Joe Lieberman – Now And Then

During the 2004 presidential primary, then Democratic candidate Joe Lieberman said:

“And one of the things we will do when we’re one nation is to end the moral outrage of 44 million people without health insurance in the richest country in the world, nine million children whose parents can’t take them to the doctor when they get sick ’cause they can’t pay the bill. I’m gonna do that, and also help the millions who have insurance that can’t pay it, by creating national health insurance pools like the ones members of Congress get our insurance from.

“When you’re born, child in America, you get a membership card, and MediKids covers your insurance. Two, if you lose your job, you will not lose your health insurance. Three, underemployed, self-employed, small business, you can buy into this plan, it’ll cost you a lot less, and incidentally, you’ll get drug benefits with it. That’s the kind of centrist leadership that produces results, and that’s the kind of president America needs and I’ll be.”

Now he is against a public option.  On his official web site he says:

“We can make these important changes and reforms this year if we work together. Unfortunately, rather than focusing on what works and fixing what doesn’t, Congress is getting bogged down in a divisive debate over whether to create a government-run health insurance company — the so-called public option.”

Is it possible that the health insurance lobbyists got to him?  After all, the fact that his wife used to work for one of those lobbying firms probably has nothing to do with his drastic change in policy.

The fact that in his speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention,  he endorsed John McCain for president makes one wonder if Joe Lieberman does what he has to do to better serve himself; not his constituents.