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CHRIS JOHNSON
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
DENVER
–
The
only
out
lesbian
in
the
U.S.
House
decried
the
high
costs
of
health
care
and
its
detrimental
effects
on
families
during
her
speech
Tuesday
at
the
Democratic
National
Convention.
Rep.
Tammy
Baldwin
(D-Wisc.)
said
medical
bills
for
uninsured
Americans
often
“means
crushing
debt.”
She
said
half
of
all
personal
bankruptcies
in
the
United
States
“are
caused
by
catastrophic
medical
bills.”
The
lawmaker
said
Democratic
presidential
candidate
Barack
Obama
“recognizes
that
good
health
care
is
as
necessary
to
a
productive
society
as
a
good
education.”
“For
eight
long
years,
we’ve
had
a
president
more
concerned
about
the
health
of
insurance
companies
than
the
health
of
the
American
people,”
she
said.
Baldwin
did
not
mention
her
sexual
orientation
or
gay
issues
during
her
speech.
In
2004,
Baldwin
also
spoke
about
the
rising
costs
of
health
care
at
the
Democratic
convention.
In
her
2008
speech,
Baldwin
said
the
number
of
uninsured
Americans
rose
from
45.8
million
people
to
47
million
people
since
she
spoke
on
the
issue
four
years
ago.
Jason
Rae,
a
gay
superdelegate
from
Wisconsin
and
the
youngest
superdelegate
at
the
convention,
said
Baldwin
was
“absolutely
fantastic”
during
her
speech.
“She
really
hit
a
key
issue
that's
affecting
young
people
in
particular,
and
all
Americans,”
he
said.
Jack
Jacobson,
a
gay
D.C.
resident
who
attended
the
convention,
said
Baldwin's
speech
“was
very
inspiring.”
“It
shows
how
much
work
needs
to
be
done
and
how
we
need
a
leader
like
Barack
Obama
to
really
take
the
reins
and
make
sure
that
all
of
us
throughout
the
nation
have
beyond
adequate
health
care,”
he
said.
Baldwin
is
one
of
two
openly
gay
officials
to
deliver
speeches
to
the
full
convention.
The
other
was
DNC
Treasurer
Andy
Tobias,
who
spoke
Monday.
Restoring
the
United
States
to
fiscal
health
after
eight
years
of
“Republican
mismanagement”
was
the
major
theme
of
his
speech.
Tobias
said
the
economic
practices
of
the
Bush
administration
have
been
detrimental
to
the
nation.
He
also
said
he
wanted
to
elect
Obama
to
have
a
president
who
would
look
more
favorably
on
gay
issues.
“As
a
gay
man,
I
yearn
for
a
president
who
believes
in
equal
rights
for
all
Americans,”
Tobias
said.
Tobias
assailed
how
the
Republican
administration
of
President
Bush
in
the
last
eight
years
has
“cut
the
value
of
the
U.S.
dollar
almost
in
half
and
added
$4
trillion
to
our
children’s
debt.”
Tobias
said
Obama
would
restore
the
financial
health
of
the
nation
by
turning
to
the
advisers
of
the
former
President
Clinton,
who
was
able
to
“shake
off
the
economic
malaise
of
the
first
George
Bush.”
“Eight
years
ago,
virtually
everyone
in
America
was
doing
better,
from
richest
to
poorest,”
Tobias
said.
“Now
look.
Inflation
is
up.
Foreclosures
are
up.
Gas
is
up.
Job
losses
are
up.
And
our
national
debt
—
just
30
percent
of
GDP
when
the
Reagan-Bush
voodoo
economics
began,
will
be
up
to
70
percent
—
$10
trillion
—
by
the
time
George
W.
Bush
finally
leaves
office.”
Electing
Obama
as
president
would
also
restore
the
standing
in
the
world
for
the
United
States,
Tobias
said.
“Having
much
of
the
world
on
our
side
again
would
not
only
be
good
for
our
national
security,
it
would
be
good
for
business,”
he
said.
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