(Reserve Monday, Democrats in 06! - promoted by julie)
The Over the Mountain Democrats advise us of Rep. Bachus' Town Hall on Health Care on Monday and urge all progressive citizens in the Birmingham area to make every effort to attend so that Congressman Bachus will hear from people who support reforming our broken health care system as well as the nay sayers screamers. And even if you absolutely can't attend (better have a really good excuse!) you can email questions to the Congressman's office. Please take the time to do this if you live in Rep. Bachus' district.
Dear Friends,
I want to invite you to attend a Town Hall Meeting on Health Care that I will be holding on Monday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham.
The meeting is open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
A Town Hall is a uniquely American way for citizens to make their voices heard on a grass-roots level. This is your opportunity to express your views on the health care legislation under consideration in Congress. To view legislative resources on the health care debate including the bill pending in the House and my special health care message,click here.
You can ask your questions about health care reform at the meeting or submit questions prior to the event by emailing toBachusTownHall@mail.house.gov.
Americans United for Change launched a series of robocalls targeting 10 potentially vulnerable House GOP lawmakers, as well as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
...
The group launched 250,000 robocalls in Arizona targeting McCain, and 400,000 robocalls in the districts of the following lawmakers: Reps. Parker Griffith (Ala.), Mary Bono (Calif.), Ken Calvert (Calif.), Daniel Lungren (Calif.). Mark Kirk (Ill.), Jim Gerlach (Pa.), Pat Tiberi (Ohio), Lee Terry (Neb.), Jean Schmidt (Ohio), and David Reichert (Wash.).
Here's the call script:
I’m calling from Americans United for Change.
Congressman Parker Griffith is happy to let the government pay for his health care, but last November, Congressman Griffith voted against requiring that ordinary Americans be eligible to buy the same health insurance as Members of Congress.
Parker Griffith may enjoy being an important member of Congress, but when it comes to his health care he should be no better than the rest of us.
Call Congressman Parker Griffith at 202-225-3121. Tell him to support health care reform now.
We know Parker Griffith is happy to let the government pay his bills -- not only health care, but postage and advertising, too. Let's hope PG doesn't get to enjoy being a member of Congress much longer.
Griffith had a bad Monday, what with the right and left ganging up on him at that fundraiser yesterday, and this ought to make his Tuesday a good deal livelier than he likes. Even if you didn't get the robocall, pitch in and call Griffith at 202-225-3121 and tell him to support health care reform now.
People just naturally trust doctors* (and funeral home owners) so Republicans have asked nouveau GOPer Dr. Parker Griffith to deliver their response to President Obama's Weekly Address. The topic today is health care reform.
"The fact that a doctor who left the Democratic caucus is delivering the address this week is no coincidence," said a senior GOP aide. "This is a shot across the bow of any 'moderate' Democrat in the House who is considering voting for a health care bill loaded with tax hikes, Medicare cuts, and notorious backroom deals."
LANGUAGE WARNING: Today’s story is uncharacteristically blunt, and from this moment forward we will be using lots of inappropriate language in making our points.
It is by now fairly well known that Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s White House Chief of Staff, had a bit of a blow-up with liberals who were ready to start running ads against “blue dog” Democrats who were working very hard to shut down the health care reform effort.
Now we’re not gonna get in the middle of that argument today; instead, since we’re finally getting a chance to talk, I figured me and Rahm could get a few other things out of the way that have been on everyone’s mind for the past year or so.
I was supposed to begin the long-delayed series of PTSD stories I’ve been planning, but before we begin, I need to tell y’all about something that just happened in my house.
For us it wasn’t a matter of life or death, but it is the kind of story that explains, perfectly, why we need to reform the health care system we have today—and for that matter, it’s also a great explanation of why a single-payer system would be a giant step forward for everyone in this country, whether you’re insured today or not.
It’s also hilarious and sad and frustrating, all at the same time—which makes today’s story a pretty good allegory for the current American way of doing health care.
