Progressive Change Wants Your Input On Who To Target For Health Care Reform
By Nicole Belle Sunday Jul 12, 2009 4:00pmRemember this ad to which you could add your name?
Well, it's aired in Sen. Blanche Lincoln's (D-AR) and Sen. Kay Hagan's (D-NC) districts with happy success. From a PCCC email:
In the last 72 hours, two senators named in our TV ad -- Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) -- announced support for the public option!
The big lesson? Pressure works. TV ads work. Now it's our job to keep the momentum high. So we'll be running versions of our hard-hitting ad in targeted states -- pressuring individual Senate Democrats back home where it hurts most. We just need you to help us decide where.
On the voting page, you'll see profiles of eight senators -- including how much money they've taken from the health and insurance interests, whether they sit on important committees, and their statements on the public option. Each version of the ad will feature the names of a senator's local constituents who "signed" our ad -- representing the 76% of Americans who demand a public option. It will also display the senator's big contributors.
We know that these ads are working. Not only have our ads been featured in the New York Times and Washington Post (which said we're rattling Democratic senators), but MoveOn and Blue America have been running ads in Sen. Hagan and Sen. Lincoln's home states. And the result? They are coming around. Two down, eight to go.
Now before any of you start dismissing the campaign because it's not single payer--please keep in mind that single payer is not on the table, nor is it likely to be on this go-round of health care reform. Obama has said that it would be too "disruptive" to the existing system. Our goal--and I speak for Blue America's campaign and presumably PCCC as well--is to fight for the most vibrant public option possible currently and then to keep incrementally fighting for something closer and more akin to a single payer.
I believe strongly that we will eventually come around on single payer in this country. But we need to work for it tactically and intelligently, or we risk having the whole thing blow up in our faces as it did in 1993.
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...are the only things career politicians understand.
So far, Obama has not done one thing that I feel that a leader should. I do not need another Bushie and I've got one. Would be willing to cooperate with anyone who will start and push home an impeachment, trial and conviction of Obama for war crimes. He wanted the position. I want peace. Fuck him.
Also, I am really and truly pissed about the number of bushcheneyrove gang members that are not only NOT in jail but are still on the government tit. Fuck him.
Too bad. This person is not qualified to comment here.
Site monitor, what you deleted was f**k. You can't know why I used astericks. I could have been meaning fork, frik, frok, fruk, fryk or many other combinations of the letters.
Kay Hagan can go fuck herself...anti atheist bitch.
Hard hitting ad, I don't think so.
Single Payer
Single Payer
Single Payer
Period!
I am so sick and tired of hearing about ANY "public option" that does NOT
include "Single Payer (TM)". Anything else is just another Health Insurance
rip-off.
Why should that 72% of Americans who favor the single payer option be
forced to settle for less -- MUCH less? I would rather see activists put the
screws to their Congress-critters over the August recess, instead of settling
for something far less. Accepting "half-a-loaf" now, especially something
authored by the Health Insurance industry, will be how hard to change
later? Doesn't anyone remember the absolute Cluster-Flock that Part D of
Medicare turned out to be?
(BTW, Alice, I have been lurking here since about November '08, when
posting rules here changed to registered ONLY. I have read so many
of your posts -- you are my muse. Hence, here I return ...)
This instance on single payer is only hurting any chance at the only option we have A Strong real Public option. Single Payer yes in time, but No matter what you think there is no way in hell we will ever go from the system we have now stright to single payer. The support is not there and will not be there no matter what you do. We can get a soild Public option if everyone works for it.
You may well be right about the lack of support. But I feel that you are
absolutely wrong about just accepting the status quo, as is.
Congress-critters rely upon Corporate "Donors" for a majority of their
campaign funds. Essentially, it is "Pay For Play" at best, or Bribery and
Corruption at worst. They take these funds in the hope that their very
expensive media campaigns will garner them their next election win.
It buys media access, Not Votes! At least, Not MY Vote!
If a large number of Voters express their disdain for their lame Corporate-
sponsored half-measures, with the Threat of Withholding Votes, then these
Congress-critters can either support those measures that the Voters demand,
or they can risk losing their Seats in Congress. Period!
The Democratic Party holds the White House, holds the Majority of the House,
and holds the Majority of the Senate. The very time to strike for a dramatic
change in healthcare policy is Now. The Need for dramatic change is Now.
Almost without exception, the Party in control Will lose Seats in mid-term
elections, and the political opportunity will have been Lost.
The only viable, sustainable, and rational "Public Option" is Single Payer!
Anything else is basically a vast subsidy of private, for-profit health
providers which will only provide minimal coverage for those individuals
the Health Insurance Providers already consider "uninsurable". They would
like nothing better than the government absorbing the cost of covering
the aged, the infirm, those with pre-existing conditions, etcetera.
