Progressive Voices

Dear Democratic Congressmen Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre, and Heath Shuler:

I saw that you joined the Republicans and voted against the House Health Care Reform bill.  It was a close vote, 220-215, even though you Democrats have a comfortable majority of 258 votes out of 435.

You probably believe that your constituents are worried that the bill costs too much, that it will raise taxes, or that it changes private medical insurance too drastically.

I hope you don't believe the proven falsehoods that the bill will give health care to illegal immigrants or create some kind of government "death panels" for senior citizens.

What is documented fact is the decline in private health care coverage for your constituents.  As more people have lost their jobs, 184,700 this year also have lost their medical insurance.

From 2007 to 2009, more people than ever in North Carolina-over 22 percent-became medically uninsured.  They now total about 1.8 million.  Many are children.

I am sure you want to do something about these people as well as the millions more middle class constituents who are worried they may lose their current private insurance.  I also suspect that in addition to your honest difference of opinions with the House bill, you are concerned about your re-election in a conservative district.

Hence, you figure that a "no vote" will save you in 2010 from the Republicans who are adamantly opposed to any kind of government health care even though many of them are Medicare recipients.  You may think the "no vote" makes political sense.

That's where you are wrong.

First, none of those conservatives opposed to health care reform will vote for a Democrat in 2010.  None.

Second, a majority of Americans including here in North Carolina voted for change in 2008.  They wanted change in the economy, change in the Iraq War, change in political stalemate, and change in health care.  Major change.

If health care is defeated, voters-Republicans, Democrats and Independents–will blame Democrats who hold majorities in the Senate and House and occupy the White House.  Voters will blame you along with your Democratic colleagues who voted "yes," G. K. Butterfield, Bob Etheridge, Brad Miller, David Price and Mel Watt.

They are in safer districts and may survive.  Who's going to vote for you?

Will Rogers said he didn't belong to any organized party; he was a Democrat.  That's a joke.  Benjamin Franklin warned his fellow revolutionaries that if they didn't hang together, they would hang separately.  That's not a joke.

Copy to Democratic Senator Kay Hagan.

Barlow Herget is a host and commentator at State Government Radio

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 12:06 pm and is filed under Progressive Voices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.