I’m not asking for a kidney. These folks aren’t expected to sacrifice their first born upon an altar to FDL. Hell, we didn’t punish anyone for voting the wrong way in the past on important issues like the war supplemental. In fact, we’ve even rewarded good behavior, and simply asked for answers when we see behavior we don’t understand. In short, we’ve been good, engaged, informed and responsible citizens. What we need are responsive and accountable leaders.

Seven members of the Progressive Caucus who signed the letter to Henry Waxman asking him to stop pushing for the government’s right to negotiate and accept the White House deal also signed the letter pledging to vote against any bill that does not have a public option. If these members now back off and refuse to honor that commitment, if they won’t sign on to the letter being circulated in the Grijalva whip count effort, it will be a good indication that PhRMA money has had an influence on their votes.

FDL has obtained a copy of the letter written by Blue Dogs Debbie Halvorson and Heath Schuler and signed by 60 Democrats, asking the House committee chairs to substitute the language from the deal that the White House made with PhRMA for Henry Waxman’s language in H.R. 3200.  Matt Taibbi writes about it today.

The teabaggers aren’t strong on nuance and won’t care whether there’s a public plan or not. The anti-insurance industry campaign the White House wouldn’t let anyone run last summer because they didn’t want to drive AHIP from the bargaining table is now okay because they are desperate to get “permission to buy” in these districts — even Republicans hate insurance companies. I know Blue Dogs who have openly wondered why such a populist campaign wasn’t run in their districts to give them cover from the start.

There are 4 congressional districts in the state –  Mike Ross’s is the second most Democratic.  So the likelihood that all the “nay” votes are clustered in his district is pretty much nil.

Maybe Ross means his other constituents, the lobbyists from the medical industrial complex.

The ads refer to Pete Stark’s comments saying that Blue Dogs were “brain dead,” that they “just want to cause trouble” and are “looking to raise money from insurance companies and promote a right-wing agenda.” The Washington Post recently reported that Blue Dogs were breaking fundraising records this year and that half their donations came from health care interests. They also found that the typical Blue Dog receives 25% more in health care industry donations than other Democrats, “putting them closer to Republicans in attracting industry support.”

Obviously, publicly espousing something and privately working for it are two different things. There is no indication yet that the arms of Max Baucus or the Blue Dogs or centrist Senators are being twisted. But having Obama out there ginning up enthusiasm himself for a public option only gives more fuel to the efforts of the Progressive Caucus, who can rightly say they’re only fighting for what the President wants.

Rep. Grijalva is doing what we always ask progressives to do.  While others stood by and watched Van Jones and Yosi Sergent and a huge piece of progressive infrastructure swept away by capitulation to Glenn Beck’s McCarthyist tactics, he’s fighting.

Let him know we need more of that.

Obama’s actually starting to talk about the public option again. Keep letting him know you’re paying attention — if he really fears a repeat of 1994, let him know that listening to Rahm Emanuel is not the way to avoid one.

David Kirkpatrick in the New York Times writes about the warring health care industry stakeholders, and their fight to carve up the medical industrial complex bailout pie. We are truly ruled by lobbyists: