Research Briefing

How Does Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK) Feel About Obama’s Government-Run Health Care Plan? 

Politico: “The first Congressional Democrat … is now on the record declaring Barack Obama a political liability.” (Glenn Thrush, “Boren Goes Nuclear On Obama,” Politico, 7/15/09)

BOREN BLASTS OBAMA’S GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE EXPERIMENT

Boren Says Government-Run Health Care “Will Only Exacerbate The Problem.” “‘As a congressman representing one of the poorest districts in the country … I do want health care reform,’ Boren said. ‘But we have to be very careful. The current health insurance plan that’s been released, in my opinion, will only exacerbate the problem.’ Later, in answer to a question, Boren said health care reform has ‘a better than 50-50 chance’ of passing. ‘If health care reform is going to happen, it’s going to have to happen in a bipartisan way,’ he said. ‘It’s really up to the president.’ (Randy Krehbiel, “U.S. Rep. Dan Boren  Unhappy With Health Care, Energy Proposals,” The Oklahoman, 7/21/09)

House Dem Leadership Pressuring Boren To Vote For Tax Increases. “‘I want you all to think about the predicament I’m in sometime,’ Boren said. ‘(Rangel) is asking me to vote for a lot of tax bills, and I’m saying no on a lot of stuff.’” (Randy Krehbiel, “U.S. Rep. Dan Boren  Unhappy With Health Care, Energy Proposals,” The Oklahoman, 7/21/09)

Boren Doesn’t Want Government-Run Health Care To Be Rushed Through Like National Energy Tax Was: REP. BOREN: “We have to slow things down and we might miss the deadline … I was in Muskogee, Oklahoma Saturday at a barbecue and we were coming up to people, people were saying, ‘Why did you get 800 page bill hours before and have to vote on it quickly?’ That happened with the climate debate. We do not want to do that with health care reform. We want to cover people, lower costs, have access.” (FOX News’ “Happening Now,” 7/21/09)

Speaking Of National Energy Tax, Boren Calls It “Worst Piece Of Legislation I’ve Seen.” “On energy, Boren said, ‘The cap and trade bill is really the worst piece of legislation I’ve seen since I’ve been there. It raises energy prices on businesses, raises electric bills on families, and it even raises gasoline prices in the middle of a recession. And, it makes America less competitive in the global economy.’” (Randy Krehbiel, “U.S. Rep. Dan Boren  Unhappy With Health Care, Energy Proposals,” The Oklahoman, 7/21/09)

BOREN NOT A FAN OF OBAMA-PELOSI DEMOCRATS’ POLITICS

Boren Says Obama “Too Liberal,” Not Pragmatic. “‘Obama is very unpopular … He got 34 percent of the vote statewide, and less in our district. If he were to run for re-election today, I bet it would be even worse’ … He has voted for Obama-supported bills 81 percent of the time, according to a recent Congressional Quarterly study. But despite this, he said the president is too liberal. ‘It would be a lot nicer if we had someone who was in the middle,’ he said. ‘Bill Clinton won our district … I think if you have someone who governs from the middle, who’s pragmatic, who works with both parties.’” (Will Holland, “As Republicans Gain Control, Face Of Oklahoma Democrats Changes,” The Oklahoma Gazette, 7/15/09)

Boren Expresses Concerns About Lack Of Bipartisanship. REP. DAN BOREN: “Bipartisan consensus is what we want. We have to have a broad swath of congress. It is starting to happen in the Senate, but the House has been bogged down with a bill on the left flank, and hopefully we can bring it to the center. I am hopeful the President will have this meeting and maybe we can get some compromise here.” (FOX News’ “Happening Now,” 7/21/09)