Look, we KNOW this bill isn’t perfect, people! We KNOW that. We know. We know. We know. We know. It’s not perfect. Got it. In fact, for us proponents of a single-payer system, it sucks. Did I mention we know that? But we have to get a bill passed. We clearly need to fight tooth and nail to the bitter […]

I’m on so many goddam email lists. Some how I managed to stay on MI-08 Representative Mike Roger’s list. He’s often viewed as a “moderate” Republican but he’s anything but. This morning, his latest email graced my inbox and in it, he takes measure of H.R. 3962, the House bill to reform health care insurance in this country. No, I […]

Fifty votes to pass a bill out of the Senate. That’s what we need. We don’t need fifty-one. We don’t need sixty. We need fifty. Vice president Biden would cast the tie-breaking vote and the bill moves on. We have sixty Senators that are in the Democratic caucus but we can lose ten of them and still pass a bill. […]

This week Democrats in both houses of Congress started down the road of stripping exemption from antitrust laws from the health insurance industry. This has them all adither. From the Associated Press: Responding to the day’s developments, the industry said the legislation was based on a misperception of existing law. “We believe that health insurers have not been engaging in […]

316,296 calls to members of Congress in one day. THAT’S the power of Organizing for America. Time to Deliver phone call drive to members of Congress proved the power of OFA and how it will be a major force to contend with in future legislative debates and elections. The goal was 100,000 calls and commits to call in support of […]

Watching Meet the Press this morning, I was shocked to hear Senator John Kyl say this: I’m not sure that it’s a fact that more and more people die because they don’t have health insurance. But because they don’t have health insurance, the care is not delivered in the best and most efficient way. Uh, dude, you’re a goddam SENATOR! […]

All photos except the first one by Anne Savage. Visit her website, Flickr Page, and blog. October 3, 2009, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party held its annual dinner. Three U.S. Congressmen were in attendance. The first was freshman Representative Mark Schauer, a young, vibrant and optimistic Congressman. The second was Representative John Dingell, the longest-serving member in Congress today and […]

From the Washington Times: [House Minority Whip Eric] Cantor said Mr. Obama initially asked for Republican help on health care, but Republicans have heard nothing since they offered their ideas. “No matter what the cry is from the White House, no matter what the president claims, they have not engaged with us,” he said. “The White House at this point […]

And we don’t want to be happy. So says Rush Limbaugh. Oh, and by the way? Nobody is dying because they don’t have health care insurance, despite evidence to the contrary I’m just sayin’…

Will Ferrell and friends have a snarky take on the health care debate, courtesy of MoveOn.org: Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell I’m just sayin’…

With 564 amendments (maybe more, the number seems to change hourly) to the health care reform bill put out by Max Baucus’ Senate Finance committee, you just know there’s gonna be some serious pork hidden in their somewhere. That’s how Congress operates, after all. And, yes there are some particularly ridiculous amendments as outlined by mcjoan three days ago. But […]