Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

When is John Kerry’s town hall meeting on health insurance reform?

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Isn’t August the month when our representatives are suppose to come back to their home states and reconnect with their constituency?  I’ve reviewed John Kerry’s official website and their are no scheduled events for him in Massachusetts in August.  Supposedly, he spends some of the month overseas.  Is he spending the whole month overseas? Where is the man?  Isn’t this issue one of the biggest we face in making life better for the people of our country…to be sure that all of us can have access to affordable health insurance coverage. Health insurance reform will also help stabilize the economy and reduce the national debt/deficit over time.  

Do you think he could spend 1 or 2 days of the month with the people of Massachusetts?  

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  1. John Kerry is going to vote for ANY healthcare reform that gets put in front of him. He has been reelected so many times in MA that he doesn’t care what we think anymore… he’s doesn’t want/care about the people of MA’s view on healthcare reform… what else is new? When Barney Frank’s Town Hall Meeting?  

  2. Not an election year. Watch him five years from now, when he will suddenly have been a leader on this issue. Just because people are dying is no reason for him to be hasty.

  3. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ~Martin Luther King Jr.

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    p>Silence… from Senator John Kerry.  As the hope for a public option seems to be leaving us, I thank you John Kerry, for once again not rising to the occasion to support the working middle class and the most vulnerable in our society.
    Have a great vacation.

    • “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

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      p>Prediction… Kerry wins reelection easily… MA is full of suckers.

      • Press Center

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        p>08/11/09
        Kerry Condemns Conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi

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        p>08/11/09
        Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report Examines U.S. Counter-Narcotics Strategy In Afghanistan

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        p>08/06/09
        Senators Harkin, Franken, Kerry, Schumer, Landrieu and Martinez Introduce the Safe Babies Act of 2009

        <

        p>08/06/09
        Kerry, Kennedy: Senate Passage of Agriculture Bill Contains $650,000 for Three Vital Massachusetts Projects

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        p>08/04/09
        Kerry, Kennedy, McGovern, Frank: Fall River to Receive $4.4 Million for Critical Housing Programs

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        p>Also ironically, this tidbit…

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        p>Video Center
        Featured Video
        John Kerry and Newt Gingrich joined together to talk about the Kerry-Ensign electronic prescribing legislation which would cut medical errors and save lives.

        • That was an amendment that Kerry got passed on Kennedy’s medicare bill last year.

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          p>Now, I am not a doctor or pharmacist, but it makes sense to me. It should eliminate some medical errors. What’s wrong with that.

    • His position in favor of the public option is easily documented.

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      p>1) He was on Dean’s list in favor of it from the moment Dean created the list. http://standwithdrdean.com/whe…

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      p>2) The Boston Globe reported he was for the Public option

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      p>3) Nation magazine said he read letters from people sent to Dean on why the public option was needed at a Finance committee meeting.

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      p>4)He posted twice on Daily Kos that he favored a public option.

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      p>He hasn’t been on vacation.

      • …there’s nothing on his site about it.  He also continues to not reply to questions asked via his site.  I’ve never, ever understood that.

        • the last we heard in the media was his consideration of the “ten year trigger”, which was a huge disappointment.

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          p>We could use his voice in the MSM, stressing the importance of a public option.  If he held just one town hall meeting in Massachusetts about it during the month of August, it would have made it newsworthy enough to go on national television and talk enthusiastically, clearly, and positively about how important it is, and how it will make a huge difference in health insurance reform.

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          p>Posting on Daily Kos may reach a good sized audience, but going on national news would reach the many more who do not do the web, those who get all of their info from the MSM.
          It could make a huge difference.

          <

          p>Hip surgery? One more reason to discuss healthcare.  He could share his experience, and stress that he would hope that the citizens of the U.S. would also be able to have a smooth health insurance experience for such a costly procedure.  Not to mention followup services being coverered by insurers.

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          p>Perhaps John Kerry does just as much as is needed to get by.
          We need John Kerry to do everything it takes, even tire himself to see to it that we get a public option in this
          health insurance reform.  He has cowered to the anti’s.
          That’s not what we need in a representative.  If Ted Kennedy was well enough, he would surely be out in the national media fighting hard for this reform.  John Kerry has to do it.  We need him out there, he must get out there.

          • I’m a big John Kerry fan. I’m just baffled by his lack of participation on this.

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            p>Again, if he’s in the hospital, where the heck are his staff?

          • article was posted on Huffington Post. The fact is that the author has a pretty poor track record as he just published what he said was an Obama policy – though it wasn’t and he again had no source to name.

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            p>The fact is that Kerry’s position has never really been in question, but he is leading on climate change and foreign policy, because he is the chair of Senate Foreign Relations. Dodd is the person who is the second in line in the HELP committee. Jay Rockefeller is the chair of the Health subcommittee on Finance and he is strongly for the public option.

