Politics on the Hudson

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will host a live online chat today on Facebook at 4 p.m., she wrote in an email to supporters.

Her Facebook page is facebook.com/KirstenGillibrand

She writes, “Last week, I was proud to be one of four original signers of a letter to Majority Leader Reid urging him to pass a public option through reconciliation. So far, a total of 23 Democratic Senators have signed on and that number continues to grow. While the fight for a public option is still an uphill battle, the reason I have not given up on this fight is simple: I’ve been listening to you.”

The state GOP today criticized her for her support of a public option.

“Despite New Yorkers being widely opposed to the Democrats’ plans for health care reform and the ‘public option,’ Senator Gillibrand continues to align herself with the extreme left-wing of her party,” state GOP chairman Ed Cox said in a statement.

“By urging parliamentary-style trickery and backdoor measures, Senator Gillibrand attempts to ramrod through healthcare legislation that would bankrupt New York State and cripple the country’s health care system.”

“First, Senator Gillibrand became one of only seven Senators to vote for taxpayer funding of ACORN, and now she joins the gang-of-four supporting an esoteric rule-making device after failing to make their case to the voters. New Yorkers need a Senator who will legislate and govern in their interests, as opposed to the far left of the Democratic Party.”

Updated: And here’s the response from Gillibrand’s campaign to Cox’s statement.

“Ed Cox, Harold Ford, and the entrenched special interests all ignore the fact that New Yorkers support President Obama’s plans to reform health care. Senator Gillibrand believes that ignoring our health care crisis is simply not an option. If we don’t act now, costs will continue to rise, and more American families will be just one illness away from financial ruin.”

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