Dennis Kucinich: The Lone Ranger

On Sunday morning, I picked up my New York Times and read the front-page headline, "Sweeping Health Care Overhaul Passes the House." I said to myself, "Wow, I can't believe they did it."

President Obama hailed the victory:

We are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America. Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.

It all looked and sounded good to me -- this was the moment we'd been waiting for, right?

House lawmakers voted 220 to 215 to approve the plan. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the bill, one of whom was Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. In a statement on his website, he explained why.

We have been led to believe that we must make our health care choices only within the current structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance system which makes money not providing health care. We cannot fault the insurance companies for being what they are. But we can fault legislation in which the government incentivizes the perpetuation, indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit health insurance industry, the very source of the problem. When health insurance companies deny care or raise premiums, co-pays and deductibles they are simply trying to make a profit. That is our system.

He went on to explain his opposition to the bill.

But instead of working toward the elimination of for-profit insurance, H.R. 3962 would put the government in the role of accelerating the privatization of health care. In H.R. 3962, the government is requiring at least 21 million Americans to buy private health insurance from the very industry that causes costs to be so high, which will result in at least $70 billion in new annual revenue, much of which is coming from taxpayers. This inevitably will lead to even more costs, more subsidies, and higher profits for insurance companies - a bailout under a blue cross.

Congressman Kucinich appeared this morning on Democracy Now, the nationally-syndicated radio and television news program hosted by Amy Goodman.

You can watch the interview here.

 

Comments

[jhink465]

There is an old saw that says people get the government they deserve. The country had a chance to elect Dennis Kucinich a real stateman to the presidency in 2008 but they chose form over substance. I can only hoped that Dennis will take another whack at running for president in 2012. He is the real hope and change that the American people wanted. Sadly, we elected a charlatan who talked a good game but can't or won't walk the walk.

[WorkingClass]

Democrats will not support Kucinich. That is why I am not a Democrat.

[tweedledeedumb]

Looks like there is only going to be one way to get decent health care in this country...­MOVE TO FRANCE!!!

[TommyMcCarthy]

I agree with every one of Kuccinich's arguments except as it pertains to voting "no" on the bill.

The solution is to take what gains we are able to get now and continue to fight for more.

I have a number of problems with the process, the players, and the bill itself...
and, yes, incrementalism and foot dragging are VERY frustrating.

But at this point the alternative to a bill that does not "go far enough" (my own view) is no bill at all.

If the need in your community to eliminate hunger was for 10,000 meals a day, would you OPPOSE legislation that only provided 5000? ........
And if so, how would you explain to the 5,000 who might have been fed that you stood with those who want them to have NOTHING,..­.ever..... "on principle"?

This isn't abstract theory....­.and this is anything BUT a done deal'
Real people...A­mericans..­....YOUR neighbors, are suffering and dying.
What principle could possibly justify standing with the powerul and well funded forces who insist they must continue to do so?

To stand with Lieberman, McConnell, & the insurance lobby for defeat of the bill is counterproductive, and not in the public interest.

Regards
tm

[tweedledeedumb]

What progress? Give the Insurance cos. billions with no new expenses?.­..force people to pay for insurance they disagree with so that the people who already have insurance can get it cheaper, even though they are fighting real reform??? Don't be a simp! Obama is sucking, I'm sorry to say!!!

[TommyMcCarthy]

"tweedledeedumb" Let me understand your position

Your personal preference would be to see the bill NOT implemente­d..and for the system to remain more or less as it is....is that correct?
tm

[zoooni]

absolutely true...i have no insurance.­..i get by ok. i shouldn't be forced into this system!
This is NOT health care reform in Any form;Dennis is right again. And he stood up!

[TRYKER]

Thankfully we have Dennis Kucinich, too bad we can't EVER get behind this guy and hold him up and follow him.
What a country! I am so disgusted I can't stop spitting.

[EndRacismNow]

The two congressman that I know I can trust, even though they have very different opinions, are Kucinich and Ron Paul. They tell the truth and will butt heads with their own party when it goes against their own principles.

[zoooni]

me too!!!

[owleye]

Kucinich is always on the mark going after corporate monopolism in its various incarnations --
the insurance/medical complex, the military/industrial complex, the auto/roadbuilder complex ---
all these special interests that collober the competition. It will take another generation for the average American to understand what Kucinich already knows having been mayor of Cleveland. That
with unregulated free market captialism as practiced in the US, you can rely on private corporations
to provide for the stability and welfare of the citizenry that compose the nation. Health care will have to devolve to the point where the average American realizes he cannot count on his employer -- private enterprise -- to provide effective health care coverage. When that benefit are so low or actually gone and the cost of health care is so high that it destroys the wealth of the employee and impoverishes him -- then you will have the public consensus to change the system which exploits the sick and injured for profit. I applaud him for noting no. And I hope the Senate kills this rigged system that Obama has supported all along. In his campaign, all he ever "promised" was to given
the citizenry the same health benefit as Congress -- the choice of various private plans. It's just like
cell phones. Anyway -- the way this really gets paid for is by the required private health insurance payments of 18 to 30 year olds who don't have insurance now because they can't afford it and their employers