So follow along, have a good laugh…and at the same time, take a minute to consider what could be, and how much less irritating things should be.
1. Vote gainst the political leanings of their district,
2. Vote gainst key Democratic party legislation, and
3. Be less valuable than a Republican in the same seat.
(Hat tip to Kristopher from The World Around You - I spotted this gem from 538 in Kris' twitter stream.)
Nate Silver explains the last point:
On the other end of the spectrum are a handful of Democrats who have negative scores. They vote with their party less often than a generic congressman from their district would, even without guaranteeing that the generic congressman is a Democrat.
In other words, these are people who potentially deserve a primary challenge -- on average, dumping them would leave the Democrats better off, even if there's some chance that they'd be replaced by a Republican.
Now, I'm not particularly inclined to agree that any Republican would be more valuable than a Democrat in Bobby Bright's seat -- largely because my personal disagreement with his votes clashes with what I consider valuable pro-Dem PR in my district. I like to think that Rep. Bright, in all his niceness, is doing his small part to convince people Congressional liberals aren't all small-minded filthy heathen baby-killers, and that's always a positive. One must take small victories where zie can.
In Griffith and Davis' seats, I find Silver's argument holds a smidge less water - I can't imagine that someone who isn't Parker Griffith in that seat would vote against the Dems as consistently as he did. I also imagine that Davis' gubernatorial bid has a lot to do with his votes this year, and his successor will be a little more friendly to the best interests of the district.
In terms of numbers, I think Artur Davis' ranking on Silver's chart is the most fascinating -- Silver puts the district as D+18, and Rep. Davis' voting record this year is a stark contrast to what would generally be considered the (admittedly, Congressional) political security of falling in line with the Democrats on even some, if not all, of this session's major issues in a district that swung that far to the Democrats.
So while you are recovering from your festivities of choice today, think it over, and let me know: what say you?
Also: if you want to help send "more valuable" Alabama Reps to Congress next year, don't forget to donate to AL-03's Josh Segall and this adorable pooch, the Send Parker Griffith Home fund, and the Democratic primary candidate of your choice in AL-07 - check the list in the sidebar. And maybe the state party too? I volunteer there, so.
Christmas is for everyone, in a secular sense. Many people who are not Christians, or are Christians in name only, still look at December 25 as the hap- hap- happiest day of the year! And that's fine; we all need a day of joy and laughter, especially after a long, difficult year.
For me, celebrating Christmas is not about downplaying the miracle of Chanukah. Nor should it be about asserting the superiority or "truth" of one's own religious beliefs. The joy of Rammadan needn't be denigrated by Christians as we celebrate this festival. As a Christian celebration, Christmas engenders a lot of very non-Christian emotions in some, including a resentment of other faiths. Follow me below, as I continue my mellow rant.
Joe Lieberman's giveaway to Connecticut insurance companies health care bill gets 33% support.
Stalin has a 37% favorability rating.
However... add the public option back to the bill and support for is soars to 59%.
My favorite question:
President Obama has said he favors a public health insurance option. Senator Joe Lieberman is widely credited with forcing Senate Democrats to take the public option off the table in order to win his vote. Do you think President Obama should have done more to pressure Lieberman to allow the public option to move forward?
YES
NO
NOT SURE
ALL
63%
29%
8%
Men
59%
34%
7%
Women
67%
24%
9%
Democrats
87%
10%
3%
Republicans
13%
76%
11%
Independents
72%
18%
10%
Look at those numbers for the coveted "Independent" vote!
In 2006, Karl Rove confidently predicted a Republican sweep - in defiance of poll numbers - calling his calculations "THE math." What kind of math is Harry Reid using? Not to mention the Democratic leadership and President Obama....
They're getting ready to pass a bill that barely a third of Americans support when they could instead pass real reform with a public option supported by 59%.
Hey, I wasn't a math major, but even I can see which is the better deal - both for the Democrats and for the country.
