The progressives in the House are about to take things up another notch. After being ignored now twice by the WH, a s their calls for a meeting with POTUS have not been replied to, progs are gearing up for the fight to save the PO. Progs are organizing with key outside liberal groups to help push for the PO in the coming weeks. Progressives may find themselves cut out of negotiations with the WH right now, as Sen. Carper talks co ops and triggers with Obama and aides, but it looks like the CPC,CBC,CHC are aiming to change that game.
How? How about an official whip count from the CPC on where their members stand on voting NO on a bill without a robust PO from day one. This whip count will take place next week and be presented to the WH. Rep Ellison is one of the great fighters we have and his comments are encouraging.
Ellison says the caucus met after Obama’s speech and their fervor to get the PO done is even greater. He thinks 80-100 can be put on the whip count as voting NO on a trigger happy bill. Another hero, Rep Grijalva understands this fight better than some. He knows this is about the Progressive Block being able to have influence over future watered down bills. He sternly warns the WH that cutting deals with conservadems and GOP without input of the tri caucus would not be advisable.
MSM obsesses over the woes of getting PO passed. They said 2 weeks ago it was dead. Oh but it lives. Sen. Harkin, in video below says he will make sure it is in final legislation. He chairs HELP which will be key. Of all the quotes Rep Waters is most profound on how progs on the Hill are feeling. In Huffpo she says the passion to fight to get the strongest PO in the bill is as great or greater than the passion progs had to end the Iraq War. Yep.
Next week will be another crucial one and CPC will need our help. Proving to the WH and Blue Dogs that they really have zero chance of getting their bill passed without the PO will be pivotal. This is what FDL and others having been working so hard on. If progs can show an exact number of congresspersons who are willing to possibly face the full might of Rahm and even lose DNC money and show the bill in t hese final weeks really had no chance unless there is a public option the chances of real reform will grow. And so will the stock of the prog caucus as the as the entire agenda is at stake. Lots below:
September 11, 2009
Ryan Grim
ryan@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting
First Posted: 09-11-09 02:08 PM | Updated: 09-11-09 06:01 PM
Next week will be gut-check time for the bloc of progressives standing in opposition to any bill that doesn't include a public health insurance option.
The leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus plans a "whip count" for early in the week to gauge the strength of their coalition, caucus members tell the Huffington Post. The whip team will also approach members of the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific American Caucuses.
Democrats hold 256 seats in Congress and need 218 to pass a bill, meaning 39 progressives, voting together, could tank the legislation, assuming all Republicans vote nay.
...
The whip count will send a message to the administration, said CPC co-chair Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.): "Don't cut deals with some elements of our party or with some elements of the Republican Party without including the progressives in that discussion," he suggested. "So we're going to count our votes, see how many we have and that's the number we're going to indicate to both the leadership and the administration."
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a member of CPC leadership, estimates that eighty to 100 members will make the pledge. The progressive caucus met on Thursday, following the president's speech, and members repeated their commitment to seeing the public option included in the bill, said Ellison.
...
...Rep. Maxine Waters (noted) -
"What I'm experiencing is a stronger commitment to it than I even saw in terms of when I was really working hard on [ending the war in Iraq]. People would say, 'Well, yeah, I'm with you,' but you didn't get the feeling they were really with you and that if they got lobbied by the leadership they would change. I don't get that with this. I get very strong feelings about it."
There's an external effort working in concert with the internal congressional debate. Grijalva said that the CPC is working with outside progressive groups to line up pressure for the public option. "We're doing a lot of whipping, but we're also doing a lot of external base discussions," he said. "That's something my colleagues need to gauge, not only the internal machinations but the external sensibilities of the base, which could quite easily turn against us if they see a pattern of caving in every time."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Rep Grijalva hits Baucus today in an awesome statement. Read:
"The senators are knee-jerking and over-reacting," Grijalva told me today, denouncing the move.
Grijalva has emerged in recent weeks as one of the House progressives most committed to insisting health care reform legislation include a public option.
"Part of the problem with the Finance Committee bill is that it's being done to appease people instead of being done to put something together," Grijalva said, calling the process "tainted" and "discredited" and noting that "the people putting it together are ex-lobbyists."
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Rep Grijalva notes that the tri caucus has asked ofr meeting with Obama also and are still waiting. CPC plans to continuing issuing letters to the WH asking for a meeting with the president over the public option, as a failure to have one will most severely impact the black and Latino communities of this nation. And he warns :
"We're going to continue to ask for that meeting," Grijalva told me, adding that he hopes it can happen next week. "Sequence and timing, one can say we're being dealt with last. But, and not to overblow the situation that we're in, passage in the House will have to go through progressive test."
"I'm not bothered," Grijalva added, before warning, "I would hope that the administration is wise enough not to cut a deal without us. It would be a mistake."
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Sen. Harkin on the Ed Show is clear: the committee he chairs will have public option and Senate will pass one.:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
SO why is this fight so important to the progressive movement? Here is a hint. Should progs fail here at their great test we will have Max Baucus diluting every other major bill to please corporate America. He is already going after Boxer’s climate bill and much more. He wants to shape the rest of the agenda . Only House progressives can stop he likes of Baucus:
Baucus makes a grab for climate bill
By: Lisa Lerer
September 11, 2009 05:09 AM EST
For liberal Democrats unhappy with the way Max Baucus is handling health care reform, here’s another dose of bad news: He’s got his hands on climate and energy, too.
Behind closed doors, Sen. Baucus has been staking his claim on major aspects of the climate bill, including financing for a cap-and-trade system.
His power play could put Baucus at the helm of the Obama administration’s domestic agenda, giving an unpredictable Montana Democrat control over legislative proposals that could define the Democratic Party for years to come.
http://dyn.politico.com/...