If everyone (every Voter) gets behind the Single Payer Option, engages in
educating their Congress-critters in the "Will of the People", and follows
that conviction through With Their Votes, these "Bought-and-Paid-For"
Corporate Shills will not have any other option than supporting the Single
Payer Option, unless they all think that they will (as Losers) find gainful
employment in the Health Insurance industry.
If you find that you cannot, in good conscience, support a Single Payer
Option for Health Care Reform, and perfectly willing to accept some
Corporate-authored Health Reform (half-azzed) measure, then you have
(1) already given up, just like AARP and "Progressive Change" and Gov.
Sarah Palin (QUITTERS, NOT FIGHTERS), or (2) you have a vested interest
in a pro-Corporate Health Insurance Reform.
Sorry, but I really don't see any other viable classification for your position.
Makes all the sense in the world to a Democratic Party Clown.
...on what support you're talking about. The public supports single payer. It may not have political support, but I wonder if these kind of ads support single payer would help to secure that too.
I think you're wrong if you think that getting a public option will eventually lead to single payer. A public option will still leave millions uninsured and will be far more costly than single payer. The public option will essentially be the safety net for all those who are dropped by the privates so they don't have to pay any benefits. In other words, the public plan will be covering those who are the sickest in the country.
When it ultimately becomes far more expensive than anyone could have forseen, it will be scrapped and we'll be right back where we started.
You're saying it's too big a jump to go from what we have now to single payer; that's just right wing appeasement crap. Americans have adjusted to far more traumatic events than this in the past.
All the public option does is ensure corporate profits and very little else.
I disagree. If every American who supports single payer were to call (not email!) their congressional representative and tell them that they will NOT vote for them in 2010 unless they either author or sponsor a bill for single payer health care, you would see such a bill on the House floor very soon. Once that bill shows up, then it would be the time to do the same thing to the Senate. Not only should Americans tell their representatives this, but they should start scouting for people to run in the primaries against them. If our congressional representatives are not going to "represent" us (why do you think they're called representatives?), they shouldn't be in Washington! We put them there; we can replace them. This is perhaps the most important issue they have ever faced, and they need to do it right.
Insurance (private) is an unnecessary layer of profit that drives up the cost of health care. By going to a single-payer system, we eliminate this one element of greed, replace it with a system that still negotiates the payments/prices of care for consumers - without eliminating jobs - and does it more efficiently than the private sector. I should know; I have TriCare Prime, which is basically the same system that would exist under a single-payer. We have transitioned to an all-electronic health care database over the course of the last several years, and it is phenomenal!! I saw my doctor two weeks ago, and within less than a minute he pulled up a pathology report from a surgery five years ago.
I won't even be affected, since I have TriCare ... but I still know (because of my experience) that it's the best (only sustainable) way to go.
Funny how Obama's senate point man on health care reform (Baucus) is the second highest recipient of lobbying money from health & insurance interests.
Also funny how it's called "health Care Reform" instead of "Health Insurance Reform".
Guilt - a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes - whether justified or not - that he or she has violated a moral standard, and is responsible for that violation.
What progressive change is running is, essentially, a guilt-campaign. And there's nothing wrong with that approach, as long as the target will feel guilty.
The problem seems to be, most of the potential targets for this campaing have a low modeled probability of supporting a "public option" at all and several of them are committed no votes. Some of the senators most likely to be influenced (Ben Cardin, Mark Wyden) are not even on that list.
This campaign will not inflict guilt, that is, change the minds of committed no votes, they have no guilt upon which to play. The only way to get to people like Lieberman is through denial of monetary resources and that's not the goal of this campaign.
I would suggest more careful targeting of appropriate senators and less "feel-good voting" for your targets would be a more effective approach and a clearer demonstration of the factual data on why you are targeting certain individuals would be more likely to get the funds from cash-strapped folks like myself.
This shotgun approach to choosing targets is a big non-starter for me and for many of the folks I've spoken with IRL.
edit: 18:36:
Good God! I just looked at the results of the poll on who to target and the leader is Max Baucus. Talk about pissing in the wind. Your poll's favorite target is a committed no vote and one of the least likely Dems to support a "public option" in any case. sigh.
And one last comment:
You say, in your post, "Now before any of you start dismissing the campaign because it's not single payer--please keep in mind that single payer is not on the table, nor is it likely to be on this go-round of health care reform"
Well since progressive action-committees like Progressive Change capitualted, early and often, on single payer and continue to do so, of course it's "not on the table". More backbone on progressive principles, at all levels, would help quite a bit. You've already given in to right-wing framing by abandoning even the rhetoric of a single-payer option from the get-go. sigh².
Exactly, precisely so.
When a group like "Progressive Change" chooses to capitulate to the Corporate
Health Industry special interests, essentially without even a fight, I have a
flashback to what AARP did regarding Medicare Part D. If it takes "people in
the streets, with pitchforks and torches" in order to get a Single Payer option
back on the table, then so be it.
