Dean dismisses bipartisanship on H.C.

Posted: Monday, June 01, 2009 3:36 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Democrats

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
WASHINGTON -- Howard Dean said a public health insurance option is more important than bipartisanship, and that Democrats should pass health-care legislation that includes the option with 51 votes if necessary.

Dean added that Democrats should have "no intention" of working with Republicans if it's not the strongest possible legislation that could be passed with a simple majority.

"If Republicans want to shill for insurance companies, then we should do it with 51 votes," Dean said during a news conference at the first day of the liberal America's Future Now! conference here.

Dean, though, also praised what he called President Obama's "realist" approach to trying to pass health care reform.

"What I like about Barack Obama's plan is he's a realist," Dean said, adding that private insurers aren't going away and that polling shows people are generally happy with their private health care -- if they have it. He said it should be all about giving people a "choice" of signing up for a public option, but "on the other hand, you don't want to take something away either."

Dean repeated a line of the president's, giving him credit in doing so: "If you like what you have, you can keep it."

Dean told NBC News that he thinks the best way to pay for health care is through a carbon tax.

"It probably won't pass, but it's what they should do," Dean said of a carbon tax to benefit health care. That and other details of his "prescription" for health care will be laid out in a forthcoming book this summer.

EMAIL THIS

Comments

THANK YOU, Howard Dean !!

'...a public health insurance option is more important than bipartisanship,..'

Let's have a public health insurance option
Let private insurance companies COMPETE !!
They use 31% of their funds for admin, profit and Executive Compensation !!

Single payer would be better, but there's NO CHANCE for Single Payer (Alas)

MSierra, SF (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:42 PM)

I love Dean. Obama blew it by not using this man for something. And with all that Dean is still supportive of Obama. He is a class act

Nj (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:42 PM)

NT Briggs - NJ (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:44 PM)

And there you have it, out of Dean's own mouth.

Forget what people want; forget what the taxpayers are willing to pay for, just put through the bill that the far left wants, and everyone else can go pound salt.

England has such a wonderful national health system that it has evolved a second system of private insurers that most companyies provide their employees. national health is for the 'poor', or minor emergencies like sprained ankles. Even then, people get to their private doctors as quickly as possible. Canada plays it cute by outlawing such a system in their own country, but how do you think all those sick Canadians pay for the health care they get in THIS country?

The only good thing about this debate is that Obama has it right-if the Republicans can just hold on until next year, making it a campaign issue, it will do for the Elvis in chief what it did for Clinton-hand him a Republican congress.

Obama's response will be to take Michelle to the Oscars on the public dime, and all you worshippers will have something else to swoon over.

no joe, no bo, nj (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:47 PM)

Standing up for EQUAL RIGHTS !!!

'...David Duke decried the comparison to Sotomayor. “Limbaugh, a recent addict to illegal drugs, has no business making personal attacks against me for my past...'

David Duke: '...I support the best-qualified person regardless of race in hiring and promotions.”...'

Guess who just disqualified himself for the Republican Presidential nomination ???

From Think Progress:

'...Responding on his personal website, David Duke decried the comparison to Sotomayor. “Limbaugh, a recent addict to illegal drugs, has no business making personal attacks against me for my past,” Duke said. “I have consistently supported true equal rights, stating again and again that I support the best-qualified person regardless of race in hiring and promotions.”...'

MSierra, SF (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:47 PM)

>>"What I like about Barack Obama's plan is he's a realist," <<

Eh, what's the plan? Obama makes proclamations. He doesn't have plans. Who is going to be covered, what level of coverage will people get, who pays, will illegals get the same health care, what is the overall structure of the system . . . . The answers to those questions will make up a plan.

Obama just stands there and reads his teleprompter saying all Americans will be covered. That Dr. Dean is not a plan.

Planner J (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:48 PM)

You had up until the carbon tax. that just seems absurd. How about a breathing tax? or a sleeping tax?
I can only hope the suggestions become a little more realistic Mr. Dean.
I believe this to be the biggest decision of our generation. Inside this one issue is the key to everything else. The overall health of the people you govern should be your highest priority. The longer they live the more they can contribute to our country.

dan Austin, tx (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:50 PM)

FR: Dean repeated a line of the president's, giving him credit in doing so: "If you like what you have, you can keep it."

Maybe Dean should take a stroll ever to the Democratic Loony Convention - America's Future Now! - going on in Washington. They seem stuck on the single payer system - you know the government one size fits all system? That system doesn't let you keep what you got if you want it.

Albert Cooks, Srasota Florida (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:51 PM)

And I hope that when the pendulum swings back to the right that the Republicans will undo socialized medicine with only 51 votes. Funny how the left didn't want Bush doing anything without 60 votes, but the Democrats are ok passing a huge new government spending program with 51 votes. Can't wait until the shoe is on the other foot in a few years.

