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I mentioned last week that Blanche Lincoln was holding an online chat on health care Saturday. You can watch a replay of the event at this link. And you can see several Arkansans pointedly question the Senator about her opposition to a public option in health care.
Here are some sample comments, taken from the chat:
[Comment From Ray and Judy ]
We are terribly disappointed that you have caved in to the insurance industry and failed to support the public option for health care. It may very well affect our vote for you in the next election.[Comment From Nathan - Rogers ]
As long as hospitals and insurance company executive are paid based on the profits their comapnies make, how can we expect the focus to be on the patient without a public option?[Comment From Jesse Barr, Winslow, AR ]
Changing the rules will not work! The insurance companies will stall and obfuscate and pay any fines as a cost of doing business! Competition is the ONLY way to make the insurance corporations change their behavior![Comment From Shannon, Little Rock ]
Did the bill you supported in the Finance Committee have a public option?[Comment From "Doc" - Fayetteville ]
It seems to me that you are more inclined to keep insurance companies in the health care business than you are to see people provided health care… Please comment. Do insurance companies NEED to sell health care policies to survive?[Comment From Stan Wilson ]
Again why are you opposed to a public option or everyone having the same health care options that you have?
Well over half the comments in this chat referred to Sen. Lincoln’s opposition to a public option. Clearly advocates knew when and where to make their case. And given the fact that Lincoln’s staff controlled which questions made it to the chat, the inclusion of all these questions is striking.
In response, Lincoln basically dodged the questions, saying that there are many ways to provide choice and competition for health insurance and highlighting other aspects of the Finance Committee bill. In one part, she advocated for automatic enrollment for state-based Medicaid systems, which would do a better job of capturing some of those without insurance who are unaware of their options or have trouble negotiating the enrollment forms. But in general, she tried to answer the questions by not answering the questions.
Clearly the health care activism is not subsiding, and individual votes by members of Congress will not be forgotten as we move to an end game on health care.
18 Comments
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Do they vote in her state? Then she is history.
Do they use voting machines? Then watch the bribes flow.
Well, whatta ya expect since Blanche Lincoln is “the 2nd highest recipient of campaign contributions from the health industry among senators this year.” To the tune of $325,350 as of June 30, 2009. More here.
Plantation Blanche will never see poor laborers as folks worthy of care. It simply goes against the grain of the last 100 plus years of her families ability to accumulate and maintain wealth. The real problem, imo, is the incumbent protection racket known as the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Bill Clinton just joined Mike Ross in such protection fundraiser this weekend.
The fix is in.. until we can find a better candidate and support them through thick and thin. I do think Arkansas is as good a place as any in the south for progressives to break down old barriers.
Well, I take great sordid and derisive pleasure and satisfaction that Bleach Blanched Lincoln and her staff took a few on the jaw as reported above.
Sadly, ES, I appreciate your comment and understand what generations of white wealth in da south means in regards to reforms and changes.
We can hope, no? *G*
This doesn’t sound like Blanche was “taken to the woodshed” by any means. Those folks should have jumped on her like white on rice, but they didn’t. Or at least the comments that made it through to her (in public) did not seem to be that big a deal at all.
I’d love to have seen the ones that didn’t make it to the public session.
Vote Blanche out next time.
You residents of Arkansas have made your wishes plane.There’s only one thing left to do.
Best of Luck to you.I truly mean that.
It’s like US senators don’t know the difference between a mascot and a player.
Or, as David Sirota would put it: Blanche Lincoln, Harry Reid, Baucus, Conrad, et all are not playing for the Democratic Party. They are playing for the Money Party.
“…there are many ways to provide choice and competition for health insurance…”
Isn’t it a lot easier to just say, “stroke job?”
Any recent polls on how she is liked in her state? Does she have a Primary Challenger? A smart GOP would send in a pro Public option candidate If that were to happen she would lose and the Blue Dogs would get the blame for lossng the Dems a seat…for being out of touch with Main Stream America.
AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen David Dayen and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
As we are all well aware now since at least 1992, Arkansas has maybe the most corrupt state politics in BOTH parties in the entire country so I have been advocating givin’ the seat to a Republican…don’t try to primary her sorry ass ‘cuz whoever runs against ‘er will only solidify her position on the ballot and kill their own chances for office in the future. Give the seat to the fascists and get the Democratic Party cleaned out of Clintonistas. By the way, hasn’t the Big Dog promised to show up and raise money for this pathetic creature?
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE!!
A quick count shows seven comments strongly public option, two against and four that don’t lead to a conclusion in either direction. If Blanch really wants to keep her job she is not going to be able to filibuster.
These comments raised questions that the best of us here could have asked. Which means that yes we not Rahm represent the Norm.
Lefty is the new Majority (sob) we are no longer outsiders!…though we are still ignored by the Elite Pols and Press who nobody is following.
Maybe the questioners are FDL lurkers.
Citizen ThingsComeUndone:
It’s really time that Democrats stopped supporting Blue Dogs and fascist fellow travelers. Don’t primary her sorry ass, just reorganize the state party and spend the money on local and statewide office holders. The Democrats don’t need 60 votes if 8-9 of ‘em are invulnerable to pressure from their own constituents and they will be unless the grassroots stops votin for ‘em. Let ‘er switch parties…best thing that could happen to the Democratic Party in Arkansas.
Hey now! I thought the Arkansas state motto was “the people rule”………I’m very disappointed in bubba.
I just emailed Sen. Lincoln that I was disappointed that she was only #2 in the insurance whore race this year and that if I were her mother I’d slap her upside the head. She can take that any way she wants.
The situation in Arkansas sounds similar to that in my deep south state. Though we have a vibrant Liberal element we can’t get our candidates nominated because the money is in the Blue Dogs. We end up voting for the Dem candidate on the basis that a Blue Dog is better than a Republican. And a lot of us have supported the party with our less than big wealth and in particular as volunteers. The Rham Emanuel party is not on our side. What suggestions are there out there as to how to change this?
Good on you. Do let us know what she responds.