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Kucinich – Then and Now

Remember Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) in 2009 who opposed the House version of ObamaCare containing a public option, because the House bill “put the government in the role of accelerating the privatization of health care.”  He argued that ObamaCare solution is ”within the current structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance system which makes money not providing health care.”  Well, that same Congressman Kucinich has changed and now supports a bill without an explicit public option.  Today Congressn Kucinich announced that he will vote for a bill without a public option.  Dennis Kucinich has shifted from principled leftist to run of the mill Democrat hack.

Kucinch announced that he is going to be a deciding and critical vote for a bill that “the redistribution of wealth to Wall Street at the expense of America’s manufacturing and service economies which suffer from costs other countries do not have to bear, especially the cost of health care.”  According to 2009 Kucinich, “the insurance companies are the problem, not the solution,” yet the 2010 version of Kucinich is going going to vote yes on a health care bill that will empower health care insurers.  Kucinich will vote in favor of a bill to provide “even greater favors for insurance companies.”

To paraprhase liberals media icon, the unhinged and a bit crazy Keith Olbermann of MSDNC - “Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) you are the worst hypocrite in the world.”

Sources below.
Kucinich is a ‘yes’ on health care – Politico – March 17, 2010

Kucinich: Why I Voted NO – November 7, 2009
“After voting against H.R. 3962 – Affordable Health Care for America Act, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement:

“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.”

“Clearly, the insurance companies are the problem, not the solution.  They are driving up the cost of health care.  Because their massive bureaucracy avoids paying bills so effectively, they force hospitals and doctors to hire their own bureaucracy to fight the insurance companies to avoid getting stuck with an unfair share of the bills.  The result is that since 1970, the number of physicians has increased by less than 200% while the number of administrators has increased by 3000%.  It is no wonder that 31 cents of every health care dollar goes to administrative costs, not toward providing care.  Even those with insurance are at risk. The single biggest cause of bankruptcies in the U.S. is health insurance policies that do not cover you when you get sick.

“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.

“By incurring only a new requirement to cover pre-existing conditions, a weakened public option, and a few other important but limited concessions, the health insurance companies are getting quite a deal.  The Center for American Progress’ blog, Think Progress, states “since the President signaled that he is backing away from the public option, health insurance stocks have been on the rise.”  Similarly, healthcare stocks rallied when Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill without a public option. Bloomberg reports that Curtis Lane, a prominent health industry investor, predicted a few weeks ago that “money will start flowing in again” to health insurance stocks after passage of the legislation.  Investors.com last month reported that pharmacy benefit managers share prices are hitting all-time highs, with the only industry worry that the Administration would reverse its decision not to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices, leaving in place a Bush Administration policy.

“During the debate, when the interests of insurance companies would have been effectively challenged, that challenge was turned back.  The “robust public option” which would have offered a modicum of competition to a monopolistic industry was whittled down from an initial potential enrollment of 129 million Americans to 6 million.  An amendment which would have protected the rights of states to pursue single-payer health care was stripped from the bill at the request of the Administration.  Looking ahead, we cringe at the prospect of even greater favors for insurance companies.

“Recent rises in unemployment indicate a widening separation between the finance economy and the real economy.  The finance economy considers the health of Wall Street, rising corporate profits, and banks’ hoarding of cash, much of it from taxpayers, as sign of an economic recovery. However in the real economy — in which most Americans live — the recession is not over.  Rising unemployment, business failures, bankruptcies and foreclosures are still hammering Main Street.

“This health care bill continues the redistribution of wealth to Wall Street at the expense of America’s manufacturing and service economies which suffer from costs other countries do not have to bear, especially the cost of health care.   America continues to stand out among all industrialized nations for its privatized health care system.  As a result, we are less competitive in steel, automotive, aerospace and shipping while other countries subsidize their exports in these areas through socializing the cost of health care.

“Notwithstanding the fate of H.R. 3962, America will someday come to recognize the broad social and economic benefits of a not-for-profit, single-payer health care system, which is good for the American people and good for America’s businesses, with of course the notable exceptions being insurance and pharmaceuticals.”

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COMMENTS

  • ojmo

    that this has nothing to do with good policy and everything to do with getting a “win” for democrats.

    • joayn

      Paul Ryan explains. From Gretawire this morning:

      http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/rep-paul-ryan-what-you-didnt-see-on-on-the-record/

  • LibertarianHawk

    Most politicians commit the sin of hypocrisy — some of them quite frequently.

    But let’s not pretend this is anything but a significant boost to the chances the healthcare debacle will pass.

    Every.Single.Vote.Counts. It is not at all outside the realm of possibility that the final margin here will be just one or two votes either way.

    • treeofliberty

      especially coming from someone who up until recently advertised himself as a principled leftist. Someone who was wrong but still had his integrity. Now Kevin sums it up perfectly: “Dennis Kucinich has shifted from principled leftist to run of the mill Democrat hack.”

      I’m sure Barry HO promised Dennis all sorts of the things but the bigger picture is that the Michael Moore wing nut leftist crowd is more than just wrong, they have abandoned any notion of their vaunted “agenda” as their objections to things like “Patriot Act”, being “Anti War!”, “Close Down Guantanamo!” and now “Public Option!” all go out the window (or under the bus) for saving the Presidency of their Messiah.

      All the young people you know who voted for Obama for those idealistic and naive reasons should def take note of this.

      • LibertarianHawk

        Forget Kucinich and what he is or isn’t. It really doesn’t make a lick of difference to the matter at hand if he’s a hack or a principled leftist. So what’s the point in griping about it?

        His vote is now in the “Yes” column, bringing them that much closer to securing passage. Meanwhile, there are still dozens of Democrats out there we might be able to bring over to the “No” column.

        We should focus on them and forget him. And it’s crunch time.

        My sense is that Kucinich’s switch only matters in terms of his one vote (which, with a tally this close, could be enough). That’s the silver lining here…I don’t look at at the list of fence-sitters and see too many people whose objections mirror his.

      • Brian Darling

        Lets look at the evidence of hypocrisy by “liberals:”
        1. Kucinich no to yes;
        2. Dean “Kill the Bill” to support;
        3. MSDNCs shift to support for a bill that has no public option;
        4. Slaughter Rule after Ds promised most ethical and transparent Congress in History; and,
        5. Tom “Hammer” DeLay (who I love) whipping and arm twisting strategy on steroids.
        Hypocrisy may not be a strong enough word to describe what is going on right now.

  • archer52

    Of course Dennis gave it up. Moral and ethical standards do not exist on the left, especially the radical left. They have only on mantra- “The ends justify the means.”

  • jaydickb

    by Kucinich’s change? His problem with the bill was that it is not far enough left. But, it will move our health care system (and maybe our country) more than half way between where we were BO (before Obama) and the Western Europe socialist model. That’s a lot of movement in the general direction leftists like Kucinich want to go.

    He’d be a fool not to support it. His previous no vote and rhetoric were just posturing; this is the real deal, an opportunity he knew would come.

  • CSUFBomb

    First we had the Louisiana Purchase. Then the Cornhusker Kickback. Let me be the first to deem this the Alien Arm-Twister.

  • bk