Kucinich, Other Progressives Stand Ground Against Attacks
By Rob Kall
I interviewed congressman Dennis Kucinich and other progressive leaders in health care reform to get his response to recent attacks and to find out his motivation and what would move him to change his vote. While Markos "Kos" Moulitsas attacks Kucinich, with name-calling, I and other progressives see him as a hero and saint.
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I interviewed congressman Dennis Kucinich and other progressive leaders in health care reform to get his response to recent attacks
and to find out his motivation and what would move him to change his
vote. While Markos "Kos" Moulitsas attacks Kucinich, other progressives see him as a hero and saint.
Dennis Kucinich, an unwavering progressive Democrat, is saying that he will vote against the the Health Reform bill, as it stands in the Senate. That stance has led to him being attacked by fellow Democrats and some "progressive" pundits, particularly Markos Moulitsas, who are backing the existing senate and house health reform bills WITHOUT the public option or cover for state efforts to pursue single payer. Responding to me asking his take on Moulitsas attack on Kucinich, progressive talk radio host Thom Hartmann replied, " Progressives attacking Dennis Kucinich is the circular firing squad on steroids.
Photos by Rob Kall
First, here's some background. Markos Moulitsas, founder and owner of Dailykos.com attacked Kucinich on the Keith Olbermann show, hosted by fill-in host Lawrence O'Donnell, saying that the response to Kucinich's position might be to "primary" him. The same day, Moulitsas said on his blog, "Dennis Kucinich has always been a little prick, and that hasn't changed. He's someone who deserves a real primary."
"The fact is this is a good first step and he is elected not to run for president, which he seems to do every four years," he said.
"[Kucinich] is not elected to grandstand and to give us this ideal utopian society. He is elected to represent the people of his district and he is not representing the uninsured constituents in his district by pretending to take the high ground here."
Pressed by fill-in host Lawrence O'Donnell as to whether a Kucinich would get a Democratic challenger for his seat if he didn't support health care legislation -- and in the process kill it -- Moulitsas replied, "Yeah, absolutely."
What he is doing is undermining this reform," he added. "He is making common cause with Republicans. And I think that is a perfect excuse and a rational one for a primary challenge."
The primary threat is an empty one. It's too late, at least for the 2010 elections. But what a waste, to go after a progressive when there are so many bluedogs to take on. More on that later.
At Salon.com, Alex Koppelman writes, in an article, The liberal case against Dennis Kucinich, about how, on Twitter, Moulitsas said, "No one could point to a single Kucinich legislative accomplishment. And of course they couldn't. He has none." Then, Koppelman goes on to agree with Moulitsas.
The fact is, Kucinich is keeping a promise that 77 "progressive" House Democrats signed onto, insisting on a public option. It looks like, at this point, he's the only one left, the only one who has stood up to Obama, Rahm Emanuel and the small state bluedogs who sold out to the insurance companies (and the CT independent senator whose name is not said.
House progressives who signed off on that promise have, apparently broken it. Not cool. One man has the courage to keep his promise and to stand up for what every Democrat knows to be true. The current bill is a sell-out, a gift, as former Cigna communications Director Wendell Potter has told me and repeated over and over again, to the health insurers.
I asked former Cigna Communications director turned health care reform activist Wendell Potter, his take on Kucinich's stand, pointing out that Kucinich isn't calling for single payer. He wants public option-- a robust public option. Potter replied, "Well so do I. I absolutely agree with him. I don't fault him at all for trying. And I think that's a worthy goal. And I hope he has success here. But he might fall short. I don't know if he's going to succeed or not... I think it's wonderful that he's trying it. I hope he succeeds. But if he doesn't succeed, that doesn't mean that this legislation should fail.
There are over 1500 comments on Sam Stein's article at the time I'm writing this. Looking at the most recent page, 48 out of 50 either defend and support Kucinich or attack his attackers. There's a link to a facebook page supporting Kucinich and some of the members of the page include Tim Carpenter, leader of Progressive Democrats of America (100,000+ supporters) and Medea Benjamin, cofounder of Code Pink.
