Today's Massa press conference made the short trip from S-CHIP to rubberstamping and back again.
Massa began by saying that the Republicans are trying to frame the S-CHIP conversation as one about national health insurance, "when in reality it's an argument over the tobacco companies versus toddlers. It's about whether or not kids, no matter how much money their parents make, should be allowed to see a doctor." Massa characterized Kuhl as "two-faced", pointing to the Time magazine article where he said that he's not voting against it, he's actually voting for it.
Noting that Kuhl has been denying that he's a "rubberstamp", Massa said that reminded him of "a child with a baseball bat [...] who says he didn't break the window". Massa pointed to Kuhl's Star-Gazette op-ed, which included a list of votes that Kuhl claimed were against the President. "The vast majority of those votes were supported by the President -- [for example] Raising minimum wage was supported by the President. On every vote that matters, Randy Kuhl is super-glued to George Bush."
Massa said that today's veto of S-CHIP gives Kuhl a choice: "flip-flop or be super-glued to the President. A man who said he'd bring home the bacon is voting against kids in the district."
Massa also pointed out the inconsistency between Kuhl's complaints that Congress isn't getting things done, and his taking credit for things that do get done. "This kind of disingenuousness [...] serves no one."
I asked Massa a couple of questions. First, I asked him what he thought about Kuhl's view that the cigarette tax that partially finances S-CHIP is unfair to the poor. He said that, in his experience, "even people who are hardened smokers say that if the cost of cigarettes are part of getting children to the doctor, they're worth it."
I also asked Massa about his take on New York issuing illegal immigrants drivers' licenses. He noted that Kuhl is only raising this issue because he doesn't want to talk about his voting record, and that Kuhl often responds on other matters by saying that something is a state issue. That said, Massa disagrees with Governor Spitzer. He thinks it is wrong for the government to "recognize status with legal documents". However, "we need true immigration reform. I believe I stand with the Governor on that."
Julie Sherwood from the Messenger-Post, the other person on the call, asked Massa to quantify the number of children in the 29th helped by S-CHIP. Massa said that he didn't have those numbers, but his press secretary is going to find them.
As part of the call, Massa mentioned his appearance in Time and Esquire, which he said surprised him. It also surprised his Mother, who called to ask him why he was in a risqué magazine like Esquire.