Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Time to primary spineless South Boston DINO

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Simply incredible, Steven Lynch has decided to vote against the largest expansion to the American social safety net since the enactment of Social Security.  Lynch has chosen the side of political cowardliness rather than to demonstrate real leadership in providing equitable health coverage to millions of Americans who desperately need it. Even beyond the CBO positive score, Lynch used the lame excuse of cost rather than to admit that he he is a Bart Stupak patsy. So not only has Lynch sold out Democrats, and snubbed President Obama he is to much of a wimp to tell his constituents the real reason why he opposes this bill.  

We need to work extra hard to force primary challenges corporatist Democrats and social conservatives like Lynch. Through Netroots and through my union SIEU Local 5000 we can send a message to Lynch, Stupak and their ilk that they are not voting the will of their districts but rather caving to supposedly unwelcoming political headwinds.

What a complete slap in the face and betrayal to everyone who has supported Lynch in the past.  

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  1. I can’t imagine why you think the Cadillac tax is good for Massachusetts.  We have the highest health insurance premiums in the state ($13K), and we are going to pay through the nose.  So I say “thank you,” Rep. Lynch.  

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    p>And it’s not just the Caddy tax that Rep. Lynch is objecting to.  It’s the goodie bag for the insurers.

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    p>http://www.boston.com/news/pol…

      • Please reread what I wrote…we have the highest health insurance premiums in the nation.  Not mine.

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        p>Nonetheless…with an average premium of $13K, this bill is a problem.  

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        p>From NPR:

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        p>http://www.npr.org/templates/s…

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        p>Last November, two dozen of the nation’s top economists signed a letter in support of the excise tax. In December, the Senate included the tax in its overhaul bill. The tax would go into effect in 2013. Employer-purchased individual policies that cost more than $8,500 a year would be taxed, as would family policies priced higher than $23,000.

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        p>and now…the latest iteration:

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        p>Obama included a scaled-down version of the tax in his health overhaul plan. In his proposal, the tax would go into effect in 2018. Dental and vision plans would not be included in the total. Individual plans that cost more than $10,200, and family plans over $27,500 would be taxed.

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        p>This bill is not good for Massachusetts.  

        • Any parts of this plan that help hold down health care costs will help Massachusetts residents. Indeed, the “Cadillac tax” is one of the more important elements of this bill that will help hold down costs by discouraging no deductible/co-payment plans. I only wish it was stronger than it is — the original plan you highlight was better than the current version.

        • Rolls Royce tax. Few people in MA are affected – and the ones that are are currently getting over $27,500 in compensation fax free – while the tax break for the average person with employer provided insurance is $13,000.

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          p>From the BG:
          About 8,600 of Massachusetts’ 6.2 million insured people would be subject to that tax, according to Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Malden.
          http://www.boston.com/news/nat…

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          p>This article gives a good description of what the final plan is.

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          p>

    • He’s just being a little more coy than Stupak; we know what this is really about for Lynchie. Women’s rights.

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      p>From my understanding, the health insurance tax is one of the things that will be fixed under reconciliation. It would be one thing if Lynch were saying he was too worried the Senate wouldn’t pass the reconciliation sidecar, that he wanted assurances, but that’s not what he’s doing here.  

    • Where you got the 13K average from? Just curious, as the NYT claims that the average plan in MA is 9k/year

  2. I wrote about this yesterday after his Emily Rooney interview.

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    p>I’m all kinds of pissed off.  

    • He’s a hypocrite of the highest order. A gutless puke, a sniveling little coward. Last summer, he expressed concern that the House bill was too expensive and didn’t cut costs enough, but then voted for it anyway. Now here’s a bill that is less expensive than the House bill he voted for and cuts costs even more and he’s looking for another excuse to vote against it. He is the ONLY member of the House opposing this bill from the left. Think about that. Stephen Lynch, the last true liberal in Congress. Give me a break.

    • Most voters in his district wouldn’t have the Globe in their homes, let alone buy into the liberal/progressive line.  Lotsa luck with your primary candidate.

