I just received a reply from Rep. Jim Cooper after the release of the Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of Tennessee District 5 (Nashville) residents. Cooper has reiterated his support for Sen. Chuck Schumer's reform plan, which would include a public option.
I have repeatedly said that I’m FOR a public option, and that there are multiple ways to do it. I agree with Sen. Chuck Schumer’s position on the issue, and the Daily Kos is not attacking him.
Full statement and more thoughts from me after the jump...
Update 4:29 PM CDT: Here's what Chuck Schumer said yesterday on Meet the Press (thanks Jed):
Cooper's full statement:
Private polls are inherently inaccurate, and most people disregard them. He who pays the piper calls the tune, and the Daily Kos got what it wanted.
The whole premise of the poll is that I oppose a public option, and that is simply not true. I have repeatedly said that I’m FOR a public option, and that there are multiple ways to do it. I agree with Sen. Chuck Schumer’s position on the issue, and the Daily Kos is not attacking him. The Daily Kos can assign a false position to me if it wants, but it’s not accurate.
In addition, I did find things to like about this poll! Only 23% want to replace me? That’s great, since 34% VOTED to replace me in 2008. At this point, I might be gaining support.
But the real reason you have to doubt a poll like this is the following: President Obama won my district with 56% of the vote. This poll shows his favorable number at 66%, up 10 points. While I would like to think that President Obama’s numbers were that good, we all know that the polls have been bad for our President this month. The President has lost ground all over the country, but in the 5th district of Tennessee, he’s up by 10? I wish it were true, but I doubt seriously that it is.
I will continue my fight for health reform. We need to cover EVERYONE, and we need to do so responsibly so that we don’t bankrupt the country (note: my boldface added). This has always been my position, this is the President’s position, and I will continue to work with him to get the job done.
Having met last week with Cooper's Chief of Staff, and having met the previous week with Cooper himself, I want to make a few observations:
- Rep. Cooper is and has been committed to a robust public option, and has stated on numerous occasions that he is 100% committed to President Obama's objectives to reduce cost, increase access, and maintain or improve systemic quality. Like Obama, Cooper wants quality affordable care for all. He simply doesn't believe that HR 3200 is the best vehicle to do it. In fact, Cooper says he's going to vote against HR 3200 as it is currently written.
- Cooper is also aligning with Schumer. But while Cooper has maintained that the votes aren't there in the Senate, Schumer seems more willing to use a "go it alone" reconciliation strategy while Cooper is concerned to find a bipartisan solution, if at all possible. Since, as the saying goes, "The only thing in the middle of the road is roadkill," Cooper might be setting himself up for some political carnage this fall, but he seems willing to stand in that position even if it's not politically expedient.
- The thing I keep hearing from Tennessee Blue Dogs (who seem to be following the line from Gov. Phil Bredesen) is, "We support quality affordable care for all. But we can't bankrupt the government in the process." Blue Dogs and budget hawks (including Conrad in the Senate, Cooper, Altmire, and others in the House) seem committed to finding every last penny of cost savings. At the same time, I'm hearing Cooper, Bart Gordon (TN-6), and other Blue Dogs complaining that we cannot cut fees for providers (i.e., we have to protect the providers and make sure hospitals - especially nonprofit hospitals - don't go bankrupt!). Meanwhile, rural Blue Dogs like John Tanner and Mike Ross seem opposed to a public plan unless it protects the interest of rural community providers.
So, where do we go from here?
- Continue to pressure Blue Dogs to put their money where their mouth is on cost savings. Demand that they take a similarly fiscal-conservative position on the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, on costly government surveillance programs, etc. If we need to find cost savings in other areas of government, we should do that.
- Push the revenue side of the equation. The HR 3200 plan raises taxes only on the wealthy. Are there other alternatives? End the Obama tax cuts? Tax the so-called "Cadillac Plans" that provide tax-deductible gold-plated benefits?
- Continue to pressure the do-nothing Republicans and "I've got mine, screw you" conservatives, both in Nashville and across the country. One thing we can trust Cooper to do is to take the bully pulpit on social justice. Cooper will remind everyone that paying off our debt is a justice issue - we can't keep kicking the can down the road. At the same time, we also need to make sure that we don't generate our economic recovery on the backs of the urban poor.
- Continue to support SEIU in its efforts to bring "Change that Works" to Tennessee. SEIU has field staff operating in Nashville, keeping up pressure on Cooper and rallying support for workers rights and organized labor in Nashville and across the state.