Harry Reid has spoken. Barack Obama has spoken. Chris Dodd and Max Baucus have spoken. We now know the basic structure of the health care legislation that will go to the Senate floor soon.
And not a moment too soon. This work took most of 2009. If Olympia Snowe has her way, it will take all of 2009 and some change:
Well, Christmas might be too soon," Snowe told Bloomberg's Al Hunt in an interview that will air throughout the weekend. "Well, you know, there's always that possibility. I know that's not what the president prefers."
More below the fold.
Snowe framed her comments as a stance for responsibility and deliberation, rather than obstruction and evasion of duty.
She stressed the need to give the bill "the time it deserves," something she has routinely said during negotiations.
"[The American people] don't want it put on a fast track. They want us to give it the thought it needs and requires, and that's why I've tried to slow the process down," she said
Funny, the polling of the American people I've seen all year indicates Americans want health reform NOW; the more than 340,000 calls to Congress last week is further evidence that public opinion is not what the senior senator from Maine says it is.
We have waited long enough. It is time for action. It is time for the Senate to do its job and give the American people the health reform we have needed for decades.
Speaking of action....there are actions we (the people) can take to pressure our elected representatives to vote for cloture on the bill and let it get to a floor vote. All those calls we made last week? We can make more. And add faxes and letters as well. Senators on the fence or resistant to the bill need to hear from their constituents over and over again. We have had enough of slowing the process down. We have waited too many years for reform. It is time to ask Senator Snowe and her colleagues whether she stands for or against health reform.
If you live in Maine, here is how to get in touch with Senator Snowe:
Auburn State Office:
Two Great Falls Plaza
Suite 7B
Auburn, ME 04210
Main: (207) 786-2451
Fax: (207) 782-1438
Augusta State Office:
Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building
40 Western Avenue
Room 408C
Augusta, ME 04330
Main: (207) 622-8292
Fax: (207) 622-7295
Bangor State Office:
One Cumberland Place
Suite 306
Bangor, ME 04401
Main: (207) 945-0432
Fax: (207) 941-9525
Biddeford State Office:
227 Main Street
Biddeford, ME 04005
Main: (207) 282-4144
Fax: (207) 284-2358
Portland State Office:
3 Canal Plaza
Suite 601
Portland, ME 04101
Main: (207) 874-0883
Fax: (207) 874-7631
Presque Isle State Office:
169 Academy Street
Suite 3
Presque Isle, ME 04769
Main: (207) 764-5124
Speaking of the great state of Maine, perhaps some of its residents would like to contact Senator Susan Collins:
DC Office:
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-2523
Fax: (202) 224-2693
DC Office
Caribou State Office:
25 Sweden Street, Suite A
Caribou, ME 04736
Main: (207) 493-7873
Caribou Office
Bangor State Office:
P.O. Box 655
202 Harlow Street, Room 204
Bangor, ME 04402
Main: (207) 945-0417
Bangor Office
Augusta State Office:
68 Sewall Street, Room 507
Augusta, ME 04330
Main: (207) 622-8414
Augusta Office
Lewiston State Office:
11 Lisbon Street
Lewiston, ME 04240
Main: (207) 784-6969
Lewiston Office
Biddeford State Office:
160 Main Street
Biddeford, ME 04005
Main: (207) 283-1101
Biddeford Office
Portland State Office:
One Canal Plaza
Suite 802
Portland, ME 04101
Main: (207) 780-3575
Live in Ohio? Ask George Voinovich whether he supports getting health care for the tens of thousands of his constituents who've been thrown out of work over the past couple of years.
Washington, DC Office:
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-3353
Cleveland, OH Office:
1240 East 9th Street
Room 3061
Cleveland, OH 44199
Main: (216) 522-7095
Fax: (216) 522-7097
Southeast, OH Office:
78 West Washington Street
P.O. Box 57
Nelsonville, OH 45764
Main: (740) 441-6410
Fax: (740) 753-3551
Cincinnati, OH Office:
36 East 7th Street
Room 2615
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Main: (513) 684-3265
Fax: (513) 684-3269
Northeast, OH Office:
1240 East 9th Street
Room 3061
Cleveland, OH 44199
Main: (216) 522-7095
Fax: (216) 522-7097
Toledo, OH Office:
420 Madison Avenue
Room 1210
Toledo, OH 43604
Main: (419) 259-3895
Fax: (419) 259-3899
Dayton, OH Office:
(Based out of Cincinnati)
36 East 7th Street, Room 2615
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Main: (513) 684-3265
Fax: (513) 684-3269
Central, OH Office:
37 West Broad Street
Room 310
Columbus, OH 43215
Main: (614) 469-6697
Fax: (614) 469-7733
Chuck Grassley is running for re-election in 2010 and has slapped the hands of Democrats attempting to work out compromises for months. If you live in Iowa, now's an excellent time to express displeasure with Senator Grassley's behavior and demand a floor vote now:
Cedar Rapids
150 1st Avenue NE
Suite 325
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
(319) 363-6832
Fax: (319) 363-7179
Council Bluffs
307 Federal Building
8 South 6th Street
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
(712) 322-7103
Fax: (712) 322-7196
Davenport
131 West 3rd Street
Suite 180
Davenport, IA 52801
(563) 322-4331
Fax: (563) 322-8552
Des Moines
721 Federal Building
210 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 288-1145
Fax: (515) 288-5097
Sioux City
120 Federal Building
320 6th Street
Sioux City, IA 51101
(712) 233-1860
Fax: (712) 233-1634
Waterloo
210 Waterloo Building
531 Commercial Street
Waterloo, IA 50701
(319) 232-6657
Fax: (319) 232-9965
Don't let it be said that Democrats should be free from pressure. Harry Reid's gambit today means he will need every vote in the caucus for cloture. Now, more than ever, the Democrats who have not committed to a public option need to commit to a cloture vote. Our best leverage over them are contacts from their voters.
