3 Million and Counting

Written by: Mary R on Nov 6, 2009 12:47 PM EST

We've worked hard to pass a public option in the healthcare reform bill this year -- and we're winning. We have the majority votes needed in both houses of Congress to pass real reform.

The bad news is -- even though we're winning -- we could still lose.

All it would take is one senator in the 60-member Democratic Caucus to support a Republican filibuster and healthcare reform with a public option could be stopped dead in its tracks. We're not going to sit around and hope that it doesn't happen. It's up to us to be pro-active and stop a potential turncoat senator from killing President Obama's number one domestic priority.

Today, we join MoveOn members, in pledging support for a primary challenge of any Senator in the Democratic Caucus who supports a Republican filibuster of a public option. Here's how it works: You tell us how much you would give in support of a primary challenge. Then, MoveOn and DFA will make sure the media, Senate leadership, and conservative Democrats know just how many of us are willing to support a challenge against anyone who blocks reform.

You don't have to enter your credit card info. Just click on an amount below to pledge your support:

PLEDGE $25

PLEDGE $50

PLEDGE $100

PLEDGE $250

PLEDGE MORE THAN $250

Since Monday, MoveOn members have already pledged over $3 million in support of a primary challenge. With our help, we can reach $4 million by the end of the week.

There's no reason any senator should betray the caucus. Every member of the Senate Democratic Caucus should vote to pass a public option with majority votes. But if this nightmare scenario happens, we'll encourage viable primary challengers to come forward. And when they do, we'll make sure all of us who've pledged have a chance to support them.

In other words, potential primary challengers will know there's a huge group of Americans who are ready to help. And we'll deliver a warning shot to right-wing members of the Democratic Caucus they can't miss.

They'll know this is not something we will take lightly. Primary challenges happen once in a blue moon, generally when a candidate is terribly out of step with voters in their party. And if a Democratic senator helps block the most important progressive bill in a generation, voters in their state will be looking to support someone better.

Will you let us know how much you'd pledge right now, and ask all your friends who want health care reform to do the same?

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT NOW

Working together, we will pass real reform with a public option this year.

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Work day Watercooler

Written by: DFA Community and you

DFA's home for a free form, open-ended discussion of what matters most to committed progressive activists.

Is Sen. Nelson listening to Nebraska?

Written by: Mary R on Nov 6, 2009 12:31 PM EST

Over the last two weeks, we've delivered some hard hits to DC conventional wisdom. DC Insiders and media talking heads have repeatedly claimed right-wing Democrats like Senators Blanche Lincoln, Evan Bayh, and Ben Nelson should vote against a public option because voters back home don't want it.



The problem is it's not true. 



So, we joined with our friends at the PCCC and commissioned a few polls from a respected polling firm. Guess what? In all three states, more voters want a public option than don't. To top it off, if their Democratic Senator votes against a public option or supports a Republican filibuster, almost 50% of Democrats would be less likely to vote for their reelection. 



But polling alone isn't likely to be enough. We need to pull out all the stops in pressuring right-wing Democrats to do the right thing. So, we're calling on the 60 member Senate Democratic Caucus to strip all committee chairmanships from any Senator who supports a Republican filibuster of a public option.

ADD YOUR NAME AND SEND RIGHT-WING DEMOCRATS A MESSAGE

Already our polling is having an impact. Here's what POLITICO reporter Glenn Thrush wrote in his second story on the Indiana poll only hours after his first story releasing the results:

"Hours after POLITICO posted results of a poll showing a possible backlash by Indiana Dems, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) backed off of previous statement saying he was considering siding with the GOP on a public option filibuster."

Here's just a sampling of some of the more than 50 media hits we're generating both nationally and in each Senator's home state: 



Arkansas News: "Arkansas voters support public option, poll finds" 

Talking Points Memo: "Poll: Arkansas Voters Disagree With Lincoln's Public Option Skepticism"

CBS News: "Poll: Amid Bayh's Skepticism, Indiana Voters Back Public Option"

South Bend Tribune: "Bayh now supports health-care debate on Senate floor" 

Examiner: "Nebraska Senator Nelson clashes with constituents on public option" 



Our campaign is working. Let's back it up with action. Sign the open letter and we'll deliver all the signatures directly to each member of the Democratic Caucus. 



