House Bill passes--what next?

The House bill for Health Care reform passed on Saturday 220-215, so the bill had two more votes than it needed to pass. Congressman Carney voted yes on the Stupak amendment (which went further than the long-standing Hyde amendment in prohibiting federal coverage of abortion services) and voted YES on the final bill. As far as I know, he had never announced a position on the bill until he cast his vote. Several of the Blue Dog Democrats voted no on the final bill, but just enough Democrats stayed on board to pass the bill. One of the ironies was that the Republican yes votes on the Stupak amendment probably locked up the final votes need to pass the overall bill.

Congressman Carney has always said that he will vote the district, and I think his delay in taking a position reflects how hard it is to read the 10th district on this issue. I'm not thrilled about the individual mandate in the bill--I recall candidate Obama explaining why he didn't support that approach. Make it affordable and people will want to buy it. Don't force them to do it. Perhaps that part of the bill will change in the reconciliation process with the Senate--assuming the Senate actually passes a bill. It's time to get something done so we can all get to work figuring out how to create a better system. The Democrats should forge ahead in the Senate--force the opponents to filibuster if necessary. That's not a record of accomplishment the Republicans will be able to run on in 2010. The argument would be this: we stopped them from doing the things you elected them to do in 2008.

Action Alert: Help House Progressives Get 218 on Robust Public Option

(This is pretty much a direct quote of a post at DailyKos today, but as it applies to Carney, I wanted to get the word out. -JG)

Today (Friday, 10/23), the House Democratic Caucus will meet and determine what version of the public option goes into the House bill. Pelosi announced earlier today that there's probably the 218 for a good public option, but report are that they are only 12-15 votes away from the strongest version of the bill, the Medicare Plus 5 version that ties public option rates to Medicare reimbursement rates.

Having the strongest possible House bill going in to conference with the Senate is critical, and it's within reach. Chris Carney is one of the "leaning" Dems who are considering supporting the Medicare Plus 5 version according to Hill activists. Please call his office before 2:00 today and say that you support the "Medicare Plus 5" version of the public option.

Christopher Carney (PA-10): 202-225-3731, 570-585-9988, 570-327-1902

(I just called his D.C. office myself, and the woman who answered the phone knew exactly what I was talking about and thanked me for the call. It took about 1 minute, total, so please take a minute to call.)

Fake Grass Roots and Energy Policy

Click on the title to read more revelations about the fake grass roots letters sent to Congressman Carney. I was most struck by this passage:

Bonner billed Hawthorn for $43,500 but has not been paid; the coal group told Hawthorn not to pay the bill, according to a letter from Hawthorn. A document from the coal group indicates it paid Hawthorn about $7 million last year for grass-roots lobbying services and about $3 million through the first six months of this year.

Hawthorn is described as the "primary grass-roots lobbying contractor" for this coal industry group. Perhaps these industry people need a bit of help understanding what grass roots means. If you have to pay $7 million per year for it, I'm pretty sure it's not grass roots.

Good video explaining Public Option

This is a nice short video from master explainer, Robert Reich (Clinton Labor Secretary and Economist).

Issues and Eggs TOMORROW

Issues & Eggs (SATURDAY)
Saturday, Oct 3, 9-11am
White Deer Twp Fire Company
366 Cemetery St, New Columbia

In place of our regular meetup this month, CSCC will be sponsoring a special event TOMORROW--a breakfast forum titled "Issues & Eggs: A Frank Conversation About Healthcare in America" at the White Deer Township Fire Company in New Columbia. For $5, get an all-you-can-eat breakfast hosted by the fire company, and talk to neighbors of all different political views about why you (and they) support or oppose various aspects of the healthcare reform proposals. We have advertised this event widely, not just among CSCC and Democrats, but to outside organizations as well.

