Common Sense Living

 I fully intended to keep things light for the next week, but I received a call to action from both Mike Huckabee and from MoveOn. I hope you’ll take a couple of minutes to read through and sign your name to the petition. This bill does pretty much nothing for anybody. All Obama cares about is having the feather in his cap for his first year in office. Let’s show him he’s got to do better than this! How dumb does he think we are?

From Mike Huckabee -

The Democrats continue to push their health care scheme. They continue to craft a bill in secret, behind closed doors, while telling the rest of the Senate and the American people that they will pass a bill before Christmas.

It’s not too late!!   Don’t give up the fight. The Senators listed below are important to the Democrat’s chances of success. Call them now!  Tell them to vote against the secret health care bill!  Tell them not to invoke cloture!  And while you are at it, remind them that the American people are paying attention and watching. If Congress doesn’t heed the words of the people now, they surely will come November!

Call:

Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas               202-224-4843         202-224-4843
Ben Nelson, Nebraska               202-224-6551         202-224-6551
Olympia Snowe, Maine               202-224-5344         202-224-5344

Fighting For You!

Mike Huckabee

And From MoveOn -

Dear MoveOn member,

The latest Senate health care bill has no public option. No expansion of Medicare. And it does too little to guarantee that uninsured Americans will actually be able to afford the coverage they’ll be required to purchase.¹

Former insurance executive Wendell Potter put it best: the bill is “a big bailout to the [health insurance] industry.”²

But it’s not too late to fix the bill. And as Joe Lieberman has shown, just one senator willing to stand in the way can force legislation to be changed dramatically.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a strong proponent of the public option, has already made clear that he’s opposed to the legislation in its current form—and he could decide to block it until it’s fixed.³

But there’s enormous pressure from all sides to pass a bill quickly, no matter how weak it is. Let’s show Bernie and other progressives that we’re counting on them to block this version of the bill—and we’ll get their backs if they do.

Can you sign our petition opposing the current Senate health care bill? Clicking here will add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/block/?r_by=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&rc=comment_paste

The petition reads: “America needs real health care reform—not a massive giveaway to the insurance companies. Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives should block this bill until it’s fixed.”

Despite this latest setback, we can still win the health care fight. The House has already passed a strong health care bill with a real public option. It would cover millions of uninsured Americans, offer real competition to the insurance companies, and reduce costs in the long run.

MoveOn members overwhelmingly support the House bill. But it’s clear from member feedback and surveys that the majority of MoveOn members oppose the Senate bill as it now stands.⁴

And recent polls show growing opposition among grassroots progressives generally—the very folks Democrats in Washington count on to volunteer and donate to their campaigns.⁵ One found that one-third of Democratic voters will be less likely to vote next year if Congress doesn’t pass a public option.⁶

So to get real reform, we need to immediately send a powerful message to Senate progressives like Bernie Sanders, Roland Burris, and Russ Feingold that we’re counting on them to block this bill until it’s fixed.

Click here to add your name to the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/block/?r_by=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&rc=comment_paste

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Joan, Michael, Ilya, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “ANALYSIS: House Bill More Affordable Than Senate Legislation,” Think Progress, October 30, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85097&id=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&t=5

“Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals,” Kaiser Family Foundation, November 23, 2009
http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm

2. “Senate Bill a Big Win for Insurance Companies,” Countdown with Keith Olbermann, December 16, 2009
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#34455097

3. “Sanders Could Still Vote No On Cloture,” WhoRunsGov.com, December 17, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85817&id=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&t=6

4. MoveOn Members’ Views on the Senate Health Care Bill
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85818&id=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&t=7

5. “Poll: Loss of Public Option Causes Big Increase in Opposition to Health Care Bill,” Talking Points Memo, December 16, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85808&id=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&t=8

6. “Poll: One Third Of Dems Less Likely To Vote In 2010 If Public Option Dies,” WhoRunsGov.com, December 14, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85816&id=18359-6816791-IJLIh0x&t=9

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