Another topic that arose repeatedly in our interview with Rep. Mike Capuano regarding the Senate race was health care. Here are several questions on that topic.
- I asked what Capuano would do if faced with a health care bill that lacks a public option. He doesn’t give pledges, but he was quite strong on opposing a bill that didn’t have some way of creating competition with health insurance companies.
- Following up, Charley asked about the next step: how do you control health care costs?
- Finally, Charley wondered what comes next after the first bill passes (assuming it does). Capuano talked about the dangers of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, and mentioned that the climate change bill fell into the same category.
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He describes the role of a being a good legislator very intelligently and believably. I like his pointing out that sometimes great legislation gets packaged with poison pills that force one to vote against it. I liked his “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” remark where he talks about getting things done being more important to him that getting his name on a piece of legislation.