Monday, August 24, 2009
Congress / Hargrove Cooper For Public Option Before He Was Against It, Or Something
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 3:02 PM
It goes something like this: Even though I have stood, arms locked with the GOP, in the path of a public option, I don't really have a problem with the public option even though the bill I'm pushing does not provide for a public option. So I can say I'm not against a public option and do everything within my ability to prevent its passage. The letter after the jump:
There are already four different bills reported out by House and Senate committees, with one more expected to come from the powerful Senate Finance Committee in the next few weeks. The main House legislation, H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act, has been amended in different ways by the three House committees of jurisdiction. I recently wrote an article in the Tennessean saying that I would not vote for H.R. 3200 as currently drafted.
No one knows yet exactly what the bill will look like that the House will vote on, probably in September, but it will probably be another version of H.R. 3200. We still have a long way to go in the legislative process because, assuming the House passes legislation, and the Senate does as well, then the differences between those two bills will have to be worked out before final votes in the House and Senate.
As a member of the fiscally conservative group, the Blue Dog Democrats, I have been working to see that health reform legislation is affordable, as the President has requested. My preferred approach, the Healthy Americans Act, H.R. 1321, is bipartisan, reduces the deficit, and reduces the cost of health care over time. Unfortunately, House and Senate leaders have not allowed it to be seriously considered although it seems to meet all the President's goals. Although this bill does not contain a "public option," I can support one as long as it is on a level playing field. There are many ways to define a public option and Congress should be able to approve one that keeps insurance companies honest without putting them out of business.
Comments (13)
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One more time now: Primary challenge.
While the Scene may (things being more the same now than ever before) be for Republican Democrats, using elegantly tortured reasoning to get here, actual local Democrats have had about enough. You hear it wherever you go.
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Wow, what a dissembler. This district doesn't need a dissembler. Doesn't Coop realize his ambiguity and dithering is the exact same thing that those Republicans who want to kill health care are arguing.
If he was truly for a public option, he would say things like "I will fight as hard as I can to ensure the public option is included in the bill. Period." He might even consider saying "As a Blue Dog, I will use my clout with this caucus to ensure a public option is included in the bill."
But he doesn't. He will face a tough primary challenge. No doubt. Those Research 2000 poll numbers should make any ambitious Democrat in the 5th district salivate about taking him on. He's this weak now, and the attacks against Coop have only just started.
Operative statement:
...Congress should be able to approve one that keeps insurance companies honest without putting them out of business.
So under the current regime, insurance companies aren't being "kept honest?" Really. You don't say.
And to infer from other statements made by Rep. Cooper, this lack of honesty has a meaningful impact on the affordability of healthcare? Really. What a surprise.
Congress should be able to keep insurance companies honest. And oil companies too. But so far - not so much Mr. Cooper.
However, you have done quite a bit to make sure they are honestly beholden to you.
I think what we are seeing here is an attempt to rough Cooper up and the beginning rumblings of someone who has already decided to run against him in the primary in 2010.
First, 'rumors' are circulating around Nashville Democrats that someone is going to take on Cooper in a primary. Then, local blogs and newspapers (like the Tennessean) have a large number of letters to the editor criticizing Cooper's health care stance (or lack of one).
Then, this weekend, we have a protest outside of his office in favor of health care, providing video evidencing some intense and organized constituency support for health care:
Blue Dog Jim Cooper Heckled on Health Care:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTW8x3GnudM
Then, third, a poll comes out on Monday, a week after the initial anti-Cooper stuff, and just 2 days after the Democratic, anti-Cooper, pro-health care protest outside of his district office.
Finally, later the same day, the blogosphere (HuffPost, Scene, DailyKos, other local blogs) continue to run anti-Cooper stories.
My prediction is that the local news and Tennessean might follow suit with stories of "Is Cooper in trouble?"
Seems like someone is feeding the national and Nashville-oriented media beast against Cooper. Anyone think it is coincidental that (1) this protest against Cooper and for health care occurred this weekend, then this poll dropped on Monday, and that this happens all while there is a letter-writing campaign against Cooper to the Tennessean? Sounds like someone is mobilizing a primary challenge by getting people to believe that Coop is vulnerable. He needs to be scared about losing the primary.
Cooper is fighting for the status quo, no changes. We already pay at least a third more than any other industrialized country for health care, leave 47 million uncovered & rank 37th in health statistics. What does Cooper say - well he just wants to find something we can afford, meaning no changes.
When will Nashville get a congressman for Nashville?
That's a nice conspiracy theory, but Occam's Razor suggests that it's more likely that people both locally and nationally are increasingly pissed at him. You know, it's not that someone wants to make it appear that people are mad; people are just mad.
The only "public option" Jim Cooper (D-HCA) probably supports is the Initial Public Offering.
Andy,
Good point. Has Cooper released the list of the stocks he owns? How much of his own money is invested in health insurance companies?
Interesting info on how Rep. Jim Clueless votes. The Washington Post lists the last 100 votes for Mr Clueless here -
http://tinyurl.com/njb9qr
Out of the last 100 votes, he's voted with the:
Democrats 42 times,
Republicans 45 times,
against both 9 times,
with both 0 times,
and not voting 4 times,
Dear Congressman Irrelevant, it is time you move on to your next district. Nashville needs a Congressman. Move your mobile home to Brentwood. You seem to have more in common with those self absorbed yuppies than the people in Nashville who work for a living.
Boot Coop!
He does not care about universal health care, the public option, or meaningful reform. He has already shown his true colors.
Coop goes on national TV and says 'the votes aren't there.' How the hell does he know? He is one of the least effective members, and is generally shunned by most of his caucus.