I'ts a bit ironic to consider what Moulitsas has said recently. Moulitsas, using his dailykos.com pseudoym of Kos, reported that Ezra Klein cited him, "Insurance companies win," Markos Moulitsas tweeted last night. "Time to kill this monstrosity coming out of the Senate." And on Meet the Press, in mid December 2009, he told David Gregory, "I don't think this is a reform bill. I mean, I think it's very clear, this is not insurance or healthcare reform. What it is, it's allowing more people, 30 million people, to buy into the existing broken system..." and "Well, we're still fighting this thing. This, this is not a done deal..."
Well, Dennis Kucinich is STILL fighting.
Tim Carpenter, responding to my question about whether Kucinich's runs for president were of value, told me that they have helped raise awareness of progressive issues and in some cases, helped move the political center of the party to the left.
Yesterday, on Capitol Hill, I attended my third Progressive Media summit meeting.
As in previous years, about 40-45 members of the progressive media attended the 4th annual Progressive Media Summit Meeting, sponsored by the Senate Democratic Outreach committee.
Joan McCarter AKA McJoan from Daily Kos, asked about the Stupak, anti-choice amendment. I can't help but think she'd have opposed (as I would) any bill that included it.
Photo by Rob Kall
I had a short back and forth with Harry Reid:
Rob Kall: I did a poll with our readers, and we asked, "Are you satisfied with healthcare reform?" Now, our readers are pretty far left. And about 85% said no. But they said no because it wasn't doing enough. Now the answer that we've heard is that this is a first step. The same thing had to be done with civil rights and there will be other steps taken later. I just want to know, are there plans for those next steps?
Reid Replied: "I'm just telling you this is a first step. It is a hell of a big step. I'll tell you that. Of course there are things we have to do when we get this completed. This is a major, major piece of legislation. There are very few pieces of legislation that are as meaningful to the American people as what we are trying to do with healthcare. There are parts of the bill that kick in immediately and others that take a number of years to kick in. I'm glad that's the case because we're getting lots of (inaudible-- possibly "room") to do it right. In direct answer to your question, of course there are a lot of things we have to do since then. But don't minimize what we're trying to do. It is a HUGE step forward.
Reid set the message at that meeting. There's more the Democrats would like to do but this is a lot already and they want to get it done. The message to the progressive media-- Be satisfied with what we're giving you and help us close the deal.
The senators on the health panel, Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown and Debbie Stabenaw, to their partial credit, literally all said that what they really wanted was single payer-- but that it was unattainable. Bernie Sanders pointed out that Kucinich's amendment in the house, that would enable states to pursue single payer at the state level with impunity from insurers holding it up in the courts, using ERISA, was not passed. But Sander's Senate amendment was in the bill, which would allow states to go forward, with a different way to deal with insurers, however, this wouldn't kick in until 2017 and he was trying to get it dropped back to 2014 (other sources report that even Sanders' staffers say this won't happen.)
Sanders said that he believed once a first state introduced single payer, other states would follow. This is how Canada got single payer. It started in Canada and it took 30 years for the whole country to have it. A lot, perhaps most single payer supporters this to be the case. The problem is, the current health reform bill, as written, will make it even harder to do. That's wrong.
Kucinich, in our interview, explained,
"The big thing with state single payer, the greatest vulnerability states have, is they can go through all the effort to pass a plan in their house and senate and have their governor sign it into law, but then, the ERISA is law, which is currently being used and has been used, to challenge regional health plans immediately come into play and be used to knock out all of those efforts. That's a problem and that's what I was trying to get ahead of in committee and I had a majority Democrats AND Republicans who voted for my amendment in committee. Then the administration stripped the ERISA waiver provision and that was one of the reasons I had no choice but to vote against the bill when it was presented to the full house."
Over the course of the Progressive media summit meeting, there were presentations from Harry Reid, Bob Mendendez, Debbie Stabenow, Byron Dorgan, Chuck Schumer, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown, Jeff Bingaman, Ben Cardin, Barbara Boxer and Jeanne Shaheen. Before and after the meeting, additional senators came to greet us-- Patrick Leahy, Arlen Specter, Amy Klobuchar, Frank Lautenberg and Daniel Akaka. Mark Begich sent a deputy press secretary (explaining that there were constituents in from Alaska and you don't turn them away after coming thousands of miles.) That's seventeen senators, 18, including Begich.
