voted yes last month on $26B to bailout European Banks

16.8% of his constituents without access to healthcare

16.7% of his constituents living below Federal Poverty Line

$17.1 in earmarks in the 111th Congress

oh, and he loves him some F-22

Great effort Mike great effort. Will definitely call. I did quite a bit of volunteering and work for Rep Space and I truly believe he is on our side and definitely for a “public option”

He is walking a fine tight rope in his district.

The Republicans are going after his district big time

Mike would be interesting if you did some interviewing in his district of the constituents and how they are thinking.

Hope Rep. Space gives you your much deserved 20 minutes. You were able to get your well thought out questions in a few minutes far better than most of the MSM.

Hope he gives you the time. We are watching and listening. Will Call

Mike’s on the Space Case. Beautiful.

The Republicans are going after his district big time

All the more reason Space should be strongly backing a public option. That’s how he’ll win. Of course, perhaps Zach has other motivations…

Hey Mike do you have the time to go after Rep Charlie Wilson (Oh-6) from my district. Charlie rode in on the coat tails of our former Rep Now Governor Strickland. He pledged to follow in the footsteps of Strickland’s voting record. So far he has been a huge disappointment to most of us in this district.

Can you nail him down even more?
http://www.charliewilson.house.gov/

http://www.progressohio.org/pa…..sblog/Cqb9

He has some really impoverished areas you would think he would be more than willing to take a solid stand.

The areas of Glouster, Chauncey, Trimble would be fascinating areas for Mike to walk the streets interviewing.

A bit about Zach’s district
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O…..l_district

But his recent vote on the energy vote…makes him even more vulerable

What Space is up against and his recent vote on energy
http://www.nrcc.org/news/read.aspx?id=382

Wilson was one of two Democrats in the state who voted against the bill, joining Rep. Dennis Kucinich in dissent. Wilson and Kucinich, however, have not had tough re-election challenges in recent years. Space is the most vulnerable of the three Democrats, with his district voting for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential race with 52 percent of the vote.

When asked about his vote at the Capitol on Tuesday, Space declined to answer questions on the matter and referred to an earlier statement from his office.

“Our energy policy over the last few decades has been absurd because it has lined the pockets of Middle Eastern dictators while driving up energy prices for Ohioans,” Space said in a statement released after the vote. “From investing $180 billion to secure a future for coal to creating new opportunities for our steelworkers and our manufacturers, the time is now to finally declare our energy independence, making our nation stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.”

Mike Stark – superb job, pls keep after ‘em!

Space’s office seemed a bit nonplussed by my irate phone call. “I really don’t know what the [congresscritter’s] position is, sir – we don’t get much of a chance to talk to him!”

Is this guy spending his time at C-street?

I will look for him on the Hill, but I can’t make any promises. Soon, I’ll do a post that explains what is going on up there in terms of how I get to these folks, but for now, let me give you the short version…

About twice a day (once in the evening on Monday), Reps are called to vote. At that time, they have to leave their offices which are located across the street, and make their way to the Capitol. Many of them, when the weather is nice, will walk outside. Many more of them will take a tunnel connecting the complex that is closed to the public.

If they take the outside route, I can chat with them. If they take the tunnel, I’m out of luck.

Moreover, when the vote is called, they come out in droves. While I’m interviewing one, 30 others will necessarily escape.

So… Whether or not I can get to your guy depends partly on luck, and partly on whether or not he comes into the daylight.

(Never fear though – this is just the beginning. As I develop sources and friends on the Hill, I’ll be catching them at fundraisers, watering holes and other “off-the-beaten-path” events.)

My nightmare-which appears to becoming reality:

No public option
Co-ops
madated to buy insurance
only insurance available is junk insurance-high deductibles and co pays etc.
will take til 2013 vto implement-meanwhile 14,000 people lose their insurance and thousands die because of no access to healthcare because they have no insurance

In other words, a crappy, watered down bill which does no one any good except the democrats who can say they got healthcare so they should be re elected.

Have been in those buildings many many times lobbying for the last 38 years on different issues. Have like so many been outside of those buildings protesting many issues and decisions also.

Thought your approach was great. Clear, to the point and not on the attack. Keep it up.