Dookie (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:54 PM)

Every other country that socialized health care went broke. I guess the USA is ahead of all those countries though, we're starting out broke.

Can You Spare A Dime (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:55 PM)

Howard Dean is Right, take the chance on the 10 year Health care plan(under Senate rules,just like Bushes Taxcuts for the Rich)& see how it work's. American's will Decide at that time whether the Health Care Plan is working to Benefit them. The GOP & some select Democrat's can Whine all they want about National Health care.

Now is the Time to Shove it down the Corparate Throats, they will come around eventually & barter they way back in.

Domestic Terrorist are different from International Terrorist as they both wanna Kill American's !

Explain that GOP !

Democrats, Have you had your Rabies shot today, because the Rabid Right has reared its Ugly head with a Church Killing ?

Chicago Politic's have got the GOP tied up in Knots, unwinding is becoming more Comical as each day passes.

Rick,Ky (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:00 PM)

That's it Dean, let the ship go down with only Democrats aboard. When America gets a taste of socialized health care, they'll have you as the poster boy to point towards and the Democrats to blame. 90% of the people in the country are used to getting the care they need, and have it as an untaxed benefit as part of their jobs. And you're going to change all that. You're going to install a tax on benefits, and you're going to throw a Valued Added Tax on everything (very regressive btw). Watch what Americans think of that power grab Howard. You'll need to change your name and get plastic surgery so you won't get hurt. NT Briggs - NJ
------------------------------------------------------
NT - You and everyone who stands with you is as dumb as a door! We already have 'socialized health care'- it is called Medicare. I am well over 65, I use Medicare and I LOVE it! I worked in the life/health insurance industry for 40 years and I can testify that they are greedy crooks! And I am a democrat because the republicans have always looked out for the corporate greed rather than people like me who need SINGLE PAYOR HEALTH INSURANCE!!!

Ramsey, Chicago, IL (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:03 PM)

It's so fascinating to read all these attacks on Obama and Dean - yet none of you people ever bother to say how to cover the currently UNINSURED 47 million Americans, how the "free market" system that has given us 47 million uninsured is going to cover 47 million uninsured, or what plan the Republicans have to do that either.

Obama is at least saying things that will - and won't - happen.

Republicans? Back to the old fear card! "Run for your lives! It's SOCIALISM!!"

Yes... because the "free market" has done such a GREAT JOB of lowering costs (averaging more than double regular inflation year over year) while increasing copays and deductibles and providing less coverage with fewer options of providers (HMO's, PPO's, EPO's and POS's - that's CHOICE?!?!?). All the while having increasing mortality and morbidity rates (that means more people stay sick or die).

Great job, "free marketers"! Great job. Now how about a real solution for once, instead of the same old rhetoric of fear?

Dave - Chicago, IL (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:04 PM)

The rants are a bit crazy today. There's no full moon so it must be GOP anger at the republican party for screwing things up badly so they take it out on Pres Obama.

The majority of Americans want a national health care system. Pres Obama is NOT writing the legislation, that is what we tax payers hire Congress to do. To those who say, care will be controlled--it already is. The private insurance companies tell the provider how much and IF they will pay for treatment or testing requested by a physician. So much for the right's claim that democrats want to take the decision away from the doctor--that disappeared years ago. It is unrealistic to expect single payer since we have a private sector in place but the option of public and private will move this country forward. Easy for those who can afford insurance to dismiss national healthcare as unnecessary. Business will be more competitive with health care system, particularly small businesses. As for government run medicine, we already have it--medicare and medicaid and I haven't heard people saying we should take it away.

Jody, Iowa (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:12 PM)

Come on Republicans. If we don't fight now, soon minorities and children will have affordable health care.

Larry Craig (R) (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:16 PM)

Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI) unveiled a great health care plan a few weeks ago. But as is typically the case with our lame media, including this site, only the Wall Street Journal took the time to cover it. And lefties whine and complain that the GOP has no ideas. They have good ideas - but the media is so busy propping up this administration, they can't possibly cover a good idea of a Republican. It might make them look good and that will simply not do.

If a tree falls in the woods... (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:19 PM)

Maybe Dean should take a stroll ever to the Democratic Loony Convention - America's Future Now! - going on in Washington. They seem stuck on the single payer system - you know the government one size fits all system? That system doesn't let you keep what you got if you want it. Albert Cooks, Srasota Florida (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 3:51 PM)
---------------------------------------------------

Maybe you should stop listning to rush and get your eyes and ears checked...

If you read the article it states that it's from the convention that he was speaking.

Just another example of the rush followers only seeing what they want to.

P.S. Deans repeating what Obama has been asking for but your party has been blocking for the last 30 years.

GP NW Indiana (Sent Monday, June 01, 2009 4:26 PM)

SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.):

Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private) Remember me?

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=1949512