A great Esquire interview, brought to you by Slog tipper Julie in Eugene:

ESQ: Speaking of the Obama plan, you’re even stronger than he has been lately in support of the public plan. You say that without it, it’s not reform.

HD: It’s not. It’s a waste of time. Don’t pretend you’re going to do health-insurance reform unless you’re really going to change the system. The discussions in the Senate have not been about changing the system.

The rest, definitely worth a read if you want some blunt talk on a complicated subject, is here.

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

10 replies on “Howard Dean on the Public Plan”

  1. I prefer to get my information from the lobbyists for Big Pharma and Big Insurance and ignore the wishes of two-thirds of America, thanks.

    Oh, wait, isn’t it backwards day?

  3. yeah I love him to but he’s not doing jack shit to get a public plan enacted. the other day on MSNBC he said something like, “well it’s time for those blue dog democrats to get a spine, and do the right hting, morally!”

    You know when he says crap like that, we don’t have the votes.

    Point is, why not?

    It’s Dean’s job to get the votes, to stir up grass roots pressure in those conservadem districs, and it’s Obama’s job, and they’re falling down on the job.

    Look fooks, the Stranger can’t even explain this coop thing; can’t say why it’s no good; there’s no talking poitns, no message, there’s no rallies in NE and AR and ME with Obama and 50000 screaming fans in a stadium to MAKE the god damn conservadems vote the right way.

    Good god folks, we’re sitting here begging and pleading Maria Cantwell to come out the right way and we drool on her every hint like little lap dogs.

    Folks if it’s July and we don’t even have Cantwell, there’s no way we’re getting a public plan, and the reason is Obama and Dean are playing politics as usual and are NOT changing the game with the grass roots pressure like O-man promised.

    You caite all the Krugman and all the articles you want and you can publish all the stern invective from Dean you want. Shit write ten pieces trying to explain co ops. In the end that doesn’t mean a god damn thing to the senators from freaking Arkansas Louisiana Nebraska and Maine. What means something to them is if they don’t vote the right way, they’re gonna lose their jobs. What matters to them is having OBama leading 90,000 folks yelling national health care now!
    in damned cornhusker stadium in Lincoln Nebraska, putting the fear of god into that conservadem senator from Nebraska.

    Sigh. Okay go back to finding erudite articles that talk to the elite, good luck with that approach! I am sure the senators from Arkansas and North Dakota will eat it up and like the superior mental arguments will surely change their minds.

  4. its not complicated

    wa already has state supported health insurance

    the poor get it for 33 bucks a month

  5. “yeah I love him to but he’s not doing jack shit to get a public plan enacted”

    What should he be doing? He’s not currently in elected office, including DNC Chair. He should have gotten the Health and Human Services gig.

  6. what he should be doing is raising a grass roots ruckus in NE ME AR LA and places like that where the coneradem senators are; and working with Obama, to stage huge rallies in stadiums there, to get those senators to get on board dammit.

    or else they will face primary opponents supported by Obama.

    it’s called organizing, it’s called grass roots politics. And the DNC chair should be sitting there working with Obama to do it.

    Put 50000 sreaming Obama fansin Portland Maine and call up the two Maine senators and say lookyou have a choice. Eitehr you come down here and Obama welcomes you as joining in the public option plan, or else he will tell the crowd he’s personally going to campaign for this nice democrat next election and take you out.

    It’s not about policy, it’s not about wonkery, it’s not about ten piece articles in alt media blogs that fail to even explain why a coop is bad, it’s about putting the fear into these conservative senators from the democratic party, and the two from maine, to fucking get with the program or WE THE PEOPLE WILL VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE.

    Jesus, do people think that senators vote on the merits of stuff? After careful consdieration of all the best policy analysis? What planet would that be on?

    As someone sle put it, Obama needs to get in touch with his inner LBJ and I’d say Dean needs to get in touch with his inner Bobby Kennedy.

    Be ruthless and get it done, that’s what he should be doing.

    Thanks for asking.

  8. How is it Senate Democrats either don’t get it or don’t care? Because the insurance industry is all any of them seem to care about. This will prove to be the ultimate corporate undermining of the people’s will and needs. If Dems stupidly miss this chance to make real reforms, the damage to the American people will be enormous. I want to hear the president get tough and loud about the public option he supports but my hopes are dwindling that he will.

  9. @8 – because you don’t donate to them, but Big Pharma and Big Insurance do.

    Oh … you didn’t actually want to know?

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