Will you be on the street for the March on Thursday. Know there will be plenty of people there from Ohio

http://www.healthcare-now.org/
Medicare: Made in America
Lobby Day and Rally – July, 30th

Celebrate Medicare’s 44th Birthday by showing Congress and President Obama that unions, doctors, nurses, seniors, faith groups, and Americans of every stripe support single-payer healthcare.

The best way to save this system is to expand it and make it a truly single-payer system by removing the for-profit interests.

Polls consistently show that the public supports a Medicare for All system, and 59% of physicians support it. In the face of inadequate reform to our health care system, we want Congress to make sure our voice is heard.

So, the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care is launching a rally and lobby day on Thursday, July 30th in Washington DC.

O/T. According to Think Progress, Howard Dean is going to be hosting Countdown on Tuesday and Wednesday night this week.

Space is a Republican sheep in sheep’s clothing. He’s among the most deserving sitting Congresscritters who deserve to have their public employment contracts canceled at the earliest opportunity.

If it goes down that way, the system’s going to collapse under its own inefficiencies.

Co-ops don’t work. We tried it here in New Mexico, it was a valiant effort but as nearly as I can tell it’s flopped.

Mandatory coverage doesn’t work either: look at the Massachussetts system. Hawaii almost got quasi-mandatory coverage to work, but that was via employer mandates that can’t be used elsewhere. Hawaii’s system was grandfathered in because it already existed when CORBA was passed in the late 80s.

We at least have two serious structural problems in our health care system. One is the set of perverse incentives presented to physicians by the reimbursement system. The other is for-profit health insurance.

Some people claim that our tort system for medical malpractice is also at fault. That contention doesn’t hold water: several jurisdictions have passed stringent limits on malpractice reimbursements. That should hold down malpractice insurance rates, right? It hasn’t. It should result in less ‘defensive medicine’, (i.e., ordering every conceivable test to CYA). But there is no evidence that it has: Texas has had strict limits on med-mal damages but McAllen was Obama’s Poster County for Costs-gone-wrong.

I think it’s a combination of defensive medical practice and a perverse incentive structure. The more procedure a physician does, the more money said physician bills. Therefore, I can cover my ass and make money if I do that thing I do with an endoscope. What’s not to like?

If we don’t get something that’s going to lead us to a reasonable system, the whole thing’s going to break. Then we have to start from scratch.

Follow the Money… Link

Call Congress and demand, Single-Payer Health Care for All Now!

Sign the Single-Payer Petition: Link

SEMPER FI!

How is it even remotely possible that we ended up with two guys in Congress named ZACH — Wamp and Space?

Isn’t it a biblical name? That’ll do it. I might be thinking of Zedidiah, though.

Or maybe their parents were big Zachary Taylor fans?

Great stuff. Zack Space’s staffers told me last week – he has not made a final decision on the Public Option. I think he would vote for it but is probably getting a lot of pressure from the hardline blue dog idiots.

Mike – please try to interview Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3) – she is a Blue Dog but campaigned on Health Care Reform especially for business owners. Her district had over 10% Uninsured as of 2008 but Unemployment in Erie County has reached almost 10% now – so the 2009 Unisured % will be much higher. I have spoken to her staffers who claim she supports “A” public option. So I want her to say “What” Public Option she supports.

Appreciate all of the hard work by FDL – especially on the Health Care issue.

I would rather see it break into pieces than pass a bill that is no more than window dressing for the 2010 elections. The Blue Dog proposals will not rein in medical and hospital costs it will not introduce any real competition into the private sector and so it will be the worst of all possible worlds for the country.

Let it break, and don’t lift a finger to piece it back together unless it’s a single payer universal health care system.

I read the post title as “Zack: Space Weasel”. Just sayin’.

Space Weasel, n.: a subgenus of Congresscritter that maintains a wide berth for the purpose of remaining unaccountable to the public.

- Tom

You want to go back to some one like Ney? We can’t always get exactly what we want. Space in that seat is far better than what we have had

“Space in that seat is far better than what we have had”

So to speak.

I can’t even talk right now, or I would make a phone call to his office. Oral surgery.
Come on, Zach. I call your office almost every week, I voted for you twice.
I need you to do this one right. This is so important. Give the man 5 minutes.
You gave the Colbert Report more than 5 minutes, you can do this for us.

Obviously time is not the problem, it’s his position that’s the problem.