The Romney-Ryan-Akin Platform for Women

Women who lambasted Susan G. Komen should NOT give Romney a pass: He would de-fund Planned Parenthood and not provide any low-cost alternative. Go where you want, he says, "this is a free society". Not without healthcare and he'd rid us of the Affordable Care Act a/k/a/ Obamacare which gives full insurance coverage for mammograms!

Healthcare Bill Indefensible?

I am conflicted about whether or not the Democrats should continue to try and pass the so-called Healthcare Bill BUT:

"It is probably more damaging to the Democratic Party to defend an indefensible law than to defend a bill that never became law that's indefensible," says Norman Solomon in this week's CounterSpin (at FAIR.org). You can hear him AND Glenn Greenwald (talking about anonymous news sources) in this week's AWESOME segment:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4002

(I podcast CounterSpin through iTunes, fyi, and would recommend it, but you can hear the episodes you want at FAIR.org's archives whose list you can dig to there or go directly viahttp://tinyurl.com/e7twv )

Senate Healthcare Bill still too Weak

If you watched Rachel Maddow last night you may be feeling as uneasy about this as I. The opt out feature is not good (though Medicare had this same feature and no state opted out), but that individuals who have crappy insurance can't opt in to a better public plan is worse. And 2013 is too long to wait. As Senator Ron Wyden said, we progressives have to stay at this and demand to get more. Keep calling, writing. It's not over.

Writing the White House On-Line

Not getting through on the White House Comment Line -- 202-456-1111, I've called through the White House line: 202-456-1414 and have been transferred. BUT, I also urge people to WRITE a progressive message at the WhiteHouse.gov comment page. I left THIS comment:

Be a Roosevelt -- NOT a Clinton.

People before Profits -- any healthcare reform must NOT benefit the greedy insurance industry. We need Single Payer -- an expanded improved Medicare for All, or at least all who WANT it. The only compromise is an affordable comprehensive STRONG Public Option WITHOUT the need for extra insurance polices.

NOTE: Any healthcare reform without at least a strong public option is UNACCEPTABLE.

Basic healthcare should NOT be a matter of profit but available to ALL.

DO NOT BETRAY YOUR BASE

I pray God that President Obama gets the message and speaks to this next Wednesday.

Rachel Maddow - outrageous corporate thuggery behind anti-health care 'activists'

The average middle class millionaires and lobbyists of RecessRalley.com ralleying people against healthcare reform are uncovered -- proving once more that this isn't grassroots but astroturf, and those little guys buying in and spreading the mission are crabgrass [thanks, Dan Jacoby!]. Outrageous indeed!

UPDATE: RecessRalley.com either got too many hits and/or has been shut down, thanks to Rachel Maddow shedding light on the average middle class millionaires behind the town hall hijacking. I've had fun googling RecessRalley.com. Thanks, FireDogLake.com for posting Rachel's video so quickly.

Several friends have taken the Facebook Universal Healthcare poll, Are you in favor of a government run healthcare system? Yes. No. Maybe.

The poll puts me in a quandary. I commented to a friend's voting yes:

Government run? Like the Veteran's system? I'm more in favor of government PAID healthcare: single payer -- an expanded and improved Medicare for all. And I would consider the public option as a compromise position. What I do know is I want insurance companies OUT. The profit motive has no place in healing. And the health industry is paying $1.3 million a day in lobbying that it keeps its greedy hold over peoples lives. If I take the poll I have to lie and say yes or my vote would likely be misinterpreted. We absolutely need affordable comprehensive healthcare for all -- and it really shouldn't be tied to jobs. Now let's all call Congress and tell them so including Blue Dog Dem Mike Ross from Arkansas. Thanks for caring, Brandon!

So now, do I take the poll to build momentum and misrepresent my position? I am not opposed to the Veterans Hospital system -- I don't think we need it over-all. Just expand and improve Medicare, congress! Now, to contact congress AGAIN. (And maybe I will call Mike Ross who needs to know his Blue Dog naysaying is affecting us all.)

Tell Media: Include Single-Payer in Healthcare Debate

Tell Media: Include Single-Payer in Healthcare Debate

This is such an important issue -- the public option cannot be a realistic compromise without mention of Single Payer which is really the best solution to our healthcare crisis. The fact that this story is also slow on Diggs shows the effectiveness of the corporate media blackout. People aren't aware. This story so needs to be unburied. I've signed FAIR's petition (and I love their CounterSpin podcast, fyi). I firmly recommend you do likewise. Thanks!

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Sen. Bernie Sanders on Passing Healthcare Reform Legislation

Speaking of Senator Bernie Sanders, FireDogLake has posted this great segment from MSNBC's Countdown -- hey, Senators, get behind my/our hero of We the People, Bernie Sanders!!

Bill Maher Panel Highlights - June 19, 2009

HEALTHCARE is the main focus of much of this (followed by a great quotation by Paul Begala about 7 minutes in re Catholics and sex.) Why is the US spending so much more than everyone else to be #37 in healthcare? Blame the health INDUSTRY, including the AMA, which is only 25% of the doctors, mind you. SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE NOW -- the public option is the COMPROMISE -- and it must be affordable and comprehensive. NOTE: We should accept NOTHING LESS.