Senator Feinstein, Stop Nay-Saying On Health Reform

In the last few days, there has been a significant shift in the political winds in Washington towards real health care reform, with a robust public health insurance option at its heart. The last thing we need is someone nay-saying that reform won't pass. Let's take a look at the landscape.

First, two polls from respected news organizations were released almost simultaneously, both showing strong support for a public health insurance option. The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll showed 76% in favor of the choice of public health insurance, and the New York Times/CBS poll showed 72% favor that same choice. As Nate Silver, polling guru and most accurate forecaster of the 2008 elections, put it, "Overall, polling points toward the public option being at least mildly popular and indeed perhaps quite popular."

Second, proposals in Congress are moving in the direction of offering Americans this choice that they clearly want. On Friday, the three committees in the House with jurisdiction over health care, endorsed by the House leadership, came out with a great bill, with everything we wanted in it.

Third, the Senate is moving in the right direction, however slowly. Kent Conrad, the author of the co-op proposal, is working with Chuck Schumer to figure out how a co-op could become a public health insurance option that meets our principles:

Schumer and other backers of a public option insist that any plan must be national in scope, have substantial funding at the beginning from the federal government, and include national purchasing power in order to negotiate lower prices.

Conrad ticked off the areas of agreement that were reached Monday.

"National structure: I believe to be effective there has to a national entity with state affiliates and those affiliates have to have the ability to regionalize. I think his concern there can be addressed," said Conrad. "Second, he believes there needs to be national purchasing power. I think that's a good point that the national entity would be able to do purchasing on behalf of the state and regional affiliates and on behalf of the national entity itself."

The HELP Committee is currently marking up a bill as well, moving the process along.

And finally, President Obama, the President with a 63% approval rating, is campaign hard for a public health insurance option. He went up against a somewhat hostile crowd at the AMA's annual meeting to promote his helath care plan, and he's going on national television for two hours tomorrow night to answer questions on it.

So why, in the face of all this momentum for a public health insurance option from the House, the Senate, the White House, and the American people, is Senator Dianne Feinstein going on TV and saying something like this?

President Barack Obama may not have enough votes in the U.S. Senate to pass his effort to overhaul the nation's health-care system, California Democrat Dianne Feinstein said.

"I don't know that he has the votes right now," Feinstein said today on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "I think there's a lot of concern in the Democratic caucus." Controlling costs of the new system is a "difficult subject."

Where's the concern in the Democratic caucus? The people want reform, the House wants reform, the Senate is moving in the right direction, and the President is out promoting his plan. What concern?

The statement about having the votes is curious, too, because as it looks to me, we don't have the votes in the House for anything less than real reform, or so says Speaker Pelosi.

Why, then, is Feinstein insisting on being a nay-sayer on health reform? Honestly, the only people saying health care may not pass are hard-core conservatives and Feinstein. Even the insurance industry says it wants health care to pass!

Health Care for America Now is working to get to the bottom of this question. Our field partners in California are making sure she's hearing from her constituents on this issue, including office visits and hundreds of calls every day. They've got thousands of signatures on a petition asking Feinstein to support a public health insurance option. And they're going door to door to tell voters in California about health reform and Feinstein's positions. Given the pressure her constituents are putting on her, who is Feinstein representing here?

There's no reason for Senator Feinstein to be a nay-sayer on health care, especially given the political climate in Washington right now. So why is she? If you want to know the answer to this question yourself, give her a call at [phone]. I'd be very interested to hear her explanation.

Feinstein needs to stop nay-saying on health care. Real reform will pass this year, because we can't afford to wait any longer. Senator Feinstein should help make history, instead of standing in the way.

(also posted at the NOW! blog)

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: www.twitter.com/j_ro

Comments

[JRsNana]

She's owned by the Health Insurance companies. Plain and simple. When Democrats start talking like this, look at their political contributions list. Quite a story there.

[noneIn2008]

Progressives can thank Obama for getting action. Obama has accomplished in months, things that Reid and Pelosi just talked about for years. Finally some competence in the progressive movement.

[CherokeeGirl]

First they tried to bully us by killing Single Payer and taking it off the table. People were removed from "Open" discussions on health care by Max Baucus because they represented the Single Payer Option. That to me, if I lived in Montana, would be enough to get out and campaign against Baucus for a young blood dem who's on the same page as the American people. He's gone, mark my words.

Second, they received massive emails and letters and phone calls from constituents and started to bend. The president came out for a Public Plan and now they are working on him to drop it.

