Reply #3: I'm not confused at all. [View All]

[sfecap]

There are times when budgets and spending have to be cut. The decisions are tough.

Kerry voted to reduce spending. I'm sure he didn't like it, but he did it.

Gephardt chose to vote against the Bill, and in doing so would deprive those who the Bill would benefit. Another tough decision.

The fact is that in both of those votes, just like Dean's actions as Governor, different "headlines" could be written, and different spins can be conveyed.

"Kerry votes to cut Medicare spending"

"Gephardt rejects Medicare benefits for low income children."

See how it's done?

You continue to maintain that Dean is a liar. The facts show that as Governor, he did what many other Governors do. He played hardball. He gave the legislators a choice. Cut the programs, or institute a raise in the cigarette tax. It was a offer they couldn't refuse. It was tough politics, but it benefited Dean's constituents. That's why VMS supported it. Did some of the co pays increase a few dollars? It looks like they did. Did the benefit for glasses get suspended for a year? In some cases, yes. But the programs survived, and the benefits far outweighed the slight copay increases, and benefit reductions as far as I can tell. Bottom line, Vermonters have a pretty damn good healthcare program, because they had a Governor who made it a priority.

Now, if you want to argue about a sentence uttered in 1995, taken out of context, I'll pass. It's just not worth the time.

BTW...the "agreement" that was finally made was the Bill cited above, which reduced spending by 130 Billion instead of 240 Billion.