September 13, 2017 was an exciting day for Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
That was when Sen. Shaheen proclaimed: “I support the Medicare For All Act because I believe that healthcare should be a fundamental right in this country.” Jeanne Shaheen then gladly signed on as a co-sponsor to the Bernie Sanders bill.
Back in 2013, Bernie Sanders stood alone when he unveiled his very first Medicare For All bill in Congress. But in 2017, he had Jeanne Shaheen, and several other liberal Democrats, to push the government takeover of our healthcare system.
Shaheen further stated in 2017, “I believe this bill puts pressure on Congress to think big when it comes to providing the healthcare that all Americans need and deserve.”
There you have it. In 2017, our senior United States Senator became a full-throated supporter of Medicare For All. Like her or not, she put a stake in the ground, took a bold and risky position on principle, and was sticking to it. Admirable, right?
Wrong.
In April of this year, when Bernie Sanders reintroduced his Medicare For All bill, Shaheen declined to join. Bernie Sanders and many others were confused.
It turns out that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is the network of professional Democrat campaign operatives that seek to keep Democrats in the US Senate, urged Shaheen to abandon her support for Medicare For All because it was too risky a position for her to win re-election.
These multi-million dollar campaign professionals now guiding Jeanne Shaheen know that the socialist policies that have taken over the Democratic Party in the last couple of years are putting their campaign prospects in jeopardy.
Democrat strategists are publicly stating they “worry that risky promises for single-payer health care are taking priority.”
So today we are faced with yet another election year conversion and flip-flopper on our hands.
Now in full re-election campaign mode, Jeanne Shaheen has avoided all talk about Medicare For All.
Bernie Sanders has made it clear that Medicare For All requires a middle-class tax increase. No way around it. Jeanne Shaheen supported it in 2017. Now she avoids it.
Bernie Sanders has made it clear that private insurance would be eliminated forever under his Medicare For All plan. Jeanne Shaheen supported it in 2017. Now she avoids it.
In 2017, Jeanne Shaheen said Congress and America need to “think big” — which are the same words Elizabeth Warren uses in her plans for “big structural change.” Now Jeanne Shaheen avoids the “think big” plans.
This is how we know Jeanne Shaheen has been in government for too long. Supporting Medicare For All in 2017 was at least admirable because she took a bold position. But to pretend it never happened just two years later is the sign of a desperate politician looking to get re-elected.
New Hampshire, and the nation, deserve someone who is not afraid to do what they believe is best. We deserve someone who isn’t looking to the next election just to keep her job.
The swamp in Washington gets bigger and bigger with politicians like Jeanne Shaheen hanging on to her near 50-year political career.
It really is time for a change.
