I have wondered about behind the scenes on Rep.Kucinich's decision. This was informative.


Read @ CommonDreams.org

Published on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by Esquire Magazine

What President Obama Didn't Say

by Dennis Kucinich

The gentleman from Ohio — the last man standing on health care, as he put it in this conversation with Esquire.com just before Sunday's vote — reveals the personal moments behind his decision, and how the fate of a nation, if not a presidency, could have turned out a lot differently had he said "no," as told to Mark Warren, Sunday, March 21, 2010:

Excerpts

"

This was a particularly hard decision because the private insurance model is something that I don't support. As I've said before, I don't take back any of the criticisms I've made of the bill. This is reform within the context of a for-profit system. And the for-profit system has been quite predatory — it makes money for not providing health care. Now, the reforms in this bill may provide some relief from that impulse. But, nevertheless, I have my work cut out for me now in continuing the effort toward a much broader approach to health care reform, which would include attention to diet, nutrition, complementary alternative medicine, and empowering states to move forward with single-payer.

"

"
And so as we came closer, and it appeared that I would be in a pivotal position, I realized that the moment required me to look at this in the broadest terms possible. To look at this in terms of the long-term impact on my constituents, of the moment in history in which we now stand, of the impact on the country, of the impact on the Obama presidency, on the impact on the president personally. I had to think about all of this. I couldn't just say, "Well here's my position: I'm for single-payer, and this isn't single-payer, so I'm going to defeat the bill."
"
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Quite interesting read.  Very glad to know that he was not strong-armed and that it was viewed as a reform of the existing system and not the end product.

Ok, I am glad he is committed to keep working on this.