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Health Care: Then again, maybe a vote tonight

post from DemConWatch on 07 November 2009 02:05:51 PM. © DemConWatch

Things are moving quickly (for a change) in Congress today, and the House may actually vote on the health care bill tonight:

After receiving a pep talk from President Obama, House Democrats cleared a key procedural hurdle Saturday in the debate over expanding the nation's health care system, setting the stage for a daylong debate and an evening vote that could push the legislation across a historic threshold.

The House voted 242 to 192 to approve the rules of the health care debate, a vote that officially permits the chamber to proceed to the substantive merits of the legislation. If all goes smoothly on the House floor, Democrats may be hours away from delivering on Obama's chief domestic policy goal, by approving a 1,990-page bill that would require individuals to buy health coverage and would create an individual insurance market to provide affordable policies for people who do not receive health benefits through their employers.

What, unfortunately, helped break the logjam?

Abortion flared up as a last-minute obstacle to passage, as anti-abortion members pressed for – and won – a vote on an amendment barring insurance companies that participate in the exchange from covering abortions.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.Demconwatchblog.com/diary/2741/health-care-then-again-maybe-a-vote-ton
ight

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I Wonder What Bart Stupaks Donors Think About
Financing Anti-Abortion Activists

post from Firedoglake on 07 November 2009 02:04:47 PM. © Firedoglake

If Planned Parenthood and NARAL are just going to lie down and let access to reproductive health legislation to be written by Catholic bishops, I guess they think that’s in the best interest of the women who donate to their respective[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/11/07/i-wonder-what-bart-stupaks-donors-thi
nk-about-financing-anti-abortion-activists/

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Mean Jean Schmidt Rails Against Health Care
Reform

post from Crooks and Liars on 07 November 2009 02:00:31 PM. © Crooks and Liars

DOWNLOADS: (68)
PLAYS: (335)
(h/t Heather at VideoCafe)

What color is the sky in Mean Jean Schmidt's world? Because we are clearly through the looking glass when the Wicked Witch of Ohio claims that most Americans are against this bill (LIES), that the CBO says healthcare costs will not be reduced (LIES, although in fairness, they trashed the Republican version), and reduced Medicare benefits (LIES).

Maybe if the Republicans have nothing but lies and scare tactics to offer up as their objection to health care reform, that should tell their tea-baggin' supporters something.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/mean-jean-schmidt-rails-against-healt

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Watch Live

post from Talking Points Memo on 07 November 2009 01:49:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Video: House debates health reform bill.[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/GPgINWIuQAE/watch_live.php

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Fess Up, You’re Part of the Problem

post from LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts on 07 November 2009 01:44:00 PM. © LeftWord: The Best Liberal Blog Posts

Post Author: Omnipotent Poobah
America is a democracy – perhaps a little less democratic these days – but a democracy nonetheless. Many people complain about the government without seeing the irony that, in democracies, the government is us.

Read The Full Article:
http://leftword.blogdig.net/archives/articles/November2009/07/Fess_Up__Youare_Par
t_of_the_Problem.html

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Fess Up, You’re Part of the Problem

post from The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks! on 07 November 2009 01:39:00 PM. © The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks!

America is a democracy ? perhaps a little less democratic these days ? but a democracy nonetheless. Many people complain about the government without seeing the irony that, in democracies, the government is us.

One of the few things most people can agree on is that it?s broken. However, it?s nobody?s fault but our own. To crib a paraphrased quote from St. Ronnie of Reagan, ?Government isn?t the problem, WE are the problem.?

Relative to the rest of the world?s democracies, the US has an abysmal voting record. In a normal election, far less than half the eligible people vote. Normally, I?m a strong advocate of the First Amendment, but on a personal level I?d like to tell these people:

STFU! You jugheads forfeited your right to complain when you refused to do anything to fix the problems in YOUR government. YOU are part of the reason it is what it is.

Most people are on a continuous carp about broken government, special interest groups, and the general difficulty in effecting government change ? but they need a reality check. The next time a bank serves its interest before your own, look in the mirror. The next time you?re at a tea party and drink Cigna-brand Kool-Aid, yours is the mug in the mirror. The next time a son, or daughter, cousin, or neighbor is killed in a war ? possibly even by taking a shower in a room wired by a half-assed war profiteer who is probably still building new showers of the same quality - you?re the one preening with a self-satisfied mug.

