Bernie Sanders fired up a crowd at Morgantown, WV this afternoon, slamming the Trumpcare Bill. He appreciated everyone who came out to the rally and standing up for justice, decency, and dignity. He also thanked them for standing up for democracy, to demand to have a government that represents everybody, not just the 1%.
Before getting to the centerpiece of the speech, he thanked several organizations for putting on the event: Mountaineers for Progress, Credo, Our Revolution, MoveOn, and the Daily Kos.
(video courtesy of Our Revolution, shout out to DK is at 28:49 mark)
Sanders spoke about 45 minutes, also thanked the four speakers for their courage to speak out about their own personal and professional issues related to the provision of health care before he took the stage. According to the Dominion Post, one of them was Emily Chilko, an addiction counselor.
Emily Chilko, an addiction counselor at Chestnut Ridge, said the ACA made getting treatment easier. Prior to the bill, many drug users seeking treatment were turned away simply for not being poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or because their insurance did not cover addiction treatment.
“When the ACA passed it was like a life preserver in the middle of the opioid crisis,” Chilko said.
Sanders pointed out that their stories were similar to millions of others in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other places, and what this terrible legislation would do to them if it were passed. From the Dominion Post:
Sen. Sanders Slams GOP Health Care Bill at Morgantown Rally
Twenty-three million Americans would lose insurance coverage if the bill were to pass, Sanders said. In West Virginia alone, 122,000 would lose coverage. It would bring the total number of uninsured Americans to over 50 million, almost doubling the number.
He urged Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to vote against the bill, which he called a “deeply immoral piece of legislation.”
“This is not a health care bill,” Sanders said. “What is amounts to, is a massive transfer of wealth from the working class of this country to the wealthiest people in America.”
Sanders said that Republican leadership in Washington, D.C., is scrambling to get the 50 required votes to pass the bill. He asked Capito not to fall for it. Her vote could make all the difference, only three Republican senators need to vote no to kill the bill, he said.
He also admonished the way the bill was crafted in secret, and the fact that no doctors or health officials were consulted regarding the bill.
Half of Americans don’t know what’s in the bill, according to polls.
This rally was significant because he ventured into a state that carried Trump by 42 points. But that’s not the only reason. From the Associated Press, as carried by Island Packet:
Sanders, an independent and former presidential candidate who caucuses with Democrats, ventured into a stronghold for President Donald Trump in making his case against the GOP health care bill. His appearance came as Congress prepares to reconvene after its July 4 recess.
Sanders acknowledged that Obama's signature health care law "is far from perfect," but said Congress should focus on improving it, not destroying it.
Trump, who carried West Virginia by 42 points in last November's election, has been outspoken in wanting to repeal and replace Obama's health care law. But West Virginia is also one of the poorest and sickest states in the country, relying heavily on Obama's 2010 health overhaul.
Capito played a role in halting the GOP health care plan before the holiday recess. She was among at least a dozen Republican senators who publicly opposed or expressed qualms about it, forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to abruptly postpone a vote.
Sanders echoed a similar message to Mitch McConnell in Covington, KY a couple hours later to a crowd of 2000 while 235K watched on Facebook. From the Cincinnati Inquirer:
More than 2,000 people showed up at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, including the Covington Mayor, who introduced Sanders, I-VT.
Sanders and the crowd wanted to send a message to Republicans, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in his home state.
That message: Don't destroy the Affordable Care Act.
Sanders lambasted the proposed Republican health care bill that would repeal the ACA, also known as Obamacare.
"I beg Sen. McConnell to listen to the organizations at the forefront of medicine who oppose this disastrous legislation," Sanders said on Sunday.
“We’re here today to say that we’re going to do everything possible to make sure this legislation never passes,” Sanders said. It is immoral to throw millions off health insurance just to give a tax break to the rich who don’t need it.
I’m glad Bernie Sanders has West Virginians and Kentuckians’ backs. And the Daily Kos has his.