Cory Booker & Jeff Merkley announce support for Bernie's Medicare for all

[Shadows]

Booker says he won't rest till he guarantees affordable healthcare for everyone. Booker also announces support for various bills about buying into Medicare/Medicaid which will be introduced soon (Medicare buy-in Murphy & Medicaid buy-in Schatz).

Booker also announced that he will be signing on to a Medicare-for-all (Single Payer) legislation this week with Bernie Sanders. He says there will be a big press conference about it this week with multiple other people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=260&v=vBrriY-BG_Q (4:20)

Guess Cory is unhappy that Kamala is overtaking him. We have atleast 2 serious very likely candidates in Harris & Booker (If you don't consider O'Malley as serious)

[Shadows]

Sen. Cory Booker is throwing his support behind a "Medicare for all" bill being introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), becoming the latest Democrat floated as a 2020 contender to back the legislation. The New Jersey senator told NJTV News that he would sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill, which is scheduled to be rolled out on Wednesday. "This is something that’s got to happen. ObamaCare was a first step in advancing this country, but I won’t rest until every American has a basic security that comes with having access to affordable health care," Booker told the New Jersey outlet.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/350090-booker-signs-onto-sanderss-medicare-for-all

Merkley announces he will co-sponsor 'Medicare-for-all' bill

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Monday announced he would co-sponsor the "Medicare-for-all" bill being introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). “Health care should be a right for every single American, not a privilege reserved for the healthy and the wealthy," Merkley said in a statement. “Right now, our health care system is incredibly complex, fragmented, and stressful. It would be terrific to have a simple, seamless system where, solely by virtue of living in America, you know that you will get the care you need."

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/350096-merkley-announces-he-will-co-sponsor-medicare-for-all-bill

People officially for the Single Payer Bill to be introduced on Wednesday  -

Bernie Sanders
Kamala Harris
Elizabeth Warren
Cory Booker
Shelton Whithouse
Jeff Merkley

[publicunofficial]

Surprised Merkley wasn't already backing it. Also that's nice Cory.

[publicunofficial]

Surprised Merkley wasn't already backing it. Also that's nice Cory.

Apparently a black man from New Jersey is more progressive than some white savior from Oregon that berniebros have latched onto instead.

By what logic? They're both backing it at the same time?

[publicunofficial]

Also anyone who uses the buzzword "access to healthcare" instead of speaking of healthcare as a universal right is obviously a neolib forced into supporting something they don't want to.

[publicunofficial]

Also anyone who uses the buzzword "access to healthcare" instead of speaking of healthcare as a universal right is obviously a neolib forced into supporting something they don't want to.

For example:

Bad endorsement:


Good endorsement:

[Santander]

The idea that healthcare is a right is the greatest affront to individual liberty since slavery.

[Shadows]

Surprised Merkley wasn't already backing it. Also that's nice Cory.

Apparently a black man from New Jersey is more progressive than some white savior from Oregon that berniebros have latched onto instead.

You have to stop with these stupid comments. He announced his support for Single Payer many weeks ago, even before Warren & Harris. Today, he officially announced that he will be co-sponsoring the bill.

Cory Booker was the only Blue state Senator with Maria Cantwell to not support the Public Option, a fight which was led by Jeff Merkley who introduced the bill & not Bernie Sanders 2-3 years back. Merkley was the easiest vote this, even easier than Warren.

[publicunofficial]

Also anyone who uses the buzzword "access to healthcare" instead of speaking of healthcare as a universal right is obviously a neolib forced into supporting something they don't want to.

That's not always a bad thing.

>Blairite

>Likes the Liberal Democrats

[Beet]

This is huge. Cory Booker is making great moves. My opinion of him is going up and up. And no, health care isn't a "universal right", but everyone should have access to it, which is why we need Medicare for All

[publicunofficial]

This is huge. Cory Booker is making great moves. My opinion of him is going up and up. And no, health care isn't a "universal right", but everyone should have access to it, which is why we need Medicare for All

I think he's going to end up being totally eclipsed by Kamala Harris, who has all of his pros and very few of his cons, and generally just seems to have a better political sense of direction.

[Beet]

This is huge. Cory Booker is making great moves. My opinion of him is going up and up. And no, health care isn't a "universal right", but everyone should have access to it, which is why we need Medicare for All

I think he's going to end up being totally eclipsed by Kamala Harris, who has all of his pros and very few of his cons, and generally just seems to have a better political sense of direction.

