Perhaps you've heard of Canton, OH. One of the most hotly contested, and evenly drawn/balanced political districts in the nation, may play a pivotal role in the HCR endgame.
John Boccieri has resisted going on the record as a yay or a nay, because, he claims, the bill does not go far enough to control costs.
Right now, televisions across OH-16 are being bombarded with anti-HCR ads funded by this group: "The League of American Voters." Last night, during each hour of primetime, I counted 6 ads. They have been playing nonstop throughout the day today. The ads say BHO is trying to take over your health plan, name John Boccieri (D-OH), give his office phone number, encourage him to vote against HCR, and encourage the viewer to call and tell him to do the same.
The 411:
Canton at (330) 489-4414 , or Toll Free at (800) 826-9015.
I suggest we use that number to encourage him to vote for HCR.
Please join me as a counterweight to this ad campaign. Make a call for HCR.
From the League of American Voters:
If you click on that link above, you will get a bold banner that says:
Leading The Fight To Stop The Obama Agenda - Join Us!
And, if you dare to click on their "Who Are We?" link, you get this tasty morsel of hypocrisy:
The League of American Voters is a national non-partisan and 501(c)4 non-profit organization created to keep our elected officials in Washington and across the nation accountable.
Yeah, right. Leading the non-partisan fight to stop the Obama agenda. That just inspired me to call John Boccieri, how 'bout you? Inspired yet?
They are also blanketing ads in marketsthat target Max Baucus and Earl Pomeroy in North Dakota.
Let's help them waste their fundraising that paid for their wrong-headed OH ads by calling the number and encouraging the good representative to do what's right for the people of his distract and the nation. People over profits.
From Plunderbund (a progressive Ohio-centric blog) on March 4th:
I think after Boccieri came back to the district, he encountered the Democratic activists who helped get him elected and that they were not going to there [sic] for him come November if he continued to vote against health care and the Republicans were going to come after him no matter what he did anyways.
So why not do the thing that will at least get you some allies?
I wish the blogs could take credit for this conversion, but it was totally the Democratic activists in Boccieri’s district that put the pressure on him.
I say it is well time to change that last sentence altogether. Let's do what we can to contribute some good, new-fashioned, blog credit for a yay vote from OH-16!
From Red State at 2:14pm, Wednesday, March 17th:
I just got off the phone with someone from John Boccieri’s (D, OH-16) office. Rep. Boccieri, you might remember, was one of the four Congressmen that Rep. Clyburn suggested were possible ‘yes’ votes on the health care bill, and who were later rumored to have switched their votes. I’m informed of the following:
* Rep. Boccieri has not made a final decision;
* His office has gotten a considerable increase in phone calls on this issue, both in-district and out of district;
* I was told that the in-district calls have been somewhat more supportive of the health care bill, and that reform in general was a constant theme*;
* And that Rep Boccieri has been available to people wishing to discuss their concerns with health care.
This, of course, can change - but that’s the state of the situation as of about fifteen minutes ago.
I didn't link to the crazy State, they get enough clicks already, but this was already the 1st link that came up on the Google when I searched "Boccieri on health care reform," and it was only a couple of hours old. We can change that, too. Rec this one up and let's see what happens.
From Boccierie's HCR Statement (website):
"After nearly 150 roundtables and meetings in my district, it's clear that my constituents agree our nation's health care system is in critical need of reform. While I fully support quality, affordable health care coverage for everyone, I am disappointed the House bill sadly does not go far enough to reduce the costs of getting there...it is clear to me that too many of my constituents share my concern about the cost of this bill and how we pay for it."
From You:
A call costs nearly nothing. Your voice is very important. PLEASE just tap this number into your cell phone and tag it as Bocc or HCR or CALL NOW, and then call in the morning with a simple tap-tap on that tag. This office is getting calls, and many of them are from "Just-Say-No-To-Obama" opposition voices. Let's make sure they here voices of reason and compassion and empathy, as well. Voices that actually care about each other and our fellow Americans. Let's make our voices heard this one time. Please.
From Boccieri's Contact Page:
We can be reached in Washington D.C.at (202) 225-3876, in Canton at (330) 489-4414 , or Toll Free at (800) 826-9015.
Boccieri District Office
300 W Tuscarawas St.
Suite 716
Canton, OH 44702
(330) 489-4414
(800)826-9015
Boccieri DC Office
1516 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3876
Legislation
If you’d like to contact me about a legislative issue, please e-mail me; or phone me at (202) 225-3876; or mail me a note.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.