SIGN THE OPEN LETTER NOW 



Are these Senators going to listen to the voters in their states? It's up to us to make it clear: if they want to be reelected, they don't have a choice. 



We will not let up until we win.

Discuss

Accountability

Written by: Mary R on Oct 29, 2009 1:02 PM EDT

It's been a big week for healthcare reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced the merged Senate bill will include the choice of a public option when it comes to the floor of the Senate for a full vote.



Once on the floor of the Senate, we'll push for Senators to pass amendments that will make a public option stronger and more robust. We'll try to expand the choice to every American, not just those who don't have insurance or states that don't Opt-Out. And we have to block amendments intended to kill a public option like Sen. Olympia Snowe's Trigger Trap.



But make no mistake about it, the fact that the merged Senate bill has a public option is a huge victory for progressives. It's a huge victory for you. We just scored a fourth quarter touchdown in the Superbowl and now it's up to us to make sure Democrats deliver the win.



That doesn't mean winning will be easy. It only takes one Senator of the 60 Senator Democratic Caucus to support a Republican filibuster to block the bill. It would be unprecedented. It would be a nuclear bomb on the President's top priority. And, some Senators are already threatening to do it.



Tell the Senate Democratic Caucus it is time for accountability. If ANY member of the 60 Member Caucus joins a Republican filibuster of healthcare reform with a public option, the Caucus must immediately strip that Senator of all Committee Chairmanships.



SIGN THE OPEN LETTER RIGHT NOW.



There's been a lot to celebrate this week, but we aren't done. We haven't won yet.



We will not stop until the President has signed the bill.

Discuss

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC says timing is "unfortunate"

Written by: Mary R on Oct 28, 2009 4:08 PM EDT

The folks at BCBS NC got one thing right. From the AP:

Even Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina acknowledges that its timing on two recent mailings was unfortunate.

The News&Observer of Raleigh reported that customers first learned their rates will rise by an average of 11 percent next year.

Then they got a flier urging them to send an enclosed preprinted, postage-paid note to Sen. Kay Hagan denouncing what the company says is unfair competition that would be imposed by a government-backed insurance plan. Congress is likely to consider that public option as it debates the health care overhaul.

"No matter what you call it, if the federal government intervenes in the private health insurance market, it's a slippery slope to a single-payer system," the BCBS flier read. "Who wants that?"

Not surprisingly, Blue Cross customers are mad their premium dollars are funding a campaign against competition. Now some of them are calling Hagan's office to voice support for a public option.

"I hope it backfires," said Mark Barroso, a documentary film maker in Chatham County who is a Blue Cross customer and recipient of the mailings. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure it does."

Beth Silberman of Durham said she "went sort of bonkers" about the mailing. "You're hostage to them, and then they pull this," she said. "My new premiums are funding lobbying against competition. It's pretty disgusting."

Outrageous.

Discuss

America Can't Wait

Written by: Howard Dean on Sep 17, 2009 4:11 PM EDT

We're in the final stretch in our campaign for healthcare reform including a public option.

The good news is we're winning.

I know that sometimes it is hard to tell. After all August was a brutal month filled with right-wing fear mongering and misinformation. Whether led by Glenn Beck, FOX news or Rep. Joe Wilson, too many Americans were told to disrupt Town Halls rather than participate in them. And of course the media covered every moment of it.

But the real story of August is that these scare tactics didn't work. Support for President Obama's Healthcare Reform Plan which includes the choice of a public health insurance option has increased since the beginning of August.

This is a testament to the fact that you never gave up. All summer we worked together to make sure Congress got the message that inclusion of a public option in any healthcare reform bill passed this year is non-negotiable. And every time Republicans tried to kill it or the insurance industry claimed it's already dead, you stood up and proved them wrong.

Now what we keep hearing is that Congress doesn't have the votes to pass a public option.

