The vote for the AHCA in the House is scheduled for sometime around 1:00pm today.
Call your Congressional office today.
If you are in the DC Area there is a protest at the Hill at noon time.
PROTEST AT THE CAPITOL AT NOON
Please share:https://t.co/kfLd85OAOZ
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) May 3, 2017
If you are out and about, see if you can visit your Congressional district office to let them know that a vote for the AHCA will result in their names added to an Arya Starkesque mantra.
Davey C
Thanks for this thread. I’m reposting a comment from yesterday:
I called my congressman earlier today, Lee Zeldin (R), to find out his position on the AHCA. I talked to a polite office staff person who gave me absolutely no information whatsoever and told me somebody would get back to me. Nobody got back to me today, and I very much doubt anybody will before tomorrow’s vote. I just called his office again and left a message stating that I would be giving money to his opponent if he votes yes. I also called his DC office, but I couldn’t even leave a message there because the voicemail box is full.
What more can/should I be doing?
David Anderson
@Davey C: find and connect with other people who are pissed off and planning to do something about it in November 2018
rikyrah
@Davey C: fax him.
I hope that someone will leave the information about how to fax.
Also,can you call via AARP?
rikyrah
@Davey C:
Fax him. I hope that people will leave the information about how to fax.
rikyrah
I have left two replies to #1.dont see them.
rikyrah
#1:
Try to leave them a fax
Elizabelle
Here’s link to that great article in VICE.
What’s at stake:
And they’re rushing it to a vote before the CBO score comes in. They’d not finished retooling the language, as of last night. Pig in a poke, folks.
pk
I’d like the same info. Tried calling all the lean no people to leave msg saying if they voted yes, I’d be donating to their opponents. All the DC mailboxes are full. Tried 3 local numbers and ditto. Their strategy to deal with angry callers is to ignore us apparently.
Davey C
@rikyrah:
Thanks for the suggestion!
rikyrah
@Elizabelle:
Good article. Will share
rikyrah
There is a free faxing service. Will someone leave the information about it?
JMG
Check out the Wall Street Journal article that shows how people who get health insurance through their employer (155 million people) could now find their policies have lifetime caps or worse.
Ohio Mom
Yes, mailboxes were full yesterday. Still, I will try calling again once my Rep’s various offices open.
I would go to the actual office nearest me but I have appointments today and it is too far away to fit a drive in between all the places I have to be at specific times.
I am steeling myself and Walter-Mittying all the times I will now get to sneer, “I told you so!” (IMO, the ugliest sentence in the English language). Not very satisfying, however.
sixthdoctor
@rikyrah: Here’s one: https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php
Also saw this article on an app that faxes text messages to your congressperson: https://www.recode.net/2017/3/9/14865882/resistbot-texts-faxes-senators-representatives
JMG
Matt Fuller now reporting he thinks Republicans might be close to unanimous party line vote. Their choice. We have to make it their career funeral.
Elizabelle
Kevin Drum, in full. Here’s What Republicans Are Voting For on Thursday
Make those psychopaths OWN their yes votes for this. And then vote them out of office, as many as we can.
Elizabelle
@JMG: Link? Who is Matt Fuller?
Davey C
@sixthdoctor:
Thanks, I did not know about faxzero. I just used it to fax my Rep.
rikyrah
@JMG:
Got a link?
JMG
@Elizabelle: I can’t link to WSJ as it’s behind paywall. Read lede on twitter. Matt Fuller is Congress vote-counter for HuffPost and he’s really good at it.
Baud
@JMG:
@Elizabelle:
Agree.
OzarkHillbilly
@Davey C: Just hurry up and die, but first give up all your money and possessions.
amk
@Elizabelle: rethug voters are equally, if not more, responsible for this shitfest.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Oh I get it, Cinco de Mayo. Them having enough votes might be pure BS, but taking a piss on Mexican day is the main thing. Nothing is to petty for these punks in the House.
tobie
I just sent my umpteenth fax to my Freedom-Caucus-member representative. He won’t change his vote but at this point I’m just hoping that lighting up the switchboards and fax machines on Capitol Hill will have some impact on congress members in swing districts.
