Dennis Kucinich Strikes A Deal, Votes "Yes" On Health Care!

Dennis Kucinich Is A "Yes" On Health Care


President Obama's arm-twisting worked!

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), enjoying a rare moment where his vote could be critical on a landmark issue, said Wednesday morning that he will reluctantly vote for the Democratic health care bill, a significant boost from a liberal critic of the legislation.

“Even though…I’ve had some serious differences of opinion with the administration, this is a defining moment for whether or not we’ll have any opportunity to move off square one on the issue of health care,” Kucinich said. “And, so even though I don’t like the bill, I’ve made a decision to support it in the hopes that we can move toward a more comprehensive approach once this legislation is done.”

Kucinich’s support is significant for the Democratic health care proposal, with a final vote looming because he was a “no” vote the first time around, but it’s not as if he is the deciding vote. There are still potentially dozens of undecided Democrats on the fence as Speaker Nancy Pelosi searches for the 216 she needs for passage.

Kucinich, usually an uncompromising liberal, flew to Ohio with President Obama on Monday, who lobbied him both privately and publicly to vote for the health care bill. It gave them time for their fourth meeting on the subject.

In fact, the Ohioan’s decision seemed driven more by a desire to see Obama succeed than any acquiescence to the merits of the legislation. He decried a pervasive “fear” post Sept. 11, 2001, that has “poisoned” American politics. Kucinich is also a supporter of a single-payer health care system, and this bill has no such thing.

“One of the things that’s bothered me is the attempt to try to delegitimize his presidency. That hurts the nation when that happens. He was elected,” Kucinich said. “We have to be very careful that the potential of President Obama’s presidency not be destroyed by this debate. And I feel, even though I have many differences with him on policy, there’s something much bigger at stake here for America, and that’s what I’d like people to think about.”



Kucinich, often marginalized in the media as a fringe liberal, got the full spotlight during his 26-minute Wednesday morning press conference. More than three dozen journalists watched as he stood at the podium Wednesday morning in a Capitol press gallery, and his remarks were televised live on all three cable networks.

His announcement could help give Democrats some needed momentum. One of 39 House Democrats to vote against the House bill in November, he said then that it did not move far enough in the direction of a single-payer system and maintained the current private insurance structure.

“If I can vote for this bill, there’s not many people who shouldn’t be able to support it,” he said, to laughter.

As recently as last week, Kucinich insisted he could not support the Senate bill.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t see this bill as a solution,” he said March 8 on MSNBC’s “Countdown With Keith Olbermann.” “You are building on sand. There is no structure here [for fixing it in the future].”

Kucinich made no effort to distance himself from this criticism.



“I know I have to make a decision not on the bill as I would like to see it but as it is,” Kucinich said. “My criticism of the legislation has been well-reported. I do not retract those criticisms. I incorporate them into this statement: They stand as legitimate and cautionary. I have doubts about the bill. I do not think it is a step toward anything I’ve supported in the past.”

Kucinich defended his record against progressives who might think he sold them out. He talked about his own struggle with poor health growing up and his time as a former surgical technician. He said he’s “carried the banner” for universal health care in two presidential campaigns, at Democratic Party platform meetings and by introducing legislation.



He ended by refusing to defend the controversial procedures that Democratic leaders will use to try pushing the bill through.

“Look, I don’t like much of anything about this process, OK? I don’t,” he said. “If you’re looking for somebody to give a blessing to the process, you’re looking at the wrong person.”


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Sources: Politico, Democracy Now, Fox News, Youtube, Google Maps