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Bart Stupak(D): Election a 'Wake-Up Call'
Politics Daily ^ | 20 January 2010 | Patricia Murphy

Posted on 01/20/2010 3:11:03 PM PST by 11th_VA

On the day after the upset Senate victory for Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) had some choice words about the election, the Democratic leadership, and health care reform in an interview on the Fox Business Network. By "choice words," we mean "wake-up call," "disillusioned," "overreach," "special deal," and "dead."

Stupak is a key Democratic moderate, so his outspoken and frank take on his party and the future of health care reform represents an unusual, and likely unwelcome, break of unity and protocol for the Democrats.

Asked Wednesday what the Massachusetts election means for his Democratic caucus, Stupak said, "I think for the party, it's hopefully a wake-up call to leadership that the agenda you set and the pace you're going...you have to be more inclusive of all members."

On health care, Stupak said the leadership erred by proposing a massive package when a smaller, more targeted bill would have been far preferable. "They tried to hit a home run with health care instead of hitting -- let's get a single, let's get a double. You know, build on this. But they went for the whole grand slam and it got thrown back. It got too big, too controversial, and it's just like they overreached."

He also said that the Senate bill would "not get 100 votes in the House," mostly he said, because his fellow Democrats are disillusioned by the fact that "states were paid off for their vote."

"Have we relegated the legislative body to who can get the best deal?" Stupak said. "You know, this was health care. This legislation should have been based on policy. People should have been able to put their vote up based on policy, not on what did I get for my state. And that really soured the American people and House members. We're not willing to take that Senate bill, that Nebraska's guy's special deal or Louisiana or Florida or whatever. That's not the way you do it."

Despite all of that, however, the congressman said the House can and should act on health care reform now.

"We are so close. I hope we do not lose this opportunity.

Just don't ask him to vote for the Senate's bill, which includes abortion language that Stupak has called unacceptable. He is the author of more restrictive abortion language adopted by the House.

"Everyone's talking about Plan B, Plan B is dead," he said. "We're not passing the Senate bill, so you best come up with Plan C now. "


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: 111th; democrats; ma2010; obamacare
"Everyone's talking about Plan B, Plan B is dead," he said. "We're not passing the Senate bill, so you best come up with Plan C now. " Somebody pinch me ...
1 posted on 01/20/2010 3:11:03 PM PST by 11th_VA
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To: 11th_VA

No to Plan C. Anything they pass will be used down the road to set up universal health care.....incrementalism.


2 posted on 01/20/2010 3:17:24 PM PST by Fu-fu2
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To: 11th_VA

Plan C = Coffin, lid on, nailed shut and six feet under...epitaph would be “Message heard too late to save my political hide”.


3 posted on 01/20/2010 3:18:16 PM PST by PatriotNow
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To: PatriotNow

Sorry, I oopsied...I don’t mean him. I mean the bill in coffin. :)


4 posted on 01/20/2010 3:21:06 PM PST by PatriotNow
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To: 11th_VA

Plan C - Tort Reform - Medicare Reform


5 posted on 01/20/2010 3:23:03 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: 11th_VA

Yeah, but Stupak is okay with the rest of the “Health-Care”
bill. So I will work to get him thrown out of Michigan’s delegation and get someone in there that represents us better, next election.


6 posted on 01/20/2010 3:28:04 PM PST by gigster
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To: 11th_VA

I don’t think the ego’s of Obama, Pelosi and Reid can accept a plan C.


7 posted on 01/20/2010 3:28:10 PM PST by Raycpa
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To: 11th_VA

“Plan B” - ironic wording there, as in, the pill.


8 posted on 01/20/2010 3:28:13 PM PST by GnuHere
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To: Fu-fu2

He admits as much...On health care, Stupak said the leadership erred by proposing a massive package when a smaller, more targeted bill would have been far preferable. “They tried to hit a home run with health care instead of hitting — let’s get a single, let’s get a double. You know, build on this. But they went for the whole grand slam and it got thrown back. It got too big, too controversial, and it’s just like they overreached.”

In other words he acknowledges that they tried to throw the frog in the boiling water but he hopped out. They now know that they should have put him in the pan with room temp water and put it on to come up to a boil. We will need to be alert frogs or we will end up boiled.


9 posted on 01/20/2010 3:35:47 PM PST by kalee (The offences we give, we write in the dust; Those we take, we engrave in marble. J Huett 1658)
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To: Fu-fu2

There is no such thing as a moderate democrap.So he’s a pro life commie.He is still a commie.They all proved that voting for this nightmare to begin with.


10 posted on 01/20/2010 3:41:50 PM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life is tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: gigster

Same here, he’s just enjoying his 15 mins of “fame”. Can’t stand the phony.


11 posted on 01/20/2010 3:44:22 PM PST by gibsosa
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To: imahawk

Nowadays a moderate Democrat is like a Tolerant Moslem. An individual may appear tolerant right now but his basic set of assumptions allows no room for real toleration, only for a facade that is useful until he has the power and the urge to fulfill his duties to to his basic set of instructions, for the one the Utopian State, for the other the Universal Umma- which is the same thing with a different caliph.


12 posted on 01/20/2010 4:01:53 PM PST by arthurus ("If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, don't shoot an abortionist." -Ann C.)
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To: kalee

Ha Ha that is a good one. I love analogy.


13 posted on 01/20/2010 4:03:12 PM PST by screaminsunshine
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To: screaminsunshine

Dear Bart

WE THE PEOPLE do not want the following:

Plan A
Plan B
Plan C

Please do not run again. We do not want you or other Dems/Republicans who spend our money without thought or purpose. WTP are going to vote for individuals who will stand up and fight for small town family values. We dont want Obama care.....we dont want Pelosi care....we just want you to know we are aware of what you Bozos have been doing and we are pissed about it. You need to step down.


14 posted on 01/20/2010 4:18:27 PM PST by Michigan Bowhunter (Democrat socialist liberal scumbags.....how did we let this happen!)
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To: 11th_VA

I’m with Dick Morris on this one. There is no such thing as a moderate Democrat. There were 30 Democrats who voted against Obamacare the first time around. If they really needed their votes, they would have voted yes. Well, guess what, now they really need their votes. They’ll vote yes, and worry about the consequences later.


15 posted on 01/20/2010 4:19:36 PM PST by Big E
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To: RinaseaofDs

Add to that allowing insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines. More competion, lower prices.


16 posted on 01/20/2010 4:41:20 PM PST by ops33 (Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Retired))
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To: ops33

“Add to that allowing insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines. More competion, lower prices.”

That leads you into a states rights problem. Each DOI in each state sets the mandatory coverage levels. What’s covered, and what’s not.

In CA, for example, transgender surgery was one of those things that the legislature lobbied the DOI to include as part of the mandatory coverage. Abortion in many states may be a part of that coverage.

As soon as you let people buy out of state, it takes the right of the state to regulate insurance there out of the states hands and puts it into the Feds hands.

That’s no good.

I take your point, competition is good, and more is better. That isn’t the way to do it.


17 posted on 01/20/2010 4:47:05 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: 11th_VA

I remediable when these same basturds passed seat belt legislation promising that it would never be a primary stop... They were snickering under there sleeves because they knew that in 20 years they could get the full pop... Same thing here.


18 posted on 01/20/2010 4:53:33 PM PST by DariusBane (Even the Rocks shall cry out "Hobamma to the Highest")
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