The Dear John letter, after the jump.
Representative Tim Walz (the next lion of Minnesota politics) invited Representative John Kline to join him at a health care town hall on Thursday in East Mankato, and in exchange Congressman Walz will join Kline at a similar event in the 2nd district. Kline hasn’t responded as of yet.
Now that is leadership.
Good luck with that, Tim.
Where was this letter published?
I like the idea of joint townhall meetings, but don’t think it should end at healthcare. I’d like to see ARRA fund management and Cash for Clunkers on the agenda as well.
It was SENT TO KLINE, dude.
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=16&a=412004
And because righty douchebags form lines HUNDREDS long, to control the “debate” on healthcare, I think your agenda is a bit over-reaching.
That being said, given that the teabaggers NEVER ACTUALLY SAY A FUCKING THING ABOUT HEALTHCARE REFORM, I think you’d look downright reasonable if you could manage a cogent question abut ARRA or CfC.
I have wholly endorsed Dr. Zeke Emmanuel’s — a Democrat and the brother of Obama’s Chief-of-Staff — health plan. I love it. I don’t care if a Democrat wrote it. I like it.
And Zeke Emmanuel’s thoughtful plan says nothing about a Government-run healthcare plan. Oh, it actually does. It says don’t do it. It would not be as effective as reforming the insurance markets to operate better.
- Drastically change the reimbursement system for doctors and hospitals to reward quality care
- Mandate that an insurance can’t turn someone away for pre-existing. Reward insurances for covering these patients by giving them financial upside for taking more of these patients on.
- Decouple insurance from jobs. People should buy insurance like they buy utilities or buy car insurance.
- Limit non-economic damages on malpractice awards, reducing malpractice insurance costs and alleviate the need for 10%+ of our care to be dedicated to physicians covering their arses from attorney’s.
and more. His plan, of course, is much more specific. There are plans that non-Democrats endorse. But a public option with virtually no boundaries about how much public money it could take is not one of them.
“It was SENT TO KLINE, dude.”
… the same day it was sent to the press. That makes one wonder if he is truly inviting Kline to engage in civic dialogue, or just trying to land the first punch of a visible PR campaign.
Why would you invite a colleague to do something with you, and before you even get a respnose or can follow-up with a phone call to discuss the idea in good faith, feel the need to send the invite to the media? Maybe that is just how politics works.
Decouple insurance from jobs. People should buy insurance like they buy utilities or buy car insurance.
Absolutely not. People should have ACCESS to HEALTH CARE, just like everyone living in a house in a city has access to water. Throw the damn insurance companies out of the equation.
Re: “Sent to Kline same day as press”:
There is no mistaking the date of a townhall, or anything lost in the mail.
Should this scare Kline? I don’t see what gain you are suggesting.
Kline either participates, or he runs away to do partisan townhalls.
Hey John, I have a conflict that evening so feel free to attend;)
Hey Tim, if you want John to show up, you’ll have to arrange for someone to hand him a check!
So Walz acts the hero and Kline is his typical Texan all ht and no cattle. Kline is afraid he will have to admit he is also against Social Security and Medicare… well anything unless it is military spending for his cronies.
“So Walz acts the hero and Kline is his typical Texan all ht and no cattle.”
What’s the hangup with public servants from other places? Walz is a Nebraskan but I’m not calling him a Cornhusker country bumpkin. Our DC contingent right now has a Texan, a Nebraskan, an Iowan, a North Dakotan, a guy from Detroit, a man who spent his adult life in NYC, and a few natives. What does that have to do with anything?
Paul Wellstone, whom I admired but often disagreed with, was not “from here” but that didn’t matter.
“Not from here” needs more historical perspective.
Wellstone came to make his home in Minnesota
when he became a professor at Carleton in 1969 or 1970.
He did run for any elected office until 1982, Did not become senator until 1990.
Kline, I believe ran for office in 1998 shortly after getting here. Am I wrong?
He didn’t win until after 9/11 as I recall.
Why would there be a problem with joint townhalls?
It gives all the voters attending, a look at both candidates.
A proper contrast. An opportunity to hear both sides.
Thinking this is an ad campaign presumes that Kline cannot dare, or will not participate.
If its a bluff - then why not show up & we’ll see.
DtM,
I cannot get past the basic fundamentals of capitalism to see how including the insurance companies will control costs.
No matter how efficient they become, no matter how streamlined they make their paperwork, no matter how much bureaucracy they cut, the basic fundamental is:
The more care they turn down, the more money they make.
Their responsibility is t make profit for shareholders. I am sick of corporate insurance being in charge of my care. Who I can see, what procedure I may need, etc. That is up to my doctor and me.
COLLECT PREMIUMS — Do NOT pay BENEFITS.
Sounds like a way to print money.
COWARDICE on Kline’s part. Go figure