U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler has been in the spotlight this week for his vote against a landmark health care bill in the U.S. House over the weekend. Shuler was one of a group of conservative Democrats who voted against the sweeping legislation, which seeks to greatly expand the number of Americans who are covered.
I asked Shuler about his vote on the day after. He was quarterbacking a team of N.C. Highway Patrol troopers at Owen High School. The team went up against a team of Asheville Police Department officers quarterbacked by Brad Johnson. Both Shuler and Johnson are from Western North Carolina and played in the NFL, though Johnson had a much longer than Shuler’s short-lived stint. (Johnson’s team won.)
Shuler said he voted against the legislation because it was too costly. You can hear him tell me his reasoning in this video.
As Shuler continues to explain his vote, a couple of organizations are planning to tell him how they feel. MoveOn.org and Health Care for America Now are organizing a rally outside Shuler’s Asheville office to be held Thursday. The organizations, as you might imagine, disapprove of Shuler’s vote.
In one other note, an Ashvegas reader tells me that she recently received an interesting phone call. Here’s loyal reader Sharon:
Hi, Ash! Last night, I got a call asking me to thank Heath Shuler for voting against the harmful “Pelosi care” bill. I confess I gave the woman on the other end quite an earful. Has anybody else been receiving these calls? Any idea what organization is behind it? I suspect it was an insurance company or lobbying group, rather than Shuler’s people themselves.
Anyone?
6 Comments
I applaud Congressman Shurlers vote. Let’s get some real reform, one that will address the rising cost of healthcare….. tort, insurance and pharmaceuticals would be a good place to start.
I think you are funny.
"Funny like a clown?" One of my favorite lines from the film Good Fellas.
And the answer in your case is yes, AD, funny like a NeoCon clown.
dempol
Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes from people that take the D or R with tunnel vision when voting. Forgot that research part huh? Just vote who NPR, or AM radio tells you, I think its funny.
Shuler better worry more about his ethics problems. It came out today that he lied to the Inspector General about contacting the TVA regarding his Blackberry Cove land swap deal. Shuler lied…House ethics committee sighed
The insurance companies and their lobbying groups ARE Shuler’s people. Our Congressman is not even a Blue Dog Democrat – not even a Republican in "sheep’s clothing" – the only reason he is on Capitol Hill is that poor old Charles Taylor could no longer mask his senility. Heath Shuler ran as a Democrat only because Taylor is a Republican. This is an example of politics at its pathetic worst.
The only thing that surprises me in all this is that Sharon got a real live person on the other end of the line. The Right Wing usually bombards the good folks at home with disembodied robo-calls. Finally some balls? I doubt it.
dempol
I will think twice about voting for Shuler again after failing to vote for the Health Care Bill.
If we do not pass a health care bill, we can kiss manufacturing and production in America goodbye. All major competitors with the US, Japan, Germany, Korea, etc in the automotive world have state run health care.
It is not about socialism, it’s about common sense and reasonable choices. Shuler, are you listening?