Monday, February 16, 2009

Better than NCAA's March Madness: Berkowitz w/5th CD candidate Fritchey on "showing up," healthcare, Obama and more; Cable and Streaming

Jeff Berkowitz: So, Charlie Wheelan speaks out. You [Fritchey] speak out. [And so does Tom Geoghegan, who taped our show on Sunday, Feb. 15 and does support a single payer, extended Medicare healthcare approach-- watch Tom Geoghegan here]. Just to put it in context, folks, just six years ago, we had a guy by the name of Barack Obama sitting in this chair. He was a state senator. He didn’t say he was too busy [to speak to the viewers of Public Affairs; Obama did not diss our viewers like Feigenholtz and Quigley]. Obama came here, starting before he was running for the U. S. Senate, five times in all. [Watch] President Barack Obama sitting in the chair Fritchey sat in. I said to him, how do you differentiate yourself …from your six U. S. Senate Democratic Primary opponents? [Obama] said…he knows the issues, he has a vision and he speaks out. Words to live by? Fritchey, you know the issues, you've got a vision, you speak out?

5th CD candidate and State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago): I couldn’t have said it better myself.
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Tonight's Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," features State Rep. John Fritchey, 5th Cong. District Democratic Primary candidate. See here for more about tonight's show's topics, Rep. Fritchey and the 5th CD race.

The show with Rep. Fritchey airs throughout the City of Chicago tonight at 8:30pm on Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV) and on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery. The show also will air in Rockford and surrounding areas this Thursday night at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17.
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You can watch the show with 5th Cong. District Democratic Primary candidate Rep. John Fritchey on your computer. The show was taped on February 1, 2009
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Jeff Berkowitz: …The difference between John [Fritchey] and Sara [Feigenholtz]?

State Rep. and 5th CD candidate John Fritchey (D-Chicago): That I have been willing to explain my vote and get out and work on this issue. There is a difference between access to health coverage and access to healthcare. So, we passed Kidcare in Illinois. Yet, I meet with families downstate that say this was great- our child is covered now—but we can’t find a doctor within sixty miles that will see our child because—

Jeff Berkowitz: Because the doctors are not getting paid.

5th CD candidate and Rep. John Fritchey (D): Because they are not getting paid. So, access to health coverage by itself sounds good but the only thing worse than offering people no hope is offering them false hope.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, what would you have done to make it so that there would have been doctors who would be participating in this.

5th CD candidate and Rep. John Fritchey (D): Make sure that the infrastructure is in place [and] that these providers are going to get paid and are going to be willing to take these patients. So, again, there is a Conyers type single payer, universal coverage plan. There is the Obama step that gets you toward that direction, saying how can we responsibly cover as many people as we can, today. Not a plan five years from now, but today.

Jeff Berkowitz: So movement toward single payer, but not single payer. Is that what you are saying?

5th CD candidate and Rep. John Fritchey (D): Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: And, you support that?

John Fritchey (D): I do, because—

Jeff Berkowitz: Does Sara Feigenholtz support that?

John Fritchey(D): Your guess is as good as mine.

Jeff Berkowitz: We don’t know. She is not here…[Team Feigenholtz told Public Affairs in early January that Feigenholtz did not have time to appear before our viewers]. Does Mike Quigley support that?

John Fritchey: I don’t know.

Jeff Berkowitz: We don’t know. We’ve got John Fritchey here; We don’t have [Feigenholtz and Quigley (Quigley cancelled Public Affairs twice in the last month, then declined to re-schedule; he did appear last November before he announced whether he was running in 5th CD and answered some questions on national issues for about one-third of the show [Watch Quigley here]). Charlie Wheelan? Does he support that? He has been on our show…... [Actually, not a single payer, but arguably better? Watch Wheelan and decide here].

John Fritchey: I think that’s true and Charlie has some good ideas; Charlie has been at forums with me—you’ve been at forums where we’ve been at.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, Charlie Wheelan speaks out. You [Fritchey] speak out. [And so does Tom Geoghegan, who taped our show on Sunday, Feb. 15 and does support a single payer, extended Medicare healthcare approach-- watch Tom Geoghegan here]. Just to put it in context, folks, just six years ago, we had a guy by the name of Barack Obama sitting in this chair. He was a state senator. He didn’t say he was too busy [to speak to the viewers of Public Affairs; Obama did not diss our viewers like Feigenholtz and Quigley]. Obama came here, starting before he was running for the U. S. Senate, five times in all. President Barack Obama sitting in [the chair you are sitting in]. I said to him, how do you differentiate yourself …from your six U. S. Senate Democratic Primary opponents? [Obama] said…he knows the issues, he has a vision and he speaks out. Words to live by? Fritchey, you know the issues, you got a vision, you speak out?

John Fritchey: I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, John Fritchey is in the company here of Barack Obama?

John Fritchey: I would like to think so… and let me tell you the fact that we are talking about a President Obama is one of the reasons I am in this race to start with. I started state politics with Barack Obama in 1996. We came to the General Assembly together…
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This week's Chicago Metro suburban edition of "Public Affairs," features Tom Geoghegan, a plaintiff's labor lawyer and top tier candidate in the 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary. [Go here for this week's suburban airing schedule for the Geoghegan show and to read more about Geoghegan].
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
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Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include shows with 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary candidate Tom Geoghegan, 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary Candidate and State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago), 5th Cong. Dist. Democratic Primary Candidate Charles Wheelan, State Senator Kwame Raoul on impeachment(D-Chicago), Democratic political campaign consultant Pete Giangreco on Blago's impeachment and the way in which the Obama Administration will operate, a recent Bill O'Reilly segment w/Berkowitz on Obama, shows with State Rep. Julie Hamos, (D-Evanston) newly minted State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights), essentially the first Dem to represent his district since the Civil War, on the connection between the mess in Springfield and in Cook County government, Chicago Alderman Manuel (Manny) Flores (D-1st Ward, Wicker Park) on impeachment of Rod, Chicago issues and a possible run to replace 5th CD Cong. Emanuel and much more.
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