Once again, thanks to your help, we have proven them wrong...

We've asked everyone in Congress where they stand. At least 218 House and 51 Senate Democrats have said they would vote for the final healthcare bill if it included the choice of a public option rather than vote against the bill and kill reform. That's means Congress has the majority votes needed to pass a public option -- TODAY. You can check out Chris Bower's post on OpenLeft.com from last night if you want more specifics on the Senate count.

Now is the season for action. The majority of Americans want it. Majority votes in Congress will pass it. Join President Obama in calling on Congress to get the job done this year.

ADD YOUR NAME NOW

As I said in my message to the members of Democracy for America earlier today, it's a myth that it takes 60 votes to pass any bill in the U.S. Senate.

It's a myth because while any Senator can attempt to block most Senate bills with a procedural tactic called the filibuster there are exceptions. Senate rules don't allow filibusters of certain bills that affect the budget. That's means the healthcare reform plan including the choice of a public option can be passed in a budget bill by a majority vote in the U.S. Senate.

Don't take my word for it. Numerous budget scholars and experts on Senate procedure have staked their reputations on it. Stan Collender, a contributing editor at the National Journal, contributing writer for Roll Call, and author of "The Guide to the Federal Budget" is an expert on the subject. Here's how he's explains it:

"Reconciliation, which was part of the Congressional Budget Act when it was adopted in 1974, wasn't used until the start of the Reagan administration. Although it hasn't been used every year since then, reconciliation has become such a regular part of the budget process that it's now generally considered a staple. It has been used by Republican- and Democratic-controlled Congresses alike for both spending and revenues.

 

The most important and obviously controversial part is that reconciliation bills can't be filibustered because the debate is limited by law."

"The House-passed version of the 2010 budget resolution allows health care reform to be included in a reconciliation bill and, therefore, adopted in the Senate with 51 votes..."

"First, contrary to what some have been saying, reconciliation has become such a standard part of the budget process that using it for health care would be neither surprising nor precedent-setting. When they were in the majority, Republicans insisted that reconciliation was allowed by Senate rules and used it in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Back then, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who has been one of the biggest opponents of using reconciliation this year, made what in retrospect is an almost infamous floor speech about the appropriateness and legality of using reconciliation.

Second, health care reform will have a substantial impact on federal finances and so can't be said to be unrelated to the budget, which is one of the critical criteria for using reconciliation. In fact, given that at least two of the largest mandatory federal spending programs — Medicare and Medicaid — are health care programs, health care reform and reconciliation would seem to be a perfect fit."

Over 25 times in history the Senate has passed major reforms this way, including the Bush tax cuts and funding for the Iraq War. Whether the Senate passes reform through a budget bill or in a different bill that has overcome a filibuster, the truth of the matter is it only takes a majority vote to get the job done.

JOIN ME IN CALLING ON CONGRESS TO PASS REAL REFORM WITH MAJORITY VOTES

We have only a short period of time to reach the critical mass we'll need to pressure Congress into passing healthcare reform including a public option this year. We can reach 250,000 signers by Oct. 15th if we work together to gather support.

But gathering signatures isn't the only action we should take to make it happen. We need to thank those in Congress who have confirmed their support. Please visit ‘The Yes Vote' page at AmericaCantWait.com and see if your member of Congress is there -- then contact them and thank them for committing to stand up for you.

You can also contribute through Actblue and support those who will stand up for a public option. I suggest starting with the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who have been on the front lines working to pass real reform. Blue America PAC has already raised over $400,000. Help them take that amount even higher here.

President Obama can sign a healthcare reform including a public option into law this year if we make sure Congress passes real reform.

When we work together, we're unstoppable. Thank you for everything you do.

