Rush Holt On Healthcare

David Rebovich in his latest missive (Democrat campaign ad) says New Jersey incumbent Democrats running for congress can “probably coast to victory”, but “not all incumbent Democratic congressmen plan to put their campaigns on cruise control”. Rebovich's case in point is the 12th district's Congressman Rush Holt.

But due to redistricting and Holt's well-deserved reputation as an intelligent, principled lawmaker, his seat looks to be safe for the foreseeable future.

[E]xpect Holt to help some Democratic challengers for House seats in New Jersey and in neighboring states. Those challengers may find that they can advantage by adopting Holt's message, his governing style, and his multi-media campaign tactics that focus on maximizing contact and discussion with as many constituents as possible. Oh, being able to answer questions about complex policy issues won't hurt, either.

Democrats are promising to make healthcare a major issue in this year’s campaign so we thought we’d see what Congressman Holt had to say on the issue.

It is unacceptable that Medicare, the program so many seniors rely on, does not cover the cost of prescription medications available that would allow them to live longer, healthier lives.

Perhaps someone could tell Rush Holt a Medicare prescription drug plan was enacted into law in 2003, the year before the Congressman last ran for re-election. Maybe if Holt spent more time learning the facts and less time on campaign tactics his constituents would be better served.

Maybe if David Rebovich and like minded journalists spent more time covering the issues and less time on puff pieces and campaign tactics their readers would be better served. From here it looks like Rush Holt and the media are on “cruise control”.