“When Martha Coakley said she would have voted against health care reform that meant that she opposes bringing health care to 36 million more Americans, that she doesn’t want to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions, and that, despite her TV commercial saying the opposite, Martha Coakley doesn’t support the bill that created a strong public option.”
“Does anyone believe that Massachusetts voters don’t deserve a full explanation before we go to the polls in four weeks?” Capuano asked.
“Martha Coakley doesn’t owe me a debate, but she owes it to the voters of Massachusetts,” Capuano said. “With less than a month to go before this election, Massachusetts voters have a right to know why I voted in favor of this crucial legislation and why she has said she would have voted against it.”
“I’m willing to face her in a debate and explain exactly why I voted as I did. Anyone who wants the job of U.S. Senator should be willing and able to do the same,” he said.
“It is particularly disturbing that even as she continues to run a TV ad saying she would support this measure, Martha Coakley is sending targeted fundraising letters to opponents of the bill based on her opposition,” Capuano explained.
“Don’t the people of Massachusetts deserve a full explanation before we choose our next U.S. Senator?” Capuano asked. “I’m proud of my vote, and willing to explain it. If Martha Coakley has justification for her latest flip-flop, the people of this state should hear it.”
“If she’s hiding from the voters now, what would happen if she were elected?”
Calling her effort today ‘classic change the subject’, Capuano pointed out that every woman supported by the pro-choice organization EMILY’s List and now serving in the US House voted with him to move the measure to the Senate, as did every pro-choice Democrat in Congress, including the eight pro-choice members of the Massachusetts delegation, and every single Member of Congress from New England.
“If Martha Coakley truly believes that she is right and all of these other women and men – some of whom have fought for decades for a woman’s right to choose – are wrong, then she should be willing to stand up and defend those beliefs in an open debate.”
“The fact is,” Capuano explained, “that this was a health care bill that Republicans hoped to derail in the House by including an anti-choice amendment. After failing to defeat the ‘poison pill’ amendment in the House, but knowing that the provision would be killed in the U.S. Senate, all the pro-choice Democrats moved the bill forward because it contained the public option provision so important to guaranteeing that real health care reform takes place this year. If Martha Coakley had her way the U.S. Senate wouldn’t even be considering expanding health care to cover 36 million more Americans.
“Legislating is never easy,” Capuano concluded. “When the final bill comes out of the House-Senate conference committee, every member will follow their conscience and cast their vote based on the pluses and minuses of the finished product. I’m proud that my vote helped keep health care reform with a public option alive, so that the fight for health care reform will go forward. I believe it’s what the people of Massachusetts expect and what Ted Kennedy would have demanded.” link
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p>NECN has a profile on Martha in which they mention her interest and skillfulness in debate from a young age, including the fact she transferred from Catholic high school to the public high school her senior year to participate in the debate team. Apparently, she was very good.
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p>Then, NECN then has her on camera as she talked about how debate prepared her for her career as a prosecutor and now as a politician. Given all that talk by her (where she controlled the story and the message) you’d think Martha would jump at the opportunity to debate her competition.
Getting lonely on the Capuano health care vote bandwagon?