Ha! They wouldn't let him inside the castle gates, but Dr. Dean is organizing the peasants outside.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

God bless him, Howard Dean never gives up. I am so impressed that even though he was not offered any position within the administration, instead of slinking away, he is making himself a powerful voice for single payer from the outside.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! I bet they will WISH they had made him Surgeon General or something.


(you can sign his petition for single payer healthcare here: http://www.standwithdrdean.com/

[ecstatic]

1. good for him, but that's an offensive subject line

It implies that the whole thing was personal, and you have no evidence that that's the case.

[BeFree]

6. It's not offensive

And the best way to get someone to shut up is to give them a position and pay.

We peasants are the only real solution, and if you find that term to be offensive (guessing) just remember it is only elitists and wanna be elitists who should be, because they are offensive.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

11. Your point is well taken and I made an appropriate edit

The word "so" connotated that Dr. Dean was doing it as payback, and you are absolutely correct that is most definitely not the case, so I changed it to "but. On the other hand, I personally did/do believe that the decision to not make room for him in the administration was based on animosity between him and Emmanual due to DNC internal squabbles. That's my belief based on a number of things that I read at the time.

My point is, you can't keep a good man down. They will find alternate routes to their goal.

[Jackpine Radical]

14. I think you're exactly right,

going back to the 50-state thing and much more.

I have never liked Rahm; he's an elitist wheeler-dealer who has always thought he's better in every way than the rabble. I've had people try to jump on me in the past for calling him a Neocon, but he is. He's a dyed-in-the-wool Chicago-School Straussian conniver.

Dean? I was a Deaniac before the term was invented. I attended the first round of meetups that evolved into DFA, and I have watched him evolve from a kinda conservative Dem governor into a Gore-category statesman, and the man who laid the groundwork that made Obama President. Rahm and the DLC would still be on the outside oooking in if it hadn't been for Howard, and they are totally oblivious to that reality.

[Uzybone]

2. Isn't it better to just support Deans efforts,

instead of trying to constantly play up this "division" thing?

[redqueen]

9. Yes.

In fact, Dean can be much more effective in this effort from outside the system.

Why people want to encourage the cirucular firing squad is beyond me.

[ProSense]

3. He's supporting Obama's plan

"If Barack Obama's healthcare plan gets changed to exclude a public option like Medicare, then it is not healthcare reform. Legislation rises and falls on whether the American public is allowed to choose a universally available public option or not."

(Emphasis added)

[SpiralHawk]

4. The k and the r

Go Howard -- single-payer is The WAY

Tuck it to the lobbyists and profiteering "health' care corps and insurance corps Undo the costly mess they have made

I predict Dean will take this ALL THE WAY with the support of the American public

Thank you, Dr Dean

[FrenchieCat]

7. Howard Dean believes like Barack Obama that single payer health

cannot be instituted in one fell swoop.

He stands behind the health plan that Barack Obama's campaigned on; one that gives a public option.

[eridani]

16. Remind me to never allow you to write an ad for my used car

If I said that $3000 was my minimum acceptable offer, that's probably what you would put in the paper. Nothing is more utterly stupid than leading with your lowball offer. Starting out with just a public option and retaining private insurance is a great way to guarantee that the public part will be underfunded and useless. Demand single payer now, and the public option is much more likely to be useful and sustainable.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Howard Dean is not working AGAINST the administration.....

But Dr. Dean is organizing to get support and assistance for those of us who want to work in keeping Obama's health plan as close to its original campaign state as possible.

Dr. Dean is on our side.
President Obama is on our side.

To make sides compete when they aren't isn't necessarily helpful.

So your frame is a bit off the mark, IMO.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

17. While I don't totally disagree with you

in that Dr. Dean is supporting President Obama's plan as it currently stands, I am very grateful to have him as an outside guard dog to champion my rights in this matter if President Obama starts allowing himself to be negotiated out of single payer option in order to be "moderate" or "bi-partisan" or to appease the Dinosaurs and Blue Dog Dems.

