Bluedog: Start Over on Health Care

PERRY, Florida (CNN) – Acknowledging his amazement at the crowds gathered to debate health care at his town halls, Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Florida, faced three large gatherings on Monday with many questioners voicing skepticism about the proposals being debated in Washington.

"Never have I had this attendance … that is a good thing," Boyd said as he started his third event of the day.

Boyd, in his seventh term, represents a conservative area in northern Florida. A fiscal conservative, he is part of the group of House Democrats known as the Blue Dogs.

At the first event of the day in Cross City, he held up a copy of the bill passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee and embraced by the congressional leadership.

"I cannot support this bill in the version it is in now," he said. "We can do better. We can make it better."

He emphasized to the skeptical crowds that he will work to reduce quickly-rising medical costs; that any bill must not add to the deficit; and that Blue Dogs like himself fought to delay consideration by the full House of Representatives to allow members to hear directly from constituents during the August recess.

When a questioner, Ray Evans, said he believed the President wants to do too much at once and asked whether Boyd would "be willing to scrap everything" and start over to do pursue reform more incrementally, the congressman responded: "I think that is an excellent idea … we may end up there."

In a later interview with CNN, he said the idea had been been floated with the congressional leadership. He said that with the strong emotions and heated opposition he is seeing, the idea of doing health reform in a more piecemeal fashion is something he is strongly considering.

A hot topic at each of Monday's events was whether illegal immigrants would receive benefits under the bills under consideration – an unpopular idea as judged by the audience reaction when the topic was mentioned. Each time an audience member declared illegal immigrants should not received any benefits, the remark was met by strong applause.

"This comes up at every meeting," Boyd said in Perry. Earlier in the day, he quoted directly from the bill.

"Page 143, line 3,” he said. “No federal payment for undocumented aliens; nothing in this subtitle shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States. Does that answer your question?"

Several questioners confronted Boyd, saying he is siding with the Democratic congressional leadership, particularly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, rather than representing the views of the more conservative constituents.

"Somewhere along the way you drank the Kool-Aid," one person in Perry told him.

"If we let Pelosi and people like that direct us we are doomed, we are doomed," business-owner Joe Anderson said in Cross City, at which point the crowd erupted in cheers.

Boyd did not defend Pelosi, but moved on to other subjects and said he understands his first mission is to do what his constituents want. Boyd was re-elected last year with 62% of the vote in his district.

Several people at different events asked whether Boyd would vote to mandate that members of Congress get the same coverage Americans would get under the bill.

His response did not go over well with the audience: "Let me make this clear. I don't want all Americans to have the same. I want you to have your choice about what you have."

When a questioned pressed him for a yes or no answer on whether it was irresponsible for a member of Congress to vote on a bill without reading it, he said, "We need to understand what is in the bill."

When he noted that sometimes a member of Congress has to vote on a bill without fully reading the legislation because to time constraints, me was met with boos. He added: "We ought not to vote on bills we don't understand."

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The Prof said:

starting over IS killing it

america has spoken

loud and clear

most in the dem party HEAR it

the president, despite the largeness of his lobes, is tone deaf

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The Prof said:

and i appreciate your ways as well

it takes great discipline and training to learn to fly something so big, i assume, a lot of responsibility, a lot of people depending on you

i just googled 777, i really wouldn't know much about it, but i learned

mature folks admire those qualities

thank you

oh, and we don't necessarily have to wait til november, 2010

we have the virginia and jersey governorships coming up on nov 3, this year, just about 80 days

we currently enjoy huge leads in both states

no surprise

the dem meltdown, starting at the top, is nation wide

(you should just see what's going on here in CA)

the point---exactly what do you think it's gonna do to national politics, momentum wise, when 2 super important eastern seaboarders change color?

right in the middle of the health care debate?

i don't think the white house has even thought of it, rank amateurs

thanks, 777, cliff

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rhinefire said:

What exactly is a bluedog democrat?

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The Prof said:

starting over IS killing it

america has spoken

loud and clear

most in the dem party HEAR it

the president, despite the largeness of his lobes, is tone deaf

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formerroadie said:

No, only a few very loud, ignorant and stupid americans have spoken. Too bad the rest of us may be held hostage by the stupid.

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Catz Part Deux said:

I guess, if they disagree with your perspective, they're automatically loud, ignorant and stupid, right?

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formerroadie said:

No, only a few very loud, ignorant and stupid americans have spoken. Too bad the rest of us may be held hostage by the stupid.

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Catz Part Deux said:

You mean the Americans in North Florida who attended Allen Boyd's meetings?

I guess, if they disagree with your perspective, they're automatically loud, ignorant and stupid, right?

And you'd be perfectly okay holding the rest of us financially hostage to YOUR desires.

Hypocrisy, at it's finest.

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a777pilot said:

NO! Don't start over. Kill it. Kill this turd of a health Care ill.

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The Prof said:

From CNN, 5 hours ago.

1. Congressman Allen Boyd of Florida says flatly he will NOT support Waxman/Rangel

2. He is expressing broader Bluedog belief, he is barking for more than just himself

3. Last week, Congressmen Perriello and Kratovil, representative of freshman fulmination, declared decisively that they too could not vote aye

4. Boyd claims credit for preventing passage before recess, desired so desperately by Pelosi/Obama, thus allowing constituents to have their rowdy say

5. Boyd and his fellow Dogs deserve such kudos, tho Waxman/Rangel did eventually squeak thru Energy Commerce at the last second

6. Then the headline maker---Boyd declares his decision that it is best to SCRAP EVERYTHING so far done and START ALL OVER

7. Furthermore, the congressman says, this isn't just him talking, but HOUSE LEADERSHIP as well is considering starting FROM SCRATCH

8. Perhaps we should look at health care piecemeal, Boyd says, instead of the universal approach so far disastrously undertaken

9. The inclusion of ILLEGALS has finally worked its way to the front of the debate

10. Apparently the question was raised time and again

11. Boyd firmly declared that Waxman/Rangel excludes coverage of non citizens, and he may be right about the legalese in the legislation

12. But when the Heller Amendment was killed in Rangel's Ways and Means on July 17, the ENFORCEMENT CLAUSE (e-verify) was effectively STRIPPED

13. Ms Pelosi is apparently not very popular in northern Florida, and Mr Boyd, despite repeated epithets directed against the speakeress, refused to defend her

14. The congressman was pressed repeatedly to promise to abide by whatever health care pills he legislates other Americans swallow

15. His rather incoherent response was rudely received

16. He also took a lot of heat for not reading the bill

17. Waxman/Rangel has no chance in the Senate, it just does not have the votes, not even close

18. It should be dropped in the house, it's an exercise in futility, it can only hurt the party

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Blue Dog: ‘Excellent idea’ to start over on health care reform - Blogs from CNN.com




The Prof

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Erod said:

Obama's batting average is sitting at about .110. About time to send him to double-A ball, ya think?

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apdst said:

Pass it! Pass it as is. The folks that turned the tide for Obama are too young to remember Carter. That's why they were tricked into voting for PBO. The country needs to get a real good taste of what Liberalism will do to this country.

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