This is just a quick update on our calls. We’ve made at least 61 calls to at least 59 unique offices.
The big trend that I am seeing is the Democratic offices that have been called don’t have this on the radar screen as a high priority item. We’ve been getting pro-forma “Of Course Congressman X has always opposed privatization efforts” or no position statements. This is a major problem. It also jibes with what Josh Marshall and his team at Talking Points Memo have reported.
I think that Medicare phase out by lowering subsidy value and thus dropping long run effective actuarial value is a far more likely threat to the health and well being of Americans than a complete Repeal and do nothing to the ACA. This is a change in my thinking from earlier in the week as the big changes have been the highly probable retention of the filibuster rules in the Senate for major legislation (which allows a lot of vote yes and hope no or vote no and hope yes behavior) and the mechanics of implementation. Phase-out via slowly growing subsidies won’t create immediately visible pain points while not replacing the ACA creates visible people in visible pain. Medicare is what I think we need to focus on even if the old people voted for Trump and Republicans.
Also as we start talking to Congress, we need to tell stories instead of wonkery. Stories can be run on the 6 o’clock news. Werebear and friends are collecting stories at Could Happen to You
I’m 60 years old and unemployed. Now I am on Medicaid because my income is about $600 per month. My medications cost $3000 per month at full retail. I have 2 chronic conditions: depression and diabetes. all my medications except insulin are generics and they still cost $3000 per month.
I’ve got one part time job and am going to school full time. i am looking for another part time job and will be a part time student. Part time jobs don’t offer insurance. and full time jobs pay so little, I could not afford the insurance and pay my other bills.
am I scared? You betcha! I told someone that my only choice will be choosing which way I want to die. Slowly and painfully from untreated diabetes or quickly from suicide due to untreated depression?.
Let’s get to 100 offices by the end of the day today.
D58826
Only some what off topic
Segregationist Jeff Sessions for AG
Milke Pompeo for CIA. Only thing I know about him is from the 11 hour hearing marathon. Impression is that my pencil holder is more qualified for just about any position you can name, except of course congressman from Kansas. Only qualification for that is remembering how to breath.
its going to be a very long 4 years.
PPCLI
Also let’s start loudly demanding that great family leave/childcare deduction plan that Ivanka announced, and that Trump promised on camera in one of the debates. . The second it was announced, it was clear that the Republicans would never go for this in a million years. Make Trump and the Republicans own the broken promise.
Elizabelle
@D58826: Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, II.
Good old
ConfederateAmerican name.PPCLI
[For some reason this comment keeps getting swallowed without a trace. Trying again. Sorry if it ultimately shows up multiple times.]
Also it would be good to start loudly demanding that paid maternity leave and childcare deduction/tax credit that Ivanka was charged with promoting and that Donald promised on camera in one of the debates. That proposal had its flaws, but it is way better than what exists now. It was clear the second it was announced that the Republicans would not go for it in a million years. Make them own the broken promise.
PPCLI
@Elizabelle: He’ll always be Jefferson Davis Sessions to me.
Shalimar
@Elizabelle: Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III. Father and grandfather of the same name. At least Jefferson was a well-respected president. Only Beauregard was a Civil War general.
He’s a second cousin, so I know family members who are closer to him who will be calling him personally about Medicare. I doubt it would change his vote if he were still in the Senate then, though.
Burnspbesq
So a guy who was deemed unqualified to be a district judge is going to be AG. BRILLIANT.
Shalimar
@Burnspbesq: He was qualified to be a district judge in every way other than being too racist. Which is a plus for the Trump administration.
Cermet
Life under the small handed dick head who looks to enable the dead snake eyes ryan, and the turtle neck reptile McConnell
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
Called Senator McCaskill (MO), her office said she would release a position soon.
PPCLI
@Shalimar: You’re assuming that he was named after Thomas Jefferson and not Jefferson Davis. I would guess the latter. Sessions III was born in 1946, which means that his grand-dad, the first Jefferson Beauregard Sessions was born somewhere in the ballpark of 1900. In 1900 the elders in the family would have been adults during slavery.
Gimlet
Does this mean no more FICA?
JPL
Senator Isakson has not taken a position on Medicare, and I refuse to call Tom Price’s office.