P.S. This is what I sent my Congressman:
You will be voting on the AHCA bill today. This is a bill that has not been scored by the CBO. We do not know how much it will contribute to the deficit. We do not know how many people will lose health insurance. We do not know all the details of the bill, as it has not been posted online and no public hearings have been held.
We DO KNOW that the bill allows states to opt out of the Essential Benefits requirement of the law—a proven life-saver—and to waive the pre-existing conditions requirement. We DO KNOW it scraps the communal rating requirement. We DO KNOW that putting people with pre-existing conditions into high-risk pools essentially prices them out of the insurance market.
Your first duty as a doctor is to do no harm. If you vote for the AHCA, you will violate this pledge.
OzarkHillbilly
@rikyrah: Same here. Dave? Hurry up and die is the only thing left for you to do..
Yarrow
@rikyrah: I was able to link through from this twitter link to the WSJ article on mobile and read the whole thing. Didn’t allow me to do that on my computer. Maybe try on phone or tablet?
Tried calling my Rep a few minutes ago but said after hours and mailbox was full. Maybe they open at 9:00.
Ohio Mom
@amk: Yes, my Republican neighbors who voted for our Republican Rep are on my list. Some of them actually voted for Hillary but being disgusted by Trump isnt enough. When they start complaining about the ACA repeal, they are going to get an earful.
OzarkHillbilly
KDrum via @Elizabelle:
Because they are morally abominable Kevin.
Yarrow
@Elizabelle:
You can follow Matt Fuller on twitter even if you don’t have an account–just open a tab. You can link through from here. This may be the tweet JMG is talking about.
Yarrow
Okay, this actually worked on my computer. If you want to read the WSJ article, click this link to get to Stephanie Amour’s tweet on it (she wrote it):
https://mobile.twitter.com/StephArmour1/status/860081759979012097
From there, click on her article. I guess it counts under the mobile viewing and I could read the whole thing on my computer.
Kay
Both the NYTimes and Donald trump are playing us on this supposedly ‘adversarial’ relationship.
I hope it works out for both parties to this transaction.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@OzarkHillbilly: And Kevin, they get act evil on a day in their demented narrative is some kind of Democratic holiday.
Yarrow
@Yarrow: From the WSJ article:
And this is bullshit:
Every employer-based health insurance plan I remember seeing prior to the passage of the ACA listed your lifetime limits right at the top. What kind of drugs is this guy on to say they didn’t impose them? Bullshit.
Chris
@amk:
Republican voters are ultimately responsible for the vast majority of what’s gone wrong in this country in the last several decades, possibly the last half century.
Elizabelle
I’ll believe they have the votes when they vote.
Might be more smoke and mirrors. But call, call, call.
PLEASE SHARE NAMES AND NUMBERS OF CRITTERS WHO COULD USE A CALL.
Obviously Mike Coffman. If you have contact info for others, put it up and I’ll call from this side of the pond.
Thanks.
Yarrow
I can’t get through to my Dem Rep at all. Got “after hours” recording forever. Now just busy signal. All the Dems will be solid NO votes, right? I can’t imagine Nancy Smash will let them vote any other way.
PsiFighter37
Totally OT but Morning Joe and Mika are engaged. Barf x100
Elizabelle
Text from that League of Women Voters email a day or two ago.
SenyorDave
How is it possible that 90 percent of House Republicans are happily voting in favor of this moral abomination?
I would guess about half of the Republican house would support Hitler TODAY if he were in power in this country. Some idealogically (Steve King, almost any Texas congressperson, etc.), and some strategically (Ryan, Chaffetz, Issa, etc.). They are morally bankrupt as a party and individually as people. They are disgusting human beings. If the ACHA passes the House the Democrats better start emptying their war chest to remind people of the effects, and warn the Senate that they are the last line of defense of having the spectacle of an orange piece of excrement having a signing celebration to ensure the deaths of hundreds of thousand of people from lack of access to health care.
Bruce K
As far as I’m concerned, any Representative who votes for this bill is voting to kill me, because my pre-existing condition will render me uninsurable, and if it requires surgical correction, and I’m dropped by my current insurance, my choices will be bankruptcy or death.