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            p>At this point, the people who need to be moved to public option are the small number of possibly persuadable Senators who are still on the fence or who could be won over to it. I assume that Kerry could move them more by conversations in DC, than by holding a town meeting in MA. In the end, there is only so much Kerry can do. The only vote he controls is his own.

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            p>It seems to me that the majority of people in MA are for the public option and so are your two Senators and I think all of the representatives. So, it sounds like either they are simply in agreement or they have already listened.

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            p>Kerry has spoken about healthcare very very often including every day in 2004. From what I have seen of the national news, the only way a town hall has received any coverage is if there is disruption – and that rather than coherent answers is what gets covered. Of all the Senators, I have only heard of only Specter and Cardin and Cardin giving town halls. If the party wanted him on the talk shows, I assume he would be out there, as he was on Iran and other foreign policy issues.

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            p>If Kerry makes the SFRC trip that was publicized, he likely has already left or will leave soon – http://www.thenational.ae/apps…  It sounds like that trip might last until near the end of August.

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            p>As to doing just enough to get by, that is just not true. There have been many weeks where he left as soon as the Senate day ended on Thursday for a foreign country to meet with leaders returning by Tuesday before the Senate started. If you look at the SFRC hearings page, you will see that he has held a huge number of hearings on a broad range of topics.  

            • you can let John Kerry know that some of us rarely go to the Daily Kos or the Huffington Post for news.  So Senator Kerry’s efforts there are leaving some of us a little empty handed as far as knowing how motivated he is to see this healthcare reform pass WITH a public option.

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              p>So the DNC dictates who does and who does not go on national television to fight for a program?  I didn’t know that.  

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              p>~~~~~

              <

              p>

              At this point, the people who need to be moved to public option are the small number of possibly persuadable Senators who are still on the fence or who could be won over to it. I assume that Kerry could move them more by conversations in DC, than by holding a town meeting in MA. In the end, there is only so much Kerry can do. The only vote he controls is his own.

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              p>Umm Yes and No, the Senators on the fence are important, but the biggest group of people who need to be swayed are the ones sucking up the drama at the town hall meetings. These are the people who are calling their representatives and telling them to vote down healthcare reform.  Senator Kerry could be playing a big role in assuaging the new found fears instilled in many Americans due to the protesters televised at the town hall meeting as well as the lies and rumors being spread by republicans and faux news.

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              p>

              In the end, there is only so much Kerry can do.

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              p>Bull!  He can Fight for it!!!!

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              p>Claire McCaskill has also held a townhall meeting

              • something as I do. I simply gave you the things I knew of – there was a Boston Globe article that spoke of it as well, which I mentioned – even though I don’t have a link.

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                p>I did not say the DNC controls who speaks – but I do think the Senate leadership does have some control.

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                p>I agree that McCaskill had a townhall meeting – so there are three Senators, who have. Even your argument works better to make the case for Kerry doing more national tv, not doing a town hall in MA. Though I still think the most productive thing he could do is something that we would never know about, which is persuading any wavering colleague, who respects his judgement and who he can move by convincing them that it is a good idea.

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                p>It seems unlikely that he will have an August townhall as he is supposed to be going to Afghanistan and elsewhere which is the job of the chair of the SFRC.

  4. 08/11/2009   Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report Examines U.S. Counter-Narcotics Strategy In Afghanistan

    08/11/2009 Kerry Condemns Conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi

    08/06/2009 Kerry, Kennedy: Senate Passage of Agriculture Bill Contains $650,000 for Three Vital Massachusetts Projects

    08/06/2009 Senators Harkin, Franken, Kerry, Schumer, Landrieu and Martinez Introduce the Safe Babies Act of 2009

    08/04/2009 Kerry, Kennedy, Tsongas: Haverhill To Receive $1.07 Million for Critical Housing Programs

    08/04/2009 Kerry, Kennedy, Frank: New Bedford to Receive $4.5 Million for Critical Housing Programs

    08/04/2009 Kerry, Kennedy, McGovern, Frank: Fall River to Receive $4.4 Million for Critical Housing Programs

    08/04/2009 Kerry, Kennedy, Markey: Malden to Receive $4.4 Million For Critical Housing Programs

    08/04/2009 Kerry, Kennedy, Markey: Framingham To Receive $547,430 For Critical Housing Programs

    08/04/2009 Kerry, Kennedy, Neal: Springfield To Receive $6.6 Million For Critical Housing Programs

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    p>Since members of the House of Representatives typically host town halls with their constituents, I don’t see why you think our senator should be doing that as well – but as shown above, he’s not exactly idle and he is delivering many items of substance for Massachusetts.

    • AS long as they get money for us then we love… (Thanks to all for the Big DIg project which is crippling the Pike and the MBTA). Just because someone shows up for a ceremony doesn’t mean they had anything to do with getting the project.

