Look at this man, Rep. Mike Ross, who’s proud of himself for defying President Obama and working to kill health care reform in the Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up today. He’s proud that he’s in line with Republican Senator DeMint who wants to make health care reform into a "Waterloo" to break President Obama’s agenda. Here’s Senator DeMint again below:
"If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him," he said.
Rep. Mike Ross sounds just like Senator DeMint when he says stuff like these below and wants to delay the passage of health care reform:
“I think they underestimated the Blue Dogs on this. They are dug in. They’re ‘bowed up.’ They’ve all gotten an earful back home.
“We’re more united than we’ve ever been, and so it’s not as easy as inviting one Member in after the next and finding out what their pet project is and helping them with their pet project for their vote. This is much bigger than that.”
“When I’m invited in to meet with the Speaker or the president,” he said, “I go into those meetings thinking that I don’t need to come around to their opinion — they need to come around.”
What about the people in Rep. Mike Ross’s district? Doesn’t he need to come around for the 21.8% of people in his district that are uninsured? That’s 500,000 constituents that he doesn’t care about when he works to weaken the House Tri-Committee bill, and doesn’t accept President Obama’s suggestion to create a MedPac panel to oversee Medicare reimbursement rates.
Blue Cross Blue Shield in Rep. Mike Ross’s district has a 75% market share–that means it has a near monopoly, and people can’t get insurance anywhere else in his district. It’s why they need the choice of a public option to help lower the costs of private insurers and helps keep them honest in that district. If a constituent in Rep. Mike Ross’s district gets laid off, or is in a small business, that person would be able to afford health care under President Obama’s plan with access to the public option in the national insurance exchange for his or her family. That person would receive subsidies from the government and his small business employer in order to help make his or her monthly premiums affordable.
It’s quite astonishing that Rep. Mike Ross is working to tank the House health care plan that would be deficit-neutral, create a six billion dollar surplus and cover 97% of the uninsured people in his district. So much for fiscal responsibility, eh?
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Damn that SOB pisses me off. I know I will get slapped around for suggesting this by some but I for one think we need to ‘dump half the blue dogs in 2010′. I have spoken about this before over at the Kos but if we can come together on this framework and target those Blue Dogs that have a viable Repug candidate and their district is very evenly split – I think we would do ourselves some good in the Progressive Community if we flushed half of the Blue Dog Caucus down the drain.
Here is the suggestion – we select then target around 20-30 Blue Dogs for the 2010 elections. We can utilize the newly created Letter to the Editor Tool created by Jane here at FDL. We can utilize various sources to make the best possible selections to ensure we ‘flush’ as many as possible. I am fairly certain ‘Change Congress (Trippi and Lessing) would help with a ‘low cost and targeted’ campaign.
If we accomplish this goal we do not hurt the overall Democratic Caucus – we would still have a majority but what we then would have is a ‘diluted’ Blue Dog Caucus so then leadership could further dilute their ranks on committee assignments – plus they would not be able to block any legislation with only 30 members or so.
I look forward to any and all discussion on this matter.
DeMint is correct … Health Care Reform is Obama’s Waterloo, however Obama is Wellington in this case and
will be victorious !
These guys aren’t representing their constituents, they are representing their campaign donors. And everyone can tell.
How ’bout a Wellington boot to the head?
per your request in last night’s ‘kick ass tomorrow’ diary -
here is local media info for the Blew Dog 7:
John Barrow (GA-12)
Savannah:
Savannah Morning News
Radio – Savannah
Television – Savannah
Augusta:
Television – Augusta
Radio – Augusta
Augusta Newspapers
Vidalia:
Vidalia Newspapers
note the 2 Sandersville pubs – Barrow has an office there
Radio – Vidalia
Television – Vidalia
Mike Ross –
Hot Springs:
Hot Springs Newspapers
Radio – Hot Springs
Television – Hot Springs
Pine Bluff:
Pine Bluff Newspapers
Radio – Pine Bluff
Television – Pine Bluff
El Dorado:
El Dorado Newspapers
Radio – El Dorado
Television – El Dorado
Baron Hill (IN-09)
Bloomington:
Bloomington Newspapers
Radio – Bloomington
Television – Bloomington
Jeffersonville:
Jeffersonville Newspapers
Radio – Jeffersonville
Television – Jeffersonville
Thank you!!
