Yes, I heard about Pelosi. Keep calling your Reps. I want to know who won’t vote for the Senate bill and why. They need to know how many of us are losing our heads over this. Just do it. And keep emailing me what you’re hearing, or post it in the comments.
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Guster
This struck me as a pretty good outline of what needs to happen, and why we’re (or, at least, why I’m) calling: openleft.com/diary/17028/clear-path-vs-clear-meltdown
geg6
I have no faith in this effort and I consider it wasted time, but your urging, Tim, got me to call Altmire’s office. As I expected, Jason is standing around with his finger in the air, waiting to see which way to jump. I got a staffer who seemed totally nonchalant and uninterested in what I had to say, said he hadn’t yet stated a position, and that she’d pass my concerns along.
sacman701
I hope Pelosi’s statement is just a bluff intended to try to get some leverage against the Senate for a future reconciliation bill after they pass the main bill. Any Democrat who voted for the House bill and would seriously rather do nothing than pass the Senate bill has no business being in the House. I can’t believe that any of them would be so stupid as to take all the crap for a controversial vote and get none of the benefit.
UlyssesUnbound
Called Baron Hill’s office. Staffer quote:
“We are waiting on confirmation from Representative Hill, but the last time I spoke with him, while he preferred the House bill, is committed to passing HCR in even a weakened form, as soon as possible.”
Emma Anne
Reposted from last thread:
OK, now I am pissed off at TPM. I clicked the article and the first paragraph says:
To me this is quite different than Pelosi has given up. Everyone call.
Emma Anne
@Guster: “Clear path versus clear meltdown.” Well put.
Fred Arnold
North Carolina, Congressional district 1: Rep. George Butterfield
“The representative is not committed to anything yet”.
Legislative aide would not answer whether or not he would vote for the current Senate bill.
Lotsa squishiness going on.
Guster
@Emma Anne: Yeah. I love Mike Lux. (My only problem with him is he doesn’t engage in constant gratuitous insults of liberals pursuing a strategy he disagrees with.)
Bender
Hey! I said, Knock that off!
Signed,
The Chicken
Phil P.
I just called my rep–David Price, NC 4th district. The person I got on the phone didn’t know where he stood on the Senate bill or any of the “alternatives” currently being (sorta kinda) discussed.
I politely explained that HCR *now* was a make-or-break issue for me and that he’d never see any support (votes or financial) from me again unless something comprehensive is passed ASAP, preferably the Senate bill with later fixes through reconciliation. I also said I’d support *any* primary challenger. Unfortunately he’s in a very safe Democratic seat (Chapel Hill & Durham), so he’s unlikely to care much about disgruntled proles like me.
[And before I hear any scorn from the Firebagger contingent, I’m one of the currently uninsurable folks thanks to a fairly minor pre-existing condition, and I work on soft money, so losing my employer-based health insurance is a major concern for me.]
JPK
My guy (Brian Baird, WA-3) voted against the House bill, has no clear position yet on passing the Senate bill as is according to his office, and recently announced his retirement at the end of this term, which effectively means little or no voter leverage at this point. Baird was a clinical psychologist before entering politics and the WA-3 is fairly polarized with both teabagger and DFH elements (Baird is the guy who got the threatening Obama fax last August during high teabagger HCR season). My sense is that his heart is with healthcare providers far more than patients, and that his first instinct anyway is to play it safe and mushy-middle because of the nature of the district. In any event, it’s all moot because he’s out at the end of this year. It’s a little depressing.
feral1
Called Maryland Representative Ruppersberger. Aide said he wasn’t allowed to speak on the congressman’s position on issues. Told him I strongly encouraged Ruppersberger to vote for the Senate version of the bill and if it didn’t pass I wouldn’t be voting for, contributing to, or volunteering for any Democratic candidates next election.
slag
I wish I needed to call my people. I never need to call my people. Sometimes, having one of the greatest Representatives in the Union has its drawbacks.
Tom Hilton
@slag: call Pelosi. As Speaker, she has everyone in the US as her constituents.
Raoul
This is the thing- even though the bill does more good than harm, it is still a bad bill. Bad politics and bad logistics. The risk of having nothing is troublesome but this will not negate the crapola that this act does. In comparison, imagine a clean bill: Medicare 50+ and a couple other things: good visuals and good politics. So which road do we take?
rmp
I called Tim Walz (1 Disctrict MN) yesterday and spoke to an aid and she didn’t know how Walz would vote but would find out and get back to me. Since I haven’t gotten that call, I called again today and the aid I talked to said he didn’t know how Walz would vote but it looked like it wouldn’t come up anyway. I asked to tell Rep Walz that if the opportunity did present itself I strongly urged him to vote yes. I voiced my frustration with the fact that people will die, people will lose insurance and people will go bankrupt and I don’t know what more has to happen before they have the courage to ‘start’ to fix the problem.
rmp
Raoul, I might agree with you if I though they had the courage to pass a clean bill. I am not optimistic. I think they should ‘grow a pair’ and pass this. Then if they can pass a clean bill, all well and good.
mousebumples
I doubt calling my rep would help (Petri, R-WI), but I would if you guys think it could. I work in health care, and I know that there are WAY too many people in this district without affordable health insurance, but I don’t know that it would sway him at all against the Republican Machine.
