Arcuri Threatens To Vote Against Health Care Reform
There is no contributor who has given more to the 2010 re-election campaign of our representative in Congress, Michael Arcuri, than the Blue Dog Political Action Committee. The Blue Dogs’ right wing ideology has dominated Arcuri’s short career the House of Representatives, leading Arcuri to oppose many of the progressive efforts of other Democrats in Congress.
As of this week, you can add Barack Obama’s plan for health care reform to the list of progressive efforts that Mike Arcuri has opposed. The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, of which Congressman Arcuri is a member, has sent congressional Democratic leaders a letter threatening to vote against health care reform legislation.
Chairman of the Blue Dog Health Care Task Force Congressman Mike Ross, says that we citizens shouldn’t think that health care reform is about us. “Some people are getting confused and believing that the primary purpose behind health care reform is making health care affordable and accessible for everyone,” Ross complains. This attitude isn’t just from the political company that Mike Arcuri keeps. It’s also from the bankroll that helps Arcuri keep his grip on power.
Arcuri may have taken a lot of money from the Blue Dog Political Action Committee, but he’s taken even more from interests that are opposed to health care reform: So far, Arcuri has accepted checks totaling $137,447 from people working for the medical industry and insurance companies. Do you think that money comes without strings attached?
I don’t believe the Blue Dog effort to blockade meaningful health care reform is the kind of thing that Democratic voters here in the town of Ulysses want from their representative in Congress. So, I’d really like to hear what the Ulysses Democratic Committee is planning to do to about the problem of Arcuri’s recent Blue Dog actions against health care reform.
Will the Ulysses Democrats communicate the concerns of constituents here in our community to Congressman Arcuri, or do they simply regard it as their job to represent Arcuri’s interests to people here?
Thanks for alerting us to this. I just went to Arcuri’s website and read his statement on health under issues. He’s a strong supporter of bipartisan efforts to reform health care. Great. He wants to reach across the isle to craft crappy legislation to please the for profit health insurers, big pharma, and his Blue Dog pals. Time for some pressure. I’ll call his office, and if I don’t get a promise that he will support the public option, then it’s time for a letter to the Ithaca Journal, and we could try to get the Ulysses Democratic Party to send him a letter.
I called Arcuri’s Cortland office and Bob Messenger told me that there are 51 members of the Blue Dogs, and 40 of them signed the letter that you referred to. Arcuri may be one of the more principled hold outs but Bob has yet to find that out for sure. I can’t find the signees online. I called the Washington office and they “can’t” tell me either. You can get the letter online.
http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/Press%20Releases/Health%20Care%20Reform%20-%20Ensuring%20Choice%20in%20the%20Marketplace.pdf
they want a public option that will only kick in if the private for profit pirates continue to screw us for another decade or so, then their bogus public option will be triggered.
Gee, I wonder why they didn’t list the signees on the web after the letter.
Gee, I wonder why they didn’t list the signees on the web after the letter.
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
Have the Ulysses Democrats ever really stood up to Arcuri’s nonsense? They just keep on making excuses for everything he does.
Attention: Congressman Arcuri WAS among the 40 Blue Dog Democrats who signed that letter threatening to block health care reform. The Syracuse Post Standard has confirmed it
Why couldn’t his office just tell you the truth, Allen? Why won’t the Ulysses Democrats do something about this?