Every State. Every race. Right here.

This is number 26 in a planned series of 50 entries between now and November, looking at each of the 50 states in terms of every race on that state's ticket--Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senate, House, State legislatures--the whole sixpack! Special attention paid to identifying and promoting the most important contests per state.

Today, put on your cheesehead hat, open a can of Milwaukee’s Best and prepare to visit some very friendly territory for Democrats.  Wisconsin, THIS IS YOUR 50-State Diary!!!

Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies(POS) that they ran in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional district.  It shows Democratic incumbent leading Republican state Rep. John Gard 46%-42%.  This is significant since Republicans have often identified Kagen as a top target and a weak incumbent.  If he is leading 46%-42% in a Republican poll, I think he is in pretty good shape.  The poll also gives John McCain a 46%-41% lead in the district over Barack Obama.  http://www.postcrescent.com/...

Today’s impossible prices for oil have finally forced America to ask the essential question: "Where’s the Plan?"

We’re in a situation where every business, every homeowner, every retiree, every local and state government, and every U.S. citizen is being forced to live under ‘crisis planning’ – which is a recipe for failure.

On a national level, stumbling from crisis to crisis — from Iraq to Katrina to the current energy crisis - is not a plan to govern.

To become an energy independent nation, the first step we must take is to develop a plan.  We must develop this plan together, out in the open – not behind closed doors.

Two weeks ago, I posted a diary on DailyKos, MyDD, Open Left, and the Swing State Project announcing the creation of the ActBlue page Protecting Our Asses.  The goals of this page are as follows:

1. To reinforce vulnerable and potentially vulnerable incumbent members of Congress with cash.

2. To reward good, progressive behavior from these incumbents.

3. To diminish or replace the need for these incumbents to seek fundraising dollars from less progressive sources such as corporate PACs and "moderate"/conservative groups.

4. To send the message that the Netroots will have your back if you have ours.

More over the flip.

It's been a while since my last House diary, and I just know you've been sitting there wondering "when will Nathaniel publish his next House roundup diary? I can't live without my fix, and he's just so...incisive...and brilliant...and downright Lincolnesque." (h/t to Stephen Colbert for that.)

Well, pine no more! As always, seats are ranked by flippability, but since House races are so numerous (at 435), I eventually switch to alphabetical order after the first 18 races. I figured 18 was a convenient number...and I also got lazy after writing about Alaska At Large.

Read below the fold, if you dare...

The Appleton Post Crescent reported today on the fundraising efforts of area legislators. Not surprising, Steve Kagen once again surpassed John Gard in the 1st quarter of 2008. This more than makes up for the deficit reported at the end of 2007.

Steve Kagen (WI-08) may be familiar to some of you. He's the freshman representative who refused Congressional health insurance as a protest.

Here's my bottom line: No citizen -- rich or poor, young or old -- should be denied access to affordable health care. Period. And no business should be be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy simply because it cares for its employees.

After more than 25 years helping to heal the wounds of families in my District, I understand our health care crisis is beyond a Band-Aid remedy. I'm pro-cure, and so are American families. Washington should be, too.

And until it is, I will decline my Congressional health coverage.

Now, Rep. Kagen has introduced something else to the discussion: legislation that alters the "pre-existing condition" concept.

Our Constitution protects every citizen against discrimination, the result of long and hard-won gains by ordinary people who for decades showed extraordinary courage fighting for change. Applying these fundamental gains to our health care system is the right thing to do, because my patients and my constituents cannot hold their breath any longer.

That's why I've introduced the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act. This essential legislation will guarantee access to affordable care for every citizen in America by bringing an end to discriminatory practices employed by insurance companies who deny life-saving coverage to millions of Americans solely because of their pre-existing medical conditions.

The grim reality is our Constitution does protect you against discrimination, until you become ill. Well, my legislation puts discrimination where it belongs -- in the past.

More description of the bill directly from Kagen:

The essential elements of this necessary legislation are: (1) No Discrimination due to pre-existing conditions, (2) Open Disclosure of all prices, and (3) Every Citizen is allowed to Pay the Lowest Price available. These ideas must be included in any successful comprehensive health care reform legislation.

At this very early step in the process, I am pleased to have the encouragement and support of many of my freshman colleagues, AFSCME and Families USA. I am looking forward to presenting this bill and these ideas in a Congressional hearing this spring.

Surely, the insurance companies will oppose this. But first, Kagen's bill need to pass Ways and Means and make it out of committee before further action is taken. The bill is HR 5449 and like other health care bills from SCHIP to the Langevin-Shays universal health care bill, it may or may not go anywhere in an election year. Sometimes, these bills are little more than posturing. Chris Shays is the last House R in New England, and the CT-04 Republican survives by talking like a moderate in even-numbered years; Jim Langevin, the Democrat from RI-02, has introduced this bill before though this is the first time Shays has signed on).

Some of Shays' opponents questioned his motivations for backing Langevin now. The Democratic representative offered similar American Health Benefits plans in 2004 and 2005, but they never reached the House floor for a vote.

Whether they advance this year or not, these bills are very much likely to set the table for the health care plans and proposals from the Presidential candidates as November gets closer.
HR 5449 isn't single payer (more about that here), and it isn't universal health care (see HR 676). But with backing from AFSCME and Families USA, it has a chance of passage, and might even out the playing field on a few major issues. As with SCHIP, passage of any of these bills does not preclude single payer discussions.

We know health care is a constant 'issues that matter' election item for the public along with Iraq and the economy. This is a welcome addition to the discussion, and a piece (albeit incomplete) of the larger whole. Kudos to Kagan for introducing it; the net effect of the legislation remains to be seen, and whether incrementalism in health reform can truly be sequentialism in practice.

