…politely waiting until the local critter office opens here on the west coast…

Put your name on a public option TV ad! http://wewantthepublicoption.com/

I’ll call Congresswoman Clarke, whose office I lobbied personally for HR676 last month. I believe her line in the sand is the more extensive set of “robustness” criteria put forth by the CPC.

I have a question about the three criteria we’re asking legislators to commit to. The first two (no trigger, national scope) are concrete. But at the risk of sounding Rumsfeldian, what’s the metric for evaluating “accountable to Congress and the American people”?

I assume that we’re asking for a public option that’s available to all workers, and not just those covered (perhaps inadequately) by HMOs and other private and future subsidized-private plans? Or would a public option that functions solely as a gap measure be acceptable?

The choice is really simple People; their health and lives or corporate greed and profits.

A public option that’s available nationwide would be open to everyone.

NOTE: Jerry Nadler should be in the “undecided” column, based on the assistant I spoke to yesterday. I only posted under “leaning yes,” because there was no option at the time to choose “undecided.”

I’m confused. Does “Leaning Yes” mean they would vote Yes on a plan that isn’t available on day one etc., or does it mean “Yes, they would vote No on a bad plan”?

“Available nationwide” sounds like a geographic consideration only, i.e. no regional co-ops. If “available to everyone” is what we mean, we need to change the question to say that.

Woolsey’s DC staff told me that they do not know if she is committed to voting NO on all options that do not include a real public option. Love the Whip Tool!

Unsurprisingly, here’s part of the crap I get from Issa:

There are several priorities to consider when planning health care reform in the United States. First, the personal doctor-patient relationship must be protected. The federal government, should never be given the power to interfere with that relationship. The ability to choose one’s own doctor is a vital component to quality care.

Second, timely access to quality treatment should be maintained. In the government run health care systems of countries such as Canada or England, it can often take months before even a simple test, such as an MRI, is administered. Any plan for reform must ensure that both quality care and timely access are preserved. Waiting weeks for a critical test is absolutely unacceptable, because delayed care equals denied care.

Finally, our health care system should never be taken over by the government. A government takeover of health care would lead to politicians and bureaucrats in Washington making your health decisions for you. They could decide that you were too old for a treatment or that something was too expensive and deny your eligibility.

Another constructive (hopefully constructive) criticism:

The way the call to action is phrased in this whip tool can be confusing.

We’re asking Congressmen NOT to vote for any plan that does NOT include a robust public option… But why not just ask them to ONLY vote FOR a plan that DOES HAVE a robust public option.

As I was talking to Nadler’s assistant, she got confused by the double-negative construction & I had to wind it back a bit & explain that I was calling to SUPPORT the public option.

All IMHO. You guys are the experts… was just noting some confusion here.

keep the pressure on fattah as well: 202-225-4001.

he betrayed us on the supplemental, and his office will not say how he will vote on health care.

i don’t trust him anymore.

thanks Jane for clarifying. confused beat me to my point, which is that the “ask” has to be very clear in conveying our message to our c-critters: that we demand a universally available public plan – available nationwide as an entitled option to all Americans. “nationwide” could be misconstrued by the critters as referring to a narrowly offered single-payor gap option for employers avaialble around the country, for example, as opposed to what we really want.

why don’t we propose to exclude Issa’s district from the plan? ;P We could use those North County jobs and skilled workers down here, once the mass exodus starts. /s

If David Wu votes in favor of a legitimate public option for healthcare I’ll eat a 5 gallon bucket of lutefisk.

Wonderful to call congress, but what the American people think is what really matters.

“A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll”.

“Most Want Health Reform But Fear Its Side Effects Most respondents are “very concerned” that health-care reform would lead to higher costs, lower quality, fewer choices, a bigger deficit, diminished insurance coverage and more government bureaucracy. About six in 10 are at least somewhat worried about all of these factors, underscoring the challenges for lawmakers as they attempt to restructure the nation’s $2.3 trillion health-care system”.

Some major problems with Obama’s sketchy health care plan. Pitting the public vs private sector looks good on paper until you look at some figures of the same strategy in Massachusetts.