Barbara
I am all for calling every member, but there are some members who are bigger risks of buckling than others. I contacted Mark Warner (no position) by email, and will call, but he can become one of these googly eyed “can’t we all get along” guys who fancies himself the sensible adult in the room, so I KNOW he is a bigger threat to go soft than Don Beyer (against) or Time Kaine (no position). He nearly lost his last election, which was a little shocking to him. I would concentrate your energies on these kinds of people.
Richard, I disagree with you as between the ACA and Medicare. With my now going on ancient history with the Medicare program, I know that something akin to what Ryan is proposing already passed as a demonstration initiative in 2003 but it was never implemented, and eventually repealed outright in 2010 under the ACA. So long as Medicare continues to function as is for at least five years (through 2024 if we are to believe what we are being told, before it becomes a two-tier program based on date of eligibility) there will be chances to rearrange the future. If Congress trashes the ACA it will incinerate the entire infrastructure of the program and it will be an extraordinarily heavy lift to rebuild it. it took more than 15 years for Congress to recover its courage from the repeal of the first Medicare prescription drug coverage provisions (so-called Medicare catastrophic) that were passed in 1988 before Part D was passed. Congress has never really tried to duplicate the long term, catastrophic care coverage that was enacted under that same law.
The provision I am talking about was called the comparative cost adjustment program, and it was supposed to be implemented first as a demonstration program (something that should be kept in mind and used to try to sunset or limit any radically different way of organizing Medicare) It was section 241 of P.L. 108–173—DEC. 8, 2003 if you want to find it:
§1395w–29. Repealed. Pub. L. 111–152, title I, §1102(f), Mar. 30, 2010, 124 Stat. 1046
Section, act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title XVIII, §1860C–1, as added Pub. L. 108–173, title II, §241(a), Dec. 8, 2003, 117 Stat. 2214 ; amended Pub. L. 111–148, title III, §3201(a)(2)(D), Mar. 23, 2010, 124 Stat. 444 ; Pub. L. 111–152, title I, §1102(a), Mar. 30, 2010, 124 Stat. 1040 , related to comparative cost adjustment program.
Hal
So being a racist is one of the main qualifiers for the Trump administration.
JPL
@Hal: Yes! Flynn has written or copied anti-semitic tweets and that was not disqualifying. You would think Kushner would be concerned, but apparently not.
Jeffro
When we call Congress to push them to save Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, we might want to use the talking points in K-thug’s “The Medicare Killers” today.
2 main points from Krugman:
1) Messing with Medicare is in direct opposition, aka a lie, to what Trump promised on the campaign trail
2) Messing with Medicare hurts older folks the most, and the less educated the most (as they’ve likely worked more strenuous jobs)…so guess who’ll be most affected by this? Yup
Barbara
@JPL: Kushner appears to be motivated by loyalty not conscience.
dww44
@PPCLI: I think his grandparents most likely were born in the late 1800’s. I’m of the same generation and one grandparent was born in 1876 and the others were born in the 1880’s. I guess it might depend how far down the line one’s own parent was in his or her family cause they all had lots of kids. They needed them to work on their farms, even if they were share croppers as was one set of mine..
I believe this has been posted in these comments before but when one calls your Congress Critters, it might help to read this and also note that Medicare costs have been helped by the ACA. A position paper from the non-partisan Center for Budget Policy and Priorities.
Medicare is NOT Bankrupt
Botsplainer
@JPL:
Kapo Kushner.
I don’t say that lightly – he’s a really weird dude.
bemused
@JPL:
I understand. Still they want to roll this out fast before their own voters find out and get worried. Republicans are still scared of backlash from cutting SS and Medicare. When George Bush went around the country having townhalls pushing SS “personal accounts”, voters weren’t buying it.
dww44
@JPL: Well, I will. He deserves no less. Honestly, do all these working class folks not realize what the Republican party was gonna do if given control of the government? I know when people are living from day to day it’s hard to look into the future, but golly.
Glue
Called my Congresspeople yesterday:
OH
Senator Rob Portman (R) – hasn’t released his position
Senator Sherrod Brown (D) – against changes to Medicare
Representative Marcy Kaptur 9th district (D) – against changes to Medicare (“will fight like she always has”)
DCF
It is more effective to call the local Congressional office(s) than the Washington (D.C.) alternative(s). The latter are under no obligation to directly answer telephone inquiries, and are permitted to shuttle messages to voicemail purgatory.
To the point RM makes at the conclusion of his post here:
The Democratic party lost its soul. It’s time to win it back
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/18/democratic-party-dnc-leadership-trump-clinton-sanders
Juice Box
I called my congressman, the execrable Darrell Issa, yesterday. They’re going to call me back with the answer. I’m still waiting.