I can tell you this point blank: if we don't get a meaningful health care bill that reduces costs and has everybody in and doesn't have an excise tax, have a pay or play for employers, have a public option or Medicare buy-in, we're not going to campaign for any Democrat who voted against this, and we're going to try to defeat them.
And who's to blame -- besides Joe Lieberman? Gerard made it clear he still has President Obama's back:
The president‘s values are right, the president came to this with the right approach, with the exception of one thing, I love this guy a lot, but I think he came and he got hoodwinked. ... I think he‘s just too decent of a person who thinks that because it‘s right, people ought to do it and what we‘re learning is that people don‘t always do what‘s right.
Someone in the 5th Congressional district is polling voters with a fusillade of questions about Congressman Parker Griffith - perhaps it's Griffith himself since the poll's focus is on how "independent" Griffith is.
Daddycat spent over half an hour last night in an "how do you feel about Parker Griffith" phone call. He couldn't remember the exact wording of the questions, but could give a sense of how they were worded and what the slant of them was.
It wasn't a push poll; his description sounded to me like a more wide ranging exercise in message testing.
The takeaway? Parker Griffith (or someone) is testing the message that he's less of a "Democrat" than he is an "Independent" and polling on whether that's a good thing.
Daddycat's response to the question of whether he'd vote for the Democrat or Republican next November was classic and made the interviewer laugh out loud:
"If the choice were between Parker and Mo Brooks, I'd go for a trick pony as a write in candidate."
Alabama is a "Red State" filled with people who supposedly don't want government all up in our personal business. But, as we've seen time and time again, the state government doesn't mind interfering with womens' lives and personal business. In fact, when you're talking about reproductive choices, interference is generally state policy.
It's against the law in Alabama for a midwife to attend a home birth. Certainly, there are cases where the birth requires medical intervention. But the majority of standard, uncomplicated births do not. Even so, women in Alabama aren't free to make their own decisions about what's best for them.
...research consistently confirms the safety of planned out-of-hospital birth attended by a trained midwife, Alabamians do not have that legal option. The state currently recognizes only Certified Nurse Midwives, who are not trained in out-of-hospital care, and are only attending hospital births. Families who desire out-of-hospital birth must travel outside of the state, find a midwife willing to risk prosecution, or give birth unassisted.
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Shannon Burdeshaw, a retired midwife and the president of the Alabama Midwives Alliance. She described the situation succinctly:
A woman can choose to birth at home, she can even hire a midwife. But the midwife is subject to prosecution in Alabama. A family member, even a stranger off the street is protected by the good samaritan law, but a qualified professional in an out of hospital birth is not. This is absurd and unjust.
Learn more about the issue and find out how to help change Alabama's outdated laws on the flip.
The following is from a reader who is distinctly agitated by this tactic, and not afraid to do some digging and phone calling:
The quotes below are from the Alabama Election Handbook, Twelfth Edition (2006), emphasis added.
Chapter 6 - Voter Registration
Section: Postcard Voter Registration (p. 90), Paragraph 5 on p. 91:
“The State of Alabama’s postcard voter registration form is designed to be mailed directly to the appropriate board of registrars.”
Paragraph 7 p. 91:
“The design of these applications does not anticipate or provide for the delivery of these forms by the US Postal Service to individuals or organizations other than the board of registrars or the secretary of state. Delivery of the from by the U.S. Postal Service directly to state elections officials and the board of registrars promotes transmittal of the form in the most expeditious and secure manner.
Notes and questions:
• Registrars' offices are receiving brown mailing envelopes containing several registration forms, directly from the AL Republican Party in Birmingham.
• There is no "paid political advertising" notice on the altered side of the voter application form. Is this a violation of the law? The R Party website is listed at the very bottom of the form, so it IS advertising for the R Party.
• In altering the form and affixing prepaid postage, was a voter who identifed as a Republican given an advantage over someone who identified as a Democrat? Sounds way too picky, but this is a legal document.
