Congresswoman Donna Edwards at a health care town hall in Oxen Hill, MD on August 6th, 2009: (since the room was so loud we have provided a transcript of this interview for those that have difficulty hearing it):
Q: At the progressive press conference last week, the progressive caucus press conference, you touched on progressives ceding single payer if, and only if, there is a public option.
EDWARDS: (aside) Thank you
Q: And you touched, briefly, on why thats important for progressives to do. Can you talk a little more about why it is important, and why, for the blue dogs, why the compromises end at the public option?
EDWARDS: Well, you know, its hard for me to speak for where the blue dogs are going because a number of the provisions that they have proposed actually increase costs. And, which is amazing from a group a members, frankly, whove said that they want to decrease costs. What I can share with you though, is that we are, out of energy and commerce, we got a commitment that we are gonna get a stand alone vote on single payer, which I think is important to set a marker. But we also cannot abandon the public option, sort of take our eye off of that prize because we run the risk of not being able to preserve anything going into a battle with the United States Senate.
Q: Okay, and one last question. A lot of people have talked about the demons of socialized medicine and obviously we all know the military is on the government run option. Have the opponents of health care, has anyone proposed giving the military a better health care system? Or do they think that the military gets the best health care we can buy?
EDWARDS: No, I mean, I think that, I mean, I come from this experience, because I grew up in the air force, I know the military system. And know that, that it works, and I also know that its government provided. And so, I always just share with people that, for those people who are so against government being involved in health care, look at our military, look at our veterans, look at Medicare, so many of us are actually already engaged in government provided health care.
Q: But, as far as you know, no opponents have, have suggested changing that?
EDWARDS: No.
Q: Do they think, they dont think theres a better system for the military?
EDWARDS: No. I mean, its a good, the military system is a good system and it serves, but it serves a particular purpose. Whether thats something that we could then, sort of, translate into the public sector is a different question all together. Its something that has to do with just by the way they can provide service, just because of the (inaudible, contiguity?) of having everybody located on a duty station or something like that, that may or may not be appropriate for the broader public.
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