Needless to say, even if the public option, as its been called, stays in, it may prove to be the Trojan Horse that winds up killing the whole bill once it’s signed into law.

We need a NATIONAL SINGLE PAYER DAY! I suggest that on July 5th, at the National Mall and every court house in the US, we have a NATIONAL SINGLE PAYER DAY! Obama, and those other corporate sycophants in Congress need some persuasion. If they don’t want it on the table, then we need to put in IN THEIR LAP with signs, noise, and bodies. We can afford it, and it appears as if we have to make it unavoidable. This may be our only chance in the next decade to make significant change. We have found to our great disappointment that this President’s commitment to change can be bought. We need a national demonstration of our will.

Repeating yourself, chickenhawk.

For your benefit. Enjoy and learn.

Learn what, chickenhawk? That you can copy and paste and not give a link to what you’ve copied?

Washingto Post/ABC News Poll:

“Part of the reason so many are nervous about future changes is a fear they may lose what they currently have. More than eight in 10 said they are satisfied with the quality of care they now receive and relatively content with their own current expenses, and worry about future rising costs cuts across party lines and is amplified in the weak economy”.

Here is your link child:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..03510.html

Yeah, and the more we concede to Republicans the more likely we’ll end up with a system that’s even worse than the status quo — and you thought it couldn’t get any worse.

It’s sad we’ve so quickly gone from offense to defense against the increasingly likely scenario of a really crappy plan.

“fewer choices”

Once we pass healthcare reform, watch some rethug hypocrite who opposed it try to use the rulemaking process for the enacted legislation to backdoor abortion limits.

Lessee, the new neocon rag WaPo and Disney owned ABC. Yeah, I put a lot of faith in those folks, chickenhawk.

More than eight in 10 said they are satisfied with the quality of care they now receive and relatively content with their own current expenses, and worry

I realize that’s supposedly a legitimate poll, but I really find that hard to believe. I don’t think I know ANYONE who is satisfied with their current health plan. Not 80 percent, but 0 percent.

Who did they poll? The U.S. congress?

must be the 80% without significant healthcare problems, who don’t usually bother to see a doctor at all. “I’m very happy with my healthcare options. I haven’t seen a doctor since 1990.”

Awwwwwwww Dragon. For shame on both of us. Heaven help me, I love watching the tigers playing with a dim flashlight. heh.

Take a poll of the top 5% of income earners then poll real working folks to bring the number of those satisfied down to 80% from 100%. 100% wouldn’t look as credible, dontcha know.

It is fun, isn’t it? *g*

*swoon*

Now there’s an idea!

Oh I see. So your contention child is that this highly respected poll is fake, made up, a lie? This is one of the hallmarks of extremists like you — when there are polls and facts you don’t like, you sling ad hominem garbage to try and invalidate the message.

As the obvious Tiger in this dialogue — I couldn’t agree more.

Why don’t you investigate the poll and see if you can find anything wrong with it. Polls are quoted here over and over again by FDL participants. It’s one thing to discount Rasmussen, it’s another to discount a WP/ABC poll.

alternatively, since Issa’s rethugs are so concerned about provider “choice,” perhaps we should consider including a rider that’ll require the new, socialist healthcare system to automatically asign gay physicans-of-color to rightwingers seeking care. /s

Ours have rapidly moved from panic & suspicion over the hubbub and parade of strangers, as we pre-move-prep, to having a HOOT of a time with all the empty boxes and free “toys”. Hilarious.

I hope all youse guys caught Sherrod Brown on the telly yestidie. or was it the day before?! Pardon. My mind is no longer functional.

…so …tired …but …making …progress

house inspector passed us with flying colours yestidie. BIG SCARY hurdle, overwith, and good riddance.

carry on with your original programming. no trolls were injured in the making of this production.

As the obvious Tiger

LMAO. Since you don’t bother participating in the community discussions on the weekends and late evenings you don’t even know what adie and I are referring to. Unless, of course, you consider yourself a kitten.

No kool-aid drinking minority extremists were injured either. Can’t handle mainstream democrats can you? Enjoy your total irrelevancy on the fringe.

To whom it may concern:

sling ad hominem garbage to try and invalidate the message.