Barbara
@Barbara: Which is not to say that we should not fight this tooth and nail, we should, but the tactics can be different when a program is being out and out repealed in the near term versus set on an eventual course of destruction. First, it is important not to hand anyone an opportunity to call Medicare trashing bipartisan (even one Dem is all they need), and then, if it does happen, to make reversing changes to destroy Medicare a centerpiece of campaigns going forward “before it’s too late and you and your loved ones are consigned to the pyre . . .” I just don’t want people to panic or give up.
JPL
@dww44: When I called Senator Isakson’s office, I did say as you know, Presdient Obama added eleven years to the time that Medicare would have to pay out less. Does the Senator plan to keep that fix?
I also read the Bannon quote about Asians that the Washington Post had, and asked if he expressed any concern.
FDRLincoln
So far, I have called:
Lynn Jenkins (my congressperson, R-KS) twice, once about ACA phaseout and once about Medicare.
Pat Roberts (R-KS) Twice, once about Medicare phaseout and once about Trump’s ties to Russia.
Jerry Moran (R-KS) Twice, once about Medicare phaseout and once about the crazy names being floated for cabinet posts.
The Jenkins folks gave me pro-forma right-wing talking points in response. The Roberts staffer was extremely subdued and quiet about the Russia stuff, but became very animated when I asked about Medicare, the staffer saying “The senator will NEVER vote to cut Medicare”. I doubt that very much since he is a doctrinaire conservative, but it was interesting to get a flat denial. The Moran folks were non-committal about Medicare but told me that “a lot of strange names are being floated for the Cabinet and many of them would not get through the Senate”.
JPL
OT.. For those who need lighter news.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/18/american-born-panda-twins-return-to-china-but-struggle-with-the-language-and-food/?tid=sm_tw
Luigidaman
Can’t say anything good about all of this.
So I won’t say anything.
FDRLincoln
I also called Chuck Grassley’s office since I used to live in Iowa and voted for him once (in 1986 when he was a moderate and before he went batshit crazy) about the ACA. His staffer was VERY tense and dismissive of my concerns but sounded like she was very weary of receiving phone calls.
Aardvark Cheeselog
Doubled up on calls to Bill Nelson (D-FL) and got a staffer who said “While the Senator has not made a statement about this plan, in the past he has fought to preserve Medicare,” or words very near to that.
Lois Frankel’s office is not answering the phone, so I left a callback number.
Marco Rubio’s office is not answering the phone, though he has an elaborate phone tree that I didn’t listen to all the choices on.
mai naem mobile
I think Camacho had all the losers and Camacho critics come to his apartment to humiliate them. Plain and simple. Does not bode well for diplomacy under Camacho. He won’t let any other leader save face. Just a disgusting human being.
Richard Mayhew
@Barbara: I need to think about these very good points….
liberal
@FDRLincoln: he was never a moderate.
gogol's wife
Just cancelled my membership in AARP. They informed me that they are a nonpartisan organization and they’re not going to “take sides.”
GET OUT OF AARP STAT
CaseyL
Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Jesus Fucking Christ. A man who was considered too racist in the 1980s to be a judge will now be the nation’s top lawyer.
You know what this is like? This is like ancient Egypt, when a pharaoh erased all mention, evidence, and history of his predecessor.
Marmot
Forgot to say that Michael McCaul, my representative, is a Republican and chair of the Homeland Security Committee. So, definitely not a Dem.
(Redistricting got him in office. His district runs from Austin to Houston, which drives me nuts. Also, I often hear him spouting bullshit about border issues, which he’s apparently ignorant about. )
ArchTeryx
My story basically was converted to, “I’ll pass your concerns on to the Senator.” and that was it. Kirsten Gillibrand, NY. I couldn’t even reach Chuck Schumer’s office, and his voice mailbox was full. (Both calls were to the local New York State offices, not the DC offices).
FDRLincoln
@liberal: He ran was one back in ’86. I was 18 years old and too naive to see past that at the time.
gogol's wife
@ArchTeryx:
Same for Chris Murphy. An intern will pass along my concerns.
Shalimar
@PPCLI: I have never asked, but you’re probably right. He had immediate family in Biloxi a few blocks from Jefferson Davis’s estate, so it would be more logical.
