SCHIP Revisited

In 2007 Congress passed SCHIP, health insurance for needy children, several times. And George Bush vetoed it each time. One Democrat, Jim Marshall (GA), consistently sided with the GOP in opposing health care for poor children, scared that too many of the poor children might be African-American. Unfortunately Marshall was re-elected in November. It will be interesting to see if this reactionary swine still has his feet dug in on this when it comes up again in a few days.

Meanwhile our plea to defeat anti-health care Republicans had some satisfying effects in November. Of the 32 reactionary Republicans we urged be defeated for their SCHIP opposition, 8 were defeated and another one retired:

Thelma Drake (R-VA)
Tom Feeney (R-FL)
Virgil Goode (R-VA)
Robin Hayes (R-NC)
Randy Kuhl (R-NY)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Tom Reynolds (R-NY)
Tim Walberg (R-MI)

Except for Reynolds, who has been replaced with another far right obstructionist Republican, each has been supplanted by a supporter of working families who will eagerly voted for SCHIP, especially strong progressives like Larry Kissell, Mark Schauer, Tom Perriello, and Eric Massa.

House Democrats plan to give President-elect Barack Obama an early victory on health care, specifically children's health care, next week.

Leaders say they are scheduling a vote on renewing a politically popular health insurance program for children. Unless Congress acts, federal funding for the program expires March 31.

The legislation will look similar to bills the House and Senate twice approved in 2007. President Bush balked at the additional $35 billion in spending in the two bills as well as the method of payment-- a tobacco tax. House Democrats could not muster enough support to overcome Bush's two vetoes.