Freshman Dem Senator: Passing Health Care Reform Worth Losing My Seat

SirJosephPorter

Time Out
Nov 7, 2008
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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.


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normbc9

Electoral Member
Nov 23, 2006
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He has nothing to loose. He will already be vested in the Congessional Health Care Plan and he could care less about the rest of those saddled with whatever provisions this new Plan will provide. He is just grandstanding in my view.
 

SirJosephPorter

Time Out
Nov 7, 2008
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He has his seat to lose, normbc9. A politician normally cares about getting elected, more than anything else.

Not this politician. If one is to take him at his word, he would rather achieve something (like health care reform) and lose the election, rather than do nothing and get reelected (not that his chances are better if he does nothing, I think Democrats are only kidding themselves if they think that they would have better chance of reelection if they don’t pass health care reform. They will be massacred if they fail to pass anything).

So here is a politician of integrity, of courage, who is not afraid to do what he thinks is right. I wish him all the success, I do hope he is reelected. But above all, I hope he does the right thing and not worry about getting elected.