At its best, sustaining democracy is ugly, dirty, hard work. In the modern era, we?ve made it all the more difficult by conducting it using the principles of capitalism ? the person with the most money wins the argument.

This may come as a shock to many, but capitalism isn?t a form of government, it?s a form of economic theory. Democracies can only survive when voters are smarter than the people with the money, critically examine the issues, and determine where their best interests are. And, you don?t get smart by not thinking.

Voting via ideology is the poorest way to make electoral decisions. All issues have multiple sides and if you completely trust a single source for all your information ? whether it be Fox News, MSNBC, or special interest shill ? you?re going to vote against your best interests almost every time. Each time you do this, you hand more power to people and organizations that will serve their interests over your own. Each commercial you uncritically watch nodding your head at a 30-second sound bite that claims it will correct a century-old problem, you?ve taken the bait hook, line, and stinker (pun intended).

Fixing a broken democracy is an astonishingly easy thing to do ? in theory anyway. You question everything you?re told and determine where your best interests lay, not where a lobbyist tells you they are. Every time you cast an uniformed vote against your interests, you?re not only letting yourself down, but also letting your country down. Each time you?re casting wasted votes, you?re handing more power to the money masters. Keep it up, and one day you?ll wake up to find yourself not living in a democracy, but in a wholly owned subsidiary of Citigroup or a compulsory member of the local PETA chapter.

But remember this ? an informed, educated electorate trumps money every time. Money doesn?t vote. People do.

Why the Supreme Court should abolish political speech limits on corporations and unions. (slate.com)

democracy politics government voting

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http://omnipotentpoobah.com/2009/11/07/fess-up-youre-part-of-the-problem/

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Stop the Stupak Anti-Choice Amendment to Health
Care Reform!

post from The Zaftig Redhead on 07 November 2009 01:35:00 PM. © The Zaftig Redhead

House Democrats bowed to pressure from anti-abortion rights Democrats and the Council of Catholic Bishops early this morning and agreed to let the Stupak amendment be offered to their healthcare bill. This anti-choice amendment will ban the public plan from covering abortions and prohibit insurance companies who participate in the new exchanges from offering abortion coverage.

Here is the target list for the Stupak Amendment, which would actually leave women worse off under health care reform -- when it comes to abortion care -- than we are now!! Call 202-2234-3121, and ask for the office of your representative and tell them VOTE NO on Stupak!

Target List
Arcuri (D, NY-24)
Bean (D, IL-08)
Bishop, S. (D, GA-02)
Boswell (D, IA-03)
Butterfield (D, NC-01)
Cardoza (D, CA-18)
Chandler (D, KY-06)
Cooper (D, TN-05)
Costa (D, CA-20)
Doyle (D, PA-14)
Edwards, C. (D, TX-17)
Etheridge (D, NC-02)
Gordon (D, TN-06)
Kratovil (D, MD-01)
Langevin (D, RI-02)
McMahon (D, NY-13)
Michaud (D, ME-02)
Minnick (D, ID-01)
Neal (D, MA-02)
Nye (D, VA-02)
Obey (D, WI-07)
Owens (D, NY-23)
Ruppersberger (D, MD-02)
Ryan, T. (D, OH-17)
Salazar (D, CO-03)
Space (D, OH-18)

Unknown

Biggert (R, IL-13)
Carney (D, PA-10)
Castle (R, DE-AL)
Cuellar (D, TX-28)
Davis, A. (D, AL-07)
Dent (R, PA-15)
Ellsworth (D, IN-08)
Frelinghuysen (R, NJ-11)
Kirk (R, IL-10)
Lynch (D, MA-09)
Pomeroy (D, ND-AL)
Snyder (D, AR-02)
Tanner (D, TN-08)
Visclosky (D, IN-01)