JPL
This morning Tim Ryan was on Morning Joe, and mentioned that the Republicans plan on giving trillions to the top 1 percent, repeal health care for 20 million, and privatize medicare. These are the issues he wants to fight now.
Shalimar
@gogol’s wife: AARP was started by an insurance company as a way to sell more insurance. A plan that replaces Medicare with a handout to companies that insure seniors is a big benefit to their bottom line. I hope not fighting it destroys their reputation, which is the only reason they are successful with the insurance.
Barbara
@Shalimar: No, you don’t understand how this program would work. It would take money out of the system by reducing federal funding for vouchers. Fewer and fewer people would actually be able to afford insurance, and without the federal backstop for regulating providers (assuming that would go away), we slowly revert back to the system that was in place in the 70s, with runaway medical inflation and rampant bad debt. Paul Ryan is, literally, an idiot when it comes to insurance and health care markets.
gogol's wife
@Shalimar:
I’ll be happy not to get their crappy magazine any more.
Shalimar
@Barbara: The amount for vouchers would be less than what we pay now for Medicare, and fewer people would be able to qualify for vouchers, but the money would go directly to insurers instead of directly to providers like we do now. AARP makes money from supplemental policies. They will make more if Medicare is replaced with money directly to them, even if the same number of people can’t get medical care at all. I am not an expert or even an amateur at this, so I could be wrong. But that is my understanding.
Glidwrith
Called Feinstein yesterday and got the ‘of, course she has always supported SS and Medicare’. Commenter Barbara has posted the voucher-care legislation that has passed the House before and Scott Peters (CA-52) voted consistently against it though I got weasel-speak on the phone, so I don’t know why that statement couldn’t have been made.
Also asked Feinstein if she would support Lindsey Graham in his call to investigate the Russian interference and was told there would be a statement today.
Barbara
@Shalimar: It is highly doubtful they will make more. It’s a complicated subject but there is no question that government subsidies mean, net net, a lot more money flows to people all the way around. In addition, the likelihood for adverse selection in this kind of scenario is overwhelming.
Stan
A prediction:
a) GOP will repeal Obamacare and slash/burn medicare.
b) The “replacement” will cause chaos and terrible coverage
c) “b” will be blamed on Obamacare itself, i.e. “We TOLD you folks Obamacare was a disaster!!!! Look at this mess!!!”
Then 50% plus a little more of the country will fall for it.
gogol's wife
I just got out of AARP and joined this organization. I liked what they had on their website, and had a good conversation with the person who answered the phone.
SiubhanDuinne
@ArchTeryx:
Senators usually have numerous state offices. Schumer has a whole page (link). If you can’t get through to one number, it might be worth calling another.
Gillibrand’s are listed at the bottom of her contact page (link) and you’ll get a pop-up with phone numbers when you select any of the offices.
I imagine senators in nearly all states have multiple offices. Google is your friend.
About to call Isakson, Perdue and Woodall and will report back.
gogol's wife
My two comments with a link to the National Committee To Preserve Social Security and Medicare have been eaten (google it). I dropped AARP and joined them.
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: Make sure you mention that ACA helped Medicare, and point out that they will be responsible for weakening Medicare.
daize
@gogol’s wife: I’ve called Brendan Boyle’s office twice. The DC office on Wednesday and the local office today. I was advised that my concern has been logged into their system and someone will call me back. I guess I’ll just keep calling until I hear from someone…
msdc
I just called my representative and senators.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (current House Minority Whip!) – no statement yet, but his website has a general statement opposing Medicare and Social Security privatization
Sen. Ben Cardin – no official statement, staffer says he strongly opposes privatization, will follow up with email
Sen-elect Chris Van Hollen – opposes privatization
No surprises there. I expect all three will oppose any privatization plan, but a little civic pressure could help them commit to that in public. Getting Hoyer to come out against it would be especially helpful, so if you live in MD-5, please give him a call!
Bobby Thomson
Good job, Richard. This is a too priority and much more important than an impotent protest vote over white hose staff not subject to confirmation. Bannon’s no more horrible than Trump.
Alain the site fixer
Richard, thanks for keeping up on this so much!
Peale
@gogol’s wife: Jesus. Of course they can take sides in a policy dispute that affects how retirement will play out for millions. Christ on a cracker.
FDRLincoln
Just called Moran’s office complaining about Sessions as AG and pointing out he was too racist to be a Federal judge.
Staffer said that Moran “doesn’t have a position on Sessions”. Staffer sounded very subdued.