Senator Stabenow, who's been organizing these meetings does a good job. The house doesn't hold a comparable event. The Whitehouse appears to play favorites with a handful of media elites. This meeting is a good thing for both sides. The Democratic senators get a chance to tell what they've been working on, to cite their successes, to discuss some of their challenges-- particularly the filibuster and the Republican opposition. Stabenow said, "We suit up every day and this is what we feel like-- like we're in the middle of a war." We repeatedly heard that the Democrats are trying to govern and the Republicans are trying to keep things the way they are, to obstruct progress.
One thing that stood out was there was very little mention of Obama, no talk of supporting him, nor reports of his progress. The summit focused on what the senate Democratic caucus had accomplished and how progressive media could help. Each senate team, covering Jobs, Health, Energy and Environment, listed their achievements and their goals and challenges.
What became clear to me was that there's acknowledgment from Reid, Stabenaw, Schumer and others that the Democrats, in their efforts to govern, have not dealt effectively with the Republican onslaught. The Dems attribute it to wanting to focus on governing and not on media. I pointed out to Barbara Boxer, who I was thrilled to see take over chairmanship of the senate Environmental committee, from sub-neanderthal James Inhofe, that we needed talking points, like the right wingers have, like Frank Luntz invents, to make non-sexy issues (sorry greens, but average citizens don't get excited about carbon offsets) easy to understand and something they will care about. She gets it that we need it, but she told me that it was "our job" as the progressive media to help with that. Whoah. Frank Luntz is one of the people who do it for the right wingers. He's not a member of the media. He's a highly paid consultant.
I spoke to the left's counterpart to Frank Luntz, or our languaging expert last week-- George Lakoff, about climate change, while setting up an interview on my radio show (wed. March, 17 9-10 PM EST, AM 1360 in Philly and South Jersey). And he said that we should not be talking about global warming, we should be talking about the "climate crisis." I mentioned that to senator Boxer and she waved it off, saying that people didn't believe it was a crisis. I replied that we need to make it a meme, like the right wing does, so it IS believed. And I told the panel on energy and environment, that they should be coming to us, the progressive media, with talking points-- accessible, meme-ogenic language-- that we could take back to our media communities and use effectively. Stabenow told me later that they're working on it. Good. The issues deserve effective representation and advocacy and that means more than just writing legislation. You can build a great automobile, but without fuel, it's not going to move. Legislation needs the power and passion of public support and wonk talk, strictly to the head, doesn't cut it.
Over and over again, we heard the lament, "We want to govern. They want to obstruct. But we're going to get better at their game." I told a few of the senators that my readers have not been convinced that the Dem senate caucus has gotten a lot accomplished, regardless of their claims or the facts. The problem, I acknowledged, was partly appearances and promotion, versus the right wing onslaught.
But it was also because the Dems had not demonstrated that they had effectively wielded the incredible power the American voters handed to them. They looked weak and ineffective and made far too many excuses about the Republican use of the filibuster. Americans want strength, leadership and action, not excuses.
So we come back to Dennis Kucinich, a congressman with big vision, big heart and big cojones, standing up to all the other Democrats in congress and the "progressives" who have decided to settle for the bone they've been thrown. I stand with Dennis. I know the leadership of Progressive Democrats of America (about 100,000 strong) stands for Dennis. Kucinich is a visionary who looks further ahead. His effectiveness is evident in how he raises the ante, pushes the envelope and sets nobler, far more progressive goals for the democrats. All alone, he has been a leader in manifesting the progressive vision.
Remember Joan of Arc? Remember David and Goliath. History doesn't remember the people who caved in and settled for less.
