Rep. Ellison: You thought health care reform would be easy?

Congressman Keith Ellison (D - MN) fires up a crowd of volunteers about to door knock for health care reform. His speech was a variation of an article he wrote for the Huffington Post which you will find below:


So, my friends, what were we thinking? Did we really think that extending health care coverage to all Americans would be easy? Did we really believe that those who reap gzillions of bucks from our health (read sick) care system were going to give it all up without a fight? Of course those who benefit from the status quo are attacking the Public Option. Of course they are falsely claiming that Medicare reimbursement for end-of-life discussions are death panels. Of course they are disrupting town hall forums some even carrying firearms. Its not an element of reform they oppose; its reform itself.

The special interests and protectors of the status quo acted worse when America was on the brink of passing Civil Rights and Voting Rights legislation. They spread lies and fear when America was contemplating womens suffrage too.

Maybe its us, and not opponents of reform, who have failed to grasp the magnitude of this moment. We are on the verge of bringing about health care reform 60 years in waiting. Yes, were going to have to fight for it. I worry that a little rough stuff has discouraged some progressives. As Frederick Douglass famously said, Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will. Its easy to figure out who the Power is. The 10 largest health insurers took in $13 billion in 2007 with CEOs earning an average $12 million a year, according to Health Care for America Now.

I have been a little concerned about some Democratic leaders who appear to be dancing away from the Public Option. But momentary wavering in leadership has provoked expressions of clarity from the people. Sixty Progressives in Congress have roared back in favor of the Public Option declaring their unwavering support in a letter to the White House. Thousands of people are ...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• obama
• healthcare
• deficit
• budget
• Medicare
• Medicaid
• debt
• public
• option
• america
• plan
• rybak
• rtrybak
• Ellison

[mmcintee]

Care to provide some details?

[Joann335]

Health care is needed to have public option.

Without the public option the private companies will only compete to jack up the price not lower it, everyone knows.

Common, dear Republican friends, only when you have someone have cancer in your family you would know what importance the public option is. Otherwise, no one insure you. What you think?

We need to treat each other kinder and with equal.

[Zorlakable1]

Jesus would not want health care for everyone.

[cromagnan]

We need healthcare reform. We need help. We have millions dying because they have no insurance. It's supposed to be "We the People", NOT... We, Um...some of the people"

[BillionYears]

I'd have to forward the two page e-mail he sent me. Full of BS

[BillionYears]

He is a liar.

[nutdao]

Ellison makes a lot of sense

[JMehrman]

Who do they think we are? We know something fishy when we hear it and it's Obama's proposal along with any other ugly mutation from it.

Reform is necessary but only when we can afford it and on AMERICA'S terms ... not these phony bureaucrats who peer down their noses at the (in their mind) dumb masses.