Music to my ears:
For the first time since they formed in 1995, the Blue Dogs have been out-organized by their liberal counterparts. The Congressional Progressive Caucus completed its first survey and began whipping back in the spring. They launched a final whip count last week that will be finished by Wednesday evening.
The whip count builds on an earlier letter that 60 members of the progressive caucus signed, pledging to oppose any health care bill without a "robust public option."
"We’re going back to those people and saying, ‘Hey, are you still with the letter?’" said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chair of the CPC. "And if there’s been slippage, how much? And if we have a committed core, how many?"
Grijalva is asking members to back the public option all the way through the process, not simply on the first vote on the House floor.
Really makes my heart warm. But then there’s this:
It’s not entirely clear how far that team has penetrated, however. "We have a whip team?" asked Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), a CPC vice chair, sounding both surprised and impressed. He hasn’t decided yet whether to commit to oppose any health care bill that doesn’t have a robust public option, he said, but he is leaning in that direction.
Really? Mike Honda already signed a letter saying he wouldn’t vote for a bill that doesn’t have a public option. There were 2,173 donors who gave $5,144 to thank him for doing so. I’m assuming he cashed the check.
What part of "we simply cannot vote for such a proposal" did he not understand when he signed his name?
Mike Honda’s office: (202) 225-2631, (408) 558-8085
69 Comments
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About FDL Action
Advanced search
OK, now I’m feeling a lot of very unladylike language coming on …
AND this IS war now, I presume?
It’s good we’ve got Grijalva’s back on this but he needs to “solidify” his team a bit better …
Nail all the liars.
fyi – when you are calling Honda’s office, his comments cited above are from HuffPo
one ringy dingy . . .
Called his office. Had an interesting conversation with the toady who answered the phone. I am tenacious. I kept up the talking point. When the young man said he would pass my comments on, I asked him What, which comments. That you’re in favor of Public Option. I reminded him that that was not the only point I made. I asked him why is Mr. Honda flip flopping. He signed something. Now he saying something else.
I got hung up on. And, I didn’t even use bad language. I just kept asking questions.
I’m bad. Hanging head.
Where’s the hammer when you need one? Oh, dancing? Badly? Embarassingly?
No, demi, you’re good.
Unbelievable, these people. Was Honda in Congress to vote on the Patriot Act without reading it, too?
Oh, Jane (on edit) – can ActBlue contact those donors and get them to call Honda demanding their money back?
Amazing. And, they have paying jobs. With insurance, I might add. This kid was so robotic. I’m pretty good at comunication, but could not reach through the veil.
And, also, thank you, sweet thing. Made me feel better.
comunication,
Maybe not perfect at spelling….ha. You know how it gets when one is a tad upset. *g*
call back. politely state ‘I’m the lady you hung up on’ then ask to speak with :
Legislative Director: Eric Werwa
or
Communications Director: Michael Shank
Doing so, now.
‘zup Tex!
we ask the recipients, not ActBlue for our money back :D
They are both out of the office. Since I asked, the young man’s name is Mark. I told him that they are probably just out to lunch and when did Mark expect them back. No idea. I said I’d be happy to call them in a little bit.
Thanks, cbl2.
atta girl! I did the same. didn’t get hung up on, but went with the “there appears to be a contradiction in the congressman’s public statements, could you, Messrs Werwa or Shank clear it up for me ? thingy
Or Demi, you could Fax them. If you send a fax, you don’t have to worry about someone that takes your call misinterpreting what you said. I prefer faxes because those are hard copy and they will likely keep them. Emails are to easily deleted on purpose or by accident. Whereas faxes can be used as proof of the volume of constituents that offered their opinion on a subject. I’m a big proponent of sending faxes. They are as fast as a phone call, but are a more permanent record of what you said.
A CPC vice chair?
How does a vice chair not know that the group has a whip team?
Called again, holding. Using cbl’s word’s wanting to clear up the apparant contraditions..etc.
