Gregg Touts Government Employment as Solution to Health Care Crisis--Then Cites a Bill He Wouldn't Vote For
Dr. Nancy Snyderman talked to Sen. Judd Gregg about his stalling tactics in the Senate to hold up the debate on the health care bill, and after a great deal of filibustering and feigned indignation from Gregg Snyderman followed up by asking Gregg this:
Snyderman: But Senator let me just ask you a question. We just listened to the President talk about jobs. We know people continue to lose their jobs, which means they’re losing their health care. So what do you say to the average American who’s played by all the rules who can’t have the same health care that you have and you’re one of our elected officials?
Gregg: Well, you know if he works for the government he’ll get the same I have. I mean I have the same health care as a person who works for The Secret Service, works for the FBI or works down at the local Federal Building. I mean I don’t have anything different than what an average federal employee has.
I actually proposed a bill which I wish had been incorporated into this which said that people would be able to have the option of the FEHB program which is the Federal Health and Benefit Program and I’m cosponsor of a bill which does the same thing. That’s not really the issue here. The issue here is how you do it affordably. How do you do a health reform process which is step-by-step takes on issues that can improve health care, expand its coverage rather than proposing this massive bill which as I said grows the government in the largest way we’ve ever grown. It’s $2.5 trillion and at the same time in my opinion will put the government basically in charge of health care because that’s the ultimate goal here—move the government into health care, give us a single payer system.
Think Progress posted the first part of Gregg's reply here--Gregg’s Health Care Solution: ‘If You Work For The Government, You’ll Have The Same Health Care I Have’ and had this response to the interview:
It’s puzzling that Gregg — who regularly slams “spending beyond our means for big government programs” — would say that anyone who wants health care coverage like his should simply work for the federal government. Certainly, Gregg wouldn’t advocate that we grow the size of government by employing the tens of millions of Americans who are uninsured in order to provide them health care. Or would he?
They did not include the latter part of Gregg's response where he touts a bill he co-sponsored as a means for everyone to receive the same health care benefits as federal employees. There's just one problem with that. From Ezra Klein:
The plan has a lot more fake support than it has real support. If every Republicans who has co-sponsored W-B would commit to voting for it, the plan might pass. But they haven't.
So Gregg cites a bill he co-sponsored but never committed to voting for instead of admitting what the Republican Party’s actual solution is for health care reform—do nothing and sabotage anything the Democrats try to do for political gain. It sure can't be because the Democrats haven't shown the insurance industry enough love in the bill they're trying to get through the Senate.
Senator Sanders Offers Medicare-for-All Amendment in Senate
Democracy is too important to be entrusted to politicians.
Rise Up!
Protest!
Senator Sanders, a true progressive liberal from the New Deal mold.
Such a traditional democrat - he had to become an independent.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
Sounds too good to be true.
And Roland Burris! Who woulda thunk! He has nothing to lose, of course, but how bold!
I totally hate the health care bill as it stands. Sure has been eye-opening, seeing how things are done, with lobbyists and elected sellouts. The way they act, we may as well just let Congress-critters be appointed by corporate interests! Wouldn't change much.
But I'm all for single payer.
"Courtesy is owed. Respect is earned. Love is given." --Unknown author, found in Guide to Texas Etiquette by Kinky Friedman
Sen Gregg was at the top of the list of Obama's choices for Secretary of the Treasury.
He's Rahm's kind of guy. A total corporate tool.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
Obushama! Leave it to Barry
If that's your position, then what you're saying is that essentially Obama is a Republican.
Which of course also means that your marriage of Obama and Bush is ridiculous.
I have often wondered the same thing.
A lying hypocritical politician?
I'm shocked!
:)
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
. . har har
How bout this one . . "Additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces," he said, "and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011."
LOL right!
-that many Federal Agencies are under-funded and under-staffed. They should allot a billion or two or three to filling jobs cut by BushCo.
And before people start screaming about "No more Government bureaucrats! Smaller Government", a lot of the jobs cut were "low level": janitorial, cafeteria workers, other support personnel. Secretaries, file clerks, data entry operators. These people were among the first to be let go. Funding an agency doesn't just mean hiring 'soulless bureaucrats' to push paper around.
Agreed. Just look at the disgraceful condition of our National Parks.
If only they could be privatized, that would solve everything!
Insanity.
I spent about two hours trying to talk to a couple of republicans.
It was a total waste of time. All one of them could say and repeated it over and over again was, would you rather live in socialism or freedom. They both think there is no problem, it doesn't matter how many inocent people are killed. One of them said people die everyday. That he was happy that those people died. didn't make any difference to him.