These senators include.
Evan Bayh:
131 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5623
(202) 228-1377 fax
1650 Market Tower
10 West Market Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 554-0750
(317) 554-0760 fax
101 MLK, Jr. Blvd
Evansville, IN 47708
(812) 465-6500
(812) 465-6503 fax
1300 S. Harrison St.
Suite 3161
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 426-3151
(260) 420-0060 fax
5400 Federal Plaza
Suite 3200
Hammond, IN 46320
(219) 852-2763
(219) 852-2787 fax
1201 E. 10th St.
Suite 106
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
(812) 218-2317
(812) 218-2370
130 S. Main St.
Suite 110
South Bend, IN 46601
(574) 236-8302
(574) 236-8319 fax
Blanche Lincoln:
Washington D.C. Office
355 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510-0404
Phone: (202)224-4843
Fax: (202)228-1371
Little Rock Office
912 West Fourth Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 375-2993 or toll free 1-800-352-9364
Fax: (501) 375-7064
Dumas Office
101 East Waterman
Dumas, AR 71693
Phone: (870)382-1023
Fax: (870)382-1026
Community Affairs Specialist: Raymond Fraizer
Jonesboro Office
Federal Building
615 South Main Street
Suite 315
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Phone: (870) 910-6896
Fax: (870)910-6898
Community Affairs Specialist: Roger Fisher
Fayetteville Office
4 South College Avenue
Suite 205
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: (479) 251-1224
Fax: (479)251-1410
Community Affairs Specialist: John Hicks
Texarkana Office
Miller County Courthouse
400 Laurel Street
Suite 101
Texarkana, AR 71854
Phone: (870) 774-3106
Fax: (870) 774-7627
Mark Pryor:
Little Rock Office
The River Market
500 Clinton Ave
Suite 401
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 324-6336
Fax: (501) 324-5320
Toll Free from AR:
(877) 259-9602
Washington, D.C. Office
255 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2353
Fax: (202) 228-0908
Mary Landrieu:
Washington, DC
328 Hart Senate Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Voice: (202)224-5824
Fax:(202) 224-9735
New Orleans
Hale Boggs Federal Building
500 Poydras Street
Room 1005
New Orleans, LA 70130
Voice: (504) 589-2427
Fax:(504) 589-4023
Baton Rouge
Room 326, Federal Building
707 Florida Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Voice: (225) 389-0395
Fax:(225) 389-0660
Shreveport
U.S. Courthouse
300 Fannin Street
Room 2240
Shreveport, LA 71101
Voice: (318) 676-3085
Fax:(318) 676-3100
Lake Charles
Capital One Tower
One Lakeshore Drive
Suite 1260
Lake Charles, LA 70629
Voice: (337) 436-6650
Fax:(337) 439-3762
Joe Lieberman:
706 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4041 Voice
(202) 224-9750 Fax
For TTY Call 711
One Constitution Plaza
7th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 549-8463 Voice
(800) 225-5605 In CT
For TTY Call 711
Ben Nelson:
Omaha
7602 Pacific St.
Suite 205
Omaha, NE 68114
Tel: (402) 391-3411
Fax: (402) 391-4725
Lincoln
440 North 8th Street
Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508
Tel: (402) 441-4600
Fax: (402) 476-8753
Washington, D.C.
720 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: 1-202-224-6551
Fax: 1-202-228-0012
Scottsbluff
Tel: (308) 631-7614
Kearney
Tel: (308) 293-5818
South Sioux City
Tel: (402) 209-3595
Now, it is possible that Harry Reid and Dick Durbin have secured all of the votes they need to get cloture. But we don't know that. The AP doesn't know that, Politico doesn't know that, the Huffington Post doesn't know that, and it is even possible that Harry Reid and Dick Durbin don't know that. Much of what we read today (and in the days to come) is speculation.
A lot of speculation will be discussed at Daily Kos. I offer an alternative: action. We may not be able to vote for cloture on the floor of the Senate. Only 100 Americans can do that. We can, however, press our case directly with our senators to let them know that we are sick and tired of the delays and we want a vote now.
This is how mass mobilization works. We have done much already; we can do more. Thank those committed already. Let those on the fence or on the other side know how much this matters to the people who will vote for them in 1, 3, or 5 years. This is the power we have. We might as well use it.