2004 Presidential candidate and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean described to an oft-skeptical progressive audience March 17 why he encourages House approval of a White House plan to extend health insurance coverage with mandatory policies.
"On balance, I think it's an important bill to pass," he said, adding, "I didn't come to this conclusion until last night."
The former Vermont governor was the featured speaker at this week's Wednesday brain-storming conference on health care that House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) convenes in the House Rayburn Building for congressional staff, progressives and visitors.
Conyers explained why he also was supporting the bill even though it doesn't contain the single-payer solution he supports or the public option that he and 64 other Democratic House members insisted last summer was necessary for their votes in a final bill.
Earlier in the day, single-payer advocate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) switched his position also to approval, as he describes separately in an OpEd News column.
The afternoon forum hosted by Conyers was in the same Judiciary Committee hearing room where he had co-chaired a unique forum Oct. 27 showcasing public option advocates, which I reported for OpEd News. click here
In the March 17 session, disappointed progressives dominated the questionsby challenging both Dean and Conyers.
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