A Rebuttal to Howard Dean: I Am a U.S. Senator, and I Will Vote For This Bill, by Paul Kirk [View All]

Sen. Paul G. Kirk, Jr..U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, Former Chairman of the DNC
Posted: December 19, 2009 04:58 PM BIO Become a Fan Get Email Alerts Bloggers' Index .

A Rebuttal to Howard Dean: I Am a U.S. Senator, and I Will Vote For This Bill

Chairman Dean deserves enormous credit for all the good work he did for the Democratic Party. But, his opinion piece begins by saying "If I were a Senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill." He goes on to argue that the bill does not bring "real reform."

Signing his article as a "former chairman of the Democratic National Committee," I am sure, made Howard's comments particularly newsworthy, and I note that he is a guest on one of tomorrow morning's talk shows.

After reading many erroneous statements in the article that led him to his faulty conclusion, as they say in the world of health care--"we better get Howard a second opinion!"

As a former Chairman of the National Democratic Party myself, let me begin where Howard began, but by taking a contrary position. I am a United States Senator, and I will vote for the current health-care bill precisely because it does bring "real reform."

I hope Howard is reading, because I believe with a better understanding of the real reforms this bill does bring to America's health care system, he will join me as a forceful advocate for its enactment.

Let me first explain why I believe this bill is, in fact, the kind of "real reform" that Chairman Dean rightly seeks.

<SNIP>

I am old enough to recall the Civil Rights Act of 1960, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Each of those pieces of legislation was incomplete. There was always more to do. But each of those bills was a landmark that began the march of progress toward equality under our laws. And each created an environment in which we could continue to move forward so that our country's laws better fit our national character and the principle of equal justice.

The same is true of this bill. The bill before the Senate is not the bill I would write, and it's not the bill Chairman Dean would write. It is neither perfect, nor is it the final product. But make no mistake. It is real reform, and it will provide enormous benefits to American workers, American seniors, American small businesses and American families.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-paul-g-kirk-jr/a-rebuttal-to-howard-dean_b_398218.html