Waiting for Dan, who asked me which organization I was calling for or from. Just me, my family.
Okay, neither guy is available, but Dan assures me that Mike still has totally strong support for the Public Option. I told him that was good to hear. That there are citizens, albeit me not being one of his constituents, who are holding elected officials not only to stand for what public support is but also to hold tight to what they have said they would or would not support.
whew.
Thanks, Ann. I have no problem worrying about someone misinterpreting what I say. I ask questions. I reiterate. I clarify. Of course, it works differently for different folks.
I called. I called back. I was told he totally supports PO. So we can see what happens and call him on this later, if need be.
Nice, Demi. You must have recovered from working late yesterday ’cause you are fired up today.
Herculean, demi & cbl2!
I’m worried they are using 2 communication strategies:
1) if you are an org’n you get to speak to the PR people … presumably so veal-pablum can be appropriately administered .. and
2) if you are a citizen, you get empty assurances.
And I ASSUMED we get our money back. Pronto!
Fired up!
Ready to go!
:-/
Ah, shucks, t’weren’t nothing.
What’s a few phone calls for the good of many? Still, I have window washing and dusting to do. Har har. PS…making chocolate chip cookies as we
speaktype.Twain!!
Damn Straight!
wanna cookie?
Sounds like a basic “divide and conquer” strategy. Or maybe they’re just idiots.
Oh, Hadn’t thought of that.
demi, you did extra good! Impressive.
reader – what org do you suppose would most likely get the bigwigs on the phone?
Vice? Whips? Sounds like it’s getting a bit Kinky
mmmmm…cookies….
cookie- reminds me, haven’t had lunch….
Do you think I might be more effective if I made up an organization name? ShotoJamf/Demi 2012? Hee.
But, really, seriously. If they treat calls from orgs differently than just some Blonde In Sylmar calling, maybe I should stratigize. I could always use my friend Greg’s name.
You could always paraphrase the old Will Rogers joke and say you’re not from any organization, you’re a democrat. ;)
Does Greg belong to a great and powerful organizaion that will get these bozos’ attention? Is that what you mean?
Hmm, sticks and carrots…
I could just imagine some politico
’s reaction to this:
“Well, Congress critter, you know we’ve got $$$$ in an escrow account waiting for you to make good on your promise.”(That’s the stick…the carrot is still out of reach,dangling.)
You see, if you give ‘em the money upfront,you already gave away the carrot.
And if they don’t make good on their promise, you give the money back to the original donors.
Holy cow! I thought perhaps this post was a little out of proportion, but after reading the comments, apparently not! And I’ll admit I should know better than expect a politician to follow through. Thank goodness Jane is on the job and not me!
Tell him to back up his bio (excerpts below) with a strong stand for public option.
No. Greg Palast. The meek and humble.
For some reason your comment made me think of the Groucho Marx line, I wouldn’t be part of a group that accepted me as a member. Or, something like that.
demi – LOL.
dosido – that’s quite a bio. Maybe an appeal to his history would help.
Citizen demi:
You, Sister, have earned a Norske Medal of Citizenship…the amount of pressure bein’ applied to the House of Representatives and on self-proclaimed PROGRSSIVES is what I have been hammerin’ Sister Hamsher about since they started spendin money on ads against Blue Dogs. Use the money and the clout that some of these bastards have gathered from soliciting progressive support to hold their feet to the fire and make it uncomfortable for them back home. It ain’t the Blue Dogs and the fascist fellow-travelers that we have to stand behind with sharp sticks…it’s the fuckers that have made a career off masquerading as “liberals”. The chickens are comin’ home to roost.
Coinkinkydinky, I heard a story today about the UC campuses giving retroactive diplomas to those who were wisked out of school to spend time in the camps then.
I’m always tempted to tell them I’m with Democrats for Healthcare :D
I didn’t get Dan, I got Lisa (COS staff?) who insisted he strongly supports the PO. then why the statements to HuffPo ? ‘hmmm, will have to check and get back to ya’
whatever. I reiterated that the good congressman is on the record whether he presently wants to be or not and that we are watching very, very closely.
