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Forrest Brown, one of our great fellows at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, dug up this gem. Newt Gingrich on the House floor during the health care debate -- March 16, 1994:
Mr. GINGRICH.
I agree with my friend, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Gephardt]. I want to reach out in a bipartisan way to pass the bill. I praise the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis] and the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Rowland] for a bipartisan bill. I praise the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Grandy] and the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Cooper] for a bipartisan bill. They are starting in the right direction to reach out.
How did that work out? So why is Sen. Mark Warner one of the many Democrats playing right into Newt Gingrich's hands? From Lowell Feld, who interviewed Warner this weekend for Blue Virginia: Senator Warner appears committed to at least attempting bipartisanship (what he likes to call "radical centrism"), at least with a few "moderate" Republicans like Olympia Snowe (ME), Susan Collins (ME), Charles Grassley (IA), and Michael Enzi (WY). Warner makes a strong case for getting a health care reform bill that's at leaest somewhat bipartisan so it can't easily be dismissed as "Democratic health care reform." Also, Warner wants health care reform that has enough bipartisan buy-in that it actually lasts.
When I was a law student at UVA, I campaigned for Mark Warner during his successful 2001 gubernatorial run -- and actually campaigned for him in 1996 during his first Senate run too. So I have a warm spot for him. But this is ridiculous. First, this strategy plays right into the hands of Gingrich and others who want to kill the public option and kill reform. Second, announcing the need for "bipartisanship" during the stimulus fight gave away Democrats' leverage in negotiations -- it told Republicans they might as well drag their feet because Democrats wouldn't pass a bill until they agreed. That resulted in a worse stimulus than just forcing Republicans to vote on a Democratic plan. States like Virginia got less money than needed -- and now the watered-down elements of the stimulus are held against Democrats, not Republicans. If we pass a water-down health care reform, and consumers feel screwed, which party will they blame? And third, why on earth would Warner walk away from a Democratic branded health care plan if it was good for the public? If Republicans want to be the party of no health care reform, ceding the ground to Democrats -- fine. Let them wander the wilderness for a couple more decades. Democratic politicians, please -- stop playing right into the hands of Gingrich and other reform opponents. Stand on principle. Follow Sen. Jay Rockefeller's lead. Say that if Republicans won't do the public's work, Democrats will do it without Republican votes if that's what it takes. And if you haven't yet joined the fight to hold Democratic politicians accountable, you can do so here.
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