        • you’re forgetting that Edgar just knows better than us pointy-headed ivory-tower liberal elitists with all our “facts” and “data” and suchlike malarkey, how reg’lar folks think.

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          p>He’s like our very own David Brooks.

          • Are they still stoning the Globe trucks in Southie?  Where do you think all of those people in Dorchester moved to after the war, Wellesley and Lexington?  The fact remains that the larger population areas of Lynch’s district are working-class conservative. I know that it doesn’t take much to put you guys on the defensive, but face reality for a change–you might have more success politically if you do.

            • But as we’ve been over countless times before, you in particular accusing me, or really anyone else here, of offering only assertions without any support is pretty rich.

              • for concrete facts from you, my good friend. Saying something is so does not make it so, as you well know.

                • Please go back and read my comments.  I didn’t make any claims at all about Lynch’s district.  I merely described your MO: you state things with great finality, though with no support other than your insistence that you know how the average voters think.  Then should anyone have the temerity to point out that you haven’t supplied any evidence for your claims, you belligerently demand they first provide proof your statements aren’t true.  You frequently do this even when they already have supplied evidence and/or solid reasoning, things which are almost invariably missing from your own bald assertions.

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                  p>I just don’t have any interest in doing this dance with you anymore, especially as it’s beyond me why liberals should see someone opposed to liberalism as a credible source of advice on how to enact liberal policies.

                •  “just don’t have any interest in doing this dance with you anymore, especially as it’s beyond me why liberals should see someone opposed to liberalism as a credible source of advice on how to enact liberal policies.”  That will come with the wisdom of age and experience, my friend.

                • Oh, geez.  I was just teaching a lesson today on rhetorical fallacies.    Care to identify the one you just employed?  

                • Seriously, though, I think that there is something to be said for opponents being able to implement the ideas of their adversaries.  I have never seen a Republican turn down his/her social security check or refuse to sign up for Medicare. That’s why I support Medicare for All: the concept is simple and everyone pays via value added taxes. The conservatives can live with that as long as they think that Joe Everyman is paying the freight and not the conservative alone.  I note, too,  that Kerry and friends are going to change the thrust of cap and trade from “green” to national security, which will make it much more appealing to the righties in Congress.

                • I am interested, though, I why you continue to want to pull the pigtails (or snap the bra straps?) of us here on this site.  I know you know better.  Just sayin’.  

                • And I like you.  Righties turn me off because they can be very mean to others, whereas liberals mean well, of course, and only hurt others via their good intentions. (Forgive me my generalizations.)

                • Over on free republic, he’s just another lockstep Glenn Beck fan.  Here he gets to pretend to be a free thinker.  And throw rocks.  Lots of rocks.

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                  p>I think smadin nailed why edgar isn’t worth engaging:

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                  p>

                  I merely described your MO: you state things with great finality, though with no support other than your insistence that you know how the average voters think.  Then should anyone have the temerity to point out that you haven’t supplied any evidence for your claims, you belligerently demand they first provide proof your statements aren’t true.  You frequently do this even when they already have supplied evidence and/or solid reasoning, things which are almost invariably missing from your own bald assertions.

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                  p>After months of trying to get a substantive argument out of him, I’m officially giving up.

  4. For a guy who can’t navigate the southern 3/4 of his district without a map, he’s awfully confident in embracing the Scott Brown segment of the population.  He’s gotten away with it in the past because the labor unions have pulled him over the line every time.  But with labor promising to target anyone who spikes the health care bill, I don’t know where Lynch gets his support.

    • the unions will only make good on their threats if we actually lose health care. We could certainly use some purity politics in the democratic party these days, so I hope they back it up and primary those who vote no on this, even if it passes. This stuff will matter a lot when we try to get other things like EFCA through.  

  5. they are not voting the will of their districts

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    p>How does Lynch’s district feel about that?  Anyone have poll data?  60/40 in favor?  55/45 against?  Otherwise, wouldn’t it be politically suicide (like Delahunt’s district which is decidedly against?)

