Profile in Courage: Congreswoman Kilroy voted against Stupak amendment and for health care reform

First of all – Plunderbund- I love your new site and your serious upgrade in bloggers and content!!!

Well, the House health reform bill known as The Affordable Health Care for America Act was approved by the U.S. House. Known to Empty Rhetoric Republicans as the Government Takeover of Health Care and known to Dangerously Delusional Democrats as Meaningful Health Care ?reform?, finally passed.

What I find most interesting is that the two leading proponents of the single-payer movement split their votes; John Conyers voted for it; Dennis Kucinich against. Kucinich was right. He was the ultimate, as you say, ” profile in courage.”

There were plenty of cowardly votes in the House Saturday night but there was only one truly brave one. The unsung hero of the night was Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich. He did the right thing and voted no. Unlike the Blue Dog Democrats and Republican votes against the bill, he did it for all the right reasons. As always, Dennis spoke truth to power and gave a very passionate and principled explanation

Dennis Kucinch is the bravest man in America ? never one to hold up his wet finger to gauge which direction the proverbial political winds are blowing.

That I am lucky enough to live in his Ohio Congressional District and that we have a true champion of the people as my representative on the national stage brings me much political and philosophical satisfaction.

The corporate interests that spend millions to influence the media and both political parties want you to ignore Dennis Kucinich. Too many Democrats unwittingly help them. I Don?t. I am not a patsy.

People like Dennis Kucinich have been made pariahs by establishment Democrats. They have all been marginalized, but check their records, review their historical fortitude. Kucinich has been considered a fringe candidate and character because he tells us the truth about corporate abuses of power long before the rest of us catch up to the reality of what?s happened.

If enough of us stand with Dennis Kucinich, maybe we?ll actually get real health care reform. If we don?t, maybe we don?t deserve that reform.

Maybe we do deserve a ?reform? bill that is not the cure for what ails the American health care system. This bill, as it is currently constructed, could make a bad situation worse. Is the House Health Care bill really better than nothing at all?

I understand that many sincere progressives in the House, and outside of it, chose to back the bill as the best that could be gotten. Others supported it on the hope that flaws could be fixed in the Senate and in the reconciliation of the House and Senate bills. That a whole lot of ifs, ands or buts. Frankly, it?s a sign of party weakness and unrepresentative government as countless polling data prove that large majorities of Americans support single-payer universal health care, or at the very least a significant, robust and cost-reducing public option.

If the Democratic Party chooses to separate themselves from corporatist Republicans, they would be wise to consider the criticisms of it by groups that advocate for the rights of women, patient advocates, unions and some of the most progressive members of the House like Dennis Kucinich.

First of all – Plunderbund- I love your new site and your serious upgrade in bloggers and content!!!

Well, the House health reform bill known as The Affordable Health Care for America Act was approved by the U.S. House. Known to Empty Rhetoric Republicans as the Government Takeover of Health Care and known to Dangerously Delusional Democrats as Meaningful Health Care ?reform?, finally passed.

What I find most interesting is that the two leading proponents of the single-payer movement split their votes; John Conyers voted for it; Dennis Kucinich against. Kucinich was right. He was the ultimate, as you say, ” profile in courage.”

There were plenty of cowardly votes in the House Saturday night but there was only one truly brave one. The unsung hero of the night was Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich. He did the right thing and voted no. Unlike the Blue Dog Democrats and Republican votes against the bill, he did it for all the right reasons. As always, Dennis spoke truth to power and gave a very passionate and principled explanation

Dennis Kucinch is the bravest man in America ? never one to hold up his wet finger to gauge which direction the proverbial political winds are blowing.

That I am lucky enough to live in his Ohio Congressional District and that we have a true champion of the people as my representative on the national stage brings me much political and philosophical satisfaction.

The corporate interests that spend millions to influence the media and both political parties want you to ignore Dennis Kucinich. Too many Democrats unwittingly help them. I Don?t. I am not a patsy.

People like Dennis Kucinich have been made pariahs by establishment Democrats. They have all been marginalized, but check their records, review their historical fortitude. Kucinich has been considered a fringe candidate and character because he tells us the truth about corporate abuses of power long before the rest of us catch up to the reality of what?s happened.

If enough of us stand with Dennis Kucinich, maybe we?ll actually get real health care reform. If we don?t, maybe we don?t deserve that reform.

Maybe we do deserve a ?reform? bill that is not the cure for what ails the American health care system. This bill, as it is currently constructed, could make a bad situation worse. Is the House Health Care bill really better than nothing at all?

I understand that many sincere progressives in the House, and outside of it, chose to back the bill as the best that could be gotten. Others supported it on the hope that flaws could be fixed in the Senate and in the reconciliation of the House and Senate bills. That a whole lot of ifs, ands or buts. Frankly, it?s a sign of party weakness and unrepresentative government as countless polling data prove that large majorities of Americans support single-payer universal health care, or at the very least a significant, robust and cost-reducing public option.

If the Democratic Party chooses to separate themselves from corporatist Republicans, they would be wise to consider the criticisms of it by groups that advocate for the rights of women, patient advocates, unions and some of the most progressive members of the House like Dennis Kucinich.