Lawsy me. I betta set down a spell.

Bless’ums heart. I fear the chile has mistaken a simple dim tool for a grand beast. Or was that the other way ’round… I git so confuscated lately.

Old age ain’t fer sissies, but it do bring valuABLE ’sperience.

I am vaguely familiar with your elitist lexicon and club lingo. It’s the hallmark of a small insignificant voiceless minority to huddle together and communicate in that way child. Can’t wait for the next post on Vietnam – I am so curious.

Please check your punctuation. And think about the concept of projection as you click the “submit” button.

Well I’m not a statistician and I don’t have the time to analyze the polling methods of this specific poll, I’m just saying it doesn’t jive with:

a) other recent polls I’ve seen
b) the anecdotal evidence of everyone I know

If I knew even one person who was satisfied with our current system maybe I could find that poll a little more believable. I notice in your reference above the 80 percent number is satisfied with their “care” and not their “insurance company” that may be a little more believable, but it doesn’t mean diddly-squat in the debate about how that care gets paid for.

So maybe that’s where the discrepency lies.

Gah! I’ve fed the hungry troll. F*ck.

those who stand at the fringe, higher on the hill, can see farther than those wallowing in the mud pit. You might consider getting a pair of those nifty goggles that have a peel-away (or peal-away, if you prefer) surface. I hear tell they can come in handy not only in horse races, but slinging raw compost up-wind. Good luck and dog bless.

an dragon. you a caution, indeedy do. i been gone only a week & i be a newbie, re-born, inviggeratated! WHOOP! HOOO RAYYYYYYYYY!

A post on Viet Nam, chickenhawk? That was 40 years ago. Most of us live and learn. I thought you were so gung ho on the war in Afghanistan. Tell us how you support sending other people’s kids to kill or be killed when you’ve never been in the military and have no clue what it’s like. Far as I’m concerned chickenhawks are in the same category as child molesters.

to tell you the truth, none of the six-figure+ wage-earners I know are happy with the healthcare system as it is exists today. Heck, I will go further than that: none of the white, Republican, six-figure+ wage-earners over 50 I know are happy with the healthcare system as it exists today. And I know quite of both types, I hate to admit…

join the crowd of the fallen. it’s not bad down here. i think our basement is about even with their ceiling, and they forgot some stops on their elevator. pity.

Yeah, I can see that. The stress they’ve put themselves through getting to those six figure incomes causes myriad medical problems. Just about anybody over 50 that can be classified as middle class or wealthy that I know takes more medication in a week than I take in a couple years.

Fresh lemonade, Sir? blueberry or red raspberry? All natural, and guaranteed by Ms’ Robin and Bluebird. Yummmmmmmmm! Here. Come sit in the shade of the sugar maple in the cool grass and watch for the Monarchs. Their milkweeds are in full bloom.

Thankee, ma’am, don’t mind if I do. Lemonade’ll be fine, thank you.

Well, I must be off. Sure. In the British sense also. Nothing to hide.

Our wealth is in each other, not in “things”.

People and other living beings are hurting.

The systems of health care and earth care need to be fixed, and pronto. The Republican and bluedoggerel bycatch of die-hard cut-throat fiends need to find a heart, a brain and a purpose for being that is bigger than their own pitiful little shadows.

And that’s the honest truth.

P. E. A. C. E.

*passes around the pitcher of lemonade*

*G*

that made my day…. but almost ruined my keyboard.

in.your.dreams.

sent e-mails to both my congressman and his staffer who does health care. We’ll see which one gets back to me first.

Called Bingaman’s office: he now supports the “public option” I “requested” that he make sure it it as strong as possible
Called my other Senator Udall: The aide “didn’t know”.
(can’t imagine) but said she’d get back to me. I suppose ol’ Tom does support it, he’s way more progressive than Bingaman.
I had called B yesterday also; his phone was ringing off the hook.
One for the Team

Mike Michaud D-ME is on board for a public option (stunningly)

yes! read Michaud’s statement at Turn Maine Blue-

link here

Public Healthcare: Your Public Doctor will be as good as your nearest Public Restroom. Still want it?