THREE DOWN, TWO TO GO-- ETHERIDGE SUDDENLY REMEMBERED HE'S A DEMOCRAT AND WILL SUPPORT SCHIP

After the House Democratic leadership was finished gently persuading a handful of reactionary renegade Democrats that voting to sustain Bush's SCHIP veto wouldn't be a good thing to do, only 5 remained wedded to Bush's obstinate, anti-family position, their heels firmly dug in. The DCCC started going after Republicans with hard-hitting internet and telephone campaigns and radio spots urging their constituents to call them and tell them to support health care for needy children. It looked a little hypocritical to me that they weren't even mentioning the 5 reactionary Democrats.

So Blue America and our buddies over at BlogPAC decided to give them a hand. We got together and decided to run a version of the DCCC campaign against the 5 Democrats. Now the Democratic leadership has been very confused and ill at ease over this situation. Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports a somewhat embarrassing moment for Democratic power-behind-the-scenes (i.e.- boss), Rahm Emanuel on CBS' Early Show today when he and right-wing extremist Tom Price (R-GA) got into a nasty tiff over SCHIP.

Emanuel fumed that Price’s vote against a bill that would add $35 billion to the program, known in Georgia as PeachCare, showed he was “isolated from the real concerns that are facing working parents.”

“The Republican governor of Georgia has endorsed what we are doing here,” Emanuel said. “And the reason is because we’re solving a big problem in Georgia.”

Price countered Emanuel’s wielding of Gov. Sonny Predue’s name by tossing out [Congressman Jim] Marshall.

“I know [Emanuel] doesn’t think that his colleague on the Democrats side, Jim Marshall, doesn’t care about kids, and Jim Marshall voted with us on this,” Price said.

Marshall (GA), along with Baron Hill (IN), Bob Etheridge (NC), Mike McIntyre (NC) and Gene Taylor (MS) were the 5 with the dug in heels. After the telephone campaign elicited a barrage of phone calls to all 5 congressmen, we started the process of placing newspaper ads. Baron Hill, who was aware of the full-page ad due to run in last Sunday's Bloomington Herald Times was the first to come back to the Democrats, announcing just in time to allow us to recall the ad that he would vote to override Bush's veto.

We were assured that the two in North Carolina would do likewise and not to run newspaper ads in their districts. McIntyre came back to the Democrats on Monday and Etheridge followed suit today. He was under gigantic pressure from the Democratic party, both nationally and locally and from grassroots activists in North Carolina. He did the right thing. Now every single North Carolina Democratic congressman is supporting health care for needy children and every single North Carolina Republican congressman is opposing it. Larry Kissell, our Blue America-endorsed candidate for the congressional seat in NorthCarolina's 8th CD had something to say about this over at Kos today.

Robin Hayes must decide tomorrow if he wants to show his loyalty to President Bush or to North Carolina's 8th District.

The badly needed override of President Bush's veto against State Children's Health Insurance expansion goes to vote tomorrow. And as North Carolina Governor Mike Easley has said,
"We need this bill to serve North Carolina children currently eligible for the program," the governor says. "It is not for North Carolina adults, nor for children in families earning $80,000, nor illegal immigrants, nor for those with insurance right now. Those who make these claims are not telling the truth."

Easley was key in helping McIntyre, Etheridge and, earlier, Shuler, do the right thing. It's unlikely his urging will impact Hayes, let along the pack of other rubber stamp embarrassments the North Carolina GOP has in Congress-- Lil' Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, Howard Coble, Sue Myrick, or Walter Jones.

As for Gene Taylor, I'd say he's just plain hopeless. He's in an overwhelmingly Republican district in southeast Mississippi where Kerry barely broke 30%. Voting like a Republican keeps the anti-choice Taylor in good stead with his constituents. Last year he won with 80% of the vote. When you examine Progressive Punch's "Chips Are Down" scale, you notice that Taylor has been the 4th worst Democrat in the House. Jim Marshall has been the second worst. Listen to the call the Democrats in Taylor's district heard on the phone and take a look at the full page ad that ran yesterday in the Macon Telegraph. It isn't too late to help us pay for this campaign; we could sure use the help. Hundreds of people have contributed $5 and $10 and $20 to make it possible. Donations to the Blue America PAC is what we use to pay for these campaigns. Hit that link and contribute what feels comfortable.


UPDATE: PICK A KID

Congressman Marshall, Congressman Taylor, if your family wasn't getting free health care paid for by taxpayers, which child would you choose?