Congressman Kucinich told me, in our interview,
We need to keep the discussion going about alternatives, because every discussion about alternatives puts the pressure in the direction of trying to come up with a better bill. And even at this late date, it would be a huge mistake to just look at the bill and call it a day. No, no no. We have to fight for the best bill we can get all the way down the line and if, despite our best efforts, it still can not meet the test of providing care for people instead of profits for insurance companies, then we have to reserve the right to oppose it.
And I asked him about the other progressive House signatories of the promise to hold firm for the public option. He replied,
When 77 members signed that letter, I'm the only one who's survived to vote against it. All the others with the exception of one who is no longer in congress, have gone against it. All the others have gone along with the bill.
I think the problem we have in the progressive movement is that when we take these positions, which are aimed, really, at trying to help people get a better deal and create something from a system that's so wretched at times, something that's really worthwhile out of the system. If we take a stand, as we did on the public option, and we say,we're going to stand and we're not going to vote for the bill unless it has a robust public option, and then, when it comes time for a vote, if we vote for it, it's as if, well, we really didn't mean that. We were just trying to see if we could push our way into it, but it didn't work. So what.
No. That undermines our bargaining position. I voted for it (in committee,) then they stripped the public option.
Progressives need to understand that if you are going to take a position and it is based on principle, that you have to be prepared to follow through. Otherwise nobody will ever believe you any time. Why make the deal with you if you will cave in? That's something we have to deal with. And this isn't just about one person. It's about all of us. It's not easy to be here because there's a lot of pressure. There's partisan pressure, pressure from the president, pressure from back home-- everyone wants you to try to do the right thing. Sometimes you end up in a situation where you can't please everyone. So you have to make the best decision you can. And unfortunately, 75 members in congress who signed onto the letter have decided that they wouldn't keep the pledge that they made. And I think that has probably hurt our bargaining position down the road on a lot of things.
I said to Kucinich, "I was at the progressive media summit meeting yesterday, that is put on by the Senate Democratic Outreach Committee, and I talked to Harry Reid and Debbie Stabenow and a handful of other senators-- there about 18 senators there. I get the impression, that, one, Obama has done nothing to support the public option. He has made no effort to support it or get behind it, and, that if he did, it would probably happen. What do you think?"
He replied, "Well the president has said he supports the public option."
"But he hasn't backed it up," I responded.
Kucinich answered, "Well, I think, if his words were backed up by actions, we could probably still get it. So if the Whitehouse determines that they need just one vote, in order to pass the bill, I am sure that they know, full well, that I would (inadible-- possibly "cede") that one vote. And the public option-- a serious public option-- is the path to do it. And the president could, even at this late date, still do it. It could still be done. A vehicle is being put together to make it possible. Maybe something will still happen."
If one man, Dennis Kucinich, holds his ground, mountains may move. Kucinich is not a prick, as Moulitsas says. He's a hero-- a man of integrity and courage who is fighting for what Americans deserve, when the rest of congress settled for far too little. Thom Hartmann says, "His intransigence might cause the reconciliation to be stronger to satisfy him and if his opposition helps improve the bill, even if he doesn't vote for, that's a good thing. Instead of progressives putting him in their gun sights, they should be elevating him to sainthood."
He's demanded a robust public option and protection from insurers for state efforts at single payer. Every state should be given a the waivers to protect them from insurer ERISA litigation PLUS a million in funding to pay for feasibility studies for programs like single payer or other public option alternatives. It's crazy that with so many trillions at stake, a tiny budget can't be had by local grassroots groups to innovate. They should throw an extra $50 million in the health reform bill to cover such exploration.
I'm not going to judge Moulitsas or his other progressive attackers. They're buying the message from Democratic leaders that this is the best we can get. I don't buy it. I believe that Kucinich is right to demand more and that it can be gotten. Let Rahm Emanuel curse him out too. You can be sure the health insurers are not happy about him. Every thing he's calling for will hurt them.
There are ways to support legislators when they deserve support. You can send them money, sign petitions, post comments, write to your own legislators-- amazingly, both of mine-- Specter and Casey-- are on the record supporting the public option. Who would have thought that Arlen Specter would get behind it.
