Before, I describe this urgent new project, I want you to understand what this fight is about.
It's about providing small business owners across this nation with the ability to provide their employees affordable healthcare.
We as a nation, can decide to do nothing. Why not? Seems that's what we're very good at. If we take that path, millions of small business owners (the um, backbone of our economy), will be forced to drop their already very meagre healthcare benefits.
This is unacceptable.
[Update] Paul Krugman is very worried. This was posted this morning on his blog, Conscience of a Liberal.
The citzen activists Krugman is talking about are you and me. The fate of healthcare reform rests with us.
Obama messes up on health care, big time
Really bad news on the health care front. After making the case for a public option, and doing it very well, Obama said this:
"We have not drawn lines in the sand other than that reform has to control costs and that it has to provide relief to people who don’t have health insurance or are underinsured," Mr. Obama said. "Those are the broad parameters that we’ve discussed."
There he goes again, gratuitously making a big gift to the other side.
. . .Maybe there’s a way to recover from this. But it’s up to the health reform activists to stiffen the administration’s spine. Obama may be satisfied with "broad parameters" — but the rest of us aren’t, and have to make that known.
Returning to small business owners:
This is ReShonda Young, a small business owner, as she says in her testimony, "desperately trying to provide health care for our employees." Ms. Young traveled to Washington yesterday, (on her own dime probably), to testify before the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Despite the fact that we have a Democratic Congress, a great president and we're tantalizingly close to a 60 vote filibuster proof majority in the Senate, we're still talking about if, not when we'll pass real healthcare reform. This is a tragic commentary on the quality of Democrats we continue to elect and is an issue we must revisit at a later date.
So, you and I need to focus on votes. Where they are, and how to squeeze the recalcitrant.
There are few people more revered in progressive circles than Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake. When Jane calls, you listen.
Jane called, and I listened. I hope you too will listen and join this new and urgent project for authentic and robust healthcare reform.
Before I go any further, please remember we're in a very vicious endgame. All that matters now are votes from Congresspeople and Senators-- committed votes for a bill which will include an authentic public plan.
And this is Rep. Raul Grijalva taking the Whip Count Pledge. This is the face of a great American hero. Thank you, Rep. Grijalva.
I've done my best to put the human face on our healthcare catastrophe for many years now. Today that face belongs to ReShonda Young. While I will never, ever abandon this, temporarily, we all need to focus relentless attention on those we elect to do our business. Because when we look away, they stuff money in their campaign coffers and forget they represent us.
The House of Representatives Healthcare Whip Count Project
This healthcare whip count project will take place on The Campaign Silo on Firedoglake. I'll be posting there and I hope you'll participate because this can only work with huge citizen participation. All Hands on Board!
And the media is already taking note of Jane's inspired work.
Here's Jane's description of how the Whip Vote Count works:
There are 178 Republicans in the House. A House majority is 218. If all of the Republicans vote against something, as they indicate they will on health care, then any 40 Democrats banding together can control the passage of a bill (218 - 178 = 40).
Stated another way: if 40 Democrats in the House say they will not vote for any health care bill that does not have a strong public plan, then they have the same power that a Ben Nelson or an Evan Bayh has had in the Senate to determine the outcome--when every vote was needed to pass something. Every commitment we get in excess of that 40 makes the commitment even more powerful.
We need to get progressive members of Congress to commit that they will not vote for any bill or conference report that does not have a robust public plan that is:
- available nationwide
- available on day one
- and accountable to Congress and the voters
Here's our Public Plan Whip Tool, with our Hot 100 Progressives in Congress and their phone numbers. Please call their offices and let us know what you hear on the form provided there.
We will be writing about this every day over on FDL's Campaign Silo. Just as we did during the Supplemental, we'll publish a chart of where members stand each morning, in addition to moment-by-moment news updates and what people are hearing when they call various offices. You can follow updates on Twitter.
And here's the BEST news: we'll be working with Eve Gittelson (nyceve from Daily Kos), who will be joining us over at the Silo and posting updates there, as well as on Kos. Dave Meyer and Marisa McNee from Save the Rich will also be helping us out.
. . .One hundred members of Congress standing together and demanding a public plan that is a) available nationwide, b) from day one and c) accountable to Congress and the voters can keep Blue Cross from making this nothing more than an insurance industry bailout.
Here again is a link to the Whip Count on-line tool. It will be continually updated based on what you report.
I'll restate how the project works in even simpler terms than Jane.
- There are 435 members of Congress, 178 Republicans.
- 218 votes is a majority - law is passed.
- You can take it to the bank there will be 178 Republican votes against healthcare reform especially if it contains a robust public option.
- 40 progressive Democrats committed to voting against a House/Senate conference bill which does not contain a strong public option, becomes a very powerful block of votes.
Let me say a word to those of you beginning to feel a bit worn out or ragged around the edges. YOU CANNOT STAND DOWN, NOT TODAY, NOT TOMORROW AND NOT NEXT WEEK. Remember the brave Americans who have faced illness and died due to our corrupt and lawless for-profit healthcare system. The opposition is fierce and has drawn a bloody line in the sand, please help defeat them.
Change is more than a word or a slogan. Change is a battle which sends you to bed many nights wounded, hurting and sometimes in despair. But you get up the next morning, to fight another day for what you believe is just and right.
The status quo is circling us and you can expect vicious incoming artillary. This is all the more reason why we will only savor victory if everyone, steps up for this take-no-prisoners fight.
Here's what we're battling.
Just so you understand how heavily the cards are stacked against the American people, take a good look at this. The battle is between money and the needs of the people. And Max Baucus is the poster boy politician with a heavily compromised soul.
Mr. Baucus, respond to Reshonda Young!