Rick Klein is ABC News' Senior Political Reporter and author of The Note's morning look at the upcoming day in politics. Throughout the day, ABC News' political team contributes to The Note with the very latest news and analysis from the nation's capital.
To email Rick Klein, click here.
RECENT POSTS
- Palin Favorite Paul Ryan Rules Out 2012 Run for President
- Frozen Phase: Invite Won’t Thaw Health Care Politics
- The Note's Must-Reads for Tuesday, February 9, 2010
- GOP Leaders to Obama: Start Over, Then We Can Talk -- UPDATED
- Can Obama’s Call for Doubling Exports Produce Bipartisan Support?
- Obama Appointee Says President is “Moving in the Right Direction” on Gay Rights Agenda
- Rep. Murtha Dies at Age 77
- Republicans vs. Republicans? Meghan McCain Rails at the Tea Party
- Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, and the Kentucky Senate Race
- Health Care Redux
THE NOTE CATEGORIES
- 2010
- Afghanistan
- Bill Clinton
- CIA
- Congress
- Democratic party
- Environment
- Financial Reform
- GOP
- Gov. Mark Sanford
- Gov. Sarah Palin
- Guantanamo
- Health Care
- Hillary Clinton
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq
- John McCain
- Mitt Romney
- North Korea
- Obama Agenda
- Politics Live
- President Obama
- Republican Party
- Ronald Reagan
- Scott Brown
- Sen. John Ensign
- Senate
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Stimulus
- Sunday Shows
- Supreme Court
- Ted Kennedy
- The Note
- The Note Must-Reads
- This Week
- Top Line
- Vice President Biden
- Virginia
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
Frist Backing Health Care Bill? Not So Fast…
October 05, 2009 11:17 AM
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Rick Klein report: Former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist declared last week that, were he still in the Senate, “I would end up voting for” the health care reform efforts now being debated in Congress.
“I would take heat for it,” Frist told Time’s Karen Tumulty. “That's what leadership is all about."
Or maybe not.
In an interview with ABC News Radio this morning, Frist, R-Tenn., offered significant caveats, and said he actually doesn’t support the Senate Finance Committee’s latest draft of health care reform -- considered the most conservative of five bills now circulating on Capitol Hill.
“There are five bills on the floor now -- none of them are perfect. People try to put words in my mouth saying ‘You support the Baucus bill.’ I don’t support the Baucus bill as written today,” said Frist, a former heart surgeon who left the Senate in 2007. He has a new book out about health care.
Frist added: “We will see a health care bill. There are five bills out there. I’m pushing the process; it’s not where I want it to be. It’s going to cost way too much and we’re not going to get all the uninsured into the marketplace.”
“The Republicans right now feel like they’ve been left out of the table,” Frist said. “There’s some egregious things in there that will cost all the taxpayers too much money and not give them anything.”
Democrats pounced on Frist’s comments in support of health care reform last week, noting that it made him one of three former Senate Republican leaders -- alongside Howard Baker and Bob Dole -- who are backing the type of reform President Obama is pushing for.
October 5, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (13)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
No doubt Frist's buddies talked him out of going through with what his principles mandate - but which would have surely put him on a collision course with the monster that is Glenn Beck.
Posted by: matt | Oct 5, 2009 12:27:37 PM
Frist should be in prison, with his pals Hastert, Gramm & Abramnoff.
Posted by: nickatdabeach | Oct 5, 2009 12:35:42 PM
Did Frist make that call from just watching the debate on video?
Posted by: ThunderMonkey | Oct 5, 2009 12:59:54 PM
Who cares what this man thinks?
Posted by: BachisBest | Oct 5, 2009 1:55:12 PM
oooooooooooooooh, "he's a democrate". We want to just say NO to anything he attempts to do. I forgot". I agree, he needs to be in jail for helping to lead the U.S. in this Mess for the past 8 years.
Posted by: sara | Oct 5, 2009 3:47:59 PM
Probably Limbaugh threatened a smack down and so he caved.
Posted by: trueblue | Oct 5, 2009 5:21:21 PM
I guess he still remembers how to doublespeak from his days in the Senate. I was in shock when I read that Frist would vote for Obamacare and am dismayed to watch him slow walk away from his comments.
Posted by: Michael Kirsch, M.D. | Oct 5, 2009 8:26:22 PM
He better, Glenn and Rush would have tied him up, and force fed him some of their drugs!
Posted by: sara | Oct 5, 2009 8:36:32 PM
is this the same guy who passed legislation depending on how it affected the family business? Sure it is, he has zero integrity. Why would ABC News even be talking to him?
Posted by: dk | Oct 6, 2009 2:44:07 AM
Seriously, who is this guy and what did he do with the medical profiteer formerly known as Majority Leader Frist?
Posted by: Ollie | Oct 6, 2009 5:15:14 AM
with politicians these days, we should simply be given a list of the people/corporations/interest groups from whom each takes their marching orders. then, when they announce positions on issues or "rethink" those positions, we'll know who is actually making the decisions. i don't think any of them are capable of independent thought.
Posted by: davidfrat21 | Oct 6, 2009 6:23:36 AM
.......and he has a new book coming out about healthcare? Gimme a break.
Posted by: justj joey | Oct 6, 2009 10:48:48 AM
This FRAUD Frist's family Wealth is absolutely in the Billions, and is tied to their interest in HCA,Inc., the largest, influential and most profitable Hospital/Medical facilities Operators in The World. (Seems this family would DENY their 'Own Kin' for the sake of gain!)
Posted by: bobj72 | Oct 6, 2009 1:20:27 PM
Post a comment
POLITICAL VIDEOS
THE NOTE BLOG ROLL
- ABC News -- George Stephanopoulos
- ABC News -- Jake Tapper
- ABC News Politics
- ABC News -- The Numbers
- ABC News -- The Blotter
- The American Prospect -- TAPPED
- The Atlantic -- Politics Channel
- The Boston Globe -- Political Intelligence
- Center for American Progress -- Think Progress
- Center for Responsive Politics
- The Chicago Sun-Times -- Lynn Sweet
- The Chicago Tribune -- The Swamp
- Drudge Report
- FactCheck.org
- FiveThirtyEight
- Heritage Foundation -- The Foundry
- The Hill -- Briefing Room
- The Hotline
- The Huffington Post
- The Los Angeles Times -- Top of the Ticket
- NPR -- Political Junkie
- National Review -- The Corner
- The New Republic -- The Plank
- The New York Times -- The Caucus
- Newsweek -- The Gaggle
- Political Wire -- Taegan Goddard
- Politico -- Ben Smith
- Politico -- Mike Allen’s Playbook
- PolitiFact
- Real Clear Politics
- Talking Points Memo
- Time -- The Page
- USA Today -- On Politics
- Variety -- Wilshire & Washington
- The Wall Street Journal -- Capital Journal
- The Washington Post -- The Fix
- The Washington Post -- 44
