Boehner’s quips deserve response

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3:27 PM Tuesday, October 6, 2009

When John Boehner said recently that he was “still trying to find the first American who’s in favor of the public option, other than a member of Congress or the administration,” he threw down a challenge to supporters of the Democratic plan for health care reform.

And they are responding.

On Monday, Oct. 5, officials for Organizing for America, a community organizing project of the Democratic National Committee, said about 150 volunteers had provided Boehner’s office with more than 1,800 declarations of support for health care reform from residents of Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, which the West Chester Twp. Republican represents.

After Boehner had claimed never to have met a supporter of the so-called public option — a controversial reform component that would be offered by the federal government for Americans unable to obtain private health insurance — he offered: “This is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake.”

That remark prompted four organizations — Health Care for America Now Coalition, Progress Ohio, MoveOn.org and the Center for Community Change — to deliver an actual garlic milkshake at Boehner’s office in West Chester Twp. (No word on how it tasted.)

In his role as House Minority Leader, our congressman has been at the center of the fiery debate over health care reform, and has been one of the leading voices in opposition to President Barack Obama’s vision for universal health care coverage for Americans. “Congressman Boehner supports reforms that lower health care costs without raising taxes or forcing Americans into a government-run plan,” a Boehner spokesman said recently.

It’s worth noting that Boehner has collected more money from health insurers than all current members of Congress, according to an analysis of campaign contributions by the Center for Responsive Politics. Boehner has received $2 million from the health sector since 1989, Cox News Service’s Jessica Wehrman reported this summer. That includes $641,480 from pharmaceuticals and $779,710 from the health insurance industry. He received $690,587 from health professionals, according to the center’s study. Given those numbers, it should be no surprise that Boehner would be opposing meaningful health care reform.

Considering the conservative bent of his congressional district, Boehner may feel secure in delivering clever wisecracks and in saying that he’s “still trying to find the first American” who favors a public option, but the 1,800 declarations of support for reform and a public option strongly indicate that, even here, there is not unanimous agreement. In his office, officials say they are having difficulty determining whether calls and petitions are actually from 8th District constituents.

As a public service, we’ll remind our readers how they can reach the congressman and let him know how you feel about the public option and reform efforts.

His Butler County office is at 7969 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Suite B, West Chester, Ohio 45069. The telephone number is (513) 779-5400 and the fax number is (513) 779-5315. Residents of the 8th District may also use the toll-free number: (800) 582-1001.

His office address in Washington is: 1011 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. The telephone is (202) 225-6205 and the fax number is (202) 225-0704.

Lastly, you can also contact the congressman via his Web site — johnboehner.house.gov.

And don’t forget to provide your address so Boehner’s staff will know that you are indeed one of his constituents. Who knows? Perhaps he will finally meet “the first American who’s in favor of the public option” — from among the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance.

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