Thanks to Betsy Muse from BlueNC for the following “Voices from the States” update on health care, the public option, etc.

Most people outside of North Carolina have a hard time understanding our politics. We are lumped in with southern states and most people, it seems, think of us as conservative. Until the state voted for Barack Obama in 2008, we hadn’t voted for a Democrat for President since Carter in 1976. Democrats control both houses of the state legislature and many of our larger counties and we have a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion. However, with the mood in NC and the look of the generic ballots coming out of Public Policy Polling, Democrats could lose our control of the state legislature next year so some might wonder whether North Carolina could be one of those southern states threatening to opt out.

Under the current makeup of our state government, I don’t think there is a chance that North Carolina will opt out of participating in healthcare reform. Congressman David Price, NC-04, agrees:

The decision for North Carolina to opt-out would be made by Governor Perdue and the legislature, but I am very concerned about what an opt-out will mean for Americans in states with Republican governors, or Republican-controlled legislatures. If governors in these states were willing to turn down federal economic recovery investments to score political points, it seems logical that they would be willing to deny their citizens quality, affordable health care in the name of ideology.

Obviously, we still have a long way to go before we have to worry about what our governor will do, so I’ll end by taking a quick look at what we can expect from our congressional delegation going forward.

We can make quick work of the Republicans. They will all remain “Nay” votes. They are also all in safe R districts.

Senator Kay Hagan
Senator Hagan, while not a Progressive favorite, is a good match for the majority of mainstream, moderate Democrats throughout North Carolina. I didn’t get a chance to speak with Senator Hagan, but in mid October she said,

“I will say in the HELP committee…we did have a backstop option for people that don’t have access to care, and we called it the community health insurance option, and I supported that.”

I don’t see her backing away from that vote.

Rep. G.K. Butterfield, NC-01
Rep. Butterfield is a reliable vote for healthcare reform that includes a public option. He is in a safe district for Democrats and is very well thought of in his district.

Rep. Bob Etheridge, NC-02
Rep. Etheridge is fairly safe in this moderate district, but it has long been felt that when he leaves the seat the voters in the district will replace him with a Republican.

While he voted for the bill Saturday night, it is still unclear whether he will vote for final passage if the Stupak language is stripped in the conference report.

If you are a constituent, please contact Rep. Etheridge and let him know you want him to support final passage of healthcare legislation without the inclusion of the Stupak language. If you live outside his district in North Carolina please call him and let him know that as a possible future constituent you support healthcare reform without the inclusion of the Stupak Amendment.

Constituents can go here to email Rep. Etheridge. Phone and Fax numbers can also be found at the above link.

Rep. David Price, NC-04
Rep. Price is a reliable “Yea” vote. I believe he will fight for removal of the Stupak Amendment, but I don’t know that he will let that get in the way of a vote for final passage. Earlier this week Rep. Price told me that he had voted against the Stupak Amendment and that he remained hopeful the language would be greatly revised or removed in the final bill. Rep. Price is in a safe district for Democrats.

Rep. Mike McIntyre, NC-07
In the months leading up to the vote Rep. McIntyre indicated that he would not support the bill unless it excluded funding for abortion. In June he was among those who signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi saying,

“We Cannot Support Any Health Care Reform Proposal Unless It Explicitly Excludes Abortion From The Scope Of Any Government-Defined Or Subsidized Health Insurance Plan.”

He must have been caught off guard when the deal was cut Friday night in the Rules Committee because all of a sudden on Saturday he hurriedly put out a press release changing his talking points from abortion funding to fiscal responsibility.
Rep. McIntyre is not persuadable, but I’ve linked to his web site above in case you want to give it a go.

North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District is another seat that will more than likely go to a Republican once Rep. McIntyre decides to leave office.

Rep. Larry Kissell, NC-08
I will say up front that Larry is a personal friend. I have no problem voicing my disagreement with him, but know him well enough to know that his vote had nothing to do with trolling for re-election votes as many have accused.

When I emailed his office asking about his support for a robust public option, this is the reply I received,

Congressman Kissell has said that it (the healthcare bill) must meet the same criteria the President set out. It must be deficit neutral, end discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions, have real portability, and bend the cost curve with real competition. The only thing he added to that is that he would not vote for a bill that cuts Medicare.

Larry made a campaign promise that he would never vote to cut Medicare benefits. He believes this bill will do that. You can say it is a bad promise and you can claim he has his facts wrong, but you won’t get him to go back on his word to his constituents. If you do want to give changing Larry’s vote a try you will find his contact information at this link. A bit of a side note – many have assumed that Larry voted for the Stupak Amendment. He voted against the amendment.

Rep. Heath Shuler, NC-11
Rep. Shuler signed the same letter to Speaker Pelosi that Rep. McIntyre signed and that is quoted above. Of course, on his web site Rep. Shuler leads with a different reason for his “Nay” vote – Congressman Shuler Votes Against Health Care Bill That Doesn’t Provide Enough ReformThat’s not exactly consistent with what he was saying before the vote, but it is consistent with someone who was looking for any reason to vote against the bill.

Rep. Shuler isn’t persuadable, but I’ve linked to his site above if you have anything you want to share with him. He’s safe as long as he wants the seat, but this is another district that goes to a Republican or an equally conservative Democrat once Shuler leaves office.

Rep. Mel Watt, NC-12
Rep. Watt supports a public option and is a strong supporter of healthcare reform. NC-12 is a gerrymandered district that Rep. Watt has no trouble winning each cycle. He is very popular among his constituents.

Rep. Brad Miller, NC-13
Rep. Miller supports healthcare reform and a strong public option. He champions many progressive issues. The feeling is Rep. Miller will be able to keep his seat as long as he wants it. I hope he wants it a good long time.