Bob McCarty Writes

Michael Lighty, the former national director of the Democratic Socialists of America who now serves as public policy director of the ultra-liberal California Nurses Association, spent 10 minutes Saturday afternoon addressing a group of roughly 100 single-payer health care advocates in St. Louis for the 2009 Healthcare-Now.org National Strategy Conference.

In addition to talking strategy, tactics and that time-tested liberal approach known as civil disobedience with like-minded thinkers from across the nation, he explained why he believes single-payer advocates lost having their say in health care bill that recently passed the House.

“They excluded us.  They fought us every step of the way.  They didn’t want this health care bill to be tainted by the ‘government-run’ moniker,” Lighty explained.  “We were essentially in an undeclared war with the White House for the last year.

“What happened to them is that they lost the debate on government-run health care,” he continued.  “They lost that debate, because they weren’t ready to wage it and, instead, the right-wing became the defenders of Medicare.  Just think about that.”

In addition, Lighty announced the formation of a new national nurses union of 155,000 RNs “committed to single-payer” health care.

To see what else Lighty said in his speech, watch the video below which I shot as the only journalist at the conference.

To see and hear what other conference speakers had to say, click here.

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