Democratic Rep. Brian Baird (WA-03) says he’ll vote against health care reform, no word on Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09). Brad Shannon has the story, along with a statement from Dwight Pelz encouraging members of the delegation to support reform.
Baird cited, among other things, wanting more information from CBO. Okay then. Let’s summarize the financial situation: trillions for empire, trillions for banksters, trillions for anyone but regular people who need a fair shake.
At a certain point you’re not even trying, you’re just kind of there because you’re there.
Yes, the health bill is flawed. Cry me a river. Our system boils things down to a dichotomy, and you have to choose.
Citizens have to choose every time we mark and mail our ballots, if we get around to it.
Very disappointing, but ultimately doesn’t matter much. When push comes to shove the House will pass robust reform. You’d think someone astute like Baird would recognize this and get on board.
For Baird, a progressive (though sometimes contrarian) member of the majority to take this stand shows just how fractious the party is becoming. He’s obviously still worried about kicking the beehive over the summer. And kick it he did. Repeatedly.
But the larger question here may be what his “No” vote signals to other similarly situated members. Why bail on this, if it’s going to piss off the progressives? Will he be easily forgiven?
Better to just attack the Repubs as the “party of no” and move forward. Plenty of cover out there including the AARP and AMA endorsements.
Brian Baird was a psychology professor at my alma mater. He was very liberal then. Then, he had some principles. Now, he seems to be whorish. He seems to simply want to get reelected. He has become an asshole. I’ve shaken his hand many times after donating to the party that he doesn’t give a shit about . . . Baird, you are a bastard.
Just another Republican hiding out as a Democrat in a heavily blue state..just hope this district comes to their senses and kicks this bum out, no excuse to not support your party and the president.
So Baird wants to give Obama (and the Democrats) their “Waterloo” right?
I say primary his pro-corporatism ass.
Do It.
What is his excuse? Not enough Americans are dying every day from health care that costs 50% more than any other industrialized nation, and still bankrupts anyone who gets sick? More profit for the pigs? Did someone promise him a $$$ job after he “retires” like is the usual sickening game?
Our country is broken.
Long live Corporatism!!!!! Screw freedom!!!! Democracy is dead…..
I hope a true progressive stands up to take out this fake Democrat.
I mean this is appalling. The military is pretty close to asking Congress for another supplemental on the two increasingly unpopular Bush wars. Like that won’t increase the deficit?
And we can’t overspend so this outfit won’t do more of these in the richest country on the planet:
http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/53079662.html
Waaaaaaaaaaaah,
Baird sees the real cost of HR 3962 bill doesn’t come in under $900 Billion and votes his conscience. When you add the AMA $.25 Trillion bribe for their approval it’s waaaaaaaaaay over $900 Billion. Puddy suggests you all nominate ylb arschloch for the job of taking out Baird. If he wins at least he’d have a job.
And ylb arschloch like your Abe Lincoln and car vs health insurance comments in the other thread rejected by your own side… the wars are now Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm’s. He set the policy last March for Afghanistan when he demoted a four star and inserted his proxy three star. He took over Iraq with his read them their Miranda rights on the battlefield fool!
Keep demonstrating to all your perfect dumb brickness!
These other comments about Brian Baird by the HA Libtardo faithful crack Puddy up. Why?
It’s what Puddy always said about “progressives”. There is no big tent. Either you are a useless tool – a libtardo progressive or you think on your feet – most Americans.
Does someone have to be 100% progressive to satisfy you fools? If someone sees this bill as being untenable, he’s a “whorish asshole”? Wow you libtardos. Such amazing positions.
Remember, most Americans say they are conservative unless you are like ylb arschloch, a conservative at home and a flaming progressive outside the door. A “man” of two minds. Okay he has two femtometer sized brain cells.
Wait for it… Pavlov sez “At least I have twice a many as you”.
Maybe Brian Baird read this and he thought about it. Puddy still waiting for any HA libtardo to acknowledge tort reform will drop $700 Billion from yearly health care costs.
“Peter Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, estimates that 5 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product-—$700 billion per year –goes to tests and procedures that do not actually improve health outcomes…The unreasonably high cost of health care in the United States is a deeply entrenched problem that must be attacked at its root.”
Now why is this? America doctor CYA not apparent in “socialist medicine countries”… No one ever talks about this in their health care comparisons with other countries. And we all know why!
I live in Baird’s district and am deeply disappointed to see him oppose the bill. When he first ran for office he would tell heart-breaking stories about the need for change . . . and now what? On a number of key issues he has gone to the dark side. What a disappointment.
Alas, Baird now has a pretty solid hold on his district. It would take something close to a miracle for a progressive to beat him in the primary. However, I’m going to put aside my usual distaste for “symbolic” opposition candidates and say that if someone from the left challenges Baird, I will actively support him or her.
Of course, Baird doesn’t care about “commies” like me — he’s too busy catering to the over-50, blue-collar NRA members in the southern part of his district.
There is no middle ground on death.
There are too many give aways, everybody knows it. Amending some of the gifts to the corporate overlords would make the legislation a little better for all involved.
Where Baird is failing America is not proposing communicating, or having (I don’t know if he has one) that would make the legislation better.
On this topic he is taking a Republican, vote no and offer nothing, position.
It is a competition of ideas, Baird, if you don’t have an idea thenget the fuck out of office.
Tort reform = 700 billion?
What ya smokin?
Is this the argument posted?
