| During the 23rd congressional district race, Bill Owens was questioned about his views on two issues important to progressives: Health care reform and reproductive rights. His stance on health care was questioned because of his position on the public option. He went from saying he did not support a public option to saying that if a bill met his standards and it included a public option, he would vote for it. But that also meant if the bill met his standards and did not have a public option, he would still vote for it. The public option, for Owens, was not a must-have.
Then came the vote for the Affordable Health Care for America Act last night. Owens was one of the 220 votes that passed the bill - a bill with a public option.
Owens had stated his support of a public option shortly before the election in a debate, but voting for it in Congress is a different story.
Owens' support of health care reform has not gone unnoticed either. President Barack Obama used Owens as an example of a candidate who campaigned on a platform of reform and won. That's not a bad backer to have during your first week on the job.
The other big vote for Owens came on the Stupak amendment. The Stupak amendment bans funds in the exchange set up by the health care reform bill being used to pay for abortion. Owens, who admitted that he was anti-choice prior to the campaign but has evolved since and believes that protecting Roe versus Wade is a must because it is the law. Owens voted against the Stupak amendment, joining all 27 Democratic representatives from New York in doing so.
Obama's point is a good one. Obama proved that you can win on a change (or reform) platform. Obama singling out Owens and saying Owens won on a change platform is a great point to make. Voters want a leader. Owens showed that NY-23 made a great choice. |
