In June, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi distanced herself from the single payer train, noting that "it isn't helpful to tinkle all over the Affordable Care Act right now." She told The New York Times that "no" single payer should not be a main platform issue for the Democrats as they approach the 2018 midterms, because it does not have a broad base of appeal.
Well, DNC Vice Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) suggested at a local Democratic Party event in Minnesota this week that Pelosi is actually a bigger fan of single payer than she lets on.
"“Is anybody taping me right now? Okay, so, you may have heard that Nancy [Pelosi] is not for it, but that’s not really true,” Ellison said. “Nancy has to represent a very diverse caucus. She does not like getting out ahead of the caucus too fast. So she’s trying to get, she’s, you know, you know, she actually likes the concept.”
“She’s trying to get, you know, you know, she actually likes the concept. She says it’s the best way to do it. She says it’s the cheapest way to do it, but she’s got to make sure that she brings our Blue Dog friends along,” Ellison added. “And by the way, for any of us progressives who get mad at the Blue Dogs, if we didn’t have them, some of them would be replaced by Republicans.”
Indeed, someone was taping. A Daily Caller reporter was in the room, happy to press play.
Pelosi may or may not be hiding her true views on single payer health care, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has been loud and proud about his wish that Washington grant Medicare for all. He event wants it to be the Democrats' "litmus test."
Democrats as of late have had a difficult time finding consensus on key issues such as health care and abortion. The one thing they did seem to agree upon, a slogan, failed to inspire anything but cable news jokes.
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