Thursday, October 29th, 2009...11:46 am
Grijalva Still Pushing for “Robust” Public Option
TPM reports that our man Raúl Grijalva was not present at the “unveiling” of the health care bill, but that he is pushing for an amendment to give it a stronger public option. Grijalva’s statement to Brian Beutler of TPM:
I am not rolling over. I will insist on a Medicare-plus-five amendment on the Floor so that the full Caucus can vote on it. We are hopeful that the Rules Committee will allow this amendment, which has tremendous public support, to be voted on for the record.
UPDATE: I received a longer statement from Grijalva’s office. That is after the jump.
Congressman Grijalva today announced his deep disappointment that a robust public option was not included in the House version of health care reform legislation released earlier today. He said he would fight for a floor vote on including a robust plan in the bill, which will require approval by leadership and the Rules Committee.
“The best way to structure any public option would be to have sensible, consistent standards, with maximum transparency for taxpayers,” said Grijalva. “The robust version of the public option paying a fair and consistent Medicare-plus-five rate nationwide would undoubtedly achieve those goals. I will push to allow for a vote on a robust public option amendment, because the American people deserve that vote.”
As the process moves forward, Grijalva said, several important measures must be included in any final bill. “We must cap any negotiated rates to achieve more affordable costs for consumers,” he said. “At the same time, we must ensure that all Americans, not just those in certain parts of the country, will be allowed to participate in the public option. This means that opt-out, at the state level, is unacceptable.”
Any successful plan, Grijalva said, “must be one that medical providers can believe in and will join confidently from day one. Any plan based on a trigger will fail.”
The final bill, he said, should do much more than create a public option. “The American people must have a guarantee that health insurance is given the same legal status as the rest of the economy. Completely removing the anti-trust exemption currently enjoyed by the industry must be a priority.”
12 Comments
October 29th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
He’s gotta have 218 votes and everything I see indicates the votes aren’t there. So why does he wants to put folks on the record with a vote that can do nothing but hurt in next year’s election? Do you really think Gabby Giffords, Ann Kirkpatrick, and Harry Mitchell want that vote?
October 29th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
‘i’ before ‘e’ except
after c,
and when it says ‘ay’ as in neighbor and weigh,
and when the weird foreigners seized the leisure suits that fit their height.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Darnit…that is always the one I mess up.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
If we give recalcitrant Democrats cover by not insisting they stand up and be counted, we become enablers. I am not willing to enable these Democrats to take cover when the numbers show that more than 60% of voters support this – and that doesn’t even take into consideration the moral imperative or providing health care for everyone rather than outrageous profits and protection for the insurance industry!! Reminds of me of Marie Antoinette who just “didn’t get it” and suggested that if people couldn’t get bread they could eat cake – and we know what happened to her!!
October 29th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I’ve been really impressed with Congressman Grijalva’s persistence. If he hadn’t stepped up to begin with, we might not even have a weaksauce public option we’ll probably get.
I’m also in favor of holding democrats to a vote on this because it’s probably that important. Grijalva recognizes that healthcare reform which does nothing to control costs just robs the American people and gives it to insurance companies.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Good work Comrade Raul!!
October 30th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Francine, I’m with you, and I’d like to see the polling results for Medicare+5.
Raul rules!
October 30th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Grijalva for President 2016!
October 31st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I can go along with Dem. Congresspeople in competitive districts on some issues where they have to drift to the right. On health care and the “robust” public option, though, either they’re Democrats or they’re not. Congressman Grijalva is clearly an advocate of the party platform and long term unfulfilled party goals. As for the others, we’ll see, and I for one will remember when they come passing the hat.
October 31st, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Pardon me, but I couldn’t agree less with you when you say “I can go along with Dem. Congresspeople in competitive districts on some issues where they have to drift to the right. ” They have to figure out who they are and what their Democratic party is striving for! This kind of thing gives me acute indigestion and makes my head hurt – a lot!!!
Look at the data which show that the preponderance of Americans need and want the kind of program Raul Grijalva is fighting for! I say: You go, Raul!!! We need you to stand up for people – not buckle to the greedy, avaricious insurance companies and the weasly so-called Democrats who cannot locate their spines! Speak truth to power – we’re proud of your courage and persistence!!! And please, don’t give up!!
November 1st, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Francine,
Well, Creigh Deeds tried to run as a ‘centrist’ Democrat, going so far as to say that if there were a public option with an ‘opt out’ for states and he were Governor he would ‘opt out’ on behalf of his state. And he is going to get pounded.
In contrast, Corzine was as good as dead two months ago, running fifteen percent behind in the polls, and despite being very personally unpopular, by hitting liberal themes he’s come back to even. He may still lose due to his personal unpopularity and the bad economy in New Jersey but it is clear that a Democrat running as a Democrat can make up a lot more ground than a Democrat running as a ‘Republican lite.’
November 1st, 2009 at 8:26 pm
A bit of political wisdom here:
Wasn’t it Jim Hightower who said,
“The only thing in the middle of the road is a yellow stripe and dead armadillos.”
If you believe in something you’re better off standing for it instead of running off to someplace ’safe.’
Someone (I’m not sure who) once said that the best way to deal with a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation is to stay with who you are and be damned for what you are instead of damned for what you’re not.