Health Care Vigil Held As Senate Drops Public Option
Brent Finnegan -- December 9th, 2009
Supporters of national health care reform that includes a “public option” huddled on the steps of the Harrisonburg court house yesterday evening, holding a candlelight vigil just as word leaked from Capitol Hill that the Democrats had compromised/caved on the government-run public option.
Today’s DNR reports, “Many at the vigil supported a government-run insurance option, often referred to as the public option. Some held signs stating: ‘Public option now. We can’t afford to wait.’”
Last night, TV3 reported:
“The public option has been scaled back so it’s almost meaningless now anyway. It’s very unfortunate,” says Timothy Jost, an organizer of the Harrisonburg vigil and a law professor at Washington & Lee. “When people keep talking about how there’s not cost control in the bill, there it was, but it was taken out.”
The U.S. Senate is still considering a privately run, government supervised “public option alternative,” which is not public at all.
UPDATE 4:55: I’m including video shot last night by Bruce Lundeen.
Tags: Harrisonburg, health care, public option
It’s frustrating to feel helpless in the face of powerful interests.
A friend of mine summed it up on Twitter yesterday: “Someone should start selling ‘I helped give the Democrats a super-majority and all I got was this troop surge’ t-shirts.”
That’s really funny, Brent.
I’m glad to see it go down and I hope the rest of it follows suit…….
I guess standing around with lighted candles doesn’t help you get your way.
I updated the post with a video shot and edited by Bruce Lundeen.
I’m really bothered they couldn’t keep the public option.
Just remember Renee, keep moving the ball down field…
Hey Lowell!!! Pass it to me….I’m open.
Okay Bandit, fake left then cut right and I will put the ball in your chest at the sideline. Step out of bounds when you catch the ball.
If you can’t catch it, bat it down.
If they get in your way, make it hurt, then they’ll think twice about getting in your way next time.
And public option will come up again…
I know……
Regarding the last comment, I wonder if the author will take the same tone with this?