• Was the sole purpose of the altered document a way of getting around the fact that Alabama does not have party registration?
• Was it pre-cleared by the DOJ? The DOJ has an office for each state. You can call the Voting Section at 1-800 253-3931 and ask for the Alabama Section.
I think this was obviously a way to get around the lack of party registration and engage in some creative list building by the Alabama Republican Party. That's important for GoTV efforts. They'll undoubtedly get away with it, since the SoS' office is not going to (and shouldn't) "unregister" the people who used these forms. The real question is, will there be a formal statement from Beth Chapman's office prohibiting future use of such modified VR forms by any party, will there be a formal statement allowing use of such forms by any party, or will they continue the "wink and nod" policy where the use is officially discouraged but nothing happens if you do it anyway.
The Secretary of State’s Office has recently learned that a voter registration form has been mailed to some Alabama residents by a state political party. These registration forms have a return address for the Alabama Republican Party, rather than the local Board of Registrars.The Secretary of State has advised the county Boards of Registrars to process these completed forms as they would any other voter registration forms they receive.
...
A political party comes up with a new form, complete with political slogan, and the Alabama Secretary of State says "OK, fine."What's up with that? Remember back in 2004 when SoS Ken Blackwell made thousands of Ohio voters register again because their VR forms weren't printed on the right weight of paper?
So what's the GOP Stop ObamaCare voter registration form look like? Here's a detailed description (I'll post an image when/if I can get one images added):
The front side - voter registration side - there are no changes.
On the back of the form on the top 1/2 of the page: Business Reply Mail Permit #4245 Return address is Alabama Republican PARY PO Box 55628 Birmingham, AL 35255-9882 (Postage is prepaid by the AL Republican Party) (On regular voter registration cards the registrant must affix a stamp.)
On the bottom 1/2 of the page : (Big letters) "I want to do my part to stop Obamacare!" with a big X in front of it (Smaller letters) Sign me up to: Make phone calls Write letters to the editor Volunteer with the Alabama Republican Party Host "NObamacare rallies Contribute Other________________________
Across from that is written: Keep up-to-date with the Alabama Republican Party! (bold letters) Sign-up today to receive e-newsletters from the Alabama Republican Party Email:___________________________
Big letters on bottom: WWW.ALGOP.ORG
FYI, the back of a normal Alabama voter registration form looks like this. No political messages, no volunteer sign-up, no email solicitation. If this turns out to be a legal form -- and I hear the SoS' office has asked the Attorney General (also Republican) for guidance -- then the Alabama Democratic Party ought to start doing the same thing. Maybe a "Stop GOP Obstructionists" registration form or a "Stop Corporate Welfare" one or, in a more positive vein, "Support the Working Class."
An image of the entire reverse side of the "Stop Obamacare!" VR form is below the fold. The quality is not great -- a scan of a fax of a copy, but it's nevertheless clear enough to be outrageous. And yes, I believe that is a portion of a cross over on the left side -- let's inject a little religion into the process, while we're at it. Clarification: A GOP spokesperson assures me that is not a cross. It's two bandaids placed in the same shape as a cross. Huge difference.
Update: A GOP spokesperson says they "did check with multiple attorneys on this before we went with it."
At last, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled the Senate version of the health care reform bill today. CBO estimates it will cost $849 billion over 10 years and cover an additional 31 million legal residents.
The bill would cut the deficit by $127 billion over the next 10 years — more than any other legislation under serious consideration — and by $650 billion during the decade after that. The CBO also estimated that the bill would slash health care costs over time by $1 trillion.
Get that? It will reduce the deficit by $127 billion in the first decade and $650 billion in the second decade. GOP talking points about increasing the deficit should be dead on arrival. You can download a copy of the bill for bedtime reading here. Some major points:
Opt out for the public option -- that doesn't kick in until 2014.
Penalty for individuals who don't purchase insurance is $95, also beginning in 2014.