The format of this event will begin with casual discussion over breakfast, then some brief remarks by CSCC (e.g., Steve & Jove) leading into an open, moderated, interactive discussion where participants will be invited to share their perspectives and ask back-and-forth questions of each other. This is not meant to be an overly "formal" program--everyone is welcome, even if you can only stay for part of the time.

Directions: The White Deer Fire Company is located at 366 Cemetery Street in New Columbia. Traveling north on Rt. 15, take the New Columbia Exit, turn left at the end of the ramp, then make an immediate right. Turn left on Cemetery St, and the fire hall is ahead on the left. All proceeds ($$) directly benefit the White Deer Fire Company. But we have financially guaranteed them a minimum number of attendees, so you will be indirectly supporting CSCC by attending. So please come, bring a friend, and spread the word!

For more information, you can download our full press release here.

Support for Public option in "swing" blue dog districts

So, our Rep, Chris Carney is a member of blue dog coalition (I just checked).

I know that others have done the critical work of organizing and delivering the signatures to Rep Carney (thanks y'all).

Despite the baying on the megaphones, the radial right is not relevant to the debate on health care reform. Sam Tannenhaus discussed this idea with Bill Moyers last week. He said:

Either the Republicans or Democrats have ruled since the Civil War for periods of some 30-36 years. And in those periods, all the great debates have occurred within a single party. So, if you go back to the 1980s, which some would say was the peak of the modern conservative period, the fight's about how to end the Cold War, how to unleash market forces-- were really Republican issues.

Today, when we look at the great questions -- how to stimulate the economy, how to provide and expand and improve a sustainable health care system, the fight is taking place among Democrats.

The chance of a public option, which I think is more about whether a politician can imagine a more radical restructuring of our society versus a kind of apologist, window-dressing, don't-shake-the-table approach, will be fought out WITHIN the democratic party.

So, the health insurance industry is against a public option. Who is for it? The public in 91 swing districts.

The poll, by respected Dem pollster John Anzalone, finds that 54% of these swing district voters support the public option, and makes the case that these voters emphatically don’t want a “trigger,” the compromise of choice in some quarters:

Geeky stats note- that is 54% with a 2.5% margin of error at 95% confidence interval. In plain English- it is 95% likely that the real support is between 51.5 and 56.5%.

The polling memo does not indicate if they can break it out by distircit, but given they covered 91, I doubt it. So, we don't know or sure if our swing district is like the rest of these.

Some polling of specific swing districts found support for the public option (from a plurality to clear majorities) AND LESS for Obama by name. The message: campaign on the details in these types of districts.

Meanwhile, the DCCC raises money for vulnerable "frontline" dems, like the Blue Dogs who almost always get an allergic reaction to progressive ideas, with appeals to health care reform from Bill Clinton:

It’s up to us to prevent the Republican Party and their special interest backers from doing whatever they can to prevent this historic opportunity to make quality health care affordable and accessible to all.

On the bright side, the progressive hosue caucus is holding firm.

For the first time since they formed in 1995, the Blue Dogs have been out-organized by their liberal counterparts. The Congressional Progressive Caucus completed its first survey and began whipping back in the spring. They launched a final whip count last week that will be finished by Wednesday evening.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/23/dog-fight-dueling-whip-co_n_297207.html

Maybe they can do so until the Blue Dogs realize that at the end of the day, they want to be on the right side of history here.

Rally Sunday at 1pm by BZ Motors

If you have seen the editorial in today's (Thursday) Daily Item, then you know that what we are doing is making a difference. Please come out on Sunday to spend some time with friends, and support real health care reform. We will be there from 1-3pm by BZ Motors with signs.

We are also going to start the next "phase" of our efforts by setting up "phone booths". Instead of collecting signatures on a declaration, we will have people make calls to their congress people on the spot. Should be fun! Imagine watching someone call their representative for the first time in their lives. Really participating in the democratic process. Our booths at the farmer's market and the post office will start to switch gears in the next week or so.

Come out Sun at 1pm and be a part of this with us.
Thanks-
Chip