Sen. John Cornyn Denounces "Ideological Fixation" in Meet the Press Health Care Debate
September 13, 2009
Posted on trailblazersblog
Texas Sen. John Cornyn argued this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press" against an "ideological fixation on the public option" - the boogeyman in the health care debate.
Even if it were a good idea to let the federal government provide health care in competition with private insurers, Cornyn said, such a mechanism would alter the marketplace and force out private insurers - forcing millions of Americans to lose the coverage they want.
"The president can't keep his promise that if you like what you like now that you can keep if, with a public option," he said.
Cornyn, chairman of the Republican's senatorial campaign committee, held down the Republican side of MTP's health care debate with Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. Democrats were represented by Sen. Dick Durbin, the party's No 2 Senate leader, and Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor and ex-chairman of the party.
When host David Gregory asked Cornyn about Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., the senator denounced the outburst. Wilson is the guy who heckled President Barack Obama by calling him a liar in the midst of last week's speech to a joint session of Congress.
"There's a time and a place for everything and that was not the time or the place for that kind of comment," Cornyn said.
But he added that Democrats have been demonizing critics of the president's health care plans, notably those who have shown up at town hall meetings this summer with members of Congress to voice their views.
"This is not the time to be demonizing anybody, calling anybody names, on either side. This is a time to try to work together to solve a practical problem and we stand ready to do that, if the president will meet us halfway," Cornyn said.
Cornyn also noted that Obama so far been unable to round up enough Democratic votes to push through many of the ideas he pitched last week to Congress, a point Gingrich echoed.
"I'm not convinced yet that as president that he's capable of leading his own party," Gingrich said.
Dean took issue with one particular point Cornyn made, that small businesses would end up bearing the brunt of costs of the proposed new health care system.
"This bill is remarkably helpful to small business," Dean said.
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