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Sanders gets health care heat from left and right

Montpelier, Vermont - December 23, 2009

The U.S. Senate is moving closer to passing health care reform. A 60-to-40 procedural vote early Wednesday morning has put Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders in a unique and powerful position. Sanders is one of two independent senators to support the bill and prevent a Republican filibuster. But some liberals who are typically in line with Sanders' political views are now speaking out against him.

The Senate bill mandates that millions of uninsured Americans buy health insurance and provides subsidies for those who cannot afford it. However, the bill does not include a public option, something that people on the left have said is crucial to cutting costs. Sen. Sanders has long supported a public option and even brought a single-payer amendment to the Senate floor. But Sanders voted for the current bill even though he says it's not a good one.

In a statement released Wednesday Sanders said, "The choice is doing nothing and allowing tens of thousands of Americans to die every year because they lack health care, or passing a bill which, while not perfect, does expand health care insurance for 31 million Americans."

But that has some liberals steamed.

"Any bill that mandates that Americans buy health insurance and transfers billions of dollars to private healthcare companies really isn't reform," said A.J. Van Tassel-Sweet, who supports a public option.

Van Tassel-Sweet is one of those people. He wrote Sanders with encouragement from the "Progressive Change Campaign Committee," a national grassroots movement that feels Sanders and other liberal Democrats are not doing enough to push for a public option.

"I do feel that he is selling out," Van Tassel-Sweet said. "And I think that he needs to stop, take a breath and stand up and say you know what, this is a half measure and I cannot do this."

"There is no way that Bernie can be seen here as selling out," political analyst Chris Graff said.

Graff says that Sanders is actually leading the charge in the health care debate. Graff says that while Sanders may have voted against the bill as a congressman, there is too much on the line as a swing-vote senator.

"I think the bottom line here is if not now, then when? And I think that Bernie Sanders said it has to be now," Graff said. "And what we have is better than nothing and he has a very strong argument and he has not stopped speaking out."

Taking things one step at a time is something that millions of Americans support, including independent Dave Evans.

"I think it is going to come in stages and I think that what we got now is much better than what we had, and that eventually we probably will get a pubic option," Evans said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, also supported the bill during the procedural vote. The official vote is expected to take place Thursday.

Sanders is also under fire from the right. As part of the deal to secure his vote, Democratic leaders included $10 billion in new funding for one of Sanders' pet projects-- community health centers. Republicans say that's an example of the kind of wasteful spending in the health care bill. Sanders says he finds that criticism "amusing."

Adam Sullivan - WCAX News