Barton Gordon (TN-06)
Murfreesboro:
Murfreesboro Newspapers
Radio – Murfreesboro
owe ya a link on TV here –
Gallatin:
Gallatin Newspapers
Radio – Gallatin
no tv station listing – will get back to ya on this
Jim Matheson (UT-02)
Saltlake City:
Salt Lake City Newspapers
Radio – Salt Lake City
Television – Salt Lake City
St George:
St George Newspapers
Radio – St George
Television – St George
DeMint also said it was D-Day. Is it too much to ask our learned Senators to not mix their war metaphors. Ironic tough, a lot of Americans died on D-Day.
Charles Melancon (LA-03)
Houma:
Houma Newspapers
Radio – Houma
Television – Houma
New Iberia:
New Iberia Newspapers
Radio – New Iberia
nuthin’ under ‘television stations’ – I’ll get back to ya on this one
Zachary Space (OH-18)
Dover:
Dover Newspapers
Radio – Dover
Television – Dover
Chillicothe:
Chillicothe Newspapers
Radio – Chillicothe
Television – Chillicothe
alrighty then slinky – that’s the list of the 7
FYI – I went to each of their websites and identified towns where these weasels had offices –
will do some googling on Murfreesboro
mwaaaah ! thanks so much for all you are doing for all of us
When making phone call and writing letters, remember that the good bill, the one that Ross and Co. are holding hostage, is HR 3200. That’s the one that doesn’t add a penny to the deficit, covers 97% of the uninsured, and provides a $6 billion surplus.
I do not understand this brilliant plan to delay healthcare meme the GOP is spreading. Sure a delay helped kill Hilarycare but the GOP had an effective media campaign against the plan back then it did lower public support for the idea.
We have 76% support despite the GOP Media campaign against this bill (Dana Bash’s *cough* reporting shows the fix is in).
We will continue this campaign over the Recess. Obama himself asked us Lefties not to target Democrats on TV did we listen? No!
This movement is bigger National Healthcare and Ending the War were the 2 big ideas that got Obama elected.
The GOP thinks Obama is a cult of personality and ideas don’t matter.
With us it is the Idea that matters Congress goes home on recess away from the beltway to check in with their voters. I’m betting even the most conservative GOP districts have plenty of healthcare supporters.
This idea won’t die with a recess.
We talk about dumping the Blue dogs all the time here:)
We are at 76% support on this issue just how does all that support go away over an August recess? Healthcare next to ending the war, and the economy has been rated one of the most important issues for voters in polls for years.
The only way we fail is if the Democrats refuse to bring the bill up again after August. In which case the Democrats will start losing elections.
Ahhh yes!!! The more poor people that die from not having health care, the less people that can vote for Democrats.
I know this is not pat of this post, but I really hope that the Democrats can get the provision that gives poor women the right to an abortion into the health care bill. If only to stick it to Rep. Tiahrt, who implied Obama’s mother may have had an abortion if abortion s were free.
Here is the clip if you have not yet seen it.
http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=2222
Wow!
Couldn’t we solve a lot of problems with term limits?????
Again, the bill Mike Ross wants to kill is HR 3200 — which doesn’t add a dime to the deficit, covers 97% of all uninsured Americans, and provides a $6 billion surplus. More about it here.
Aren’t ‘term limits’ another name for elections?
Setting up arbitrary term limit laws only puts the lobbyists and unelected staffer more in charge (yes, folks actually run things without having been elected).
Just think of how happy so many conservatives would have been had the 22nd Amendment not been ratified. Artificial term limits cost their Unca Ronnie a chance at a third term.
Blew Dogs. Heh.
As in they had to blow the insurance lobbyists to raise enough money to get elected. What congressional caucus has been so consistently and profoundly wrong? Honestly!?
Does he actually represent Bentonville?
Which brings up the question: why are there signers of the “Contract with America” still in Congress? Their contract included 12-year term limits on members of the US Congress. Their contract was signed in 1994. If they were sincere, they could have self limited their terms by not running anymore. John Boehner was one of the main proponents of the Contract. Obviously, sincerity was just another Republic stunt and not to be taken seriously.
Mike stop Obama on healthcare today so what the next day the sun will shine and we will have more support for the issue. Why because people are paying attention to this issue Mike and the more the study it the more this issue gets in the public eye our support grows.
Why because we don’t lie Mike. In the age of google your supporters look foolish constantly embarrassing themselves with funny links that support some very mean sounding talking points.
You can’t sell mean except to the mean.
You can’t sell its to Expensive after the Bank Bailout.
You can’t sell our Healthcare system is the best those other countries make you wait for treatment
when any google search will show that people in those other countries live longer than us and THEY PAY LESS
MONEY for healthcare.
