"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
-- Sinclair Lewis
Monday, May 10, 2010
Connie Saltonstall Drops Out Of Race In Michigan
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We had high hopes for Connie Saltonstall's challenge to Bart Stupak. This morning, having driven Stupak himself out of the race, she also threw in the towel under pressure from the Michigan Democratic Party, no doubt under pressure from the DCCC. Connie's announcement:
I regretfully announce that I am withdrawing from the Democratic primary for the U.S. Representative in Michigan's First Congressional District.
I am forced to do this because it has become apparent to my campaign that the leadership of the Michigan Democratic Paarty has preemptively anointed Gary McDowell as their Democratic candidate. They are replacing Bart Stupak with another Upper Peninsula, Anti-Choice, Anti-Women's healthcare rights candidate. From past experience I realize that with the Michigan Democratic Party actively opposing me, I will not be able to raise the money necessary to conduct a winning campaign. I am not the only candidate that has been the target of this kind of manipulation. I hope that in the future the Party will reject this interference and insist on an open primary allowing voters to choose the candidate who represents their values.
I challenged Bart Stupak because he was threatening to take down the healthcare bill. His amendment threatened access for women to get health insurance even with private funds. There is an aggressive movement across the country to pass laws to restrict women from making responsible healthcare choices to protect their health, and furthermore, to criminalize their actions. The same people who think government should stay out of their lives, are legislating government into the doctor's office. Individuals, families, and physicians are the ones who should be making the complicated and difficult decisions we all face regarding reproductive healthcare and life issues.
While I think Gary McDowell is a very nice person, I cannot support his anti-choice politics, and I cannot support a party that endorses candidates who vote to restrict women's legal rights and access to healthcare. It is time for Democrats to stop compromising on this issue. I am proud that my campaign has raised the dialogue on healthcare and cgoice, and I will continue my leadership role concerning these issues.
I want to thank all my supporters in the First District and across the nation who contributed their time, money, endorsements, and good wishes for my campaign. We were first in the race, raised more money than any other Democratic candidate to date, collected over 1,500 petition signatures, put together a professional campaign team and a path to victory. Without the interference of the Democratic leadership, we might just have won the election!
I'm stunned and disappointed. I always believe Stalanism should be fought. The Michigan Democratic Party is waving around some poll they took-- paid for by the slimebags at the DCCC, of course-- which "proves" Connie couldn't win. Of course, the question about her describes her as a "socialist." Remind me again what makes the Democratic Party insiders any better than the Republican Party insiders. Please send a message to the Democratic Party by helping defeat some of Debbie Wasserman Schultz's favorite conservatives, like Lori Edwards, John Barrow, Jane Harman, Blanche Lincoln and Katrina Swett.
Today is the infamous "end of the quarter" for congressional filings. "OMG!" candidates will tell you. "It's now or never!" If only! Tomorrow is even more important-- the first day of the even more crucial next quarter. Screw the DCCC desperate e-mails trying to get you to donate money on behalf of healthcare and Wall Street reform only to see them channel virtually all of it to understandably unpopular conservative Blue Dogs and other faux Dems who have brazenly voted against healthcare reform and against bankster reform, from Larry Kissell (NC), Bobby Bright (AL), Walt Minnick (ID), John Adler (NJ), and Suzanne Kosmas (FL), to John Barrow (GA), Travis Childers (MS), and Glenn Nye (VA). And then there's Bart Stupak. North Michigan conservative Bart Stupak has become a cartoon character villain for progressives nationally, primarily because he was willing-- even eager-- to work with Republicans to tank healthcare reform if he couldn't use it as a vehicle to impinge on women's right to choice and privacy based on a bizarre set of cult-like "religious convictions" he shares with some of the most dangerous far right elements in the country.