Lolis
Sen Cruz and Sen Cornyn have no position yet. I called them out on being silent about Stephen Bannon as well.
mai naem mobile
@JPL: This might sound dumb but Tim Ryans last name should disqualify him for running for minority leader. People are dumb and will get confused between the two Ryans.I get why people want to replace Pelosi. I think it’s a mistake because you need institutional memory and strategery to not lose,
msdc
Also, to the person who shared that story at Could Happen to You: we’ve got your back.
BudP
I called my Rep Tuesday, and my senators yesterday:
IL
Senator Dick Durbin (D) – his office is aware of the threat to Medicare, they are getting calls. They say they’ll be ready to mobilize.
incoming Senator Tammy Duckworth (D) – her office didn’t seem to know anything about the issue, said they were opposed to any privatization effort.
Representative Pete Roskam 6th district (R) – claimed not to know anything about the issue, but when I said P. Ryan wanted to end Medicare, they ‘corrected’ me by saying his plan was for privatization.
Felonius Monk
@Shalimar:
Don’t think this is quite accurate. AARP was started by a retired teacher and initially was a retired teachers organization. Some history is here
Also, AARP has pretty strong history of effective lobbying against detrimental changes to Medicare. That’s the main reason that rethugs and conservatives hate the AARP..
Major Major Major Major
@mai naem mobile:
Care to enlighten me?
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
I called Senators Warner and Kaine, and Congressman Don Beyer yesterday. I don’t know if anybody had called them before, so if not, we can put them up on the list.
errg
I called Rep Carolyn Maloney’s New York office, and the woman I spoke to did not seem to be specifically aware of Paul Ryan’s medicare privatization proposal. She said something like “of course congresswoman Maloney would oppose efforts to privative Medicare”.
Peter H Desmond
i live in cambridge, mass., and i just called rep. capuano’s cambridge office to register my concern at ryan’s plan to replace medicare with medical savings accounts. the nice woman i talked to there said that if medicare was threatened, capuano would be opposed. she also said that she didn’t think paul ryan carried much weight these days, and that during his campaign the president-elect had said he wouldn’t touch medicare. i noted that the paul ryan threat was quite recent. we parted amicably.
Felonius Monk
@gogol’s wife: I think, if you had bothered to look, that the AARP’s lobbying efforts against detrimental Medicare changes has been one of the main reasons that those efforts have failed in the past. No reason to believe that they won’t bring the heat this time as well.
Sab
My congress critters office called me back. He is against ducking with medicare. We still need to let our side know this is in the works.
A.Drallidur
Hello everyone,
Long time lurker here, and someone who has often relied on Richard’s posts to inform my discussions of the ACA with my friends and family. Reading everyone here pulling together to try and hold on to the progress we’ve made has helped me get out of this post-election funk I’ve been in, so thanks for that!
I’ve created an updated version of the doc Richard is using to keep track of the responses of various senators and representatives to hopefully make it a bit easier to find out who has been called and to keep track of the results.
Updated Sheet
mai naem mobile
@Major Major Major Major: because the Dems lost so everything has to be cleaned out.I also think there’s ageism and sexism in there where they are connecting Hillary-> older losinf woman = Pelosi -> older losing woman. I think if Reid was sticking around, there would be a movement to get him replaced as well.
BC in Illinois
@PPCLI:
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions (the first) was born on April 13, 1861, the day after Fort Sumter. CSA General Beauregard and CSA President Jefferson Davis were much in the news. The significance of that name would not have been lost at the time of JBSessions Jr (b. 1913) or JBSessions III (b. 1946). http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/senators/sessions.htm
In my neck of the woods, I talked to the office of MO District 2 Rep Ann Wagner (former co-chair RNC). Her office “has not yet been notified” of any position on Speaker Ryan’s plan or on privitization. ( I asked both ways.) The very nice staffer said that they would get back to me. So no answer here.
gogol's wife
@Felonius Monk:
then why can’t they answer my questions on the telephone?
I think they have changed greatly in just the last four years, based on what I did find when I looked at news stories.
Major Major Major Major
@mai naem mobile: oh, ok. I “get” that too, I thought you were saying you agreed.
Blueskies
You’re a good man, RM.
Could you edit the message to include a link to the questions we’re asking and also a link to the gov site that has House and Senate phone numbers. If you have those two links every time you post on the topic, it might help lazy, shiftless people like me who have limited time between two jobs and four parents to care for. ;)
Thanks again. This is hyper important and I’m just kidding about my not being organized enough for calling. I have those guys on speed dial. However, others may not. And I would actually like a link to the original instruction set about how to avoid getting the run-around from critters who want to hide.
