Howard Dean, who we may recall used to be the head of the Democratic National Committee, and who is also a physician (and therefore knows what he’s talking about on the topic of health care), has urged the defeat of this newest health care bill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul_dean is the Yahoo News post of an AP article on the subject (just so we can abort the knee-jerk assertion that this is an item from Fox News).

Quoting from the article:

" Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean argued Wednesday that the health care overhaul bill taking shape in the Senate further empowers private insurers at the expense of consumer choice — a claim the White House rejected.

"You will be forced to buy . If you don’t, you’ll pay a fine," said Dean, a physician. "It’s an company bailout." Interviewed on ABC’s "Good Morning America," he said the bill has some good provisions, "but there has to be a line beyond which you think the bill is bad for the country."

"This is an company’s dream," the former Democratic presidential candidate said. "This is the Washington scramble, and it’s a shame."

Dean argued that the Senate’s health care bill would not prohibit companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions and he also said it would allow the industry to charge older people far more than others for ."

Exactly what most of us who are against this abortion of a bill have been saying from the get-go.

My question (and it’s a real question, not a rant) is "How Much Life Does This Healthcare Bill Have Left?"

A good second, follow-up question is

"How long do we have until we have until the REAL negotiations Obama promised us, televised on C-SPAN, with representatives of all the stake holders present and having their say, to hammer our a real, not paid-for by the companies and forced on the people by IRS health-care plan?"
@Patches: Dean still has strong moderate support in the Democratic Party. Ben Nelson is another moderate whose refusal to add his vote to override potential Republican filibusters of the health care bill, despite the Obama administration’s threats to shut Strategic Command headquarters down at Offutt AFB in Nelson’s home state in retaliation.
@ggraves: I agree. I never really understood how the eeehaw" thing cost him the primaries – I tend to think that was the press deciding Dean was "bad.""

 

  • ggraves1724 8:01 pm on December 18, 2009

    I think Deans credibility went to a new low when he became the face of the DNC, but when you hear him speak logically (not bashing the other guy) it makes sense. Too bad he blew his Presidential bid with the eeehaawww comment. It would have been interesting. None the less he is a strong voice and should be considered.

  • Patches O'Houlihan 8:01 pm on December 18, 2009

    Is Screamin’ Howie Dean even relevant?