Four More Dem Senators Join Push For Vote On Public Option

Source: The Plum Line

Posted at 02/17/2010, 10:44 AM EST
Four More Dem Senators Join Push For Vote On Public Option

Yesterday four Dem Senators made a big splash by signing a letter pushing Dem leaders to pass the public option via reconciliation, suggesting the provision may have a faint pulse.

Now four more Dem Senators have added their names to the list, their spokespeople tell me, doubling the number of signatories to eight and perhaps upping the volume of the public option’s pulse ever so slightly.

The new signatories: Al Franken, Pat Leahy, John Kerry, and Sheldon Whitehouse.

They join yesterday’s signers: Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley, and Sherrod Brown.

The letter asks Harry Reid to stage a full Senate vote on the public option under budget reconciliation rules. It argues that there’s a history of using the technique for passing significant health care legislation and that a majority of Americans has consistently supported a public option.

Read more: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/four-more-dem-senators-join-push-for-vote-on-public-option/

Time for me to call Barbara Boxer and tell her to join in. I guess I could try DiFi. The call is free.

Easier just to hide troll-ishly behind the feature.

...keep butting up against those who do not - hopefully the honest brokers will win.

I'm pumped to see my Senator Al on the list! Wrote him just this morning to urge him to join on, and am not surprised to see he was a step ahead of me. Just made the call to Senator Klobuchar, but I don't hold out a lot of hope that she'll do the right thing. She's pretty much Repub Lite, if you ask me.

Joe will kick the ball in the end zone.

I just called mine

so I called Bill Halter's office to urge him (again) to challenge her. But I'll call others instead.

No sense calling only people who agree with you already.

No sense letting her hear only from people who support her RW stands. Let her know some of her constituents are unhappy with her!

her staffer in LR is named Slater who is going to anti terrorism school and told me we were at war with bin Laden. (yes, I asked him if he knew how ridiculous he sounded.) So, anyway, I call. It's not nearly as fun as calling my old senator, Barbara Boxer, but I call. Sometimes I line people up with my cell phone and have lots of people call in a row. But she just wants to know how to push back against us.

You have my sympathies

Senator Cantwell wants to take her precious time.

So you all know, some of these fools resist seeing reconciliation as part of their tool kit.

I had a very good conversation with people from both offices but Cantwell's especially.

It's all about tallies on this one, how many call in.

The tally that really mattered was November 2008, I thought anyway.

Will there be any more?

Time for Reid to grow a pair, and make it happen.

given a long history of sitting on his hands, that's not the way to grow them!

Most of them are waiting to see how it plays in the media.
They will do it if it seems like good political points, not till then.
We are seeing the brave and committed Democrats now, the rest are waiting to see how it shapes up....


mark

Seriously, this guy is a total idiot. If he does not understand that he needs to go this route by now, he is either an idiot or a corporate shill, or both.

:shrug:

Right now! Don't let him off the hook.

I just got off the phone with Amy Klobuchar's office, made it VERY clear just exactly what's at stake here, in as nice of terms as I could. (Not easy, as she's been dodging taking a stand on this issue for the last year.) Put the heat to 'em and don't stop till we make 'em do the right thing.

Sometimes its so easy to be a keyboard warrior that I forget that its just as easy to pick up the phone.

:hi:

As Thom Hartmann says, "Tag it you're it!"

:applause:

Be sure to call after he signs on and thank him, also. It's kind of like with kids, positive reinforcement works wonders.

You have NOTHING to lose by doing this. And WE have everything to lose if you don't.

---

will update throughout the day
http://whipcongress.com/?source=letter
10 senators have signed so far.

I noticed him getting his back up this morning complaining about the Vice President and his stand on the integration of the Terrorist . I thought that he would at least wait until a few months out before he showed the people how stupid and vain he really is. God I miss Ted. He has an ego as big as Ohio, and a brain as big as a pea. Complained about the cost of lawyers from the private sector and the military lawyers. Military lawyers are cheaper. They are because they cannot compete or they would be totally in the Private sector. God help us all. I am sorry to the US because they bought a pig in a poke.

I have my doubts when it comes to Hapless Harry's (White House too) "leadership" abilities but one can hope - I guess.

You could knock me down with a feather if something actually comes of this.

Love the Hapless Harry moniker. :thumbsup:

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I'm not gonna try contacting Voinovich; he doesn't give a shit, just hanging out 'til retirement...

Way to go!!!!!

:)

I also just called him and left the message that I was proud of him. (I'm sure he'll be pleased ;-z). How soon till we can get rid of Nimrod???

and moving his lips and making noises come out.

I will call Kerry to thank him, too. But that is preaching to the converted.

I think Brown needs to hear from the majority of Massachusetts residents, who do want a strong public option.

Exclusive: Sanders joins Dems in final push for public option

By Sahil Kapur
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 -- 1:20 pm


Make it ten.

Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-CT) spokesman Michael Briggs confirmed to Raw Story that he will join Democratic Sens. Michael Bennett (CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), Sherrod Brown (OH), Al Franken (MN), Pat Leahy, John Kerry (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Roland Burris (IL) in a last-ditch push for the provision.

The first four co-sponsored the letter and released it Wednesday, and The Plum Line's Greg Sargent confirmed Thursday morning that the latter four will sign, just before Burris joined the list.

The signatories urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) to "bring for a vote before the full Senate a public health insurance option under budget reconciliation rules."

http://rawstory.com/2010/02/exclusive-sanders-joins-8-dems-final-push-public-option/

:)

And a big shout out to Jeff Merkley, our new senator from Oregon!

Without you, this would never have happened.

to see Bennet's name included here...

Thanking Romanoff is spot on, I think.

Unfortunately, I think Bennet will be able to buy his seat without too much trouble.

but, certainly, Bennett needs to be challenged!

I feel like I'm finally represented.

Klobuchar (BlueDog-MN) will be a no-show on this

... "Good for Franken!" Had to say it again. After reading his books and listening to his radio show during it's entire run, I had very high expectations for him. He is exceeding them. Proud that Al Franken is my U.S. Senator!

.. Senator Al has way out preformed what I dared hope for, and I called to let his people know how much we appreciate it. Please do so too, our good ones shouldn't just hear from us when we're pissed off. Call Al @ 1-202-224-5641 and send him some love!

I supported his Nelson-Pallmeyer up until the state party convention. Franken has exceeded my wildest hopes and is proving to be a great senator.

I cannot say the same for Kloubachar who has been a continual disappointment. Sadly we may be stuck with her for quite some time.

This is for the people and now we know which senators are on everyone's side! Obviously with the recent polls about how dissatisfied Americans are with the senate and house we better get some action on this or everyone is in trouble for being paralized! Evan Bye Bye should be doing something like this not bailing out on his party!

Since no HCR whatsoever will pass with a repub filibuster, there's no other option than reconciliation. And if we're gonna do that, might as well go all the way to Public Optionville. I am tempted for a moment to suggest universal single-payer, but that will compound the inevitable problems caused by recon'ing infinitely. So, yeah, Public Option FTW.

Per the Ed Schultz show.

give us something to CHEER for!!!!!!!!!

COME ONNNNN!!!

...that there remain some people with a "D" after their name who are actual Democrats!

We need to know which democrats are no better than republicans so that we can attempt to defeat them in primaries and elect better democrats.

Bad democrats are worse than republicans because they make the party look weak.

last year, they WERE weak.

On health care reform, we were so weak as the Senate went to summer recess,
then Kennedy died, and the other 59 Senate dems decided to hide for the rest of the year.

I'll be calling to thank you in a little bit.

Dodd is my Senator, and Lieberman too, obviously. Calling them on this is always non-productive, but what else can one do but try?

he go down fighting for a public option?

Health care access...a right, not a privilege (to quote one of his best friends).

In CT, I get the "we only listen to those in our state"...although they'll take my out-of-state money!

I agree with you about Dodd's retiring, you would think he could vote his conscience now.

I believe Dodd has other plans.

Russ must need to hear from his constituents or just hasn't come out publicly yet.

STICK with it. Please don't back down.

:woohoo:

As is basic civics. You should take some courses in both.

:woohoo:


2 more signed!


Only 40 short! :woohoo:

Go figger, eh?

:spank:

Lautenberg's office I did not want to push that much as the Senator is in the hospital right now. So I left a message on their "comment about legislation" line.

I spoke to a Menendez staffer about it, and the staffer gave me a very vague answer. I will push him again tomorrow.

Kay Hagan in NC, we'll see what happens. Not holding my breath.

Reid is a coward. he won;t do anything though..

Damn, that guy has been making me proud to be a Minnesotan!

John Kerry for a public option? All credit to the protest vote in MA.

added to the list.

Also, Klobuchar and Harkin support reconciliation.

Please Dems, get it done for us.

One can argue about whether or not the current health care reform proposal even without a public option might still bring more good than bad. Personally I think it probably does in spite of its flaw. But only with a strong and real public option will the Democrats have a program in which they can really run on and confront the Republicans for opposing. Even more so, ONLY with a strong public option will we have the kind of health care reform that really makes a difference and brings real tangible relief that will benefit everyone and help hold down cost.

Senators should sign on. If they really have the country's interests at heart, that is.

And fuck the insurance industry. That is one segment of the economy we would be better off without.

- Whatever it takes.....

we will see, but I doubt if she will support the effort.

I send you to my post earlier today.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7737690#7737831

I figure we have 48 yes's, 4 maybes and 7 no's.

I just read that now 14 Senators have signed!! Let's keep it going.