We're all geared up for tomorrow. Today is bound to bring breathless leak after breathless leak. So let's just ignore the roller coaster and keep up the pressure on the Senate, shall we?
I got a petition email today from Move On. The petition reads as follows:
The petition reads: "We can't afford to delay health care reform with a trigger. The Senate must pass legislation with a national public health insurance option that's available immediately."
Speaking of follow, let's go down there for actiony goodness!
Here is the link for the petition:
http://pol.moveon.org/...
Please send it to everybody on your lists! They are also producing a new ad. You can donate to get it on the air here. They have also presented this as part of the email:
* Our health care system is in crisis now. A trigger could unnecessarily delay a public health insurance option for years—or kill it entirely by delaying it indefinitely. Thousands of families in Oregon lack insurance coverage2 and they can't afford to wait for the increased competition and lower costs a public option would deliver.
* Insurance companies are masters at gaming the system—we've all seen how they avoid paying out claims and covering people who are sick. If they know what criteria would trigger the creation of a public option, they'll do just enough to avoid the trigger, without changing the way they do business.
* Congress has tried to implement triggers and other "fallback" options in health care legislation before, and they've consistently failed. As one study put it, "History teaches us that trigger mechanisms are difficult to implement, too narrow in their focus, and can too easily be reversed if the political landscape changes."
Those are excellent talking points for letters to the editor. Of course, if the vote is tomorrow, they won't be effective in that, but we will need to keep fighting for the BEST bill possible all the way through reconciliation. So start yourself a notes file and watch what happens tomorrow - the fodder for letters should get super interesting shortly after the vote.
For tomorrow, though, we need to keep up the pressure on our recalcitrant Senators. They need to understand just how serious this all is, especially good ol' Blanche, who's up for re-election here in 2010. Without further ado:
The problem children:
Lieberman - lots of filthy lucre, wife in bed with team lucre, massive support for public option among constituents
Landrieu - lots of filthy lucre, general cluelessness
Lincoln - lots of filthy lucre, massive support for public option among constituents, up for re-election in 2010
Nelson (NE) - severe general cluelessness, strange obsession with Snowe
Snowe - strange obsession with self, massive support for public option among constituents,up for re-election in 2012
Bayh - lots of filthy lucre, wife in bed with team lucre, but rumored to have come to his senses, still needs encouragement
Baucus - lots of filthy lucre, still Baucus * sigh *
Conrad - still fairly clueless, but rumored to have come to his senses, still needs encouragement
Hagan - lots of filthy lucre, massive support for public option among constituents
The toll-free numbers for House and Senate:
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-866-311-3405
And the irreverant words of the inimitable Adam Ant:
We're the dandy highwaymen so tired of excuses
Of deep meaning philosophies where only showbiz loses
We're the dandy highwaymen and here's our invitation
Throw your safety overboard and join our insect nation
Stand and deliver your money or your life!
Try and use a mirror no bullet or a knife!
And even though you fool your souls
Your conscience will be mine, all mine