If I had a representative who was part of the GOP, I’d be telling them exactly that today. As it is, I apparently don’t count, because my district back home is represented by a Democrat.
I know I’m not the only one that the Republicans are eager to vote to kill, either.
clay
So, I’m dumb and I don’t know how this works, but I went to the House Legislative Schedule and saw this:
(That first item gave me a start, but if you click on its link, it appears to be a holdover from the previous day.)
So… I don’t see a vote scheduled, but should I? The page says “Legislative Schedule”; it seems like a bill coming to the floor would be on here, but I don’t know how this works…
Chris
@Yarrow:
Yeah. And this is also why relying on the Senate or anyone else to stop this bill after it’s passed is dangerous. Once one of the houses of congress passes the bill, it becomes much harder for the others to say no – they’ll be under the constant pressure of “c’mon who do you want to side with, the Democrats or us?” and “c’mon, we’re so close, this is what we’ve wanted for this entire decade, don’t bail on us now!”
Ian G.
@Davey C:
I really hope Zeldin and King (Pete “I love terrorists when they’re Irish” King is a “yes” on this) get tossed out on their ass in 2018 for this. Let’s make Long Island a GOP-free zone in Congress.
I’m in Kathleen Rice’s district, so no need to call unless it fails, at which point I will thank her for voting “no”.
NYCMT
@Davey C: Lee Zeldin is a chickenshit rat bastard whose Patchogue staff lies about House ethics rules. But John Faso, Elise Stefanik, Peter King, and Dan Donovan aren’t any better, if they rolled on this. AHCA means that my father’s remaining lifespan is depending on the health of his IRA.
zhena gogolia
@PsiFighter37:
Should have been a double wedding with Brooks.
Tazj
My representative’s( Chris Collins R-asshole ) phone number is busy. I’m hoping this means something. If nothing else, I’ll be glad he’s kicked to the curb come 2018.
Yarrow
@Chris: Exactly. I don’t trust McConnell at all. He wants to pass it to get to those sweet, sweet tax cuts. He’s a traitor and needs to be in jail.
The Republicans will regret this vote. Taking away health insurance from people is something they will remember.
The Thin Black Duke
@Chris: More to the point, no matter what atrocities the Republicans have done, their voters have always forgiven them. Always. Until that changes, things will continue to get worse. Why shouldn’t the Republicans ignore reality? Their voters do.
JMG
@Yarrow: My guess, which could be wrong of course, is that the Senate bill will keep the tax cuts and Medicaid cuts and get rid of all or most of the other stuff, because 1. That can be done under reconciliation quite easily. 2. Keeps damage limited to the “unworthy” which by definition any Medicaid recipient must be. But there will be a Senate bill of some kind. One small ray of hope. Senate will move more slowly, and there will certainly be a CBO score before it does.
low-tech cyclist
I’m in an oral surgeon’s waiting room in downtown DC right now, while my 90 year old mother gets some long-overdue dental surgery. Depending on when we get her back home and settled, I may be able to join the protest at the Capitol.
mdblanche
Just called my Democratic congressman’s office. I had to call the district office since multiple attempts to reach the DC office couldn’t get through at all. I don’t recall that ever happening before.
schrodingers_cat
For all their chest thumping about patriotism, Rs want to dismantle the country and sell it for its parts. That’s how the .1% has made their money since Reagan. Why should they stop now.
Yarrow
Ran across this last night from John Schindler, one of the people I follow for the Trump Russia stuff.
Even people who don’t normally focus on domestic policy can see this bill is really bad and in no way “conservative.” I hope he’s right that it’s GOP ritual suicide.
Yarrow
@mdblanche: FINALLY got through to my Dem Rep in Congress. STRONGLY opposes it, the staffer told me. Doubt it’ll make any difference but I made sure to say thank you.
schrodingers_cat
@Yarrow: Don’t worry the doom and gloomers are here to tell us how this bad for the Dems. They sound almost gleeful.