Leaning anti-choice

Altmire (D, PA-04)
Barrow (D, GA-12)
Berry (D, AR-01)
Boccieri (D, OH-16)
Bright (D, AL-02)
Capito (R, WV-02)
Donnelly (D, IN-02)
Hill (D, IN-09)
Jenkins (R, KS-02)
Kildee (D, MI-05)
Lance (R, NJ-07)
Lee, C. (R, NY-26)
Matheson (D, UT-02)
Mollohan (D, WV-01)
Ortiz (D, TX-27)
Paulsen (R, MN-03)
Perriello (D, VA-05)
Rahall (D, WV-03)
Ross (D, AR-04)
Spratt (D, SC-05)
Wilson, C. (D, OH-06)

I hope EMILYs List recruits a primary opponent for Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI). Also, you can give Rep. Stupak a great wake up call by calling Stupak for Congress at 906-863-2800 and telling them you're digusted and plan to give generously to a prochoice opponent!

Copyright 2009 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

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hoice-amendment-to.html

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One-term Tommy Thompson in 2010 Has Appeal

A constant in America over the last four years?epitomized in Wisconsin?is the startlingly anxious mood of the electorate.

Get everyone at the table and fix this is the prevailing popular sentiment. The great mass of apolitical voters don't want partisan blame now, just someone to clean it up.
Forget the Tea Partiers-GOP's implausible messages calling President Obama a dithering decider on one hand and a Chicago-based outlaw taking over the economy on the other. These guys are not serious.
Look at Wisconsin to lead. Whatever the result of the Gov. Doyle-Lt. Gov. Lawton-Mayor Barrett-local-national-Democratic-forces' machinations to take on the presumed GOP nominee, a gubernatorial candidate who says, 'I will serve one term to clean up and then I'm out,' has one a lot of appeal.
Brings to mind the relatively young, 68-year-old Tommy Thompson whom Scott Walker says is "pretty confident" will support Walker's candidacy. I'm pretty sure that's heavily qualified speculation.
Thompson would get killed in a race against Sen. Russ Feingold. That leaves governor.
Talk around political campfires this weekend is that Thompson is being asked often and is seriously considering a 2010 run for governor, no matter what any declared candidate says. Clean it up. Tom Barrett gets that, though he seems a tad busy. Obama gets that. And so does Tommy Thompson.

Read The Full Article:
http://malcontends.blogspot.com/2009/11/one-term-tommy-thompson-in-2010-has.html

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HCR House Debate: Keep On Whippin'!

The abortion amendment is a critical effort, but we're also still lining up support for the general bill. As a reminder, here are the list of no votes from the latest whip update last night:

Adler, Baird, Boren, Bright, Childers, A. Davis, L. Davis, Gordon, P.Griffith, Herseth Sandlin, Kissell, Kosmas, Kratovil, Marshall, Massa, Matheson, McMahon, Melancon, Minnick, Peterson, Skelton, Stupak, Tanner, Taylor, Teague

In the post linked above, I called out Larry Kissel. The netroots stuck by Kissel in both of his runs for Congress, helping him get there in 2008. He needs to stick by the community that helped him, as well as sticking by his constituents. But there's another member on that list that we need call: Eric Massa.

Massa has said that his opposition to the bill is rooted in his support for single payer. Every member of the Progressive Caucus, and many outside of it, also are staunch single payer supporters. Anthony Weiner in particular has been indefatigable in pushing for it, and Weiner took one for the team yesterday and agreed to withdraw his amendment. He's also in full-throated support of passing this bill. Massa needs to join him, and all the other single-payer advocates who are swallowing hard and voting for this bill.

Speaking of callouts, we've been hard on Jim Cooper on this blog, as he's been a thorn in the side of comprehensive, progressive reform. But today, Cooper has announced that he'll support the bill. Kudos Rep. Cooper, and if he can do it, anyone on the list above, should also be able to vote for it.

In addition to the list of those pledging to vote no, there are these who are "soft" no votes, who might be moveable.

Arcuri, Baird, Bean, Boyd, Carney, Donnelly, Kaptur, Kucinich, McMahon, Scott Murphy, Nye

A few on this list have no excuses, including Kucinich (see the above argument for Massa), Brian Baird, and Marcy Kaptur, who has most recently said she'll vote for it only if the Stupak amendment passes.

If one of the above is your representative, call or e-mail and let him or her know you support H.R. 3962, and you'll be watching their vote.