Oh is it ever so rich to hear Steve Lynch talk about how the Affordable Health Care Act was just a big giveaway to the insurance companies. Never mind that it was the one chance in 60+ years of advocacy to have anything like universal health care, where everyone can see a doctor when they’re sick.
But being a non-corporate health care guy, Lynch has always been for single-payer Medicare For All, right? Well, he used to be. And then he wasn’t, as of 2009. To be or not to be ….
And remember the public option? The big check on corporate health insurance that actually had a chance at one point? In 2009, we were on Boston Common, literally shouting at the guy to help us out:
September 08, 2009
Stephen Lynch’s tough weekend
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who took out nomination papers to run for Ted Kennedy’s vacant Senate seat, received a rude wake-up call to his Senate ambitions over the weekend.
At Sunday’s Boston Common rally for President Obama’s health care reform, Lynch was booed during his speech by the very same activists he’ll need to win over in the upcoming special election. A longtime advocate of labor interests, Lynch wasn’t even invited to the state’s leading labor breakfast this weekend because of his skepticism towards the proposed public option component of health insurance legislation.
In 2009-2010, We needed all hands on deck. If Lynch had concerns about corporate health care, he should have gotten behind the public option, instead of pulling his Hamlet act, and giving bad-faith mischief-makers like Joe Lieberman cover for sinking the PO.
The Affordable Care Act was indeed a complicated and difficult balancing act, a major gut-check for Democrats, for what it means to be a Democrat.
And Steve Lynch puked on his shoes.
This guy shouldn’t be our nominee, and shouldn’t be a Senator.
fenway49 says
Lynch is full of it. As oceandreams pointed out in the debate thread, not even Dennis Kucinich voted no on the final conference bill from the left. But Steve Lynch claims he did, while throwing in the “oppressive tax” crap from the GOP playbook. I’d have hit him harder, saying “If you’d had your way, people would be denied coverage right now, all over this land, for having a preexisting condition, etc.”
Bob Neer says
Nailed it. Hypocrisy has its place in politics — who among us is perfect — but there are limits. On this issue, Lynch is so far out of bounds he’s in the stands.
jconway says
He seems to have been quiet lately, I miss his calming presence and reason based passion for Lynch. I would like him to say why Lynch is so much “better” on labor than Markey, particularly in light of the ACA difference. I understand some unions have more culturally conservative members, but Lynch has disavowed his cultural conservatism, and Striker at least is socially progressive. Oh well, guess we will have to deal with the DFWs of the world.
Mark L. Bail says
oh, wait, he wasn’t in Congress then–NAFTA. Plus he supposedly one a debate no one watched. Plus he’s for the working man just like Scott Brown.
fenway49 says
protectors of working people everywhere for whom Dan voted: Reagan and George W. Bush.
mike_cote says
n/t and ROFL!