Duane
Billy Long is my Representative. I called him to thank him for standing against trumpcare.Flip-flopper doesn’t start to describe it.He’s always been a worthless POS,I guess I should have known better.
low-tech cyclist
@Yarrow:
I guess a lot of people don’t know this. So for those that don’t, if there’s someone whose tweets you want to read, just type in twitter.com/theirtwitterhandle as a URL, and there you go.
And if you don’t know someone’s Twitter handle and you’re sure they’re on Twitter, just do a search on their name and Twitter, e.g. ‘kevin drum twitter’ to find that Drum’s tweets are at twitter.com/kdrum . Matt Fuller’s tweets, since we’re talking about him, are at twitter.com/MEPFuller, since MEPFuller is his handle.
ETA: This is really handy for someone like me who for whom a Twitter account would be a serious time sink. I can read people’s tweets, but as long as I don’t have a Twitter account, I can’t be drawn into a pissing match on Twitter.
Barbara
It appears that the sociopaths have gained the upper hand. I wonder what Macarthur was promised by Paul Ryan in return for sucking his dick. Sorry to be so crass.
Thoroughly Pizzled
@Chris: Trump got all of his Cabinet nominees through. McConnell can control his caucus. The House is the better bottleneck.
nastybrutishntall
@rikyrah: resistbot.io is super easy on iphones
schrodingers_cat
@Barbara: Not crass enough.
dlm
@Bruce K: You’re not alone. There are well over 24 million of us. Every time I have called or emailed my rep I’ve told him, don’t ever tell me you’re pro life when you are voting to murder American citizens.
Archon
What information about the electorate makes people sure Republicans will be punished for this vote in 2018 and beyond?
Chris
@The Thin Black Duke:
I realized that there was a paragraph from Casino Royale that basically explains the modern Republican Party (and, by extension, modern American politics) to a tee:
It was the same with the whole Russian machine. Fear was the impulse. For them it was always safer to advance than to retreat. Advance against the enemy and the bullet might miss you. Retreat, evade, betray, and the bullet would never miss.
A ton of effort on the right has gone on in the last fifty years to create a political version of this dynamic where Republicans are always more afraid of moving to their left than they are to their right. As you say, their voters and the system more generally will always forgive them… as long as they’ve faithfully towed the party line.
JMG
This bill affects all voters, as voters get sick and pay for care in some way. No matter what way they have, their care is headed to be a case where they pay more for less at best. If that doesn’t turn them against the party in power, than tribalism means everything and there’s nothing that can be done about it. But I don’t think that’s the case. I think people, all of us, have a problem with selfishness, but do have the imagination to see that we ourselves will get sick sometime.
The Moar You Know
Issa has disconnected his phone lines today. That’s a really bad sign, I’m thinking.
Yarrow
@Archon: The part where mom’s or grandma’s Medicaid goes away in 2018 and they’re kicked out of the nursing home and have to come back and live with them?
Barbara
@Chris: Normally this is true, but the fact that they don’t have a score and that they don’t even know what is in the bill makes this an outlier situation. Nonetheless, the worst case scenario is no filibuster, and lose only two Republicans (Collins and Heller, most likely), and Pence gets to decide. Not sure if that works with this kind of legislation but I don’t see why it wouldn’t. If Collins is trying to run for governor she cannot support this legislation. Nevada is going to fall apart if Medicaid expansion and exchanges go away. The other weak links are Gardner, Portman, Capito, and Flake, all for slightly different reasons. The “age tax” meme is a killer in Arizona, gutting Medicaid is incredibly bad for Ohio and WV, and Gardner represents a trending blue state that next votes for Senator in a presidential election. He is already vulnerable. Personally, I think McConnell will never let go of the filibuster for just this reason: with the filibuster he not only controls the Senate, he also controls the House.
Betty Cracker
I can’t get through to my Trump-humping shithead representative’s office on any published phone number. Mailboxes are all full at the local offices. Did send a fax via web though, outlining AARP’s objections to the bill, including the AGE TAX. Since my mouth-breathing, Koch-sucking piece of shit rep’s district includes Sarasota, I’m hoping the “you’re screwing the Olds!” angle will resonate. Not that the plutocrat-stroking bum-licker actually gives a flying fuck about non-rich Americans who depend on Medicare, of course, but I hope he at least experiences a bit of anxiety about reelection.