The best you got is to rally the 20%ers many of whom don’t have healthcare with if we stop Obama on this we break him?
Last I checked 76% is > greater than 20%
No
I’ve felt we shouldn’t allow these people to re-brand themselves for a shot at redemption, and should just be calling Blue Dogs what they are – Clinton/DLC Democrats.
Although, with your alternate spelling the name change does make a lot of sense. Blew (Big) Dogs.
Not sure, but I do know that comment limits for readers here would solve a lot.
Mike if Obama fails on this he will still be popular but you have just associated yourself with an issue that 76% of the people disagree with you.
I hope you don’t have any plans for seeking National office your name will be fund raising gold at any online fundraising appeal.
You GOPers do remember how much cash Obama raised from regular people don’t you?
At the end of the Day Mike Obama will still be popular the GOP however will be less popular this might very well be your Waterloo your last chance to be relevant we have 60 votes we can stop a filibuster.
That means you can’t pass laws and even to stop a law you need a Dem to defect. Instead of rallying your loosing cause (what attracts 20%ers scares moderates and pisses off Lefties) maybe you should acknowledge your mistakes and decide to learn from them and get more votes or accept your 20%er powerless status.
It was cbl2’s brilliant spelling change, actually.
Their affiliation with Clinton adds some spice and dimension to the new meaning of Blew Dogs.
Don’t tell us, tell him. (870) 881-0681.
Citizen drfatman:
You are right on about dumpin’ the “blue dogs” especially in districts in the South…and the Northern and Western workin’ class and middle class districts too. I have said for a long time that I’d rather have a lean and mean progressive majority in the House than a bloated “centerist” or Balkanized majority of DINOs. But let’s remember that it’s the LEADERSHIP (especially in the Senate) that we need to whip and with effective leadership the current politics makes it impossible for progressive programs to fail.
All the Blue Dogs and Repukes never have and never will represent the people who actually voted for them!!
All this obstruction to the Public option for health care should be used against them time and time again next election cycle! Especially if we don’t get the Public Option that 76% of Americans want and need just to survive!
And the fucking Republicans say there is not a Class War going on! They are fucking liars each and every one of them, all they care about is their rich Donors. We must make it very clear to the Electorate that that IS all they care about!
Please keep in mind, the so-called Blue Dog Coalition founders included some closeted Republicans who eventually came out of the closet.
They have their people check our site just like we check their stuff so yeah I am telling them. Plus I really hate using the phone we all serve as we can.
Hmmm. Didn’t know that. Also learned that Blew Dogs refuse to pay dues to the DCCC because Woolsey hurt their feelings. They are a bunch of traitors and turncoats.
“I go into those meetings thinking that I don’t need to come around to their opinion — they need to come around.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Republican bipartisanship.
Email and/or fax.
AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Sinkerwink and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
Listen now citizens…all the fascists have left is the politics of fear and personality. This is a watershed time in American politics because for the first time since Murray Chautner(sic) burped Richard Nixon and fed ‘im his first political pablum, the fascists don’t have an ideological boogieman or class splinterin’ issue to stop social and economic reform. Think about it for a moment, people are bein’ educated and energized over the issue of healthcare and the status quo can’t be ridden to victory over the direct experience of the lives of the people. Pause now and think about that…politics has become about the issue of soving a major problem and folks can’t be scared into thinkin’ they have somethin to lose with what we have now.
This is a major change in the dynamic of politics all the way down to the city councils and township boards. And it is particularly important at the local level because everything that faces local government right now is connected to state and national conditions and action…the City Council in my little burg is discovering just how pissed off constituents can get if they don’t get the services they have taken for granted startin’ with police and fire but especially with local school districts.
Chuck Todd articulated the fascist model of politics when he said that every issue from murder to war and peace was partisan politics…Nixon learned from the America Firsters and the John Birch Society that Americans can be scared into voting AGAINST a candidate instead of FOR issues and solutions. By turning every political issue into a partisan food fight, fear of losin’ what will be gone tomoorow anyway can motivate folks to vote against their direct experience…but not on this issue, healthcare reform is not goin away and if it doesn’t get done this year it won’t be Obama who suffers but a whole lot of fascist fellow travelers and Blue Dogs will find themselves out of office in 2010.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THE CURE FOR A SICK DEMOCRACY IS MORE DEMOCRACY!!!
The peckerwoods are still fighting the Civil War anyway they can. It’s time to fight back tacking no prisoners. I would include Chuck Todd as a peckerwood.
No. Bentonville is NW corner of the State. Hard core Republican Boozeman country.
