Centrist Senators Say They Oppose Health Care Bill

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Washington Post

The morning after voting to commence debate on ground-breaking health care legislation, two centrist senators, Ben Nelson and Joseph I. Lieberman, said on Sunday that they were opposed to the bill as it is currently written, particularly its inclusion of a new government-run insurance program.

Mr. Nelson, the Nebraska senator who voted with his fellow Democrats to start debate sometime after Thanksgiving, said that he was opposed to the bill’s insistence on a so-called public option — a government insurance plan that would compete with private firms to offer coverage for uninsured Americans. While the bill gives states the right to opt out of a public option, Senator Nelson said he would only support a bill that required states to opt in, a step that would stretch out the time that such a program could be broadly enacted. Such a provision would allow for more “state-based solutions” to issues of health care coverage, he said in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.”

“I don’t want a big government, Washington-run operation program that undermine the private insurance that 200 million Americans now have,” he said.

He added that if the public option remained in the bill in its present form, he would refuse to stop an expected Republican filibuster. Because he is one of the 60 votes the Democrats had counted on to prevent a filibuster, his statement could dampen the enthusiasm for Democrats still exulting over their ability Saturday evening to come together on a crucial procedural vote and launch debate. . . .

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/health/policy/23talkshows.html?_r=1&hp

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I don't consider either Nelson or Lieberman to be "centrist." They are corporate tools, just like Grassley and other so-called "centrists."

Of course, Lieberman's well-deserved reputation here at DU is particularly justified.

I suspect the Dems will have to go nuclear on this one to get it done.

[olegramps]

1. If they don't support the Democratic Party then strip them of their chairmanships.

Pull out any financial support and back anyone who will run against them in the primaries. It is time to play hardball with these worthless bastards and bitches. Tell Lieberman to go suck McCain's dick.

[Bitwit1234]

5. Why cant' we start our own anti anti group the way the republicans

did with the tea bags.

[Iowa]

19. That will never happen because the corps are calling the shots...

The Dems would have castrated these turds by now if they were committed to reforming health care (or any other reform that truly matters). Lieberman, Nelson, and company are just convenient excuses to pass this do-nothing, corporate written "reform". Our useless Congress and our sell-out president are nothing but theater. The corps are in charge.

[ixion]

2. In other words, they don't want the taxpayers to have access to the same policies that

government employees, such as Senators Nelson and LIEberman have.

It's good for them, bad for us.

[left is right]

3. I wish we could find a different way of saying that

I am a government employee. My insurance isn't all that great. The only advantage I have is that I have a choice of which company to go with and whether to go with the standard plan or the premium plan.
I can choose whether to work soley to pay may insurance premium and have pretty decent coverage or I can choose between varying degres of not all that great. I chose a medium high standard of not all that great. I could have save money on premiums and had really terrible coverage but I am worth the extra $38.00 a pay period.

[saracat]

6. I don't agree with them but this bill won't give us that access anyway.

None of the Senate or house seem to want us to have that. However it is pathetic to see them carry on about the crums this provides. If they were opposing Stupak or the removal of theclause eliminating the anti trust protection for the isurance companies, they might have an ethical stance but the public option? They are not only venal but stupid. Sigh. Maybe the Admin will give them something they want, or they will pass this without them.

[mddem9850]

4. God I hate those guys

[PSPS]

7. HAHA. Now they're anointed as "centrist" by the corporate media.

But, at this stage, I don't care anymore. This "reform bill" has turned into a joke and deserves to be scuttled.

[The Wizard]

8. Who labeled them centerists?

They're right wing hypocrites disguised as Democrats. As fence sitters they position themselves to exploit and extort weak members of both parties.

[spooky3]

11. totally agree - at least w/r/to Lieberman. And both are owned by corp. interests.

[Ed76638]

9. Corporatist. The word is corporatist.

I don't EVER want to see the word "centrists' again.

[get the red out]

10. I wish we had leadership in the Senate

Instead of a Casper Milk-Toast. These guys need to be dealt with in a HARSH way by Senate leadership or everything we have accomplished is toast and the entire failure of the Bush administration will be forgotten by the people of this nation in about a minute, if that. I am sick of them. If we don't get a health care bill that has some kind of public option I worry about the Republicans getting control of EVERYTHING again and then no more positive legislation will ever be accomplished. And if they win in 2012 we get living fucking hell on earth, theocracy, war with Iran, massive unemployment that would make what we have look good.

