UPDATEx3: Major Catholic Newspaper Endorses Bill, Challenges Bishops

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday March 18, 2010 · 8:33 PM PDT

2010/03/18 · 20:33

This time, the National Catholic Reporter. While acknowledging imperfections in the bill, the editors of The Reporter urge passage of the health care reform bill in fairly emphatic terms:

The choice Congress faces is between the status quo and change -- and the current bill is a profoundly preferable step in the direction of positive change. The legislation will lower costs, not only for individuals and small businesses currently burdened by rising premiums, but for the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which threaten to strangle the federal budget. It will extend health care coverage to 30 million Americans who currently lack it. Finally, a society that covers most of its citizens will be a society more likely to eventually cover everyone -- our immigrant brothers and sisters included.

The editorial is very, very good - and a little juicy. I'd encourage you to read it in its entirety.

UPDATES AT BOTTOM:
-Additional endorsement from Commonweal Magazine.
-Developments in vote status for prolife Dems.
-Endorsement of a former bishop

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 15, 2010 · 9:20 PM PDT

2010/03/15 · 21:20

...in spite of the objections and complaints of those who'd rather wait around for that mythic, ever-alluring mirage of "something better."

I feel very strongly about this bill. I know it's not perfect. I fought for the public option alongside many of you. But I think this is a VERY significant step forward, even if it doesn't have everything we want or everything we need. It's a start, and the very act of passing it will make it a little easier to pass other related improvements in the future.

Plus, it provides insurance coverage to more than 30 million people who otherwise either couldn't afford it or couldn't qualify. That's pretty damn amazing. And hardly insignificant.

I'm not feeling particularly articulate tonight, so I thought I'd put together some thoughts and exhortations from a few liberals who are much smarter and more experienced than I am.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday March 13, 2010 · 7:19 PM PST

2010/03/13 · 19:19

With so much Stupak in the news lately, it's refreshing to see major developments over the past 24 hours in Catholic/Christian support for the health care reform bill.

First, from Catholic hospitals, as reported by WaPo:

A group representing Catholic hospitals Saturday rallied behind President Barack Obama's health care bill ahead of a House vote in which anti-abortion lawmakers could play a decisive role.

The chief executive of the Catholic Health Association, Carol Keehan, wrote on the group's Web site that although the legislation isn't perfect, it represents a "major first step" toward covering all Americans and would make "great improvements" for millions of people.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday March 12, 2010 · 1:09 PM PST

2010/03/12 · 13:09

Thankfully, it very well could be. Or so suggests Congressional Quarterly via OpenLeft. They cite four Democrats who were rumored to be Stupak allies and are now showing at least a little bit of light between themselves and him.

Here's the first:

Charlie Wilson, D-Ohio, who in November supported a Stupak-sponsored abortion amendment to the House-passed health care package (HR 3962) and passage of the amended bill, is among those who has reconsidered his position. He said Thursday he is willing to vote for the Senate bill. Wilson said that while he would welcome any additional guarantee that no federal funds would be used to pay for abortions, he will not withhold his support if the bill is not changed.

"I'm opposed to abortion, and I think the language in there is pretty clear that it is not something that pays for abortion," he said.

Hat tip to jpmassar's recent diary for this news. More potential independence from Stupak below!

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday March 10, 2010 · 6:38 PM PST

2010/03/10 · 18:38

Apologize for the short diary, but there's another important diary drifting down the right rail. Would be great if we can get it on the rec list!

The diary includes news on talks between Stupak and Waxman, taking place right now, plus critical action items:
http://www.dailykos.com/...

Please click through, take action, and rec up... :)

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday December 18, 2009 · 9:48 AM PST

2009/12/18 · 09:48

The past week has been frustrating. The bill has been watered down, and many of us are extremely unhappy about it. There's been lots of anger around here, even despondency. The latter doesn't mix well with activism.

I was thinking it would be great if we could channel our energies toward taking immediate action, trying to make improvements to the bill that will still keep the process on track. Or even just steps that will keep it from getting weaker.

One thing we could do? Contact Olympia Snowe. Now.

Contrary to the tentativeness she presents in interviews, I believe she's very much in play. So too, apparently, does the president.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 07, 2009 · 1:32 PM PDT

2009/10/07 · 13:32

The CBO is FINALLY out with its score for the Finance committee bill, as amended last week. It comes in well under the $900 billion target stipulated by the president in his joint session speech a few weeks ago.

From Politico:

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the amended Baucus bill will cost $829 billion over 10 years. The CBO estimated the original bill would cost $774 billion over the next decade.