It doesn't include the Stupak language, but the public option won't cover abortion services.
The opt-out mechnism is a law -- so it would have to pass both houses of our Legislature and be signed by the governor.
Subsidies would apply to a family of four making up to $88K or 400% of the poverty level.
Medicaid would be expanded.
No denials due to pre-existing conditions.
They raised the trigger limit for the tax on nice health insurance plans.
Medicare payroll taxes would rise 0.5% on couples making more than $250,000.
Congress.org is running a vote tally -- predict how each Senator will vote on this legislation. Right now it's running 60 yes/40 no. Currently a 98% prediction that both Sessions and Shelby will vote "no." I'd bump that up to at least 99.9%.
Finally, if you're interested in the process required to bring this bill to the floor, this link's for you.
Update: The Washington Post has a nice interactive comparison tool to see how this bill stacks up against the House version.
I live in Prattville and I am, on very rare occassions, not all that troubled with calling Bobby Bright my Congressman.
In his defense, he voted to deny Presidents (former, sitting, and their families) the power to block release of public White House records. On the other hand, he's voted against almost every major piece of legislation out of Congress (including the stimulus package and health care, though he was totes for the Stupak amendment.)
The point is: tonight my house got a phone call to join one of his tele-town halls (evidently he's held eight so far; this is my first) and for your sake, I live tweeted the whole thing.
THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Rep. Bright loves small businesses, ten thousand percent of the respondents to his magical phone poll don't support the health care bill, and he says no to a lot of things. (I missed this, but at one point he said he 'wished they would come up with something he didn't have to say no to.' I cried on the inside.)
What happens when you get a lot of angry Democratic activists, ministers, and health care reform proponents into a room with Congressman Parker Griffith? I can just smell the BBQ smoke.....
Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the meeting that Congressman Parker Griffith held today with local NAACP members and health insurance reform proponents, but I did receive this on the spot report from Linda Haynes and received her permission to post it on the blog.
Read it and weep fellow Democrats....
Because it's long, I'm not block quoting it, but this is directly from Linda's report.
Here are some highlights from the meeting this morning. There were about 40 people present ... most from the local African American community and many were preachers. This meeting was to share how unhappy they are will Rep. Griffith.
Griffith started off with a short speech where he said that jobs are more important than healthcare and the financial industry woes. But the group wanted to talk about healthcare ... so he did his usual song and dance that America has the best healthcare system in the world, while many of us shook our heads. He said that healthcare reform is trying to fix the healthcare system for 15% of us, which already works well for 85% of us. (that 85% must include those who haven't tested their insurance yet by coming down with a serious illness and having claims denied.)
He talked about how much the House bill will cost (of course, without talking about how much it will reduce the deficit in the long run.)
He said that he's been talking with big employers like Walmart, Home Depot, etc. who he is afraid will dump their sick into the public option. (That doesn't sound right since the House bill says big employers would have to use private insurance for their employees). He said the public option will be Medicare-like where people are limited to 12-14 visits per year so that people with cancer will use up that many visits quickly and then be turned away. (That doesn't sound right at all ... or we'd know about it already!)
He said the mandate to buy insurance included in the House bill makes not buying insurance a felony crime.
Note: this is yet another GOP HEALTH CARE LIE being spread via the Internet and talk radio.Why is a "Democratic" congressman spreading it?
If you're in Huntsville or within a short drive, this is a must-visit event. This email just hit my inbox:
There is a meeting @ 10:30 AM this morning with Rep. Parker Griffith in the old Progressive Union Baptist church. The building faces Oakwood and is at the intersection with Brandon Town Rd. (That's a few blocks East of Jordan Lane.) Note that this is the old church building, not the new one.
PLEASE MAKE TIME TO COME OUT THIS MORNING! Your voice on the healthcare issue is important.
While you might consider Griffith a lost cause on healthcare reform ... he still needs to feel the pressure to do the right thing, from as many as possible!!