I hate Republicans, they must be defeated, they are currently the most horrific force at work on this planet, and their Democratic supporters aren't far behind in wretchedness, these two pieces of vile shit calling themselves Democrats must be stripped of all chairmanships and made absolutely nothing in the Democratic Party. They are scum.

[patrice]

12. Calling my red Senators isn't going to help, so I hope to see lists here

of whom I should call and when.

[Ian David]

13. They're not centrists, they're whores. All we're doing is haggling over the price. n/t

[ooglymoogly]

14. Calling them centrist is like calling Mussolini a centrist.

Right = all lies, all the time, propaganda to promote corporate fascism on how to bleed the country and keep the proles in poverty

"Centrist" = An Orwellian term invented by corporate media, the right disguised with truthiness, back and forth, in and out of reality wherever the money is and who is paying the most, not caring a whit for the citizens of this country, letting money decide on what side they are step'n out.

Left progressive = searching for the truth and ways to help folks understand reality and how to turn that into good government for all and not just, less than 1% of the population.

[krispos42]

15. Fine, vote against it after cloture n/t

[Deb]

16. There isn't enough in it for them personally?

What utterly shameful legacies to leave behind. I feel for their families.

[Odin2005]

17. Not "Centrists, CORPORATE COCKSUCKERS!!!

[high density]

18. As they enjoy their "big government, Washington-run" paid-by-us insurance plans

:crazy:

[pmorlan1]

20. They Aren't "Centrists"

The establishment media continues to promote the fallacy that conservative Dems are centrists or moderate - nothing could be further from the truth.

[kirby]

21. Funny how...

Funny how they are never for 'opt-in' when it comes to Telemarketing, Privacy Rights, Data Collection, Junk Mail, Credit Agency, Medical History, etc...

[Robb]

22. I know how hard it is to find the right word sometimes.

The word they're looking for isn't quite "centrist."

It's "asshole."

[t0dd]

23. Reconciliation may be the only option

If the public option is replaced with a trigger or an opt-in, I can't see Sanders, Feingold, or Burris supporting it. So it wouldn't even matter if we picked up Snowe and Collins. In addition, I can't see it passing the House either with such provisions.

[dflprincess]

25. On Thom Hartmann's "Brunch with Bernie" segment

Senator Sanders said he wouldn't support just anything. He expects there to be a strong public option if he's going to vote for it - though he didn't draw a clear line in the sand about what would make him not support it (outside of no public option being in it).

[FVZA_Colonel]

24. Hell, we only need 50 votes if Biden does the tie-breaker.

Hopefully, they won't bend-over too far to please them...

[Stumbler]

26. Boy, this sure is annoying

1. To echo everyone else, these two are not "centrists," they are "corporate whores."
2. Despite what the media may claim, many of us want Single Payer, or Medicare for Everyone, not the pathetic excuse of a corporate-giveaway this bill has become.
3. If it's this difficult to pass health care reform, which btw is backed by 70%+ of the US population, how the hell are we going to do a thing regarding clean energy, campaign finance reform, trade reform, or reforming our War on Drugs?

I tell you, as much as I hated having (R)s in power, at least they got s--t done, no matter how detrimental or unpopular.

[EFerrari]

27. The NYTs is so sad.

[Truth2Tell]

31. +1 nt

[and-justice-for-all]

28. They are not centerist, they are fucking repuke pigs! nt

[paulk]

29. if they support a Republican filibuster

they should be kicked out of the caucus and stripped of thier chairmanships.

Vote against the bill if you need to, but don't prevent that vote from happening - that's the line the party needs to draw...

[bookman]

30. How Many?

How many 60 vote hoops do we have to jump through to get a bill passed?

[LeftishBrit]

32. Anyone who is against a public option is not 'centrist' in my view...

they are to the Right of British Tories.

[mvd]

33. They aren't centrist; people like Nelson are "conservative Democrats"

Moderate Democrats = President Obama, Bob Casey Jr., Debbie Stebenow, etc.

Progressives have compromised enough. It is now Nelson and Lieberman holding up progress. At that rate, we'll get no bill because progressives won't vote for a more watered down bill (I wouldn't.) We would need to do reconciliation, and don't know if Reid would do it. Sad thing is, Nelson and Lieberman probably would be fine with no bill.