[TRYKER]

So, it really WAS NOT a reform of the Health Care system, it was a give-away to the Insurance Industry AND the Prison Industry!!
How novel...mo­re draconian measures to fill up prisons with fathers and mothers who can't afford to take their kids or themselves to the Dr. WTF? WTF?!!!!! ARRRRGGGHHH!
NOW we get to give MORE of our tax dollars to the Insurance Ind. through these subsidies??!!
Wow, what a public option huh?
It should have been mandated that the ONLY subsidy would be for the govt run public option that absolutely cut out the Insurance criminals.
I do NOT want my tax money going to for profit health Insurance.­..ferchris­sakes.
What is the matter with our Congress?
What is the matter with our once-beloved (rapidly growing into newly-hated) new President that is surely asking for a real big black eye and a ONE TERM fizzle of an administration????
Talk about inciting to riot, what the hell are they thinking?
And now it is going to our illustrious Senate...o­h gawd, they'll really decimate it.
$70 Billion to the criminal Insurance Cos.???
It is sickening.

[owleye]

Yeh -- you just enumerated the reasons that you should move to one 12 other countries that are doing things better than the US. Obama only promised what Congress has -- access to 8 private health insurance plans. So, he's given it to you on plate dripping with income of the young and youthful
who are the source of the money. Millions of new customers.­....... required by law to buy insurance.
Is Congress going to fund the mandate to buy insurance with a few stable, long term jobs?

[Marie62866]

I will not support the President if he signs a Bill that puts more restrictions on a womans right for reproductive health!

[Awake-and-Sing]

Dennis Kucinich is a great man, maybe the only honest and courageous one of the bunch.

When you hear just how much the President is shilling for corporations and just how many campaign pledges he's gone back on, you just might reconsider having voted for a corporate shill like Obama over a true progressive like Kucinich in the Democratic Primary in 2012.

I hope Kucinich challenges Obama in the Democratic 2012 primary because we certainly don't need to renominate another corporate shill.

[owleye]

At least this health care debacle has flushed out how the rigged system of corporate bribery works in the US. Would this country elect a real Progressive. Not until they realize that global capitalism
does not have any interest in American citizens and providing them with jobs, full time, that pay
a living wage, with benefits..­..... It will take a will for this to sink to the American soul. Probably
another 20 years. In the meantime burn your mortgage, stopping paying credit cards and
get off this sinking ship -- Canada, Norway, France, even Germany have it more together.
Move on and out .

[research]

Good explanation of the problems Dennis,

Please work on your Bullet points at the beginning,

so the short attention span folks get the message.

Why Kucinich Voted NO:

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=153995

[snookers]

Oh man, the house "yes" vote has lost all of it luster to me now. If Dennis voted against it, it can not be any good. He is generally right and incorruptible. I adore that man and his principles­/ethics/in­telligence­. He also has a stellar voting record as it applies to animal welfare.

[jmpurser]

As of this morning I do believe that Congressman Kucinich is the lone Democratic voice for the people of the United States in the "People's House" (how bitter an irony in that name).

[zoooni]

yes he is...thank you!

[EndRacismNow]

Good for Kucinich. One of the few honest politicians in congress. Sorry Dems. Your health care bill that you think will save millions of lives and save the economy is just another pay off to corporate America. Wake up! They own both parties. The Repubs are out in the open corporatists while Dems are stealth corporatists. No matter who we pick of the two corrupt parties the American people lose.

[tran23]

He is absolutely right. I'm against the bill for the same reasons as he stated. Why is he the only one with common sense?

[runequester]

He is not. According to the article there are 38 other Democrats with common sense, assuming they are motivated for the same reasons as Rep. Kucinich.

[jmpurser]

No, the others voted against it because, incredibly enough, they think this bill doesn't do ENOUGH to feed the insurance industry.

[Beegood]

Kucinich is often treated like a kook in the media, but he is actually a rare voice of reason in Congress.

[mrkleen]

Dennis Kucinich is a true American hero. He speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves and stands up for what is right whether it is popular or not.

Health Care reform without a single payer option isnt worth the paper it is printed on and will just line the pockets of the same crooks and thieves that this bill is supposed to reform.

It is too big of a political price to pay for the Democrats, for too small a pay off. They should have grown some balls and done it right the first time.

[zoooni]

my sentiments. exactly. when "gov't option" slipped into the rhetoric,didn't anyone notice "single-payer" was never mentioned again?

[JohnFromCensornati]

The interesting thing about this is that almost all of the Republicans voted *against* the insurance companies and most of the Dems voted *for* the Profitable Health Insurance Company Act.

[jmpurser]

The republicans don't want to lose their marketing edge with the corporations. Now that the Democrats are fighting to deliver the same services to the corporations and the wealthy that the GOP has traditionally supplied the GOP feels threatened.