Why are we surprised that Honda treats the letter as meaningless? Grijalva also thinks it has no meaning. Otherwise, he wouldn’t go back to people to find out if they’re still with the letter.
Buncha damn troublemakers at this place. *g* Givin’ the Village dolts a wee taste of revolution, eh?
begawck!
You get two cookies. Their fresh out of the oven. And, a large glass of non-fat milk, ’cause of your ticker.
Well, let’s just say Rep. Grijalva understands reality.
With binoculars!
Ain’t it wonderful when a girl has a few free extra hours in the day?
nom-nom-nom … famkwu!
I got an immediate picture in my head with conversations and all … it’s a kinda scary thing I do sometimes. Big intuition. Trouble is I have been right about things that I should NEVER have known otherwise.
I dunno about which big org’n … I would be afraid to impersonate someone … but I’m a scaredy cat. They would probably be able to tell. Could get us all in trouble.
♪. . . if you go carryin’ water for Chairman Rahm,
the only vote you’ll be gettin’ is from your mom ! ♫
You’re just too cute. I think it’s nappy time here. Someone’s got to do those windows and dusting this afternoon.
The fact that staffers are more inclined to pay attention to *organizations* rather than individual citizens is telling indeed.
I always HAVE to add I HATE Rahm. You know, just for so.
Amen Norske !
And for all those who feel a bit stressed, pls visit Thers’ Late Nite Thread from last night … laughed
’til I cried !
Nuthin’ wrong with my ticker … can I have Cookies with Bailey’s ? *g*
Great work today with the phone calls today, demi !
Where is the link to the quoted source material?
Speaking of UC (go bears!) I gotta check on how the “regents rumble” is going today. Lots of folks unhappy with them.
You’re not prodding our neighbors to the South, are you ? *g*
hey OFG !
from HuffPo
Well, true, but still, it’s like dating a serial dater. Every time he says “I love you” he really means it, until he meets the next girl and says “I love you”. He means it everytime, just not the last time he said it.
So, you gotta to go back in front of him and say, here, you said “I love you” and I have to hear it again.
UC protests today. our college fund dwindles even more…
on the plus side, punaise jr., trapped in Honduras, isn’t really missing the first day of classes.
Ya gotta be an organization to talk to the real folks apparently. All the plebes get the staffer who takes tallies.
…a government of the organization, by the organization, and for the organization shall not perish from the earth.
Yeah, that’s our government.
great analogy. lol
I’m hoping for the best for you both. sounds dicey.
yo, Petro! Supportin’ my peeps!
Even the Democrats Abroad chapters up here have conference calls with congress members and telephone campaigns!
If the US doesn’t get single payer I cannot see ever returning to the land of my birth. :(
And Pittsburgh G20 protests turn ugly … scary stuff!
thanks – he has a flight out Friday, so I guess they are opening the airports for int’l flights after all…
I called and spoke with Dan who assured me that Rep. Mike Honda was doing everything in his ability to ensure a strong public option was part of the health care reform package.
Sounds like Rep. Honda’s office neds to request a correction from HuffPo.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAA!
Called Rep Honda’s office.
They claimed it was a typo in the news article that he might be changing his mind.
I scolded them ( nicely ) and reminded them that Honda supports progressive ideals…and that I have about 5 friends without health insurance in Silicon Valley.
a big phat good on ya ! Welcome
A “typo?” How do you mis-type an entire sentence, or paragraph? And a typo of a few words or letters does not convey “he’s changing his mind.”
Riiiiight.
Well, at least that answer is a clue that they’re getting lots of upset calls. Perhaps he will stick to the right path.
Honda you might be right, but re: Grijalva that’s not true. The letter he is circulating I believe says that “triggers” don’t constitute a public option, so he’s trying to get people to commit to nixing the back door Rahm/Snowe are trying to use to neuter it.
It’s not the same letter. It’s the next step.