Saying Thanks To The Democrats Who Won't Give Up On Hope

This was at 8:30; it's changed a bit

Last night Rachel Maddow kicked off her show with a talk about the collapse of ambition-- the Obama Administration and corporate Democrats throwing in the towel on health care reform. The video-- after the first minute or so-- is incredibly compelling and I recommend you watch it if you didn't see it yet. This morning several bloggers have kicked off an effort to thank the House Democrats who have drawn a line in the sand and say they will stand up against the corporate shills in the Senate and the Administration are defeat any bogus health care bill that doesn't include-- at the minimum-- a robust public option. You may remember that a few days ago I included all the names and phone numbers in a post and I want to encourage all DWT readers to call up congressmembers on the list and thank them. Thereisnospoon at Daily Kos explained the thinking behind whole campaign this morning. And Blue America is hosting an ActBlue page for people who would like to give any of the congressmembers who are standing up for the public option a dollar or two.



Is your congressmember on the list? Is your favorite member of Congress? Take a look-- and make your voice heard-- with a dollar.

Washington is paying attention. The top story at Politico today is Liberals Revolt Over Public Option.

“A bill without a public option won’t pass the House,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), a member of Energy & Commerce Health subcommittee. “Not only are they weakening their proposal, but they are also weakening their hand. This is legislative subtraction by subtraction.”

Privately, the leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus sent the same message to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who said Sunday that a public plan is “not the essential element” of comprehensive reform.

“To take the public option off the table would be a grave error; passage in the House of Representatives depends upon inclusion of it,” wrote Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in a letter to Sebelius Monday.

Along with their sharply worded letter, the three House members sent an attachment listing the “60 Members of Congress who are firm in their position that any legislation that moves forward through both chambers, and into a final proposal for the president's signature, MUST contain a public option.”

Even if top aides didn’t intend to do it, the White House got a glimpse of what may well happen-- a Democratic civil war-- if President Barack Obama does indeed give up on the public option.

...Democracy for America honed in on the 60 House members who have pledged not to vote for a bill without the public option, and asked supporters to remind them to hold firm. Health Care for America Now urged its network to contact senators. And the Progressive Change Campaign Committee promised a new round of TV ads targeting undecided senators and highlighting their contributions from health and insurance interests.

"There is zero retreat on the grassroots level for the public option. We are all in, and we're staying all in, because the public option is the compromise,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change committee, one of the most aggressive defenders of the public option.

“If Kathleen Sebelius, Rahm Emanuel, or anyone else thinks the grassroots will rally behind anything short of a strong public option, that would be a serious miscalculation,” Green said.

Although all the congressmembers have been getting contributions from appreciative blog readers, the dozen who had benefited most when I woke up this morning were Sheila Jackson Lee (TX), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Emanuel Cleaver (MO), Carolyn Maloney (NY), Barbara Lee (CA), Bill Delahunt (MA), Andre Carson (IN), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Donna Edwards (MD), Michael Capuano (MA), and Pete DeFazio (OR). Please make your voice heard too.