NotMax
Especially if you’re calling an R, remind them that Sessions is someone who Reagan backed away from and withdrew from nomination.
gogol's wife
@Felonius Monk:
I not only have “bothered to look,” I’ve spent about 50 phone calls trying to get someone at AARP to tell me they’re going to fight this, without success. I’m trying again right now.
gogol's wife
@gogol’s wife:
Everyone’s out of the office until Monday.
debit
I called Keith Ellison MN and he has no position. I expressed my displeasure with that.
WereBear
@Stan: Actually, what this election revealed is that the gop (I am never capitalizing for these assholes again) only comprises 1/4 of all registered voters.
Fully half of potential voters sat on the couch election day. We need to work on that, too. I remind them that by so doing, they are also Responsible for Thunderdome.
Johio
Called Bill Johnson, OH R, 6TH, no position
Rob Portman, no position, couldn’t even get live person on phone. Will try again.
Sherrold Brown, opposed but no strategy announced
azlib
I called David Schweickert’s office yesterday and passed on my adamant opposition. Nothing back from him so far, but TPM’s tally shows he supports voucherization of Medicare.
catclub
@mai naem mobile:
I figure the accurate translation of this is that there were more votes cast (again!) for Democrats for the House, but fewer of them were elected.
It is not clear what should be changed in the policies you are pushing, if you are already getting a majority of votes. Is the goal to then get less than a majority?
Uncle Ebeneezer
@Blueskies: Also what should be priority of issues? Medicare>Sessions>Bannon? Can you ask Reps position on all 3? Or should we make separate calls? Etc.
Bill_D
An affirmative statement that s/he has no position, or they indicated no position? These are not the same thing.
I really, really try to not make grammatical corrections in web discussions, but this is an example of how the death of the hyphen can cause confusion. A statement that no position is held is a no-position statement. The absence of any indicated position is no position statement. Nowadays both are spelled without a hyphen so even the absence of a hyphen no longer tells the reader which is intended. Context usually gives you a good idea of the intended meaning, but sometimes not as in this case. The reader should not be left guessing.
Aardvark Cheeselog
Got a return call from Lois Frankel’s (D FL) office.
The staffer did not know of a plan to phase out Medicare. I explained that this plan has been in each of the budgets the House has passed for the last 5 years, and now that there will be a President who will sign such a thing if it’s put in front of him, maybe there should be a plan to oppose it.
I was promised that my concerns would be passed along to Rep. Frankel.
germy
That was exactly the response I got when I called yesterday.
I called my congressman and he said quote: “I’d like to help you son, but you’re too young to vote.”
(Eddie Cochran)
@debit:
I’m surprised to hear that. I thought Keith was supposed to be our knight in shining DNC armor.
caroln
Hello, another long time lurker here. I called Sen Gary Peters’ office, only able to leave a message but that I wanted to be contacted. I called Sen Debbie Stabenow, the person said she didn’t know what the senators position was because she hadn’t heard yet. Then I called Rep Debbie Dingel and got a very sympathetic person who said that she herself just this year had turned 65 and that Rep Dingel was most definitely working on this and asked for my further support!
germy
@gogol’s wife:
I did the same thing about five years ago, after I realized they were a scam designed to sell insurance to seniors. I got my AARP card and they sold my name and address to a million companies. Every day I’d get “offers” for life insurance, car insurance, etc. I got their newspaper and magazine every month, and their editorial position is “DON’T RETIRE!” which I found strange for a company that supposedly advocates for retired people.
The man who founded AARP also founded Colonial Penn Insurance. My mailbox is stuffed every day with their bullshit.
Look at their reviews on “Pissed Consumer”
https://aarp.pissedconsumer.com
etc.
germy
@Uncle Ebeneezer:
Make separate calls. That’s what I’ve been doing. They log the number of calls they receive.
hedgehog mobile
Called Diana DeGette’s local office (CO 1). Staffer very friendly but unaware of the issue, suggested I call the DC office; staffer there also unaware, would not give a direct answer.
vheidi
@ArchTeryx: That’s what I got from Gillibrand’s office too. Will try Schumer today.
Uncle Ebeneezer
@germy: Is there a risk that they will note that the same guy called 3 times for 3 issues and it will be written off by them or somehow adversely effect any of the 3 issues?