The somewhat gloating aspect to my post is completely my own character flaw and not Dr. Dean's. I took offense on his part when I saw him being (in my opinion) slighted with no room for him in the administration despite the steller work he did in getting all of us a Dem in the White House. Can't help it, that's how I feel.

[Imperialism Inc.]

8. It is also possible that they both decided the best spot for him was

outside agitating

[denem]

10. "Change comes to Washington, not from Washington":

Barack Obama. I doubt the President is the least bit offended by the good doctor's efforts to get the people's voice heard. "You have the power", "make it so".

[Cha]

12. I love Obama and Dean and I'm really glad

Dean is getting this together. Everyone doesn't have to be in the admin to do a good job for our country. Look at Al Gore.

[fadedrose]

15. I love Obama and Dean too

Am mesmerized when Obama speaks, also when Dean speaks...

However, I don't like Emanuel and hope nobody tells me I have to...

[PopSixSquish]

18. Yes You Have To!!!!!!!

:hi:

I pretty much like everybody in the Administration and I like Dr. Dean. So it's all good to me...

[Cha]

23. Don't care too much for

Rahm myself except when he's givin' it to the repubs.

[fadedrose]

13. Signed....want to know about CNBC...

Anyone know if Dr. Dean is on at any special time - or is he in a specific time slot in a particular program..

I got an email from CNBC giving me its schedule, but nowhere did it say which of the programs Dr. Dean was on..

[hedgehog]

19. IMO, Obama is using Dean to drag him, kicking and screaming,

(wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to institute single payer.

[fadedrose]

20. You may have something there, have had similar thoughts myself..nt

[Maven]

21. Yes it's all part of the master plan

:eyes:

[MarjorieG]

22. Obama knows he needs as much support for his public/private plan as possible. Dean agrees, knows

it's uphill, regardless of debts and deficits.

[Jennicut]

24. I thought Dean supported the way Obama was going to go about his plan?

Or maybe its just that we need fights here to be interesting.


On the call, Dr. Dean stated that if we do not pass a health care reform bill with a public option, we should not pass anything because it will not be worth the money.

"We are losing jobs because we have a health care system that doesn't make sense....We're losing jobs to Canada because of our health care system.... We want full consumer choice. We don't want that choice limited by ideology.... will try and kill the public option because they know if you don't have that it's not real reform."

Dr. Dean took questions from people on the call. One question: Do we need a single payer system to achieve universal coverage?

Answer: "The nice thing about the president's plan is you don't have to make that choice.... Let the American people choose. If you can't get insurance in the private sector, you can choose the public option. Leave it up to the American consumer to decide how much private health insurance there is."

http://www.blogforiowa.com/blog/_archives/2009/3/26/4133791.html

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

25. Please see post #17. nt.

[Jennicut]

28. Okay. I forgive you. I agree I like him on the outside too.

I just do not want to see anymore infighting posts when they essentially agree on many of the issues in health care.
Just kidding about the forgiveness thing. :)

[MarjorieG]

32. Dean does agree, and both of them know Dean will be helpful.

[rockymountaindem]

26. Look, it's not going to happen

We are not likely to see single payer in this country for at least 20 years. We still haven't tried all the conceivable "compromise" alternatives yet, and Obama is not going to be the President who signs single payer into law.

[Hieronymus]

31. We've waited for 56 years ... since Truman proposed single payer ...

What's another 20 years? :sarcasm:

[acmavm]

27. I just signed his petition. You know, I could have been all wrong

about him being a fantastic president. He was not my candidate but everything he's done since then has made me think that I could have been all wrong.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

29. Just like Al Gore, his candidacy was killed off by the media and he's become an even greater man. nt

[SemiCharmedQuark]

30. I signed! Go Dr. Dean!

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

33. Make no mistake, health care reform needs to be a bottom up movement

It was nice to see that sincere outrage (as with the AIG bonuses) can actually work.

Healthcare is the seminal issue for this Presidential term. We can't screw it up and then have to wait for another 20 years.

To the barricades!

[Adelante]

34. Obama is probably pleased as punch

Dean will be out organizing for the health plan. This is a very good thing.

[rucky]

35. Just signed up to be a volunteer!