July 10, 2009
Here's what needs your immediate attention.
But before I go any further, if you think the stakes aren't quite high enough, I urge you to read what Karen Tumulty is reporting in TIME Magazine. This is what I would call a Holy Shit piece.
Whip Count Project - your work is getting noticed and not everyone is happy, that's a good thing, politicians like to fly under the radar, especially when it involves, oh um, standing on principle.
Emanuel Cleaver II from the 5th Congressional District of Missouri took the pledge. No fuss, no muss, no stalls, no doubletalk, just doing the business of the people.
And if you're so inclined to thank these good people, we've put up an Act Blue fund raising page for Health Care Heroes, we will add Congresspeople to it, as they take the pledge.
Now, please read Jane Hamsher's update on Carolyn Maloney.
Okay, let's contrast Emanuel Cleaver with Carolyn Maloney.
The other day I contacted the office of Carolyn Maloney. Ms. Maloney plans on challenging Kirsten Gillibrand. That's fine, but right now, she needs to step up to the plate on healthcare, the most important legislation of our generation. And if she does, I can guarantee she'll make a bunch of friends in New York.
I spoke for a nanosecond to her not-the-nicest-person-in-the-world press rep. Jon Houston. He told me to send him an email with my request, which I did.
Sorry Jon, but Americans are fucking dying, they need healthcare and they need it fucking yesterday. I don't give a rat's ass about your manners, I only care that I got a brush off about such an intensely urgent matter.
I'm bothering you, Jon, for Americans like Lisa DeWaal.
Real estate agent Lisa DeWaal serves coffee at a Starbucks outlet for four hours every morning before she goes to the office to start her "day job."
The reason has little to do with the state of the housing market and everything to do with the one big perk that 20 hours a week at the coffee counter provides: affordable health insurance for her and her three children.
While health experts say there are no statistics available, analysts say there are many Americans like DeWaal: people who have taken or stick to a job just for the health insurance.
It is a situation most Europeans, Canadians and others who enjoy national health services would find bewildering if not appalling and is one factor fueling the drive to reform the hugely expensive U.S. healthcare system.
http://dailyme.com/...
Okay, I got that off my chest.
Here was the email I sent:
Dear Jon-
As per my conversation with you this morning, this is to request that you advise us of whether Carolyn Maloney will agree to pledge to vote against any House health bill that does not contain a strong public option, available to all Americans on day one.
Here is more information about the Whip Count.
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/...
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/...
Jane Hamsher the founder of Firedoglake is spearheading this project. If you have any questions, as I tried to tell you this morning, you can call me and I'd be most happy to go into the importance of the project in greater detail.
If you read Daily Kos, you will know me as nyceve. I will be writing about Ms. Maloney's Whip Count decision on Daily Kos and Firedoglake, so we need a clear understanding of her position.
If she will take the pledge, Jane or one of her staff will come to your office to videotape her.
I do hope we will hear back from you at your earliest convenience.
PS. I'm copying Jane Hamsher and her colleagues on this email.
Here was his response. Again, none of us should tolerate any brush offs. I repeat, people are dying, they need healthcare. God damnit, these people work for us.
Message to Congressional staff: giving your emails, strikes me as a standard business practice--not something you can decide to do if you're feeling so inclined. In this case, I wear three hats, I'm a taxpayer, a constituent and a blogger, making a very reasonable request.
Hey, Eve--
Sorry about before was just in a rush in the runup to this hearing I needed to escort a reporter to.
To have the phone ring after I’d said to pass on my email to you (which I don’t do lightly!) was a puzzlement.
I will attempt to get you a reply today.
cheers
jh
Surprise, surprise. We haven't heard anything.
So Carolyn Maloney needs to hear from you. Could you please give her a call?! Maybe you want to put Ms. Maloney on your speed dial. Thanks.
Call her office and find out whether she will take the pledge. 202.225.7944 DC, 212-860-0606 Manhattan, 718-932-1804 Queens.
Moving right along.
The markup which we believe will begin next week, though there are some rumblings that it may get delayed.
It was explained to me, in very general terms, what really happens during this process, and it's rather ugly. Basically the bill is reviewed in its entirety. Amendments are added, language is changed. Changing one word, say the word, "shall" to "will", for example, can have huge consequences.
Lobbyists attempt to take every seat in the room. As the bill is debated, they blackberry Congressional staffers with their objections (the objections of the industry they represent), which the staffers then relay to the Congresspeople (doing the people's business). So this is where the pedal meets the metal. This is the place where the special interests get in their last licks.
How do lobbyists get all the seats in the room? They pay people (naturally), to wait on line starting very early in the morning, to assure them of a seat.
We would like to organize people who live in or near Washington to come to the markups and stand in line ahead of the lobbyists and the people they pay to stand there for them. Jane Hamsher will have more details on this, when the date the markup will begin is finalized.