Corday
Mike Kelly – R – PA 3 — Staffer doesn’t know. Will get back. (This is me rolling my eyes.) I reminded staffer he voted for the plan in 2015. Also asked if there were plans for healthcare town halls. “Nothing set yet.”
Richard, will you be able to put together “talking points” and fact books that we can take to public meetings? We will be faced with an avalanche of lies. We need to take a page from the Tea Baggers 2010 playbook and swamp public forums. If my rep won’t hold one, we’ll have to organize our own.
germy
@Uncle Ebeneezer: They will note that a voter cared enough to call three times. Then the staffer tells her boss “The phone has been ringing all day.”
Uncharismatic megafauna
Rep. Rick Larsen’s (D WA-02) email response today to my phone call:
“Thank you for taking the time to contact me about protecting our social safety net. Many constituents have expressed particular concerns regarding proposed changes to Social Security and Medicare.
I have a strong record of fighting to keep the Social Security program solvent and protecting the guaranteed benefit that it provides seniors. I have concerns about proposals to alter the current benefit formula for Social Security recipients. I’ve long stated that the chained consumer price index (CPI) is harmful for the most vulnerable Social Security beneficiaries, and should not be used to calculate benefits. I believe the best way to address the long-term solvency of the Social Security program is to eliminate the cap on earnings subject to the Social Security tax. This is a much better approach than the chained CPI.
I recently cosponsored H.R. 973, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2015, which would eliminate harmful provisions of the Social Security Act that unfairly reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for Americans who have devoted their careers to public service.
I am also a committed supporter of Medicare. It is critically important that we maintain the guaranteed benefit of Medicare for our seniors today and for future retirees. Medical costs are a huge concern for every aging American, even for those who will not rely on this crucial benefit for some time.
The foundation of Medicare is its guaranteed benefit. I agree that we must control costs in Medicare to keep it sustainable for future generations. Medicare provides health coverage to more than 760,000 patients in Washington state alone. Finding savings in Medicare can come through cracking down on fraud and avoiding unnecessary and duplicitous procedures. I have and will continue to oppose proposals that weaken or eliminate the guarantee of care, and I want to assure you that I will evaluate all proposals with these principles in mind.”
Uncle Ebeneezer
@germy: Sounds good. Just wasn’t sure if they have a “crank” category that they use to dismiss people who call on too many topics.
karen marie
Called AZ Sen. Flake’s Phoenix office to ask that he behave like a responsible adult and oppose whatever Medicare killing legislation is puked up by the House and that he reject Trump’s nominations of Sessions for AG and Flynn for NSA. My comments will be “passed along.”
Neldob
called Ken Calvert’s office (R-CA42) and the intern said he would get back to me re: Paul Ryan’s medicare plan
Blueskies
@Aardvark Cheeselog:
As others have noted on the intertoobes, THIS response is the scariest. How on God’s green earth every single elected Democrat doesn’t know about this is beyond me. Truly beyond me. Medicare is one of THE signature achievements of their party, and they aren’t even in the game on this one. What.The.Fuck.
Maybe Nancy “Smash” Pelosi might want to have a pow-wow with her caucus. Has anyone called her?
MaryL
I’ve been told by a friend who works for Senator McCaskill that, in addition to phone calls, emails (not snail mail) with personal stories are the most effective. She said that contrary to common wisdom, snail mail is not effective because it takes months to go through the security process (looking for anthrax, etc). So I called my Senators yesterday and today sent an email, explaining how Medicare helped save my father’s life after he was diagnosed with a rare and particularly deadly form of cancer, and I begged them to be proactive early on and not let Republicans form the narrative.
Uncle Ebeneezer
Judy Chu (CA-dist 5)- has no position on Medicare or ACA, but will let her know about my concerns.
Diane Feinstein (CA Sen)- put out a statement that Sessions will get a thorough vetting, this morning, but no official position. I told them my concerns and suggested tying support to some Voting Rights bargaining chip. On Bannon, she has a lengthy statement, opposed. Staff will pass along my urging for her to oppose Medicare Privatization or any attempt to repeal the ACA.
Does anyone have a # for Kamala Harris? Trying to find a local (Los Angeles #) but not having much luck.