-Howard

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
AmericaCantWait.com
A project of Democracy for America

Discuss

Remembering Ted Kennedy

Written by: DFA Staff on Aug 26, 2009 2:48 PM EDT

We will miss Senator Ted Kennedy as a nation, and I will miss him as a human being.  Over the next few months, as we debate his life's passion, which was Universal Health Care, we will feel his presence everywhere.  He will be in the Senate Chamber, in the committee rooms, in the White House, and in the minds of most of the reporters old enough to have witnessed the trajectory of this extraordinary generation of America's First Family from it's beginning.  Much has been written about Ted Kennedy already.  He was indeed extraordinary.  My mother, who was a solid Upper East Side Republican until 2004, once happened to sit next to him at a wedding of a mutual friend.  She had never met him before.  I'm sure the exchange was lively, and being a Dean, I doubt my mother gave him much quarter.  A week later, a beautiful, kind, and very personal handwritten letter arrived from Ted Kennedy.  My mother, like so many other Americans, was hooked by the Kennedy charm and grace.

Ted Kennedy was a man with a long career of determination as well as charm.  When President Obama signs a Health Care Reform bill late this year, Ted Kennedy's  may not be standing there next to him, but his presence will be deeply apparent in the Oval Office as the President's pen moves across the page.

Governor Howard Dean, MD

Taking Stock of Health Care Reform

Written by: Michael Pine on Aug 3, 2009 9:14 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Healthcare Advisors' Blog

As Congress prepares to recess and the media revel in stories about how the President's attempt to reform health care is on the ropes, it makes sense to take serious stock of where we are and where we may be going.

In advocating for meaningful health care reform, our first task is to identify our target audience. Haranguing people who are not persuadable is an exercise in futility that is best avoided. Although it is very frustrating to hear people say ridiculous things knowing for sure that they would instantly reject these unsupportable fairy tales if only you told them the truth, many of these people are not merely ignorant of the facts. Because their stated beliefs actually are masks concealing what's really in their heads and hearts, simply telling it like it is will do nothing to alter their political positions.

Short-term objectives are what most concern ordinary citizens who place immediate pain and pleasure ahead of future risks and benefits. Their past experience is filtered through a prism that aligns what they know with what they want. This means that most people's political positions are based not on facts but on perceptions grounded in personal needs and desires. Effective political persuasion is not the art of eloquently advocating our beliefs; it is the art of speaking directly to the condition of others. Don't expect others to trust authoritative statements that trivialize their understanding and denigrate their concerns as groundless.

People must move from where they sit before they are ready to come to where we stand.

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DEAR MR. PRESIDENT

Written by: Helen Halpin on Jul 27, 2009 10:18 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Healthcare Advisors' Blog

Dear Mr. President,

Having dedicated ourselves for the last two years to getting you elected and working to help you enact comprehensive health care reform, I am writing to you today to share what I believe your most ardent supporters would like to see in the health care legislation we all hope you will sign this year.

First and foremost, it is time to cut the Republicans loose. The only thing that will be gained from continuing to try to work with them and adopt their amendments and so called "compromises" is an increasingly watered-down bill. In fact, I would urge you not to sign a watered-down bill.

The Republican strategy seems to be two-fold:

-First, they will try to kill reform. Stall it as long as possible. Over the recess, without a bill we can all take pride in, the Republicans and health insurance industry will launch their media onslaught and scare the heck out of the American People. Their hope is that with more time, reform will go down to defeat.

-Second, they want to weaken the bill to such a degree that, even if it passes, it provides no real protections, doesn't reduce costs or save any money, and leaves millions with no insurance or lousy insurance, and serves only to strengthen the for-profit insurance market.

Both of these scenarios spell disaster for the American people, for your Presidency, and for the strength of the Democratic Party.

Americans wants real health care reform and they want it now!

What they mean by that, is a single payer plan is not feasible, but:

-A STRONG PUBLIC PLAN option into which every single American can enroll if they CHOOSE with comprehensive benefits that are the same for EVERYONE (none of this bronze, silver and gold level benefits). We were created equally and we should be treated equally;

-LIMITS ON OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS so that NO ONE in America ever goes bankrupt from medical care again (no one should have to spend more than 10% of their family's income on medical care);

-SERIOUS REGULATION of the health insurance industry (no more pre-existing condition exclusions or limitations, no pricing premiums based on health status or age, gender or any other individual characteristic, no canceling policies, guaranteed issue and renewal, requiring that they spend 90% of premium on medical care, and finally requiring that all individual/family private insurance be sold through the Exchange);

-REAL SUBSIDIES for those who cannot afford coverage up to at least 350% of FPL; and

-PAYMENT reform for physicians and hospitals that fairly compensates them for the care they deliver REGARDLESS of the patient they are treating.

