Isakson: “Eighty percent of the cost of health care to me, to you, and to anybody else happens in the last 60 days of life. More often than not, people are not in a condition to make a decision for themselves. Because of laws, and because we are a compassionate nation, the physician will keep you alive as long as he can. If you had a chance, you might rather say if I am being hydrated and given nutrition but will never become conscious again, I give the doctors the authority to make the appropriate medical decision. The money that would save is in the “gazillions” of dollars–if there is such a number. It would help us to manage that cost. “

Lambert is organizing a terrific effort to turn H.R. 676 supporters out to Blue Dog town halls and get them to commit on camera to support Single Payer:

At last night’s town hall in Towson, MD, Ben Cardin sketched out his case for health care reform. Unfortunately, he concentrated on the “Why we need reform” aspect (possibly thinking it would keep the rabid pack at bay? Ha!), and stayed purposefully vague about the “How we’re going to fix it” part of the conversation. I need to go back and watch his presentation again, but I’m pretty sure the words “public option” never escaped his lips. He spoke of an “exchange” in which consumers could shop for health care, but he left more undefined than defined. In fact, throughout his speech and the Q&A answer that followed, he frequently spoke of things he wouldn’t vote for – a bill that didn’t pay for itself would lose his support, for example – but he did not once tell us what he wants in a bill. But to be fair, he never really had the chance.

Davies, the North Carolina speech therapist, said she attended a recent organizational meeting but left “without any clear script or anything to do.”

Organizing for America “hasn’t contacted me with a really clear mission,” Davies said. “If they came to my door and said, ‘Here are the 10 things we want you to do,’ then I’d probably do it.”

One complication is that activists are being asked to sell an evolving plan; even Obama hasn’t committed to details.

15 down…25 to go.

Wu takes his place in the “weasel words” category: he’s all for a public option as long as he doesn’t have to fight for one.

On June 19, the board of PhRMA approved the $80 billion worth of drug discounts in the deal that former Blue Dog Billly Tauzin negotiated with the White House.

On Tuesday June 30, the Hill reported that PhRMA began running ads in the districts of six “vulnerable Democrats,” worth about $2.5:

Last week I attended a couple of town halls: one in Maryland for Donna Edwards, and one in Danville, VA for Tom Perriello. Going into them, I kinda figured that Edwards’ event would be pretty tame, but Tom Perriello’s would be raucous, if not violent. Edwards’ district is urban/suburban and solidly Democratic. Perriello’s district is [...]

And as it turns out, the cause of advance planning has been championed especially strongly by a pro-life Republican — U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia.

Because the Democrats had no plan for August — even though they knew they would get hammered if health care was delayed, as Chellie Pingree warned on July 20 — they are now leaping into action on August 10.  Steny Hoyer will be running a "war room" for Democrats having problems in their districts: Hoyer and [...]