This is a scheduled meeting with the local NAACP and they've invited the local health care reform group to attend.
It's very late notice, but if you can make it, please drop in!
There has been a great wailing and gnashing of teeth over the past day or so as those who follow the healthcare debate react to the Stupak/Some Creepy Republican Guy Amendment.
The Amendment, which is apparently intended to respond to conservative Democrats' concerns that too many women were voting for the Party in recent elections, was attached to the House's version of healthcare reform legislation that was voted out of the House this weekend.
The goal is to limit women's access to reproductive medicine services, particularly abortions; this based on the concept that citizens of good conscience shouldn't have their tax dollars used to fund activities they find morally repugnant.
At first blush, I was on the mild end of the wailing and gnashing spectrum myself...but having taken a day to mull the thing over, I'm starting to think that maybe we should take a look at the thinking behind this...and I'm also starting to think that, properly applied, Stupak's logic deserves a more important place in our own vision of how a progressive government might work.
It's Political Judo Day today, Gentle Reader, and by the time we're done here it's entirely possible that you'll see Stupak's logic in a whole new light.
When I can, but usually after the fact. I like to take in the Dale Jackson radio show. I know, I know, but I value free speech even when it makes my blood boil. I have a problem with the Let's Give Insurance Companies more Guaranteed Customers they can Charge through the Nose legislation currently in Congress and then I catch the tail end of a segment last week and Bradley Byrne of all people saying he wants us to have choices:
"I don't want the people of the State of Alabama to have one option and one option only [when it comes to health care]."
So i had to go listen this week to all the parts I missed, and of course Byrne was not talking about our Blue Cross behemouth when he said:
"...We can set the prices to anything we want and competition doesn't even have anything to do with it."
Oh no, that would be too much to ask of Bradley Byrne.
"By opting out we give a real choice to consumers in the State of Alabama. They'll have private-sector players who will be in the state and they'll [citizens]say, "You know something I'd rather be with this private-sector insurance company than that one." Where if the government comes in, we've got the government and nothing else.
Is Bradley Byrne intentionally doing an impersonation of Rip Van Winkle? Is he so out of touch he doesn't realize Alabama, right now, basically has one health care option and unless you or your company or the state can afford the highest of premiums you get a Yugo policy? And although Dale sometimes does occasionally challenge even Republican politicians he didn't ask that question. More below....
This is an enormous bet, and not a well-designed one either, in my view. The Democratic Party will tomorrow give a minority of their caucus an opportunity to amend a large health care bill that would effectively ban abortion services coverage in the individual and small group insurance market, essentially telling private insurance companies what they cannot cover.
The deal clears the way for the dozens of Democratic lawmakers who oppose abortion to lend their support to the health care package, the most dramatic expansion of health coverage in more than 40 years. It also satisfies the demands of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which had threatened to oppose the House bill.
If the amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) passes, said Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the bishops conference, "we become enthusiastic advocates for moving forward with health care reform."
The amendment is expected to pass with the combined support of more than 40 anti-abortion Democrats and virtually every House Republican. That likelihood meant that leaders of the much larger group of Democrats who support abortion rights were not happy to learn of the deal.
"There will be no abortion, not just with public funds, but with private funds under the public option, and that's not acceptable," said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.).
Bright is probably a dead certain vote in favor of this amendment and Griffith is very likely to vote for it unless he receives calls from many, many outraged constituents. So, if you're a woman in AL-05 (North Alabama) please pick up the phone and call Parker Griffith's office and tell him you think the Stupak amendment goes too far, meddling with what private insurers can cover and ask him to please vote against that amendment. You might also ask what he would have done without the votes of women on November 4, 2008. Then hand the phone to your spouse or significant other and have them make the same call.
It's important to call Bobby Bright and our other Congressmen as well, but I think Parker Griffith is the most persuadable of our Blue Dogs so he's the highest priority.
The following is from a reader who is distinctly agitated by 
The 