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      p>So simplistic.

      • …and/or blog posts where you expressed concern for crushing debts being run up during the Bush administration?

        • In 2003, Kerry famously voted for the $87 billion before he voted against it. Before using that unfortunate shorthand when a SECOND person asked about his vote, he gave a detailed answer to an earlier questioner.

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          p>He explained that he voted for a proposal that would have rolled back the tax cuts on the top 1% to pay for the additional cost and which provided oversight on the money spent. He had a problem with no bid contracts and the fact that no information had been given to Congress on how earlier money was spent. (Later there were accounts that millions of dollars could not be accounted for because they were disbursed as cash and no records were kept.)

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          p>He then explained that when that failed, he voted “no” as a protest because there was no provision to “pay” for that expenditure. All of this was explained hundreds of times in 2004.

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          p>In addition, Kerry was among the first Democrats to state he would vote for Gramm/Rudman , the bill requiring that anything that cost money be accompanied by a corresponding tax or spending cut.  

        • My apologies for a senseless reply.

          <

          p>Like you I never saw JohnD post anything about Bush’s ENRON budgets.

  5.  This is Massachusetts.
    We embrace more and higher taxes.
    We love our governor standing up to the legislature and hiring his friends anyways
    Kerry: want to see him? Wait ’til 2014, next election cycle.
    Kennedy: should resign, and spend the rest of his life relaxing, he deserves it.
    McGovern: too busy junketing to hang out in his district. If he does hang out in MA, it’s usually in Boston.
    And yes, all teabag thugs are an out-of-state right wing conspiracy.
    Those SEIU thugs were just trying to join the Republican party yesterday.
     

    • was re-elected. http://lesley.edu/marcom/asset…
      and  http://www.socialweb.net/Clien…

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      p>Here are some Youtubes from them:

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      p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…

      <

      p>He was also in Somerville in March:
      http://vps28478.inmotionhosting.com/~bluema24/s…

      <

      p>The fact is that he is a US Senator, so most of his time is spent in DC. In addition, as chair of the SFRC, he has done a huge amount of overseas travel.

      <

      p>Kerry went to Sudan, where he was able to get agreement for triparty talks between the government, rebels and the US envoy and get agreement that aid allowed into Darfur would be raised to the level it was before some aid workers were expelled.

      <

      p>Kerry went to China, where he met with people on global warming.

      <

      p>Kerry went to Syria, where he is credited with having helped reopen relations with them. http://voices.washingtonpost.c…

      <

      p>Kerry also went to Pakistan, Israel, the Gaza strip, Jordan and India. He was reported to being going to Afghanistan for the election and other countries.

      <

      p>As to why he hasn’t had a town hall, he was in the hospital for hip surgery last week and is still recuperating. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…  

      <

      p>Kerry did comment post comments on health care on Daily Kos twice – “Been working very hard on the Finance committee to try to see it included. Harder slog than it ought to be. I ran for President with a public option as an anchor off my health care plan, want to see one now that we get to do reform. Would do Medicare for all if I could start from scratch, so I’m a definite supporter of a strong, national public option. We’ll see what we can do. Glad to see HELP Committee passed out a bill with one today – EMK and Dodd, you couldn’t have two better leaders on this issue.”
      http://www.dailykos.com/commen…
      and
      update: storms up North today — plane was delayed a long time so I’ve had a chance to read through the comments and noticed lots of comments on health care, so quickly two things: first, you’re preaching to the converted (or rather the baptized) on the importance of a public option. I’ve been working for one for a long time, and I’m not backing off. But how we end up where we need to go – Ted Kennedy taught me a long time ago – often has a lot of twists and turns which brings me to: second, there’s still a lot more time in this fight. We have to get a bill out of the Finance Committee, and it’s obviously a difficult committee ideologically speaking — but then we can work with it on the floor of the Senate, marrying up the best of the Finance bill to the best of Teddy and Chris’s HELP bill — and again reconciling the Senate bill with whatever the House comes up with. In other words, getting the best possible bill outof Finance is a necessary but not sufiicient step for getting the product we need. So, look, I’m going to be fighting every step of the way to get us to a public option in this country, and also to get us to things like progress on long term care and kids’ health which clearly should be universal and a few other huge priorities — and I wouldn’t expect any of you to give up working for that, either.
      http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

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      p>

      • are going to take you out for a really nice dinner for all of your personal time that you spend flakking for him.
        maybe you’ll even get to sit at His Table at locke-ober.

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        p>

        • they had for their book, This Moment on Earth, like so many others at the same event.

          <

          p>Frankly I prefer defending people I think are good, rather than snarking about those who aren’t.

      • Where the hell is Kerry’s staff?  Someone should be putting this stuff up on his site and replying to emails while he’s not available.

        <

        p>Not that he’s ever been good at constituent relations, but responding to questions about healthcare should be a no-brainer.

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