By: Marisa McNee Thursday July 2, 2009 7:51 am

We’ve added Tammy Baldwin to the "leans yes" category. Keep the calls coming folks, we’ve had very positive responses from Hill staff. And we’ve put Donna Edwards in the "Undecided" category.

As Jane noted yesterday, there are 19 Dems who have taken a pledge to vote against a health care bill. Too bad it wasn’t a group of progressive Democrats stepping up to the plate to demand a strong public option:

Nineteen House Democrats have told Speaker Pelosi they will not vote for healthcare legislation "unless it explicitly excludes abortion funding from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan."

I think Jane said it best yesterday:

If you want a decent health care bill, you’re going to have to get on the phone and tell people you’re pissed and that you’re not going to settle for kabuki. If Joe Lieberman can say where he draws the line, so can they. And if they’re not willing to hold a line, if they’re only willing to take progressive votes when they don’t matter, then at least we’ll know what we’re dealing with.

Whip Count Day 9
Committed	Leaning Yes	Undecided	Leaning No	Against
Rosa DeLauro Keith Ellison Raul Grijalva Rush Holt Lynn Woolsey	Tammy Baldwin Xavier Becerra Howard Berman Jerry Costello Elijah Cummings Peter DeFazio Sam Farr Alan Grayson Phil Hare Maurice Hinchey Mazie Hirono Barbara Lee Dave Loebsack Ben Ray Lujan Jim McDermott Gwen Moore Jerrold Nadler Jared Polis Jackie Speier Henry Waxman Peter Welch Robert Wexler David Wu John Yarmuth	Corrine Brown Steve Cohen Mike Doyle Donna Edwards Mike Honda George Miller Charles Rangel Laura Richardson Bobby Scott

8 Comments

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8 Responses to “FDL Action: Whip It! Day 9”

Gregg Levine July 2nd, 2009 at 8:07 am

Thank you Marisa–and thanks to every citizen whip!

gussmith July 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 am

The Dems seem capable of only baby steps. Therefore, why not support Bernie Sanders suggestion and prevent Rethug control of the process (the need for 60 Senate votes). When an actual bill is voted on, the Dems can state their position.

Ann in AZ July 2nd, 2009 at 8:27 am

Jane has a new post up people might want to see: “HELP Committee Draft & CBO Score”

yellowsnapdragon July 2nd, 2009 at 8:28 am

There is no reason that we can’t have real health care reform when we have a comfortable majority in the house, 60 votes in the Senate, and a Dem President.

I say, if our Dem leaders can’t (at a very bare minimum) get a strong public option, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi should resign.

brendanscalling July 2nd, 2009 at 8:39 am

any word on my guy fattah?

ralphbon July 2nd, 2009 at 9:06 am

I put the screws on Yvette Clarke’s legislative counsel again. Told her to chat with Reps Grijalva, Woolsey, or Ellison for context and/or support.

ondelette July 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 am

I’m not sure whether this is relevant, but I wrote to my congressman, Mike Honda, several days ago about health care, although I hadn’t seen your whip initiative when I wrote, and I actually wrote a very long note in which I asked for single payer and failing that, public option. I got the following in reply, you can take it as you wish in relation to your pledge:

Dear ___:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the increasing costs of health coverage and your support for H.R. 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this important and timely matter.

The need for a high-quality, accessible and affordable health care system has never been more urgent. There are currently forty-seven million uninsured Americans, eight million of whom are children. Another fifty million are underinsured. Although the U.S. spends twice as much on health care per capita as countries with universal coverage, the World Health Organization ranks us 37th in overall health system performance.

I am proud to tell you that I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 676. H.R. 676 addresses many of the health disparities in our health system by guaranteeing every resident of the United States access to a full range of medically necessary services, including primary care, prescription drugs, mental health care and long term care. There are no co-pays or deductibles under this program. The role of the government would be limited to collecting revenues and disbursing payments; care would continue to be delivered privately. Patients could continue to use the same hospital, physician or health clinic from which they currently receive services. H.R. 676 is supported by over 210 labor unions and more than 100 grassroots groups across the country. The former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, two former Surgeon Generals and 14,000 physicians support national health insurance.

The complexities and ambiguities of our current system are part of why I support universal healthcare. Once again, thank you for contacting me. Your views help shape the way I represent our district, and I value your opinions.

Sincerely,
Michael M. Honda
Member of Congress