Nonetheless, health reform is on the table in this election. To underscore the point, here's the NY Times editorial page:

The American carmakers’ problems underscore the need for a government-backed system of universal health care, which would relieve some of the costs that have made competing so much harder.

More to come, on all fronts.

Graph from December Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.

Race tracker wiki: WI-08

Cross-posted on The Huffington Post

Our Constitution protects every citizen against discrimination, the result of long and hard-won gains by ordinary people who for decades showed extraordinary courage fighting for change. Applying these fundamental gains to our health care system is the right thing to do, because my patients and my constituents cannot hold their breath any longer.

That's why I've introduced the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act. This essential legislation will guarantee access to affordable care for every citizen in America by bringing an end to discriminatory practices employed by insurance companies who deny life-saving coverage to millions of Americans solely because of their pre-existing medical conditions.

Sex scandal and lack of volunteers cause Wisconsin GOP to DECERTIFY county party.

wispolitics.com is reporting today that the GOP chair of Brown County, Wisconsin has been charged with "performing sexual acts on a boy under 18 and giving marijuana to a minor."  Brown County is comprised mostly of the city of Green Bay, along with a few outlying communities -- as any football fan would know, it is an industrial area with a strongly working class, white ethnic population.  In last year's congressional election, Brown County sent a Democrat, Dr. Steve Kagen, to Congress for the first time in twenty years.  Local politics are still heavily GOP.  With these revelations, following last year's tough election defeat, one wonders whether the tide might be turning.

More on the flip...

As a physician and medical scientist, I know something about Band-Aids.  You have to clean the wound first if you really want it to heal.  A little strip of adhesive glue and gauze is not going to get the job done.

As a Congressman, I have learned that Band-Aids are what politicians are using to "fix" our nation's broken health care delivery system.  But you don't have to be a doctor or a Congressman to understand that Band-Aids can't fix a fracture.

That's why I declined to accept the health care insurance offer from Congress.  Plainly put, I will not accept health insurance coverage until everyone I represent in Wisconsin and across America is given the same opportunity.  After all, I did not run for this office to get health care benefits.

I ran to change Washington and to guarantee access to affordable care for every citizen, everywhere in these United States.

Anybody who knows me, or has read me, knows that I bleed Blue. I need my Democrats like I need my air. In the world of politics, I am a pragmatic realist, who leverages the numbers of the game against my own expectations.

But, today's Iraq supplemental bill just pisses me right off to no end. So, I decided to sit down and write Rep. Steve Kagen (D) back home in Wisconsin's Eight district - where I still vote - and let him know exactly where I think he stands in a decidedly Republican district.

For the record, he voted Yes in the House.

Below is the text from my query

Yes, it's very early, but hey, we live in the age of perpetual campaigning, so let's jump on it.

I am ranking my list of House 2008 Defense (the top 25 at least): vulnerable freshmen, or vulnerable long-time incumbents. Since we only know for sure so far of one open seat (CO-02), I am not including open seats.

Read below the fold!

The Hill published an article highlighting some of the fundraising efforts of freshmen Democrats in the House.  Apparently, many are doing quite well.  David Loebsack (IA-02) has raised about $71,000.  Kirsten Gillebrand (NY-20) has raised $65,000 in PAC money alone.  Earl Perlmutter (CO-07) has raised $79,000.  Charlie Wilson (OH-06) has raised $34,000.  Paul Hodes has raised $35,000.  Jason Altmire (PA-04) and Patrick Murphy (PA-08) have both raised $50,000 in PAC money alone.  Zack Space (OH-18) and Steven Kagen (WI-08) have both raised $35,000 in PAC money.

As far as simple financial numbers go, this is good news.  All of these candidates are vulnerable to some degree.  So, if all of these House members are already off to good starts, they may be able to force out potentially strong challenges early on.

More over the flip...

After being hounded for nearly two weeks by the media and right-wing blogs over what he did or did not say during a visit to the White House, Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin's 8th district has responded to the issue, by writing an op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today. Here are some of his comments:

While right-wing bloggers, assisted by the if-it-bleeds-it-leads media, have been on a brutal campaign to discredit freshman Representative Dr. Steve Kagen and distract from the issues, the new Congressman from Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District has been busy, working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to address the critical issues facing this nation.

The Democrats in Congress finished their first 100 legislative hours, with Kagen and other members of Wisconsin's congressional delegration voting to increase the minimum wage, lower prescription drug prices, and cut student loan interest rates.

While right-wing bloggers continue to rehash old news, Congressman Kagen is focused on reaching across the aisle to fix the issues his constituents sent him to Washington to fix. Asked about his part in pushing the Democrats' 100-hour agenda forward, Kagen responded:

The Republicans are already regrouping to try to take back the House of Representatives from the Democrats (as Kos's recent Front Page entry indicates) and there are 18 Seats that are likely to be heavily targeted by the Republicans (enough to take back the House) in 2008.

According to the weekend Bob Novak column:

Newly elected Rep. Steven Kagen, a rich allergist who self-financed his campaign in Wisconsin, by his own account taunted President and Mrs. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and presidential adviser Karl Rove during a White House function for new members of Congress in December.

Kagen told a group of activists that after he found himself in the restroom with Rove, he blocked the White House deputy chief of staff's departure by holding the door closed. According to Kagen, he then said: "You're in the White House and you think you're safe. . . . My name's Dr. Multimillionaire and I kicked your ass."

The new congressman said he said separately to both Bush and Cheney: "Thank you for coming to Green Bay. I couldn't have won without you coming." Kagen also said he approached Laura Bush and purposely called her Barbara, the name of the president's mother. Kagen's remarks were reported in "The Scene," published in Appleton, Wis.