Freshman Democratic senator from Colorado, Senator Michael Bennett, said Sunday that he will support his party’s efforts to pass health care reform legislation even if that means losing his seat in next year’s midterm elections.
“If you get to the final point and you are a critical vote for health care reform and every piece of evidence tells you if you support the bill you will lose your job, would you cast the vote and lose your job?” CNN’s John King asked Sen. Michael Bennett of Colorado on Sunday’s State of the Union.
“Yes,” Bennett bluntly and simply replied.
Now, that is a politician of integrity, of courage. I think that is exactly the right attitude. He should try to make a difference while in office. If he helps in passing the health care reform and loses as a result, in my opinion, that is much better than warming the senate seat for the next 30 years without achieving anything. And there are many senators in the Senate who have done just that.
Indeed, if Democrats are going to lose the control of senate and Hose in 2010, it is much better that they lose it because they passed health care reform than lose it because they achieved nothing.
If they achieve nothing, their defeat will be well deserved. If they pass health care reform, even if they lose control of Congress, there is no way Republicans can reverse the reform, not while Obama is in office until 2010, and probably not even after that, unless they can defeat Obama and get 60 seats in the Senate.
So more power to you, Senator Bennett, I only wish more Democratic Senators have the spine, the backbone that you do.
CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Freshman Dem: Passing health care reform worth losing my seat « - Blogs from CNN.com
“If you get to the final point and you are a critical vote for health care reform and every piece of evidence tells you if you support the bill you will lose your job, would you cast the vote and lose your job?” CNN’s John King asked Sen. Michael Bennett of Colorado on Sunday’s State of the Union.
“Yes,” Bennett bluntly and simply replied.
Now, that is a politician of integrity, of courage. I think that is exactly the right attitude. He should try to make a difference while in office. If he helps in passing the health care reform and loses as a result, in my opinion, that is much better than warming the senate seat for the next 30 years without achieving anything. And there are many senators in the Senate who have done just that.
Indeed, if Democrats are going to lose the control of senate and Hose in 2010, it is much better that they lose it because they passed health care reform than lose it because they achieved nothing.
If they achieve nothing, their defeat will be well deserved. If they pass health care reform, even if they lose control of Congress, there is no way Republicans can reverse the reform, not while Obama is in office until 2010, and probably not even after that, unless they can defeat Obama and get 60 seats in the Senate.
So more power to you, Senator Bennett, I only wish more Democratic Senators have the spine, the backbone that you do.
CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Freshman Dem: Passing health care reform worth losing my seat « - Blogs from CNN.com