Backbencher of the Week

This week's Backbencher of the Week goes to Rep. Anthony Weiner(D-NY-) for his work in the health reform mark-up in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Weiner put forth in amendment to disband Medicare in an effort to call the bluff of Republican members of Congress.  During the debate over health care reform, GOP members have called the attempts of of increasing the government's role in heath care as "socialized medicine" and they have bashed government run health care.  Rep. Weiner decided to see just much the GOP hated government health care and offered an amendment during the committee mark-up to eliminate Medicare.  Every Republican on the committee voted against the amendment and went on the record in support of some forms of government health care. 

Then later Rep. Weiner announced a plan to introduce an amendment for a single payer system.  This led committee chair Rep. Henry Waxman(D-CA-30) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi(D-CA-8) to promise that a single player plan will get a vote on the floor.  Satisfied, Weiner withdrew his amendment. 

For calling out hypocrisy on government health care and for seeing that a single payer system has its day on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Anthony Weiner is this week's Backbencher of the Week.