Daily Kos Can Stand Down: Coop’s A Yes On Reform
Posted on November 7, 2009 at 10:23 amFrom the office of Nashville’s congressman:
“I am grateful to the thousands of Nashville-area residents who have shared their opinion on health care reform with me. Everyone feels strongly because health care is so important to our lives. Having read the pending bills and having taught health policy at Vanderbilt business school for twelve years, I have made the following decision:
I will vote yes on H.R. 3962. My vote is not an endorsement of all the provisions of the bill because I find much of the bill to be deeply flawed. There is little chance that H.R. 3962 will become law due to the long legislative process.
My reason for voting yes is to advance the cause of health care reform by forcing the Senate to act. Without passage of this House bill, the Senate could delay reform indefinitely. That would be the worst possible outcome because our current health-care system is not sustainable. Congress needs to pass good health legislation in the next few months for the good of the country.
Passing legislation is a little like writing a term paper in school. The first draft is usually not very good. The second draft is better — H.R. 3962 is the second draft. The bill that the Senate will vote on will be the third draft, which I expect to show major improvement. The final draft will be written next month when the House and the Senate vote on the same bill. I will continue to work hard to make sure that the final legislation helps all of our families get quality, affordable health care.”
SEE ALSO:
Local elected applied pressure
Jeff Woods
Ezra Klein
Comments
24 Responses to “Daily Kos Can Stand Down: Coop’s A Yes On Reform”
Hm. Rumor has it the calls were going more ‘against’ than ‘for’ on this. Wonder what changed his mind?
The fact that he knows he represents one of the only TN districts where he might actually have to pay a price, politically, for opposing this bill?
AC - this is terrific news! Where did you this info and do you have a link? Thanks for breaking this.
“Rumor has it…” yeah, right. Calls were so strongly in favor that Cooper had to vote yes.
Weaselling about the Senate bill aside - good choice, Coop.
Just heard Congressman Blackburn on Steve Gill’s show saying Congressman Lincoln Davis told her he is leaning “no.” Of course, Congressmen Gordon and Tanner are already “no.”
Cooper’s DC office was flooded with out of district callers. Maybe they were the “no” calls.
I was in his office yesterday and their phones were lit up with no callers.
This op-ed from yesterday’s Nashville City Paper (”The Smartest Man in Congress”) may have cast the vote in terms that made the Cooper office a bit uncomfortable. No doubt, he doesn’t want to be reminded of the debacle that was his horrible 1990 vote against the Americans with Disabilities Act. Too smart for his own good then. A no on health reform would look the same.
http://tinyurl.com/yzkrk2s
Screaming “NO” because “Glenn Beck said we’ll all become Nazis if you vote yes” really isn’t the kind of constituent input a Congressman uses to base important decisions on. It’s not “call in your votes” night at American Idol.
[...] Screaming “NO” because… [...]
Well,I think Cooper said yes,because a lot of us Yellow Dog Dems sat on the phone for the longest time and this is what I was told from his Office downtown here… We need more calls like we’re getting ,keep it up so we kept it up so that our Fellow human beings could have quality health care and not over the counter do it yourself health care that the tea baggers of the republicans party wants all America to have except them.
I watch a take out this morning of the Rep Dr Tom Price of Big A ,just down the road thar and he was beating or rather practing beating a Congress woman up so that when he got home he could Fred Flinstone his wife. I was so deeply ashamed that other countries were watching Cspan and pulling take out also . I called his office and ask him to settle down as he was embolding the enemy. (al quaida) oopps forget Al Quaida is the Republican Party up front, personal and Close Friend….
I can’t wait for 2012 ,bring it on….. I’m excited about 2012 ,its going to be a good year for Dems!
Middle Voting Sane America has seen with their own eyes ,who and what the Republican Party is made up of and its not pretty or even close to being intelligent. Its not even Pro country or pro people its …Pro big Business ,the bigger the better , that means Mo’ Money for PAC’s and Middle America can have trickle down if any gets trickle down.
Kim McMilliam
Congressman Cooper has apparently decided to take the coward’s way out. Not surprising.
Just doing what any lap dog would do for it’s master, Pelosi.
What an idiotic statement.
“My vote is not an endorsement of all the provisions of the bill because I find much of the bill to be deeply flawed. There is little chance that H.R. 3962 will become law due to the long legislative process.”
With representatives like him you don’t need enemies.
hmmm cowards way out ,there is a Rep in Lousiana who also voted yes and this Rep., I believe is a Republican,did he too take the cowards way out or do as the people who voted for him ask him to do?
I would say that Tanner,Gordan, Davis took the cowards way out ,maybe they are afraid the Tea partiers will chase them out of office? Pres. Obama told then Saturday in a speech that the Republicans were going after them anyway so they may as well help the American People obtain Quality Health Care.
Cooper maybe listened to his people here in the 5Th drst.
Want to talk about NY23 and Palin helping to win that seat for the Republicans ,guess you don’t since for the first time in a 100 yrs it went to a Democrat.People in general look down on political freak shows. Rep Tom Price(RGA) may have to fight for his seat in Georgia after beating up Democratic Women.He looked like Fred Flinstone.
Considering the only poll of the 5th district showed 61% support for healthcare reform, with the public option, and only 28% opposed, I’m pretty sure the “rumors” about the majority saying no are pretty much … wrong.
Although the minorities are usually the most vocal, I don’t think 28% can convince an astute politician that they’re 51+%.
I am really proud of Congressman Cooper for this vote, placing the interests of the country ahead of his own reputation as a leading skeptic of workable reform - there is still much in this bill that he objects to, but he voted to keep the process moving forward. He’s keeping the faith. Thank you, Congressman Cooper!
Be care what you wish for you just may get it.
If you are satisfied with your coverage now, kiss it goodby because you will get less in the future plus be paying for abortions and I predict sex changes for other people that pay nothing.
Goodby freem hello socialism.
Funny, I live in the 5th and am never polled despite never missing a vote.
This guy is toast.
Anyone that thinks Cooper is “toast” has the political sense of a rock.
Maybe Rep. Cooper has finally realized he is not representing southern Middle Tennessee anymore.
Let’s hope he continues to vote yes.
There’s a theory people like rural Tennessean don’t vote for Democrats because they have stopped voting for bills like health care reform that help ordinary citizens. Every survey I saw found support for the public option, but it’s clear, the only opinions that count are those of the lobbyists.
Too bad Cooper allows those suffering under massive student loan debt to continue going without standard consumer protections from them.
No court hearing before garnishment, harrassing calls at work and at home, no ability to refinance, no bankruptcy and the list goes on. Come on Mr. Cooper!