01:14 AM on 03/02/2010

Yeah i looked up that site to see about that government plan and found out they are not enrolling anyone at this time. Won't do much good if nobody can sign up for that plan either.

[Okieborn]

10:13 PM on 03/01/2010

Conrad must think the American citizenry have a short memory span !!
Conrad, Lincoln, Baucus, Landrieu, Lieberman and the rest of the fill my coffers and I will forget the moral issues gang, aren't about to concede to a public option or anything else that will take away from their bosses the Lobbyist for the Healthcare Industry !!
No Senators we haven't forgotten !!

[rad21]

09:46 PM on 03/01/2010

These guys all play on their nuanced language to play all sides of the issue.

The elected representatives work their forked-tongue so smoothly.