Any particular suggestions on what/how to address a Republican representative? Or are we mainly focused on trying to get the Dem caucus together? (and, if that’s the case, I’m more than willing to call someone *else* if I could get a bit more direction … ) I’m more than willing to call Feingold and/or Kohl, but since neither of them can (I don’t think) impact the House passage of their bill, I’m not sure if that will do much to help.
Gromit
I called John Lewis (GA-5). The staffer I spoke to couldn’t give a position on the Senate bill, but gave his own thoughts. A lot about chopping up the bill, trying to woo Olympia Snow, etc. But the staffer, at least, sounded really ambivalent (and deflated). I don’t know if this reflects Lewis’ thinking.
I asked him to encourage the Congressman to vote for the Senate bill if it comes before the House.
Phil P.
@Raoul:
I agree, there is a lot wrong with the bill. But there is a lot right too.
If I thought for a minute that our dipshit, feckless, and spineless Democratic majority could reboot the HCR effort and fix even some of the problems in the current legislation and get the whole package passed, then I’d say we should go for it. But, really — how likely is that given what we’ve seen over the last year? Given their bonkers reaction to now having, horrors… a 59-41 majority in the Senate?
I have a *little* more faith that they could do a lot of fixing and tweaking via reconciliation after passing the current Senate bill. Not a lot of faith, but a little…
FoxinSocks
Just called Donna Edwards office and was told that “reconciliation negotiations were ongoing.” I pointed out that was an extremely unlikely avenue right now and asked specifically about passing the Senate bill as is and was referred to the voicemail of an Edwards’ staffer. I’ll let you all know if I get an answer to that question.
The intern who picked up also let me vent for a while. I tried to emphasize how cowardly the Dems looked right now and how I wasn’t going to vote for a bunch of cowards.
RGandhi
Congresman Pascrell’s office, after putting me on hold after I asked my question stated that he does not have a position on passing the Senate version of healthcare. This is ridiculous. It’s his job to have a position on this, things are moving, he can’t just sit around and decide what he wants to do 6 mos from now. It’ll be too late.
agua fruta
called NC 4th district, David Price – his office says he wants to pass the Senate bill and is pushing for “action”.
Chris O.
Called my rep this morning, Betty McCollum MN-4. Person at the desk didn’t have any info on her position but said she’d pass along my strong desire to see the Senate bill passed. My gut tells me that Betty is a “good soldier” type who would vote for the bill if Pelosi put it up for a roll call, but I don’t base that any special knowledge, just past experience.
slag
@Tom Hilton: Probably a good idea. Somebody’s got to babysit these people.
aretino
I heard Keith Ellison (D, MN-5) on MPR this morning, and he was pushing a do-over via reconciliation instead of passing the Senate bill.
Time to get on those phones.
slag
Called Pelosi. Got kicked to an answering machine.
JimNotGene
I called Gerry Nadler’s office in DC and they listened politely and took down my personal info.
I also called the WH to vent.
Chris Andersen
@Raoul:
I don’t think you will find many here who would disagree with you. That imaginary clean bill would, of course, be so much better than the crap we have to deal with.
The key word, of course, is imaginary. That bill does not exist and I know of no path for the passage of such a bill let alone an *effort* to even come up with the path for the passage of such a bill.
I can imagine lots of bills that would be better than the current one. But none of them have any reality. The current bill does. And for 30+ million Americans, it can literally mean the difference between life and death.
So, do we support an imaginary bill, the bill of our dreams. Or do we support something that actually exists?
ellaesther
@ Tim F. I just posted a link to the earlier “call your reps” post with the list of helpful hints over at Ta-Nehisi’s place.
May I suggest that those of us who comment in other places do the same? The more people we can catch with our internet wiles, the better.
(Going to post this appeal on the other, related threads as well).
Raoul
When I discussed logistics and visuals I was referring to the complexities of the bill. It reminds of the IRS code-sure I support paying taxes and am sure it is better having the code than not having it. However, taxes are ridiculously complicated. I put up with it because I support the current role of government in our society but the amount of derision by others is palpable and truth is, it needs to be simplified. The health care creates more anti-government optics. Sure the bill improves health services; but at the cost of just about anything else we want government to do, let it be environment, global warning, labor issues, immigration. Essentially the bill confirms bad governance opinions by many. That’s quite a high cost to pay for an issue that should be a winner for progressives.
Something Fabulous
Called yesterday, DC office of Diane Watson, CA-33. Got a nice and friendly sounding young (?) man, gave my zip and neighborhood name and said, “I know the Senate bill is a very controversial vote right now, so I wanted to urge the congresswoman to vote for it…” and he, interestingly, said, “It sure is!” before I could even finish the sentence. Took my first name and thanked me for calling. Should have thought to ask what her position was first, but I didn’t think to (was focused on being a statistic she could cite in favor), so can’t report on that.