Thursday, July 23, 2009

Time to Show the Senate You Care About Health Care

What is the holdup to getting health insurance legislation passed, and passed very soon? There are enough votes in the House to pass the House version. It’s the Senate where we are having problems. And at the bottom of it all is Senator Max Baucus of Montana.

Max Baucus is a Democrat who votes with Republicans a whole lot of the time. He is after all from a red state and does like to get re-elected. Something he has been successful in doing since taking office 31 years ago.

Because of his seniority, he is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, a fairly powerful position, and has just about single-handedly thwarted the efforts of his more liberal party members to pass meaningful health care legislation with a public option.

Now, I don’t know whether or not he actually cares that a majority of Americans want health care reform and that he is the fly in the ointment. He may not care. But we now have a chance to make our voices heard through Democracy for America.

Russ Feingold has an electronic letter you can sign. A letter thanking the 12 Democratic members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP Committee for “for crafting the Affordable Health Choice Act with the choice of a public health insurance option available to everyone in America.”

So if you are of a mind to, click here and sign the letter. You can add your own comments, too.

It is an obvious dig at Baucus. I mentioned him by name in my comments.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can't President Obama get his own house in order?

Do they want him to fail?

Republicans are irrelevent.

Anonymous said...

LBJ would have kicked Baucus' ass back in line. Why is President Obama pussy footing around with him?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the plan stinks. Have any of you read it?

Anonymous said...

To Anon above: Honey works better than vinegar.

By the way, I signed the letter.

Anonymous said...

You'll have plenty of time for that vinegar over the long summer congressional recess.

If it was important enough to President Obama and the Democrats controlling every aspect of Congress, it would be passed before the recess.

Ever think that deep down they don't want anything to change with healthcare--other than using it as a topic for political campaigns. Ever check to see you gets most of the money from the health care lobby?

Anonymous said...

Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

Shel Silverstein

Anonymous said...

Well I signed another petition against it and called several "blue dogs" yesterday who were on the fence letting them know that they should read the fine print in this bill. BTW, there are other health reform bills on the table, why is this the only version you are supporting and why is compromise no longer in the congressional lexicon?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous - do you really believe that?

Anonymous said...

I wonder why this bunch is ignoring other HC reform bills like HR 1495. Hum, maybe it is because partisanship is all that is left for this bunch?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Democrats really don't want health care reform? It will not help their campaign contributions.

Anonymous said...

Quite possible, but how come we can't find any details on how this massive spending project during a full blown recession is actually going to save us tax dollars?

Patriot Missive said...

If it's not single payer, it will not work.