  6. I will tell you what’s what:  the labor movement has done more for hcr than just about anyone else.  

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    p>I hope that the Democrats will hold a vote on the employee free choice act.  Regardless of whether it is filibustered.  A filibuster would be great.  

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    p>I am proud of the labor movement, especially SEIU.  They are speaking up for those who don’t have organized voices – the 35 million uninsured.  

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    p>Compare that to the other side Jon Kyl is threatening to hold up all the President’s nominations unless he caves on the estate tax for the top 0.25 percent of all estate.  I will take that any day.  

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    p>I hope labor backs a primary opponent.  If the combination of progressives and labor versus Lynch isn’t enough, i don’t know what else is enough to topple him.

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    p>

    • I’m pretty new to politics, but my understanding is that there hasn’t been a stellar/viable primary challenger for Lynch — which is unbelievable; there has to be someone better than him in the 9th.

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      p>Any ideas on getting a good challenger? REally I want to know; I want to freaking help!!!!

  7. After his strong run for Mayor, he would be a great candidate against Lynch. Or the young Mr. Kennedy, or many others.

  8. Make of it what you will but he said that the current bill was only good for the insurance and pharmaceutical companies without much real reform.

  9. Did members actually cross picket lines and announce that they were only doing it because the strike didn’t go far enough?

  10. Now that Lynch has put his personal ambition to run against Scott Brown for Senate in 2012 over the welfare of the people he allegedly represents, he has proven himself to be nothing but an empty shirted waste of space. He isn’t going to care about being primary challenged in 2012 because he will be running for Senate. I will NEVER vote for this pathetic waste, for any reason, for any office. I hope others follow suit.

    • The Lynch For Senate ’12 narrative is worth exploring.

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      p>He may not be jockeying for Brown supporters in ’12, at this point. Today, he may be making a play WITHIN the machine.

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      p>Thoughts?

      • The reason I speculate this is that he voted Yes last fall, after he dropped out of the Senate Race but was still in a position to be primary challenged in 2010.

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        p>Could his switch from Yes to No, even as support from his Catholic base was rising, have anything to do with it now being almost impossible to challenge him in 2010 AS A DEMOCRAT? An independant could still challenge, but I see no way for anyone (even a Kennedy) to jump in now at this late point.

        • This may be a good move for him. Cold hearted, but politically savvy. I really don’t think the rank and file of the Union movement favor HCR. They got fat bennies through collective bargaining. That will buffer them for 3-5 years from feeling the bite, if HCR fails.

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          p>If this bill passes, voters will move on & the threats will be forgotten. I can all but guarantee that Lynch will not be the deciding vote. So he is making his play.

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          p>It sucks. But it might just work?

        • The deadline for an in-party challenge is May 4. A credible challenger could take the Joe Moakley route and run as an independent. In that case, the deadline to submit is Aug. 4.

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          p>The trick is finding a credible challenger.

  11. I’m not really sure who Lynch thinks he’s appealing to. It seems like he’s trying to simultaneously protect his left flank by claiming that he wants a public option in the bill while pandering the Tea Party crowd in his district.

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    p>The problem is that both groups are smaller than Lynch thinks. While Brown did well in his district, health care was only one reason, not THE reason, for Brown’s success. The strongly anti-health care crowd isn’t as large as he thinks, and most of them will vote for any Republican over him anyway. Further, most liberals have come over to support the plan, so he’s only pandering to the small hard-core of public option supporters who will probably see right through his gambit anyway.

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    p>So in attempt to thread the needle between two marginal groups, he’s managed to piss off his real base (unions, center-left, establishment Democrats). He also unites these two groups with more liberal groups, who have long wanted him gone due to his relative social conservativism. He should get a primary challenge on the basis of political malpractice alone.

    • Try getting out in the real world (away from this blog once in a while) and talking with his consitutents in the district. You may be surprised to learn that most of them support his position.

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