NYCMT
John Faso, too. What a worthless person.
Tazj
Eric Boehlert@ Eric Boehlert 22m
Suddenly there aren’t mountains of columns complaining that Trump can’t get bipartisan support
that press whining DEFINED the Obama era
Paging Ron Fournier, Ron Fournier please pick up the white courtesy phone. On second thought no, don’t. He only bases the worth of a piece of legislation(sponsored by Democrats) on how bipartisan it is not on whether it helps people or not.
Faxes won’t go through at Collins’ office.
JMG
@The Moar You Know: That doesn’t seem like a very smart move on his part. Better to just let the mailbox fill up.
Yarrow
@Betty Cracker:
This seems to be common. Took me forever to get through to talk to someone at my Dem Rep’s office. And I know the Dems are solid NO. Phones must be nuts for any Republican.
I hate them all so much. I can’t even articulate it. They are sociopaths with power.
LurkerNoLonger
@NYCMT: Is he now for this shit? He was undecided on Tuesday.
The Moar You Know
@The Moar You Know: Replying to myself – I kept calling, they opened one minute ago. Call him!
JMG
@Barbara: Your last sentence is very insightful. Something I hadn’t thought of that makes perfect sense. McConnell can craft HIS bill, send it back to the House and say take it or leave it, this is all I can get.
Corner Stone
I love that it was the $8B add-on package for high risk pools that allowed all the R “moderates” to get on board with this bill. There had been $130B already in place for this, which was never going to be enough. But now the extra $8B makes this a much more compassionate bill and R “moderates” can feel like they got a win.
Corner Stone
There are no moderates, only monsters.
Tazj
@Barbara: This sounds like a good analysis. Hopefully, the worst of this dies there.
Duane
Billy Long’s number,4178891800.
Ohio Mom
I tried and tried. Was able to leave one message, when I called that number again later in hopes of getting a live person, the mail box was full.
I guess I will try to take comfort in the fact that they clearly know they are screwing up, else they wouldn’t be hiding like they are.
It’s going to take all my effort to be civil the rest of the day to anyone who isn’t as upset as I am.
Gotta get ready to leave the house now. See you all later.
StringOnAStick
Coffman’s local and DC line was busy, so I sent a fax and will keep trying the phone.
Stan
@Archon:
Right.
Stan
@NYCMT:
I live in the district next door to Faso. Left a message for him this morning. As others have posted, the message was ‘I’ll donate and volunteer to throw you out if you vote yes…I’m only a few miles away”. Two of his four voicemail boxes are not accepting messages.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
I used the AARP line and got through. The regular lines never seemed to work right.
Hafabee
Called my Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV). DC number wouldn’t go through, cloest local office still had “we’re closed” message up at 9:40am, Charleston (State Capitol) office at least answered. Said (as his staff always seems to) that the Rep has not made up his mind how to vote. I “implored” him to vote no, she asked why, I said “the last bill kicked 24 million people off of health insurance, this one hasn’t been scored yet but will be worse, and it does this to give a tax break to the wealthy; we are better than that as a society.” I refrained from calling him a carpetbagger (he is from, and was a Rep in, neighboring Maryland).
Corner Stone
I wonder if people who get insurance through their employer will understand what happened to them when their coverage is gutted.
Chris
@Stan:
Yep, agreed.
Also, moderation! I can haz freedom plz?
Davis X. Machina
@Stan:
@Archon:
They don’t have anything to worry about from their base.
Their base gets to vicariously participate in a great tribal victory.
Grandma’s bones are just the foundation of the newer, greater America.
That’s every bit as good as health care.
hovercraft
@PsiFighter37:
I know we have much more important things to discuss, but, what’s this number three for him? I guess this one will stick, I think three is the magic number for family values conservatives to finally get it right and make it “last”.
Tom Levenson
Just made my third call to Bruce Poliquin’s offices. He’s the R fence-sitter in ME-2. I’ve got family up there and used that as my pretext. Couldn’t get through in DC, Bangor, or Lewiston, so the very nice staffer taking calls in that mighty metropolis of Presque Isle took my message: Vote no, and enjoy 2018; vote yes and the hounds of hell will be upon him.