Also the post figure 500k of Ross constituents don’t have health care is incorrect. AR total population is just under 3 million. Divide that by 4 congressional districts, then 20 percent of that number would be a closer approximation.
Democrat Rep. Mike Ross – think you forgot to mention.
kind of like how Fox news leaves off the party affiliation when an (R) gets into a scandal.
except when it comes to 3rd parties who might take votes away from our heroes, the Democrats. that is too much democracy.
Just met a Republican from Delaware County Ohio. Shared my health care story with her, quoted stats from Small Business Administration and discussed the role of health care and a public plan in regards to economic recovery.
She asked me what were the most disappointing points Republicans were making irt health care reform and a public plan?
I answered, “The comments about people, like myself, with similar stories like mine, being portrayed as lazy. And the kicker came out of Senator DeZMint’s mouth in the last day.”
“What comment was that?” She asked.
I answered with, “He said:
She went nuts and vowed to never vote Republican again.
She said, “That’s it! What is wrong with this party? Making fun of people and life concerning issues? And turning a basic, humane right into ‘just’ a political battle? What a bunch of children. They are sickening”
Lesson:
Repeat DeMint’s political commentary and point out the needs of his constituents over and over.
It is morally repugnant to profit off the misery or ill health of Americans. It’s criminal that medical bills to the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX make up 62% of all bankruptcies filed in the U.S. each year. Americans spend 2.5 Trillion Dollars a year on Health care. The overhead at the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX is upwards of 35% of the health care dollar spent each year in the U.S. That is approximately $900 Billion a year the MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX uses for BRIBING CONGRESS and their lavish lifestyles, huge salaries plus perks and bonuses. All the while milking the hard-working men/women of this great nation of their hard earned money.
On the other hand Medicare has an overhead of 2%, Canada’s system is 1.5%, Europe’s 2.5% on average. The money that could be saved by eliminating the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX is estimated at $900 Billion a year. Enough money to help pay for putting all Americans on MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER TYPE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
We have to fight back and call, write e-mails, letters-to-editors, Congress and to the White House to let them know how Americans feel about the private for-profit MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX that currently provides the health care in this country.
Here are some Senators and blue dog(dems) who are on the wrong side of Health Care reform. Give them a call and demand,
“MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER TYPE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL NOW!”
Thanks to Dateline_Molly for this Link . Now, when I call each member I can quote to them how much money they were PAID/BRIBED by the MEDICAL/INSURANCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX to throw their constituents under the bus and deny them SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE.
(blue dogs)
Ross D-AR, Boucher D-VA, Kind D-WI, Pomeroy D-ND, Tanner D-TN
Polis (CO), Titus (NV) and Altmire (PA)
These are the problem Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee: John Barrow (GA-12), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Bart Gordon (TN-04), Baron Hill (IN-09), Jay Inslee (WA-01), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Charlie Melancon LA-03, Zack Space (OH-18) and Bart Stupak (MI-01).
Joe Lieberman I-CT, Chuck Grassley R-IA, Lindsey Graham R-SC,
Susan Collins R-ME, Olympia Snowe R-ME, David Vitter R-LA,
Saxby Chambliss R-GA, Tom Coburn R-OK, Jon Kyl R-AZ,
John Thune R-SD, Richard Lugar R-IN, Jim DeMint R-SC
Jeff Sessions R-AL, Richard Shelby R-AL, Mel Martinez R-FL,
John McCain R-AZ, Mitch McConnell R-KY, Jim Inhofe R-OK,
Lamar Alexander R-TN, Dick Burr R-NC, John Cornyn R-TX
Mark Pryor D-AR, Thomas Carper D-DE, Mary Landrieu D-LA,
Max Baucus D-MT, Kent Conrad D-ND, Ben Nelson D-NE,
Maria Cantwell D-WA, Kay Hagan D-NC, Blanche Lincoln D-AR,
Ron Wyden D-OR, Evan Bayh D-IN, Diane Feinstein D-CA,
Arlen Specter D-PA
Here are the toll-free numbers for the Capitol Hill Switchboard:
(House and Senate)
1-800-828-0498
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044.
Also give the President a call or write an e-mail:
White House Comments Line:
1-202-456-1111 M-F 9:00-5:00 est. (NOT A TOLL-FREE #)
President Obama’s e-mail: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Nothing rattles the Congress and White House more than informed CITIZEN/VOTERS ringing the phones off the hook for real health care reform. Call the House, Senate and the White House and demand,
“MEDICARE/SINGLE-PAYER TYPE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL NOW!”
SEMPER FI!