Lynch Stands Firm

By PoliPundit ~ March 18th, 2010 @ 10:51 am

Stephen Lynch sounds like a firm No:

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) is a firm “no” on health care reform — in large measure because he opposes the idea of any kind of excise tax on Cadillac plans, even one that’s delayed for years and years.

That’s put Lynch a former ironworkers union official in Boston at odds with many union biggies, who are swallowing hard and accepting a proposed House-Senate compromise.

Lynch — who voted for the tax-less House bill last year — has become a serious target of his union buddies, enduring pickets at his district office, an AFL-CIO robocall blitz and at least one recent drop-in visit from a very influential old friend — Joseph J. Hunt, president of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers.

“I walk into my office and I’m like, wow, it’s Joe Hunt,” said Lynch, who served as president of Ironworkers Local 7 before he was elected. “He accepts the [Cadillac Tax] deal, I don’t. her couldn’t understand why I didn’t agree.”