He has shown, in the face of real health care reform that will help the people of this state, cowardice and lack of leadership. The polls even showed a majority in favor of the House bill; but still, Travaglini catered to his pro-business friends (odd to me, because 2/3 of businesses in the state stood to get a tax break under the now-dead House bill) and would not back down.
We will not get meaningful reform with Travaglini as the leader of the Senate. Therefore, he must be forced to resign.
Call Senator Travaglini today. Call, fax, and write him now and tell him you think he should step down. Then call, fax, and write your state senator and say you demand Travaglini leave his post as Senate President.
Senator Travaglini is an impediment to progress. Roadblocks are meant to be swept aside. Travaglini must step down.
charley-on-the-mta says
… that I am considering Lynne’s position seriously.
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Trav will have his defenders in all areas, left, center and right; but let’s make an analogy:
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Grady Little wasn’t the worst manager, wasn’t the best. But when it came down to the most important decision of his managing career — take Pedro out or leave him in — he blew it. Made one of the worst decisions in Red Sox history, and that’s really saying something. And so… it really doesn’t matter what he did otherwise, did it? He wasn’t good enough to make that one critical, correct decision. And so they fired him.
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Since Travaglini blew these health care negotiations so badly, showing 1. cowardice in the face of special interest pressure, and 2. an inability to make any kind of deal, resulting in an absolutely poisoned atmosphere … doesn’t one have to ask whether he deserves to stick around? If you lack principle and political skill as Senate President, well, what exactly have you got?
jc-davis says
I haven’t been following this too closely, but didn’t the Senate basically pass the essential framework for universal coverage today? According to the Globe, it creates the subisdized insurance program to help people buy insurance and the amendment they adopted today includes an individual mandate. What’s missing, besides the employer assessment and expanded medicaid benefits (which wasn’t an access issue anyways)?
migraine says
The only thing missing is the FUNDING. This trashy bill is worse than a bandaid to the MA healthcare CRISIS. Not only does this proposal not cover as many people as the original health care proposal does, it doesn’t PAY FOR health care. Trav should resign. Bastard.
john-galway says
Why does Eggplant Travaglini get to go away on vacatiopn when the state’s most important health care legislation EVER is being worked on and not a peep anywhere in the communist daily from Morrissey boulevard? How does Eggplant get away with this. The Speaker was around all week, ready to negotiate, and no sign of Eggplant. And why when O’Flaherty went on vacation in October of last year, the communist daily sent photographers to PORTUGAL yet Eggplant, on far more serious legislation, gets a free pass. What say you Scott “ugly” Lehigh or Brian “stutterer” McGrory?
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Don’t let Eggplant get away with it bloggers; remember Eggplant just shelved universal health care to curry favor with deep-pocketed lobbyists (Cambridge health Alliance) et al yet he speaks like an Oxford know-it-all even though he’s a street kid from Eastie. No free pass for Eggplant from me.
lynne says
But as a reader on my site pointed out, the new Senate bill contained that goddamned STUPID individual mandate.
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NOW CAN WE FIRE HIM??? If I was angry before, I’m primal-scream-material now. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!