As predictably as Pavlov's dogs, the GOoPers in Congress are fighting tooth and nail against any meaningful health care reform. We've heard some bad ideas from the good ones, some worse ideas from the bad ones and some downright asinine statements from the worst ones.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of many, many, kossacks, we have lists and we're checking them thrice and we bloody well know who's naughty and nice. But thanks to the tireless self-absorption of Senators like Olympia "Trigger" Snowe (definitely naughty), the reform we truly need is very much in danger.
And when I get cranky mad, I consult with my inner überbrat. So follow me and the golden apple below the fold to find out what she said...
She patiently reminded me that the one and only thing we could count on from our Congresscritters -- the one line they would not cross -- was protecting their own pampered arses. So the obvious step, then, was to map each member of the I-got-mine-so-screw-you Posse to the re-election cycle. Wheeee! Totally poaching infoz from slinkerwink's lovely action diaries, I have slaved, toiled and struggled with Word and Firefox to bring you Operation I Wouldn't Try It if I Were You!, in which we remind our Congresscritters just how close to retirement they could be if they underestimate popular support for comprehensive health care reform that has, at minimum, a Public Option for coverage.
It is also fun to point out how truly eye-opening Senator Baucus' town hall meeting with his constituents was and recommend that they do the same. Can they really afford to underestimate support for single payer, what with their election right around the corner and all? Recruit for and set up a local calling campaign to insist your senator conduct such a meeting. Tell him or her that hearing the views of the people on this is imperative.
This will, in essence, double-dog dare your senator to ignore constituents and puts them in a really unenviable position. They will have to either meet with their constituents and acknowledge the broad support for sweeping reform or...ignore their constituents. And do they really want to so that, what with their election right around the corner and all?
Lovely career you've got there, Mr./Mrs. Congressperson...be a shame if anything were to happen to it.
So I have listed Congresscritters below, with their reelection years. Some of them, obviously, need more prodding than others, so unless he/she has come out on the wrong side of the issue, let's just encourage support, with polite and gentle reminders, if needed, of the reelection cycle. As for the naughty ones, they need to be reduced to quivering puddles of feargoo, terrified they might have to actually start contemplating life post-Congress. And while the focus really needs to be on Congress right now, it never hurts to remind Obama what flavor the Kool-Aid is:
White House at: 202-456-1111; email
Toll Free Numbers For The Senate, House, And White House:
Capitol Hill 800-828-0498
1-800-828-0498
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-877-851-6437
Also please to be calling these three chairmen in the House of Representatives -- more of the good guys. Make sure they know the support is out there:
Ways and Means Committee Chair Charlie Rangel (202) 225-3625)
Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (202) 225-2927)
Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller (202) 225-3725)
Without further ado, the Naughty or nice, do they really want to roll those dice? list:
Finance Cmt. Dems/ Reelection
Senators to be Prodded
Max Baucus 2014
Charles Schumer 2010
Edward Kennedy 2012
John Rockefeller 2014
Kent Conrad 2012
Jeff Bingaman 2012
John Kerry 2014
Blanche Lincoln 2010
Debbie Stabenow 2012
Maria Cantwell 2012
Bill Nelson 2012
Robert Menendez 2012
Thomas Carper 2012
Ron Wyden 2010
Senate HELP Cmt / Reelection
More Prodding
Christopher Dodd 2010
Tom Harkin 2014
Barbara A. Mikulski 2010
Patty Murray 2010
Jack Reed 2014
Bernard Sanders 2014
Sherrod Brown 2012
Robert P. Casey, Jr. 2012
Kay Hagan 2014
Jeff Merkley 2014
Judd Gregg 2010
Lamar Alexander 2014
Richard Burr 2010
Johnny Isakson 2010
Lisa Murkowski 2010
Tom Coburn, M.D. 2010
Pat Roberts 2014
Letter Signers/ Reelection
Finance Cmt. GOoPers
Chuck Grassley 2010
Mike Enzi 2014
Orrin Hatch 2012
Jon Kyl 2012
Jim Bunning 2010
Mike Crapo 2010
Pat Roberts 2014
John Ensign 2014
Box Turtle Cornyn 2014
Wall of Shame / Reelection
Olympia Snowe 2012
Mitch McConnell 2014
Lieberputz 2012
Harry Reid 2010
Arlen Specter 2010
John McCain 2010
Mary Landrieu 2014
House Blue Dogs 2010
Call every last one of those blue dog dingii - seems they're up to no good:
Centrist House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are working together privately on healthcare reform.
The talks have been so secretive and politically sensitive that some members interviewed by The Hill refused to name other legislators involved in the bipartisan effort.
Members of the centrist GOP "Tuesday Group," the New Democrat Coalition and the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition have been discussing both the policies and politics of moving their middle-of-the-road ideas in a body of Congress usually dominated by liberal or conservative ideology.
The other hyperlinks above lead to background info on the various naughty behaviors observed. Here is the skinny on the "Letter Signers," the Grassley Nine, who signed onto this piece of tripe:
A group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to President Barack Obama declaring their opposition to including a government-run plan in a health-care overhaul, saying it would be a "federal government takeover" of the health system.
"Creating a brand-new government program will not only worsen our long-term financial outlook but also negatively impact American families who enjoy the private coverage of their choice," said the letter from nine Republicans who are working on bipartisan health-care legislation.
The wish-it-was-surprising part?
Washington, D.C. – The nine Republican Senators who sent a letter today to President Barack Obama to express their opposition to a central part of his health care plan have benefited greatly from health care and insurance industry donations, a new analysis from Public Campaign Action Fund shows.
The Senators have collectively taken $17.7 million from insurance and health care interests, according to data analyzed at the Center for Responsive Politics website, opensecrets.org. That amounts to nearly $2 million per Senator over their careers.
I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you! Enough is efuckingnough. Please join me in Operation I Wouldn't Try It if I Were You! and let these fools know that no matter how much money the insurance leech lobby pays them, we are still their bosses, but not for long if they keep this up.