Poor choices have led to enormous waste of federal money on military adventure and corporate bailouts. This threatens our economic security. Thus we need to make more poor choices and spend more money on a mickey mouse health care reform system. We need to do this because we believe that if we don’t do it now we might wait another 30 years when voters wake up to the uselessnss of our proposals, and the corporate slavery it places us under with respect to insurance companies. We also know that in 2010 if we don’t have something to show for our majorities in the Congress and a leftist president we will lose and lose badly. So a bad idea enacted now that won’t show its’ fiscal lunacy until after that election is better than working on a real workable solution. Anyone who recognizes this and won’t work with us is just evil, for instance Baird.
Close?
Lost, pass it now, fix it later. It has been 80 years, hundreds of thousands dead, and we haven’t done squat. Zero. Nada. Except for enriching some Wall Street types with the deaths of our care denied friends and families, and bankruptcies.
I commend the president for expending his political capitol trying to change a system that needlessly kills 45k Americans a year.
I know Wall Street won’t be happy with their returns, but it is not them burying their family members for lack of care. They all have enough $$ to pay for their pills and care.
The status quo is don’t get sick, and if you do get sick, you lose your house, if you are lucky enough to live after they rescind your policy.
Imagine if we had Republicons actually trying to pass the best bill / reform possible, instead of attempting to gut any and all reform for political gain. To hell with all them Americans dying. THEY CAN ROT IN THE GROUND FOR ALL THE REPUBLICONS CARE.
Oh, but for a perfect world….
My health care premium went from $150 per month to $400 per month under the Bush ignoring everything plan. Now why would I have a problem with that?
If you are against reform, then I hope you get cancer and your family moves into a shelter after the creditors take your house. I mean it. Cancer for all you lying vampires.
Same for you Baird.
Want to save billions? $5,000 dollar reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone defrauding medicare……
How about $50,000 reward if the government recovers more than $250,000 from the guilty parties assets?
Solving crime in Medicare Fraud isn’t really that difficult….
Nice. Our very own Lieberman. Every state should have one.
Disappointing, but not surprising. Baird telegraphed his prefidy with that brain-dead op-ed .
PS- $200 to the progressive who primaries Baird. More if it seems promising.
My Positions @ 16
Um, yes it is.
Healthcare fraud is rampant, why target just Medicare?
Our current healthcare system has the wrong incentives, so encourages cheating. Further, the various accounting systems are disjoint, so fraud is hard to detect.
The most effective way to combat fraud is to switch to universal healthcare with a single payor. The players are rewarded for wellness, vs treatment. The accounting systems are greatly simplified, making auditing easier.
@9: You will be wainting a long time, conservamoron.
Unsuprising, the link says nothing about tort reform, but does appear to support more medical models similar to the Mayo Clinic which has salaried doctors, and is not patterned on fee-for-service….which is a big factor driving costs.
The HCR bill does not do enough to address costs, and is deeply flawed. It is a small step in the right direction. It also has a tax hike for the rich that is guaranteed to make wingnut heads explode. That alone, should give pause to progressives who feel a need to shoot this measure down.
We could cut our defense spending in half, and still have plenty to “defend” our “national interests”. These resources could be diverted to training more doctors, for example, and building an effective health care delivery system based on outcomes, not how many tests your doctor can ring up or how many patients they can squeeze thru the turnstiles per hour.
Also, the “unfettered” insurance model is a dismal failure when it comes to health care. Health care is a fact, not a risk.
Proud @ 19
Totally worth it.
Wow Stupes! What does this imply? That you’re “accepted” by your own side?
Consisting of the likes of Klynical the Klown, Mark1 the losing misogynist, mark the racist, Troll the idiot, Litttle Ricky Dumbass the perv and every other losing wingnut who tried, died and faded away here in these comment threads.
What a badge of honor that is, FIEND!
It implies you are accepted as a fool by your own side monomaniacal one!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@21..notice how YLB’s entire world seems to be wrapped up inside HA….wow, what a pathetic way to live.
what a sad excuse for a man you are YLB. You must hate your wife to be putting her through this.
We already know you are a racist – maybe you hate women too.
23 – Heh. Look what happens when I remain a little tight lipped about my personal life.
Ugly right wing trolls come out of the woodwork, expressing their homophobia, their misogyny and their ugly resentment towards those they’ve been trained all their miserable lives to hate.
It must really burn your ass that while you’re so interested in my private life, I could give a flying F about a miserable hater like you.
Thank you authoritarian, homophobic, misogynistic, resentment-driven troll for showing everyone who cares to look what the right wing is all about.
Racism? Prove it liar.
ylb arschloch@24,
Tight arschloched about what? You are the fool here 18X7X365.
Trained to hate what? Lazy, slovenly morons who live vicariously jumping on other peeps successes and trying to curry favor by jumping on as a coat tail holder? You admitted your wife works in health care in the SEIU. You admitted you hated a health care plan. Puddy knows which one it is butt, Puddy will save that for another day. You admitted your visited a high school to see what is being “offerered” for your son. You admitted you are a conservative at home while being a flaming libtardo progressive outside on HA Libtardos. You proved you are monomaniacal and chronologically challenged. You proved you deliver useless crap even peeps on your side question their validity. That Abraham Lincoln and health care was a post for the ages fool!
25 – Hehehehehehe. Here’s the most miserable hater of them all.
What happened tonight fool? Health care reform passed the House. Yeah it’s a freakin’ mess but it’s a step forward and we’ll clean it up eventually after the big money turds make even greater asses of themselves.
You keep losing fool. Losing. Losing. Losing..
But keep on hurling your miserable, feckless, gibes..
We in the reality based community will keep the focus on what’s truly important.
G’night FIEND.
YLB,
Hey, man, Puddy is a sensitive guy, who doesn’t like to lose. Just pat him on the head when he loses and tell him, “it’ll be alright, Puddy, really, it’ll be alright.”