There's a lot that's still problematic with the Baucus proposal, but we should be able to make some important fixes after the bill advances out of Finance.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 10, 2009 · 9:40 PM PDT

2009/08/10 · 21:40

Ezra Klein of the Washington Post interviewed right-wing senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) yesterday, and asked him a few questions about his work on advance planning and end-of-life issues.

Isakson is one of the senators who offered end-of-life provisions for the health care bill that came out of the HELP committee a few weeks back. (Imagine that: At least one senate committee has actually done its job.)

Here's what Isakson had to say about Sarah Palin's laughable claims about "death panels" and her special needs child:

I just had a phone call where someone said Sarah Palin's web site had talked about the House bill having death panels on it where people would be euthanized. How someone could take an end of life directive or a living will as that is nuts. You're putting the authority in the individual rather than the government. I don't know how that got so mixed up.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday August 06, 2009 · 11:03 AM PDT

2009/08/06 · 11:03

Check this out. It's a video at My Left Nutmeg, showing a man clearly affiliated with the insurance company Anthem, protesting health care reform at the meeting held yesterday by Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy.

The audaciousness is pretty breathtaking, wouldn't you say?

Update: Thanks to ctblogger at My Left Nutmeg for capturing the footage.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday July 31, 2009 · 10:27 AM PDT

2009/07/31 · 10:27

According to The Note over at ABC News, there might be some real meat to the rumors that rank-and-file Senate Democrats and party leadership may throw in the towel on Max Baucus' super-secret, interminable bipartisan talks.

With the health care bill languishing in the Senate and under fire in the House, Democratic leaders are quietly preparing for Plan B.

Under the scenario now being discussed, bi-partisan talks would be aborted and parliamentary maneuvers used to force the bill through with a party-line vote.

And an inside source is quoted:

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., still has time to try to work out a deal with his Republican counterpart Chuck Grassley, but fellow Democrats are growing restless.

"There’s rising disgruntlement with how Baucus has handled this," a senior Democratic aide tells ABC News. "We have to look at other options."

Let's hope this is true. For our part, we might be able to exert real pressure in forcing our leaders to take a stand - and sooner rather than later.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday July 30, 2009 · 1:20 PM PDT

2009/07/30 · 13:20

According to this Politico article, that's what Mike Enzi said today. He declared a "train wreck" the slow, methodical work he and the five other senators on the bipartisan coalition of the Senate Finance committee have undertaken.

Do those sound like the words of someone negotiating in good faith? That is, to anyone but Max Baucus?

"We're trying to do some really crazy stuff on a really short time frame," Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), a member of the Finance committee, said Thursday. "This is a train wreck."

This, after the Democratic members of that coalition have agreed to major concessions that significantly weaken the bill: regional co-ops, no employer mandate, etc.

The real "train wreck" here is that Baucus has given so much power to Enzi and Chuck Grassley, two senators who have little if any incentive to produce a good bill, or any bill at all.

I fear that our activism today is exclusively focused on the House, when at least incremental progress is being made there.

We've got to put pressure on members of Senate Finance. Now.

itskevin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday July 28, 2009 · 2:13 PM PDT

2009/07/28 · 14:13

I just caught this bit of news via bruh1's diary, and it burned me up.

From Congressional Quarterly:

The Blue Dog revolt against the House leadership’s health care overhaul took a new turn Tuesday morning, when a several members of the centrist faction made overtures to House Republicans about joining forces to slow and reshape the bill.

Republican aides said there was great interest among GOP lawmakers in trying to work with dissidents in the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition to try to stop the legislation.

It's pretty clear now that the Blue Dogs on the Energy & Commerce committee are not negotiating in good faith, but are instead throwing up hurdles to get a floor vote delayed until after the break.

I think we should call on Nancy Pelosi - at some point in the near future - to bypass the Energy & Commerce committee and bring the bill to the floor. We can't let supposed Democrats derail reform.

Newer
Older

RSS

UPDATEx3: Major Catholic Newspaper Endorses Bill, Challenges Bishops

Why Health Care Reform Must Pass...

Take That, Bart Stupak: Catholic Orgs Rally Behind Reform Bill

Stupak Bloc Crumbling? Plus Call to Action

Stupak/HCR Negotiations Ongoing NOW - Action Needed

Olympia Snowe is in play?

CBO score comes in under $900B; REDUCES deficit by $81B UPDATED

Republican senator calls Sarah Palin "nuts" (Updated)

Anthem Rep Protests at CT Town Hall, Denies Sponsorship

ABC News: Dem Party Leadership May Abandon Baucus Talks UPDATED

Mike Enzi: "This is a train wreck."

Nancy, bring the bill to the floor