Cory Booker is way more charismatic than Kamala Harris, and unlike Harris, has actually won tough election battles. Of course, you're right that Harris will win the nomination (provided Tulsi doesn't run). I've been saying that for a long time.

[Shadows]

This is huge. Cory Booker is making great moves. My opinion of him is going up and up. And no, health care isn't a "universal right", but everyone should have access to it, which is why we need Medicare for All

I think he's going to end up being totally eclipsed by Kamala Harris, who has all of his pros and very few of his cons, and generally just seems to have a better political sense of direction.

Cory Booker is way more charismatic than Kamala Harris, and unlike Harris, has actually won tough election battles. Of course, you're right that Harris will win the nomination (provided Tulsi doesn't run). I've been saying that for a long time.

Problem is Booker is like a subsidiary of the pharma industry, totally owned by them. Harris is new & doesn't have as many big pharma donors & ties like Booker has in NJ. Her act of not prosecuting Mnuchin's bank was disappointing but atleast Harris voted correctly on the drug imports one.

I feel that drug imports one has damaged Cory's record . Assuming Sanders does not run, I can see Merkley or Warren or even Harris attacking Booker on his pharma & big money ties (if the primary gets competitive).

[publicunofficial]

And now Gillibrand as well

[McGovernForPrez]

And now Gillibrand as well

Gillibrand has been way ahead of the curve in terms of supporting single payer. I remember reading about her support of it months ago.

[MAINEiac4434]

So the next Democratic president will now be under immense pressure to get single payer done, because all the potential candidates have come out in favor of it (except Biden I think?)

[Possiblymaybe]

This is huge. Cory Booker is making great moves. My opinion of him is going up and up. And no, health care isn't a "universal right", but everyone should have access to it, which is why we need Medicare for All

I think he's going to end up being totally eclipsed by Kamala Harris, who has all of his pros and very few of his cons, and generally just seems to have a better political sense of direction.

Cory Booker is way more charismatic than Kamala Harris, and unlike Harris, has actually won tough election battles. Of course, you're right that Harris will win the nomination (provided Tulsi doesn't run). I've been saying that for a long time.

They are both pretty charismatic.Harris just hasn't been doing as much media etc as him yet, people mainly associate her with the senate intelligence hearings as the aggressive prosecutor.  But going by her talk show debut last week on Ari Melbers new show she's no slouch in the charisma department. I can see her appealing to the type of white women that love Oprah and Michelle obama so I don't think her appeal is limited to poc.Also comes across as sharper and funnier than Booker. So I think she might do better in debates.

[DrScholl]

The best thing that most Democrats can do is endorse it just to shut Sanders and his supporters up, even if the bill ends up going nowhere.

[Strudelcutie4427]

The idea that healthcare is a right is the greatest affront to individual liberty since slavery.

[America Needs R'hllor]

You really don't have to be a socialist to think that not being left to die because you're poor is a right. This is just common sense, and I, as someone who can be described as neoliberal, wholeheartedly support this stance (even though I'll reserve judgement on the bill for now).

[publicunofficial]

Sherrod :/

[Santander]

Human rights protect individuals from others, and are not related to tangible goods or services. Nobody is entitled to the property or labor of others without compensation. Everyone has the right to life, but that does not mean a right to food, water, shelter, or healthcare, since all of those are tangible goods and services that belong to someone.

That does not mean, that as a civilized society that believes in human rights, (a relatively modern concept that was not recognized for most of human history) we do not have certain responsibilities towards those who cannot provide for themselves, but collective obligations are not human rights.

[MAINEiac4434]

Sherrod :/

How dare Sherrod be pragmatic.

When Cory Booker is being less "pragmatic" than you, you're on the wrong side.

[Santander]

Sherrod :/

How dare Sherrod be pragmatic.

When Cory Booker is being less "pragmatic" than you, you're on the wrong side.

Cory Booker is attaching his name to a bill that has zero chance of passing. Brown, to his credit, is at least working on something remotely feasible in the foreseeable future.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Sherrod :/

How dare Sherrod be pragmatic.

The purists are only able to comprehend political nuance and pragmatism when it's time to explain away any of Bernie Sanders' problematic votes like the Crime Bill or putting nuclear waste in poor Hispanic communities.