I take it as good that the phones were busy in the first three of four offices I tried.
Yarrow
@PsiFighter37:
Wouldn’t be at all surprised if their show’s ratings tank once they’re married.
schrodingers_cat
@hovercraft: Not to be crude but she has been acting like his ho since forever, going back as early the mid aughts. Zbig must be so proud.
Repatriated
@Corner Stone:
That’s an easy sell. Blame “The GOP healthcare reform law”, and never refer to it as repealing the ACA in the same statememt. (It can be mentioned as something separate.) Make them own everything negative about the healthcare system.
Because they’re about to buy it.
CaseyL
@Archon: None. GOP voters are tribal down to their bones, and the precious snowflake progressives are as smart as a bag of hair.
Also – I’m expecting to see laws that blatantly disenfranchise non-GOP voters. Like no polling stations in Democratic districts, massive rollback of voting rights, and GOP governors removing Democratic voters from voting lists just because they can. If you live in a red state, and you’re a Democrat, I’m betting you either won’t be able to vote in 2018 or your vote will somehow magically disappear from the count.
Davis X. Machina
@Tom Levenson:
ME-2 comes so far south that it abuts outlying Portland suburbs.
Maine’s also all one area code. Lots of cell numbers scan as ‘Portland’ but are owned all over the state.
So they’re getting swamped by people from Pingree’s district that they can’t filter out till they’re already talking to you.
(Reporting for a friend…)
Betty Cracker
@Yarrow: My rep, Vern Buchanan, is a worthless piece of shit who has already voted “yes” on Trumpcare at every opportunity and will no doubt do so today. There’s a good chance I won’t be in his district when 2018 rolls around, but I’ll still send money to his opponent regardless. He’ll probably win anyway since it’s a 20+ R district, but there are a lot of retirees in the area, so when this giant ball of shit rolls downhill and smacks into them, they’ll be motivated enough to kick that asshole out. I went to a town hall a couple of months back and was astonished by how packed and rowdy it was, with Trumpcare being issue #1. Didn’t faze ol’ Vern, evidently, but I’m hoping its a sign of the times.
The Moar You Know
@PsiFighter37: It’s all fun and games until they play a game of “rape the intern” and he accidentally kills her.
schrodingers_cat
A question to the prophets of preemptive defeat, since we have already lost in 2018 what should we do now? Commit mass suicide?
Yarrow
@CaseyL: I expect this too but I also think the indictments that are coming for Trump and co. plus GOP leadership may shake things up.
Yarrow
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
FYI for anyone who needs it: the AARP line to call is: 844-259-9352. Call that and they connect you through to your Congressperson when you enter your zip code. People are reporting they are picking up AARP calls. Maybe it comes through as an AARP call and they can see that?
tom
I called my rep, Debbie Dingell (D-MI), at her Washington line and got right through. They nice guy who answered assured that she will vote no, and thanked me for my support.
I think it’s important for reps on the right side of this issue to hear from supporters.
rikyrah
For all the comfortable people with Employer Based Insurance, sitting back, and thinking that Trumpcare has nothing to do with you..
YOU.ARE.WRONG.
They snuck into it where YOUR coverage can be gutted TOO.
Elizabelle
@schrodingers_cat: thank you for saying that. Too many Eeyores, and I start thinking “I gotta wean myself off Balloon Juice.”
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@Yarrow: Don’t know, but I never got through using the numbers from the Congress critter websites. My Congress critter is a Tea Partier so I’m sure he would rather not answer the phone.
Betty Cracker
@rikyrah: You’re right. TPM has a primer on how Trumpcare can screw workers with employer-based insurance here.
schrodingers_cat
@Betty Cracker: The troll who used to call himself corporate cash or something similar is here, he can’t contain his glee and is in need of a ban hammer.
Kthx.
Yarrow
I can’t get through to any of the Republican offices. All busy signals. Have they turned off the phones?
Mnemosyne
I hope the “pro-life” voters I know are proud of their votes now. Sure, millions of people will lose their health insurance and thousands will die, but the baybeez! are more important than actual living humans.
