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Last week, the case was made that Americans deserve a debate and a vote on health care:
Reasonable people can differ on the question of whether the health reform bill in the Senate is worth passing. Certainly, I’d strenuously disagree with people who believe health reform won’t solve our country’s health care crisis, or that the status-quo is worth preserving. However, it’s hard to put together a reasonable argument that the Senate shouldn’t at the very least talk about health care reform, or allow it to come up for a simple vote.
And indeed, America agrees. Health Care for America Now has released a poll showing that voters in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Nebraska overwhelmingly agree that the Senate should debate and have a fair, majority vote on health care.
Here’s the relevant questions, via TPMDC:
"In the Senate, before a bill can be voted on, there must be a vote to allow it to be debated," reads the first survey question. "Regardless of whether you support or oppose the health insurance reform plan itself, do you believe that it should be debated on the floor of the Senate?"
In all states, voters overwhelmingly said the Senate health care reform bill should be debated on the floor. Nebraska: 88-9, Louisiana: 82-9, Arkansas: 84-11.
"Once a bill has been debated in the Senate, Senators must then vote on whether to allow the bill itself to be voted on," HCAN asks. "Regardless of whether you support or oppose the health insurance reform plan, do you believe that Senators should allow it to be voted on."
The results are similarly striking. Nebraska: 80-14: Louisiana: 77-14, Arkansas: 77-14.
The American people are looking forward to the opening of debate on the Senate health care bill tomorrow evening. There is no excuse not to give them what they clearly want: A debate and a vote on historic health reform.
(also posted at the NOW! blog)
I’m proud to work for Health Care for America Now
5 Comments
In my view the entire argument over health care has been simply to hide the facts from the American people that the government wants to give all the power to the Health Insurance Industry!! The arguments and the blather has been nothing but a smoke screen concealing the truth!! The Insurance Company’s own, operate and give orders to the ENTIRE CONGRESS AND THE WHITE HOUSE!!! We the people have had little to no say about Health Care Reform!!! The only real Health Care Reform there is, is Single Payer Medicare for ALL AMERICANS!!! This will not be allowed to until WE THE PEOPLE GIVE THE GOVERNMENT NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER!!!!!
The citizens of this country hold the real power and that scares the crap out of those in Congress and the White House!! I call for a true revolution at the ballot box voting out all incumbents, and I mean all of them, and throwing out any elected official that accepts money from ANY LOBBYIST!!! If we are going to have real Health Care Reform we must first clean out a very corrupt Congress and Senate!! In order to accomplish this we must have citizens with the courage to cast the votes and police the elections for voter fraud!! We the people will have to provide for our own security and financial well being as our government has been sold to the highest bidder and is run by corporate America!!!
Funny that Up or Down Vote died for the wingers when bringing bills to a vote meant they might not be able to defeat the public interest.
With these kinds of numbers Harry’s bill is political suicide.
Wait, what?
This would have been the appropriate question:
97% of all bills that win a vote to be debated are passed. Given that a vote to debate health care reform is 97% likely to lead to the bill’s passage, would you prefer that the vote to proceed with debate succeed or fail?