Choose carefully Senators, we are watching. I will never vote for Feinstein again and I've voted for her for years. When she comes out and says something like that, what she really means is it's not gonna happen. After a year and a half of watching these people lie and manipulate, I've got a keen eye.

Barbara Boxer is smart, she supports the Public Plan and is soliciting funds from her constituents instead of PACS and Lobbies. Now's when the men are separated from the boys, the brave from the cowardly. The owned from the independant. Some will get it, some won't. The ones that don't...

THROW THE BUMS OUT!

[steve100]

she broke the straw that is the public plans back,she did it because shes owned by insurance companies,she did what people like benson and landrieu couldnt because they were being watched by liberal groups,so she did us in for the insurance industry....its called a bait and switch tactic...used by crooks

[USA1776]

Phone lines busy in her Washington Office. I called the CA office and asked why isn't DF supporting EFCA, a public health care option AND is Dianne Feinstein still a Democrat? How on earth does she expect to keep her seat?

[naschkatze]

Don't leave us hanging. What was the reply?

[mgray34]

I just got through watching Michael Moore's movie "Sicko." This is a powerful movie and I recommend that everyone sees it if they haven't already. If anyone is believing the hype that the US has the best healthcare system in the world, then see this movie and get back to me! The comparisons of the Universal Healthcare systems in Canada, France and England vs. the healthcare system here will blow you away. For all you non Michael Moore fans, no doubt that he has an agenda in his story telling, but Houston, we definitely have a serious problem here in the US.

[KevinLoyalAmerican]

I am from California - Ms. Feinstein is dangerously close to being on the "vote the hell out of office" hit list.

She has been spending way too much time behaving like a Republican't over the last two years - just like her buddy Joe "I'm all about me" Lieberman.

[Sayhar]

Hey all. You can demand a public option and get your name on TV.
http://WeWantThePublicOption.com

Here's the ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a06vMlLwKUc

[medic628]

We are paying for the people's health care that are saying no to reform. Let stop paying for theirs. The ones that are the most against it are probably getting the most money from corporate medicine and insurance companies. The sicker we are kept, the more they make. Can you say GREED boys and girls.

[EdCoughlin]

She has been against employee free choice, against this health care proposal, for many Bush policies...but the fact is unless she decides to move to something else (like the governor's race) there is almost no chance of a primary opponent taking her on and winning so Di Fi is all we're going to get for another 2-3 terms before she retires.

If only we could just clone Barbara Boxer for the second senate seat in California. Baring that maybe Gavin Newsom would have a chance after a term as governor, or Jerry Brown (isn't Senator just about the only job Brown HASN'T had in California now?)

[lisa010]

It's not just her! It's bizarre actually.

I can't figure out why MANY people are saying that this won't get done.

No plan is going to be perfect, but it has to start somewhere.

Get with the program I say and get it done.

I say no health care for them (even if they can afford it) until it's done.

Maybe then they'll know how other very hardworking Americans feel who've lost their healthcare.

[DrFitz]

"So why, in the face of all this momentum for a public health insurance option from the House, the Senate, the White House, and the American people, is Senator Dianne Feinstein going on TV and saying something like this?"

Great freaking question since having a heavyweight senior Senator from a solid blue state undermine this rather than busting her ass GETTING the votes is pretty much political suicide. Here's my guess: she's decided both not to run for Governor and to retire from the Senate after her current term. Given all the times she sold out on torture and surveillance issues when Bush was still in office, she's on a very thin thread with progressives. So she must have decided she's done after this term. I'm guessing she's also said as much in private to Villaraigosa and that's why he bailed on running for governor in favor of waiting to run for her vacated Senate seat. That's the only possible explanation for taking a position she knows will make voters in California go ballistic.

[Manx]

Feinstein and her husband are extremely wealthy and can afford the best health insurance money can buy. Her opposition to health-care reform is just another one of her let-them-eat-cake moments.

[bebecca]

I thought the "total lack of empathy" trait was only rampant in republicans.

[BBackSoon]

No that seems to be truly a bipartisan attribute.

[luckynewman13]

Feinstein does not work for you, She works for Senator Feinstein and he people who fund Senator Feinstein's career.

[gerrysue]

I agree with everyone who believes she is the worst Senator to support progressive or democrat causes.
She is always in the group of Democrats that supported George Bush. She couldn't stand to see the surplus and voted to give the tax cuts to the wealthy. ( Self serving ).
Regarding the failure to support the Public Health Care Option I wrote to her and asked her why she is going against 72 % of the American citizens who want the Public Health Care Option. I said she should stop standing with the Republicans who are down to a low 36% approval rating. I have also told her she should stop running as a Democrat and change her true party affiliation and list herself as a Republican..