Right. After Republicans have increased their numbers in the House and Senate! Well, President Obama did say he'd be willing to consider progressive provisions in 2011. Sounds like he's going a bit out on the limb! A very bold statement indeed. BBI
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Obama and Kennedy lobbying not enough for Lynch
From Congressional Producer Evan Glass
March 20th, 2010
Washington (CNN) - A personal meeting with the president hasn't persuaded him. Conversations with party leaders hasn't changed his mind either.
A few days ago Lynch received a phone call from Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late senator, who implored him to support the health care legislation despite any misgivings he has with the bill.
"She said Ted had worked at this for quite some time and invoked his memory," Lynch told CNN. "
same kind of conversation I had with the president: the strengths of the bills, the shortfalls, but that we have to do something."
Lynch, who represents metropolitan Boston, voted in favor of the House's original health care legislation in November but reversed his decision on the latest version, citing the lack of a public option, the inclusion of the "cadillac tax" on high cost health insurance plans and the ommission of a repeal on the anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies.
Despite being labeled as a "Massachusetts liberal," Lynch says he has so far rejected all pleas for support because he thinks the legislation does not go far enough to help his constituents. "You ought not to sacrifice the interest of those people for something symbolic. These people sent me here. They trust me to make the best decision based on my best judgment. And I'm doing that. I think it would a dereliction of duty for me to vote yes on a bill I felt strongly would work to their disadvantage," said Lynch.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/20/obama-and-kennedy-lobbying-not-enough-for-lynch/?fbid=_FDu-JhJMhz
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Lynch: Why Obama Didn't Convince Me on Health Care
By Suzy Khimm
Suzy Khimm is a political reporter in the Washington bureau of Mother Jones
March 19, 2010
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass), who switched from "yes" to "no" on the health reform bill, is insisting that his vote will not kill the legislation, noting that the House Democrats have the votes to pass the measure this weekend without his support. He also says that during a meeting with President Barack Obama on Thursday, the president failed to win him over with a promise to make the reform package more progressive down the road.
Lynch slams the legislation as "a poor bill" that would continue the worst elements of the status quo. In explaining his switch, Lynch cites the absence of a public option, the failure to repeal the anti-trust exemption for insurance companies, and the inclusion of the excise tax on high-end insurance plans. (These are some of the key differences between the final bill and the House version, which he had supported.) "There's a difference between compromise and surrender, and this bill is surrender," Lynch tells Mother Jones. "It's a surrender to the insurance companies, it's a surrender to the pharmaceutical companies."
But Lynch doesn't see his "no" vote as a bill-killer," saying it's very likely to pass during Sunday's scheduled vote: "I don't think they would be calling the bill up on Sunday if they didn't have the votes. if I had a bet on it, yeah, I'd probably bet that it would pass."
On Thursday, Lynch met with Obama, who made a personal appeal for his vote. During the meeting, according to Lynch, Obama said that he'd consider trying to reinsert some of the progressive provisions left out of the final package. "He said we can't do it this year, but next year he'd be willing to consider inserting a public option," Lynch says. "I talked about the repeal of the anti-trust exemption—he said he would try to do that down the road." Lynch, however, remained unconvinced.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/03/lynch-health-bill-surrender-it-will-pass-and-ill-help-fix-it