I know one thing -- I will not support, either with campaign contributions,
campaign labor, or my VOTE to any Democrat running that does NOT support
the Single Payer option. I will not (EVER) vote Republican, but I refuse to
support ANY Democrats that wont. Instead of not voting, I intend to write-in
another candidate (Progressive, Green, Socialist, etcetera) or even John Conyers or Dennis Kucinnich.
Congress-critters, pay attention! Support HR-676, or risk losing. No more
playing Mister Nice Chump for me.If I cannot count on YOUR support of
much needed health care reform at a time that YOU have the power, then
YOU can no longer count on my VOTE. That is THE one thing that the MSM
and Corporate Whores can no longer take for granted.
I tried to cast my vote and was passing up the contribution requests since our household income is so tight right now. Unfortunately payment of something is required to get votes counted. I guess everything costs... even opinions.
After you hit vote and get redirected to the ActBlue donation page, here's what's at the top:
ops
If we REALLY had TRUE Capitalism these Clowns in the Insurance industry would embrace it. What We have is Socialized Capitalism with Controlled Competition. As if they had real competition they would have to CLOSE their doors.
Remember SOCIALIZE the Losses, Privatize the PROFITS, Lie Cheat Manipulate the Truth. Bottom line is if there is real competition the Insurance Industry DROWNS.
single payer ,
what does it matter ? , I will be dead before it happens , my ui ends in 4 weeks , have not had my heart meds in almost 2 years , finding a job yea right , sorry to say im ready to go .
for you to have some faith. I know people every day that have to worry about their healthcare. Good luck to you.
"--please keep in mind that single payer is not on the table, nor is it likely to be on this go-round of health care reform. Obama has said that it would be too "disruptive" to the existing system. Our goal--and I speak for Blue America's campaign and presumably PCCC as well--is to fight for the most vibrant public option possible currently and then to keep incrementally fighting for something closer and more akin to a single payer."
SAME AS THE OLD BOSS!
Screw this too, lost cause. I only see 1 option , attack the lobbyists. How many law suits can be brought against the lobbyists? Nobody likes lobbyists get that on the ballot next time around to silence them. Make an add about the Democrats being watered down versions of republicans, vote them out. Impeachment hearings , recall elections, you screw us we screw you.
Keep them busy, pay people to focus on them. Park their cars in, pay the taxi cab drivers to drive em out to woods and drop them off. Make them take their money and spend it in court, force it. The US Government has the plan already set, on auto pilot. So fuck it.
a single payer system cannot be amended, compromised or otherwise turned into a pay day for the insurance industry. Any public option bill that passes will most likely fatten the bottom line of the insurance industry and screw the very people it is touted as serving. Or, it will contain a poison pill like a "trigger", or Kerry's little idea of passing something and then not implementing it for ten years i.e never.
...how and why Obama went from this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAyan1fXCE
to this:
"Now before any of you start dismissing the campaign because it's not single payer--please keep in mind that single payer is not on the table, nor is it likely to be on this go-round of health care reform. Obama has said that it would be too "disruptive" to the existing system. Our goal--and I speak for Blue America's campaign and presumably PCCC as well--is to fight for the most vibrant public option possible currently and then to keep incrementally fighting for something closer and more akin to a single payer."
If there is mandatory health insurance then we have to have legal voluntary euthanasia. I cannot afford "affordable health insurance." I have been unemployed for two years. I have skills and references and a really great resume. What do they want from me? There are no jobs to even keep a roof over your head let alone buy "affordable health insurance."
I was one of the people complaining that this campaign was not enough. I have to say that your argument is sound and as a result, I went ahead and donated some money to the cause, however....
While I think your goal is admirable and your method is sound, my biggest issue is that with a Public Option it is going to cost the tax payers more money than going directly for single-payer. I will, however, support your efforts.
I will start off saying I am a strong supporter of Single Payer because I believe it is the most cost effective and sensible option proposed. If I had more faith in the Democratic controlled Congress to put strict guidelines in the legislation to prevent the public option becoming "death by a thousand cuts" legislation, I would change my position.
Here is a link to an article I read that I hopes ease some tension I see between single payer and public option supporters.
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/141238...
Whatever the legislation it must contain at a mimimum:
1) Payment Reforms that would discourage providers from ordering endless and often ineffective procedures
2) Tighter regulations that would keep insurers from cherry-picking the patients that they want to cover (This will be the death knell to single payer as well as the public option if the legislation does not have this because private insurers would simply drop all their most expensive people thus flooding the public option making it ineffective)
3) Investing in a secure electronic records system that would cut down on the cost of shuffling paperwork -- estimated at 20-30 cents of each health care dollar we spend
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