Here is what we don't want:

-We DO NOT WANT any more coddling of Republicans. Cut them out. They don't play fair. They weaken the bills with their amendments and still don't vote for the bills.

-We DO NOT WANT the bill to make the for-profit insurance industry stronger and more powerful. We want for-profit insurers to have to COMPETE with the public plan option, which we know, through the experience of Medicare, will be more efficient and equitable.

We want the PURPOSE of the bill to ensure that ALL Americans have comprehensive coverage that is affordable, provides them with access to the effective care they need when they need it, controls costs, and promotes their health. Period.

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Re-cultivating our Grass Roots

Written by: Healthcare Advisor's Blog on Jul 20, 2009 10:34 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Healthcare Advisors' Blog

By Linda A

My favorite chuckle about the Obama campaign came a few days after the election. The Onion created a fake news report depicting thousands of campaign workers who had turned into the zombies. They walked aimlessly through graveyards chanting slogans from the campaign, destined to an eternity as the undead. The parody wasn't far from the truth. Many of us who had dedicated every waking hour to our candidate's success suddenly found ourselves looking for another mission that would infuse us with that same feeling: our work mattered, not just to ourselves but to our colleagues and friends, our country, and our world.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising when new groups sprang up around the country eager to do good, meaningful work. And of course the Obama administration looked to their supporters to join his volunteer army. Health care reform was at the top of the agenda. It was only natural to assume that we could jump back into campaign mode and succeed once again. But we quickly learned that those zombies weren't quite so eager to roll up their sleeves when asked to respond to the Administration’s requests: community organizers weren't showing up at the meetings, and phone banks that used to see thousands of calls an hour were trickling down to hundreds. Even though polling shows that a vast majority of Americans want health reform, the energy and enthusiasm for working on reform seemed to be dwindling. Why?

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The Discussion to have or not to have Healthcare for all is over: It is Time for Action

Written by: Carol D on Jul 13, 2009 11:17 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Healthcare Advisors' Blog

In addition to our weekly blog by Carol Duh, we start with the most comprehensive and conclusive cross-posted interviews aired last Friday by PBS. We thank Mr. Bill Moyers, Mr. Wendell Potter and PBS

SPECIAL ALERT

It was Sarkisyan and Beaton yesterday but it could be you tomorrow

Bill Moyers interview Wendell Potter: This is a must watch two part interviews

Part I

BILL MOYERS: They represent some 72% of all Americans who have told pollsters they want health care reform to include a public insurance option that competes with private plans. Many here are from the front lines.

SARKISYAN needed a liver transplant but was denied...

ROBIN BEATON was red flagged for preexisting condition, previous treatment for acne, which resulted in denying her treatment for breast cancer.

For the entire interview, here is the link:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch.html

Part II

WENDELL POTTER: …One of the books I read, as was President Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage." And in the forward, Robert Kennedy said that the president's favorite quotes was Dante's, "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, maintain a neutrality." And when I read that, I said, …I'm headed for that hottest place in hell, unless I say something."

The industry has always tried to make Americans think that government-run systems are the worst thing that could possibly happen to them, that if you even consider that, you're heading down on the slippery slope towards socialism. So they have used scare tactics for years and years and years, to keep that from happening. If there were a broader program like our Medicare program, it could potentially reduce the profits of these big companies. So that is their biggest concern.

BILL MOYERS: I have a memo written by Frank Luntz. He's the Republican strategist who we discovered, in the spring, has written the script for opponents of health care reform. "First," he says, "You have to pretend to support it. Then use phrases like, "government takeover," "delayed care is "denied care," "consequences of rationing," "bureaucrats, not doctors prescribing medicine." That was a memo, by Frank Luntz, to the opponents of health care reform in this debate.

This is what five Republicans said:

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