Senator Franken lays groundwork for Obama’s Health Care Reform announcement
U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) was the star of the rally to support Health Care Insurance Reform at the Minneapolis United Labor Center one day prior to President Obama’s announcements intended to overcome the GOP-backed gridlock in the Congress. Senator Franken stressed his personal commitment to advancing reform despite the lockstep approach of Congressional Republicans who seem to be acting for the benefits of large corporations.
After remarks by local organizers, a doctor, and a representative of a local church, Franken spoke to an enthusiastic, overflow crowd. The rally also precedes the televised bi-partisan “summit” scheduled for Thursday, during which the President and his party will work to bridge the gap their opponents have lately widened. Doing so will require some Republicans actually engaging in genuine dialog rather than adhering steadfastly to familiar talking points.
The intersection of budgets and health care is particularly interesting to Minnesotans, as their outgoing Governor Tim Pawlenty has set up a confrontation with his state legislature by both submitting a budget that’s out of balance and at the same time removing support for the least affluent members of the state who rely, at times, on General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), which seems ill-timed during these challenging economic times.
Franken conveyed a sense of optimism that the Congress could pass a “very good” bill reforming the out of control costs added to Health Care by the Insurance Industry. He made a point of saying he didn’t expect the bill to be “perfect,” leaving his listeners to wonder if it was single-payer he was alluding to, or if a public option really was out of reach in the near term.
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More photos are available via a public facebook album.