MaryL
@Uncle Ebeneezer: I’ve been having trouble connecting with my newly elected rep as well. Pretty frustrating
The Truffle
I just called Carolyn Maloney’s (D-NY12) office and spoke to a very nice staffer who said she was not aware of Maloney’s stance. She said I could check the web site. She also added that I could give my opinion and she would pass it along to Maloney. I told her that I support ACA, Medicare, and Social Security and urged Maloney to do so as well.
AstroJ
Called Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office (D-OH) — no position yet (grrrrr). Called Rep. Pat Tiberi’s office (R, OH-12), no position. Sen. Ron Portman’s (R-OH) office lines were either busy (OH office) or not being answered (DC office).
karen marie
@AstroJ: I have never called a house or senate office and been told anything other than “no position now, s/he is studying the issue.” It is infuriating.
David Bader
Rod Blum (R) IA-01 – his office tells me is opposed to medicare privatization! does not have a position of new Ryan budget but has previously supported.
dww44
I just talked to a staffer in Austin Scott’s (R-Ga8) hometown office. She made no commitment but we did share info about Medicare and she told me that she just turned 65/66 and had not yet signed up for it. I told her she needed to do that sooner rather than later. I was nice;she was nice.. She will pass my opposition to Medicare privatization up the line to the Congressman whom I know for a fact has voted for this in prior years.
Senators I will get to on Monday.
Auntie beak
Just now got an email response to my phone call yesterday from Rep. Joe Courtney, D, CT-02. Response had nothing to do with my question. Asshats…
Jean
I called my senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. Each staffer told me that they had heard no position yet from either. The staffer for Warner started talking about how Warner likes to work “on both sides of the aisle,” and I said, On the matter of phasing out Medicare, there is no working with Paul Ryan and the Republican House. I want him to stand up against phasing out Medicare.
What’s with all these “no positions” or “no statements given to staffers at this time”? It’s infuriating.
gyma
Here’s the email I received just now from Cory Gardner (R-CO):
Corday
@Corday: Heard back from a staffer in D.C. Mike Kelly of PA – 3 supports Ryan’s plan.
OurSecretWordIsJustice
@Uncle Ebeneezer: I tried the number listed on Kamala Harris’ Senate campaign website (213-221-1269) early this week, got an answering machine and no callback. Yesterday I tried the California Attorney General’s office, was directed to Harris’ campaign website, same result: answering machine, no callback.
Kay Eye
Roger Williams office, TX-25, intern spoke to legislative staffers while I waited, Rep. Williams hasn’t read about this and will have no opinion until he’s had a chance to read the actual legislative proposal.
As to Steve Bannon, Rep. Williams, according to the intern, supports the President. Do you mean the president-elect? I asked. Yes, the president elect. And he may bring whomever he chooses into the White House.
Senators Cruz and Cornyn had messages that due to heavy call volume no one could take my call.
OurSecretWordIsJustice
@gogol’s wife: I emailed the California chapter of the AARP with this question: “I would like to find out what AARP’s position is on the incoming Administration’s plan to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, and Sen. Ryan’s plan to phase-out Medicare. Do you support these plans, and what actions, if any, do you intend to take to back up your position?”
and got this reply: “AARP has and will always oppose Social Security privatization. Americans pay into Social Security and they deserve to get the guaranteed lifetime benefits they’ve earned. In addition, I can assure you that we will continue to work in support of affordable and accessible healthcare for people of all ages.”
Barbara
@Jean: That’s Mr. Third Way Warner for you. He is just infuriating.
mdblanche
I called earlier this afternoon but didn’t have time to post until now.
At David Cicilline’s (D RI-1) district office I got a don’t know for his position but the staffer said she would pass on my concerns.
At Senator Jack Reed’s district office I got another don’t know but the staffer said other people have also been calling with the same question.
At Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s district office I got a firm no and the staffer was eager to take my feedback. She also said other people have been calling up to ask about this.
Kari Q
I am in CA-11 and I called DeSaulnier (who is a Democrat. It looks like he is listed as a Republican on your spreadsheet) and got a “he has not made a statement on this” response. They took my name and address and promised to get back to me when he does.
Beckya57
@Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: I called my 2 WA senators, Murray and Cantwell, and my congressman, Kilmer. Got a VM at Cantwell’s office, left a message; per TPM she’s already said she’s opposed. The Murray rep said she’s aware but hasn’t taken a position yet (???). The staffer at Kilmer’s office sounded bored and indifferent, but said he’d pass on the message. I know someone there, so I’m trying to connect with them. Overall not very reassuring (these are all Dems, representing a liberal state and a center-left district).