By Nathan Duke
U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) said he did not believe his vote on Congress’ health care overhaul bill would play a large role in his re-election campaign this fall and that job creation would likely be the key issue in Washington, D.C., in upcoming months.
Ackerman told TimesLedger Newspapers’ editorial staff during an interview last Thursday that two small protests against his health care stance held this year outside his Northern Boulevard office were not likely indicators of a challenge to retain his seat this November.
City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) has indicated that borough Republicans are trying to enlist him to run against Ackerman. But so far he has said he is not planning a bid for the seat.
“They’d be wasting their resources trying to get a seat they can’t get,” Ackerman said of the Queens County Republican Party.
Ackerman’s seat covers a number of neighborhoods, including Bayside, Flushing, Whitestone, Corona, Douglaston, Jamaica Estates, Little Neck and several Long Island communities.
The congressman, first elected in 1983, also said his vote to reform health care would not heavily weigh on voters’ minds during the fall election.
“Everyone who has called my office wanting to meet with me has met with me,” he said. “Some people were calling for town hall meetings just so they could disrupt, but not to gain information. It’s a political thing.”
He said his office has found that one-third of voters who opposed health care reform did so because they believed the bill that was passed did not go far enough.
“I’m certain the majority of people want this and understand what we did,” he said. “People register their opinion when they are upset about something. But I’ve also had people thank me, which is astonishing. That never happens.”
The congressman said he believed the fracas between Democrats and Republicans in Congress has been detrimental to the nation’s progress.
“There always used to be a sense of camaraderie,” he said. “We all knew we were fighting for the better of the country. The Republicans have stopped cooperating. The objective is no longer to pass something to make things better, but to stop the train and throw sand in the wheels of progress.”
Ackerman said he believed the bill passed by Congress was flawed, but that he preferred voting for it rather than failing to overhaul health care.
“I’ll vote for something that makes the system better even if it does not include everything,” he said.
He also said he thought Congress would get the chance to continue to refine health care reform.
The congressman predicted that creating more jobs would be the next item on Congress’ agenda. He said he believes Democrats and Republicans would once again butt heads on that issue, but not as much so as during the health care debate.
“It should be about tackling the issues, not sabotaging progress,” he said. “I’ve learned you can’t let the ideal become the enemy of the good.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