Mnemosyne
@schrodingers_cat:
IIRC, he got himself a permaban for racist and transphobic comments. Looks like he just couldn’t resist us anymore.
schrodingers_cat
@Mnemosyne: Pro-life voters like most religious busybodies (of any religion from the Taliban to the RSS wallahs in India) only care about control over women, everything else is just window dressing.
bupalos
David Joyce’s (OH-10) regional office is taking calls. Won’t tell you his position of course, but he was a late no last time.
(440) 352-3939
Betty Cracker
@Mnemosyne: Saw this on Twitter yesterday:
Yep. Pretty much.
SiubhanDuinne
My Congresscritter’s DC line is constantly busy, but I again had no problem getting through to voicemail at his district office, and left him a detailed message (third this week). Hope some intern is regularly monitoring that voicemail and conveying the count to his DC office.
Juju
Have they voted yet?
schrodingers_cat
@Juju: 1pm is the scheduled vote.
rikyrah
@Yarrow:
It’s not just health insurance.
It’s grandma/grandpa in the nursing home.
It’s families with disabled children/disabled adults
It’s services to special ed children
rikyrah
@low-tech cyclist:
I am not on twitter either, and it took my awhile to get hip to as to how I could read it without being on it.
Juju
@schrodingers_cat: thanks. My mother was under the impression that the vote had taken place already.
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
@rikyrah: As I always say people have no idea how any of this stuff works and how much they benefit. But goddamn, they can tell you how many interceptions some stupid quarterback threw this year.
Joe Falco
Just called my congressweasel Tom Graves’ office and talked to the nice lady who answered. She took my information down, but I’m under no delusion that Graves will do anything useful for the living today and vote No.
No One of Consequence
Called Congressman David Young’s local office. All circuits were busy for about 5 minutes when I tried. Then tried again, got to a staffer. Was told after the 8 billion nod towards high risk pool bs, that he was comfortable supporting the bill.
I told them I was a registered voter in his district. I was pleased that he decided not to vote for the previous attempt at this, and that if he voted yes for this bill, that I would actively, passionately, earnestly and loudly seek his removal from office.
I was outraged that he would vote for a bill, affecting over a 5th of the economy of the US, without knowing what the impacts would be. I let her know I was furious to learn this. Left my name and address.
– NOoC
Davey C
Welp, I finally managed to A) get somebody from Rep. Lee Zeldin’s (R) district office on the phone and B) find out that he is probably going to vote yes. Told the (very polite) staff person that if he does vote yes, I will do my best to see him removed from office.
middlelee
Phoned Doug LaMalfa’s (Repeb, CA, District 1) office three times. First two times I was cut off as soon as they heard why I was calling. Third time I got a recording saying the mailbox was full. Of course I’ll be giving money to whoever runs against him.
Juju
Finally got through and Walter B. Jones is voting no. I said thanks and I’ve put messages out to friends and family to call.
frosty
Called the local office for Scott Perry for the 3rd time. When they ask for name and address do they check to see if you’ve called before? Does it do any good to call multiple times?
TexanHombre
First time poster. I just moved into R Rep ‘Smoky’ Joe Barton’s district last month. I’ve gotten through to his office yesterday and today. The lady who answered the phone both times sounded absolutely miserable. I have empathy, but not a shred of sympathy.
Juju
@frosty: Have everyone you know in your district call as well.
Hellbastard
I called my rep, Jodey Arrington (Texas 19th). Spoke with an aid and told him to pass along a message to vote against this monstrosity because it’s worse than the last bill and that I’m tired of having to make these phone calls.It’s a pretty red district so I’m not sure how much impact these calls will have but at least I can say I tried.
I’m actually leaving the district in a week though. WIll call Washington State’s 5th district home. AIm to to be a thorn in the side of Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
terraformer
Called Jim Sensenbrenner’s office to implore that he vote no. He’s a pretty reliable R vote for whatever the party wants, but I hope that a few calls from this *very* red district telling him he should vote otherwise may help him and others to think twice. Sometimes it helps to call anyway, even if the Rep is in a safe seat like this guy is.