Just a few weeks ago, on February 24th, Joan McCarter, AKA McJoan on dailykos.com, recently called for an up or
down vote on the public option. At least it would out the Senate
democrats who have sold out to insurance companies. Moulitsas threated to "primary" Kucinich. How about threatening to "primary" the 18 remaining Dem senators who have not signed on to the public option? How about burying the whitehouse with messages supporting Kucinich, the public option and the state ERISA Waiver?
Some say that Kucinich could single-handedly kill the bill. I say he could singe-handedly SAVE the bill. And if he does, he will still not have a substantive piece of legislation that he wrote. BFD.
Here's a thought. How about standing behind the guy who's doing the right thing and helping him force the ones who have caved in, who are letting the insurance companies win and have settled for a lot less than they should? How about getting behind the one Democrat who has it right?
I told Kucinich, "in the article I'm writing I'm characterizing you as David against Goliath. You're taking a strong stand and it's what we need and I thank you for what you're doing..."
He replied,
"I can understand the frustration of people who want to see something done now and they think that this is the best we can do and we need to do something. But sometimes, it's not the best we can do. It's a step in the wrong direction. And that's where discernment comes in. ... I know that if we're going to make this system work, we have to be careful that half measures don't undermine our ability to bring about the kind of change that is possible in the moment.
One final comment. I don't really see myself as David against Goliath, because David eventually had to take a stone and hurl it at Goliath. I think that we need to find a way to transform our relationships so that we're not trapped into dichotomies of us versus them and we really can find a way, in this world, now, to have health care really be about caring for each other and not just caring about profits of a few. And that's how I really think about health care-- how we think about each other.
I asked, "How can we help you?"
He answered,
"Just keep standing up for what you believe in. We should not let this moment pass without demanding more of our system, that we reject the kind of minimalism that doesn't lead forward. It leads backwards.
We have to find the greatness, not just in each one of us, but in our selves to call our selves to a higher set of responsibilities and a higher degree of accountability for creating our future. And we are selling ourselves short so often, and are causing this system, which is so retrograde, with so much force and power and effect on our lives. that we are forgetting who we are. We are forgetting that this system was created by our own hands. And by our own hands we can refashion the system to make it work for us.
The full interview with Congressman Kucinich can be listened to or downloaded here or accessed through iTunes. Search for Rob Kall.
Authors Bio:
Rob Kall is an award winning journalist, inventor, software architect,
connector and visionary. His work and his writing have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC, the HuffingtonPost, Success, Discover and other media.
He's given talks and workshops to Fortune
500 execs and national medical and psychological organizations, and pioneered
first-of-their-kind conferences in Positive Psychology, Brain Science and
Story. He hosts some of the world's smartest, most interesting and powerful
people on his Bottom Up Radio Show,
and founded and publishes one of the top Google- ranked progressive news and
opinion sites, OpEdNews.com
more detailed bio:
Rob Kall has spent his adult life as an awakener and empowerer-- first in the field of biofeedback, inventing products, developing software and a music recording label, MuPsych, within the company he founded in 1978-- Futurehealth, and founding, organizing and running 3 conferences: Winter Brain, on Neurofeedback and consciousness, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology (a pioneer in the field of Positive Psychology, first presenting workshops on it in 1985) and Storycon Summit Meeting on the Art Science and Application of Story-- each the first of their kind. Then, when he found the process of raising people's consciousness and empowering them to take more control of their lives one person at a time was too slow, he founded Opednews.com-- which has been the top search result on Google for the terms liberal news and progressive opinion for several years. Rob began his Bottom-up Radio show, broadcast on WNJC 1360 AM to Metro Philly, also available on iTunes, covering the transition of our culture, business and world from predominantly Top-down (hierarchical, centralized, authoritarian, patriarchal, big) to bottom-up (egalitarian, local, interdependent, grassroots, archetypal feminine and small.) Recent long-term projects include a book, Bottom-up-- The Connection Revolution, debillionairizing the planet and the Psychopathy Defense and Optimization Project.
To watch Rob having a lively conversation with John Conyers, then Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here. Watch Rob speaking on Bottom up economics at the Occupy G8 Economic Summit, here.