What is wrong with Rahm? Is he paid for by the insurance industry, or just too DLC? Never hold for what you can compromise on right now?

Any suggestions on who to call? NONE of my current federal reps/sens is progressive, or even Dem. Maybe Charlie Gonzalez’s office – he used to be my rep, before I moved?

We need a Constitutional Amendment banning employees and elected officials of the federal government from holding dual citizenships NOW!

I don’t think he sees it as a compromise, I think that’s what he wants.

shoot this trigger at america and it’ll kill the at-risk uninsured.

y’all feel free to edit, til we get a good soundbite.

wouldn’t be surprised if rahm is just giving obama cover for what the latter wanted all along.

I’m afraid you’re right, but I can’t imagine why. Really, I just can’t think why anyone would favor it without a personal/financial interest.

“Compromise” meaning in this case “taking the teeth out of any proposed changes”.

greenwarrior, who’s your rep? Any hope from him/her?

Why is no one conducting a national survey to determine how voters feel about a member of the President’s inner circle having dual citizenship with a foreign power?

Rahm needs to be kicked to the curb, pronto.

lloyd doggett. i’ll go call right now.

do you have lamar smith? a dem woman named lainey melnick just declared her candidacy and her server is in a loop. i’ve gotten 17 emails in a day and a half asking me to opt into her listserve. i think she may have it resolved. i’m wondering if it’s sabotage.

on edit: she’s a blue america candidate

Rahm Emanual is the new Joe Lieberman. The jerk needs to be thrown out on his ear, along with his faux bipartisanship.

Obama likes to say that “we can’t afford to do nothing.” I disagree. A bad plan, one without a viable public option would probably be worse than doing nothing at all.

I think you are right about that, sad to say…

i called lloyd doggett and said i wanted single payer and my next choice is a robust public option that is accountable to voters, nationwide and ready on day 1, plus regulation of the insurance companies so they can’t drop people or charge exorbitant premiums and so they must accept people with “pre-existing” conditions.

Lloyd Doggett? You lucky dog, you!

Yes, sadly, mine is (yuck) Lamar Smith.

I haven’t heard of this new Blue America candidate. I wish her luck; Smith’s fundraising is hard to beat.

Do you still have my email to send her?
I’ll be back – just got a call from one of my temp agencies asking me to email a fresh copy of my resume for a possible job. Priority One!

I’m going to call my rep even though she’s not on the list.

This is unacceptable.

but, as always, they know the online activist left only brings a pair of mismatched twos to the poker table, and will always fold.

why? because the progressive netroots is co-dependent with the Democratic Party, and will always urge ‘more and better Democrats’ in even numbered years, seemingly no matter what.

so, the (D)’s will continue to bail out the wall street scum who pillaged and wrecked to the economy – hundreds of billions if not trillions straight to those least needy and least worthy.

another one hundred and six billion dollars ’supplemental’ so fund Bush/Cheney’s criminal, failed, missionless wars.

botching what may our last chance to lessen the severe impacts of climate change before the positive feedback loops kick in – thanks Democrats!

and this laughable kabuki around healthcare reform, when everyone knows our system sucks and extracts money from the sick to feed greedy, amoral, monopolistic corporate entities who lavishly bribe politicians of both parties, and the solution is clear as day and working fine just across our northern border.

so announcing “This is unacceptable” without an ‘or else’ clause rings just a wee bit hollow, I’m afraid.

I’m calling whichever ones are nearest to me.

Called my Rep, Diane Watson, and registered my insistence.

i do have it, but you can sign up directly at http://www.laineymelnick.com.

i’d recommend waiting a few days to make sure she’s got her server issues settled.

Good idea. I’m printing the list – have to wait a little bit before I get on the phone, since I may be getting a call with an appointment time, or something. *g*

Left word with my Congresswoman’s office that I want her to speak up against a “trigger” and sent this email also:

Dear Congresswoman Pelosi:

Regarding the meeting this evening of the Democratic caucus at the White House with Rahm Emanuel, I hope you will speak up against any “trigger” mechanism that would delay implementation of a public option for health care. I believe a “trigger” only protects insurance companies and doesn’t help the American people with the health care we need on Day One.

Please ask Rahm Emanuel to put his trigger away.

Thank you for your service to California and to the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Guess you’re right about the issues — got a message of “site temporarily unavailable.”
Shades of the Lamont campaign – except with Rep Smith, the thought is far more credible.

i had lamar smith for awhile during the redistricting disgustingness and spoke to him a couple of times at the capitol during the hearings. he was polite. it felt like i was talking to cardboard. ever since i have called him the ever-execrable lamar smith.

Why are you blaming Rahm when his boss is to blame? Do you think Obama would be better on the issues but for Rahm?

Oh you are awesome. Thanks!

LOL. not.
He is polite. So are his staff people. Then he just goes ahead and does his Rethug thing.
He knows he doesn’t need dems or libruls to get elected. Sigh.

I get nostalgic for the days when Barney Frank was my young, newly elected Congressman, replacing the equally liberal Father Drinan. (before the newly-elected Pope JPII told him to quit)

whenever i needed or wanted anything from congress while lamar smith was the rep from my district, i still called doggett anyway because i knew that he was the one who was really my rep.

his vote on the energy bill underwhelmed me, but he usually does vote the way i’d want him to.

Sporkovat, if we were as powerless as you say, then why did Obama interrupt his Russian trip to try and smooth things over? Pressure works.

(Besides, a bunch of us tried Nader’s heightening the contradictions trick in 2000 — which is why Gore lost seven times as many voters to the Greens as Bush did to Buchanan — and that’s why we’re in the messes we’re now in.)

I want a progressive party. Why not now? If not here, then where?

I just called Tim Ryan’s office. Again. More unresponsiveness. Again. I’m starting to get undiplomatic with the staffers answering the phone. Someone might need to talk me down a little.

I’ll quote Jame Hamsher on the subject:

Note that they (Wall Street) don’t take Obama’s statement to contradict what Rahm said. Neither do I.

pressure works – to get the President to utter some pacifying platitudes!

Personal interest: need to be liked by those with status

We already pulled the trigger.

We pulled the trigger when we elected Obama. That should have been the signal that we wanted the meaningful reform he promised, that the status quo was no longer workable.

I’m not sure what Rahm might think we would get in exchange for pulling back on a public option. It ought to be an interesting meeting.

In response to Ghostof911@9: No one is questioning the dual citizenship thing because one would immediately be accused of being an anti-senmite, besides which I read somewhere Rahm had given up his Israeli status. I personally wish he would re-up for another stint with the Israeli army and take Lieberman with him. So there.