The big thing is neither of them have any real life experience.
They have never seen the aftermath of a bomb dropped on a house or maybe didn't hit it just landed near by. I tried for about an hour and a half to be civil in the face of such willful ignorance.
Alas after one of them said I bet you watch msmbc news, I said no then he said you don't watch fox I said know for is for idiots and morons. People who like to be lied to. the I said man as far as I can see republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness and man you need some help.
He said man I see what is going on around me just fine, I said yes but that brown haze on them from having your head so far up your own ass keeps you from seeing it all.
Man I mean I have had it with these morons. No more pollite trying to reason with them. They don't care! They just don't care about anything other then themselves.
It's mind blowing isn't it " project " ? I have run into the same thing . What it amounts to is that you cannot use logic and reason with these people , they simply are not capable of understanding or using logic and reason and are not interested in the facts or the truth anyway , it's irrelevant to them . They will say that 2 + 2 = 5 , you can use four pennies and physically show them , explain to them that no , 2 + 2 = 4 but they will argue and totally reject the fact . These are cult members , not sane , rational human beings .
It's easy! They are not acting in good faith. you can't reason with that.
Forget the idea that Republicans are acting in good faith and there's your answer to everything that has transpired to date.
Buy ya, when it comes to Republican voters, ya i guess most of them must be pretty messed up.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
were these particular republicans religious?
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Most of them are. They are fully aware they are being screwed by the GOP, but they would rather be homeless, jobless, and living a nightmare, than vote for a liberal who would help their situation.
Nothing is more important than saving them fetuses, so they can starve in the streets as children, because welfare is "socialism."
Yeah, I guess they are messed up.
Rush Limbaugh is what a smart person thinks a stupid bigot sounds like.
SOCIOPATHY (or the absence of conscience!)
Still its very... very interesting... this is the same dipstick Obama wanted in his cabinet. What does this say about President MILQUETOAST?
Obama is either a fraud or he is one of the most naive on the planet , at this point I am not sure which . The more time that goes by the more there is that doesn't quite add up and that doesn't smell right .Time will tell .
... and as much as I want to give Mr. Obama the benefit of the doubt. I must point out that, for what it is worth, NO ONE who manages to become president of the United State does so by being naive.
All the Republicans are full of it. No longer acting honorably nor in good faith. It's over. It's all over man! Now, if only the Media would catch up with events...
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
and the blue dogs will in turn take its place.
Maybe it is time for liberals to do the same and part ways with the Dems.
A 3-way party system I could live with: liberal left, Dem center, blue dog right. The GOP can then finally become the fringe party it has been acting like since the time Teddy Roosevelt got shot.
When I saw her advocate for drug testing your children i lost all respect for her. Nothing tells your kid you do not trust them better than making them take a drug test (hey kids, get your kid sister to pee in the cup if she hasn't started partying yet). Parenting is much more complicated than buying a kit at the drugstore and imposing punishment for a positive result.
Oh, and on the actual subject: We pay taxes to several empires - we are 'represented' in only one of them.
so she must be somebody!
Is she still on voluntary probation for violating insider trading rules or have people stop watching out for shenanigans?
And just think, Obama wanted to appoint him to a cabinet post. With friends like this, who needs...
is on it don't worry we'll get lot's of new pills . . "here shut up take this and stop complaining . . stay away from vitamins and exercise too or we'll put you in jail."
Seriously, I suggest you read the Senate Bill before playing word games. Obama is leaning towards the Senate Bill, as opposed to the House Bill, but will sign what comes out of conference.
And the reason Gregg didn't take the position is precisely because he felt he couldn't support Obama's policies. Period.
Are you forgettting he did... Gregg declined!
Ah, Republicans and Bluedogs. First they defeat all cost saving parts of the healthcare bill (low overhead single payer, public option competition, massive group prescription drug buying, on and on) then they say they have to vote against it because it doesn't save enough money no matter what the CBO says. All the while they enjoy great govt. paid healthcare and receive big money from the healthcare industry. Our system just doesn't work anymore. It's like bashing your spouse in the face and demanding a divorce because now she's ugly.
Republicans spoon feed their shit to Bluedogs who wonder why everyone gets on their case for dragging their asses across the grass from the leakage left behind.
Is the federal government hiring 15,000,000?
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
Hey, Judd Gregg, how is that development deal working out for you? You know, the one at the decommissioned Air Force Base that your brother is the main partner in? Ever heard of the word recuse? Blind Trust? You corrupt asshole.
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