Remember "cost containment"? Remember the whole reason for the public option in healthcare reform? Labor does, and they're reminding Washington of why it's important. In an interview with Sam Stein in Pittsburgh this weekend, Richard Trumka, the secretary-treasurer and likely next president of the AFL-CIO warned that "big labor may pull its support from Democrats who don't fight for a government-run insurance plan." Maddow followed up with that report last night, and Gerry Shea from the AFL-CIO reiterated the message on the Nancy Scheiderman show.
MADDOW: Sam Stein of "The Huffington Post" today posted an interview with you in which you said that Democrats who vote against a public option for health care reform shouldn’t necessarily count on any support from labor when they were up for re-election. Is the public option a do or die for labor?
TRUMKA: Absolutely. Without the public option, this bill instead of being health insurance reform, it will become health insurance company grab number two.
TRUMKA: Without a public option in this bill, it’s no longer health insurance reform.
TRUMKA: Republicans are out to protect the insurance industry. They’re not standing with the American worker, the American public. The American public is demanding this bill, and any politician I think that votes against the public option does so at his or her own peril.
TRUMKA: And the public option, by the way, will allow people to vote with their feet. When these companies keep increasing prices and the quality goes down, they’ll be able to walk away and go somewhere where they can get quality health care.
TRUMKA: We’re only going to get one bite at this apple. And if we pass a weak bill that’s not going to break the stranglehold that those insurance companies have over the health care industry, we’re not going to get another shot at it for a number of years.
TRUMKA: The American public, Democrat, independent and Republican, wants action now and that must include a public option because without it, health insurance reform becomes a health insurance company grab for the insurance companies.
DR. NANCY: Joining us now is Gerry Shea, who is the AFL-CIO’s lead health care advocate. Strong words from the AFL-CIO, not only what you’re putting out there publicly, but also on your web site.
SHEA: Dr. Snyderman, health care cost control is the do or die issue for us. Public plan is the current only policy proposal in Congress that would give us short-term cost-containtment. That’s the issue. It’s not some holy cow question about a public plan — if somebody else had a better idea, they should come forward with it, but nobody has. This co-op, no one takes seriously, the idea that the co-op would control costs.
DR. NANCY: Would you follow up with your threat against Democrats who don’t vote for a public option, assuming this co-op idea still floats?
SHEA: You know, our decisions on who to endorse are made locally not nationally, and those endorsements are based on people’s policy record. Our people feel very strongly, because, I said, this is a do or die issue...we need comprehensive action. So yes, it will be a big issue in how people decide who to endorse at the local level.
Carrots and sticks have always been the key levers for political activists, particularly progressive activists. Good to see both are being put to work.