President Obama met with Dennis Kucinich and a bunch of other progressives in the WH today to discuss healthcare reform. All of those individuals had voted in the past on the bill, with the exception of Mr. Kucinich.
Obama and Progressives
To those of you who don't know, Mr. Kucinich had sponsored an amendment that would allow states to have single payer systems on their own without allowing the federal government to step in. That amendment was pulled from the House bill.
President Obama, however, noted that a version of his amendment was placed in the Senate Bill by Sen. Sanders of Vermont. It's just kicked down the road for a slightly longer time.
Of those, only Kucinich voted no, but Christensen and Bordallo don't have a vote on the House floor. None of the members, including Kucinich, indicated that they would vote any differently this time around. "I think [Kucinich] left the meeting leaving the impression with the president that he's a no-go," said Schakowsky.
But said one attendee, Obama pointed Kucinich toward single-payer language that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was able to get into the bill. Kucinich fought for an amendment that would allow states to adopt single-payer systems without getting sued by insurance companies. Obama told Kucinich that Sanders's measure was similar but doesn't kick in for several years. "He definitely wrote it down," said one member of Kucinich, suggesting that he'd look into it.
Ironically, as noted above, despite President Obama's efforts, Mr. Kucinich is still heading towards a no vote on the legislation. Why? I don't think anyone knows. The bill isn't meant to be finished. Social Security wasn't finished when it was passed and neither is this. This bill is a FOUNDATION. You can build off it. That's the point.
Here's Dennis' Contact info in D.C.:
Washington Office
2445 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone (202)225-5871
Fax (202)225-5745
Ask him why he's going to vote no, despite the fact that a version of his amendment is in the bill, and despite the fact that Bernie Sanders found it okay to pass.