As you may know, Blue America has a page dedicated to sending Democrats a message and contributing to Connie Saltonstall's primary campaign against Stupak is a music it is very healthy for Inside-the-Beltway Democrats of all stripes to hear. This morning I spoke with Connie and asked her if she'd do a guest post about why her race is more important than ever, even though pressure from Democrats forced Stupak to eventually vote for the healthcare reform bill. This is how she put it:
We all know by now that Bart Stupak finally gave in, dropped the ‘Stupak Amendment,’ and voted for the healthcare bill. While I applaud his vote, it does not change my determination defeat him in the Michigan primary on August 3rd.
Representative Stupak’s reluctant support of healthcare reform came at a very high cost.
Mr. Stupak’s dogmatic insistence on inserting his own religious views into the legislative debate and threatening to deprive his constituents of needed healthcare reform eroded people’s trust in him. Throughout the debate there was the sense that our Congressman let us down and that sense has not disappeared with the change in his vote. For me and so many of his constituents, he crossed the line with his grandstanding.
My campaign is about getting past the kind of political obstruction that marred the healthcare debate. I look forward to working in Congress to represent the Democratic values of the First District-- affordable, accessible healthcare for all, healthcare that allows women the opportunity to make responsible life decisions for themselves and their families, protecting our Great Lakes and other precious natural resources, and fighting to put people in our district, so hard hit by this recession, back to work.
Since announcing my candidacy I have been overwhelmed and humbled by the enthusiasm, support and outreach for my campaign, both nationally and locally. People from all over the district are calling daily offering to donate and do anything they can to help. Political pundits like to say that someone from the lower peninsula cannot win in Michigan’s First District. I don’t believe that. I have heard from people all the way from Gogebic County in the Northwest of our district to Bay County in the southeast of our district. We are all Michiganders and our commonalties are far more important than our differences. I am here to give the people of Michigan’s First District a choice!
And Blue America wants to help her do just that. Please consider helping Connie, not because this is the last day of the quarter, but because we just have to save the Democratic Party and our country from characters like Bart Stupak.
Heroes and Villains In Last Night's Healthcare Votes
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Out of step with American families: 2 dangerous clowns against healthcare-- Calvert & Ryan
I can't imagine that anyone who reads DWT doesn't already know that the two substantive votes on healthcare reform last night were won by the Democrats-- and the American people-- 219-212 and 220-211. The conservatives and their Republican Party right-roots, brainwashed by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are predicting the same kind of Armageddon and communism and fascism and every kind of doom under the sky, just as they did when progressives broke free from England, freed the slaves, gave women the vote, made labor unions legal, passed Social Security, passed Medicare, etc. Conservatives, and the foolish people who fall for their selfish bullshit, are all about preserving the status quo and preventing progress.
Interestingly, as soon as the bill passed the DCCC sent out a press release to the media in southeast Wisconsin entitled "Representative Paul Ryan Puts Big Health Insurance Companies Before Affordable Health Care for Americans." They made a lot of sense pointing out that Ryan, "rather than vote to help middle class families, seniors, and small businesses finally afford coverage while reducing the deficit by more than a trillion dollars over 20 years, Representative Paul Ryan sided with the big health insurance companies instead." DCCC spokesperson, Jennifer Crider:
“For decades, big health insurance companies have profited off discrimination and denials and pricing middle class families out of the care they need but that didn’t stop Representative Paul Ryan from continuing to side with insurance companies. Ryan refused to give folks back home access to the same health care that he gets as a Member of Congress.
“After taking $534,071 in contributions from insurance companies, it’s outrageous that Ryan would put insurance company profits before helping middle class families and small businesses afford coverage, closing the Medicare prescription drug donut hole, and reducing the deficit by more than a trillion dollars over the next two decades.”
...For Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, Ryan’s vote against health insurance reform was a vote against:
o Improving coverage for 506,000 residents.
o Providing tax credits and assistance for 153,000 families and 14,000 small businesses to purchase affordable coverage.
o Improving Medicare for 112,000 seniors, including closing the prescription drug donut hole.
o Guaranteeing that 8,000 residents with pre-existing medical conditions can obtain coverage.
o Protecting 1,600 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
o Allowing 51,000 young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance plans.
o Reducing the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $23 Million annually.
Nothing wrong with that. But do you know what John Adler (NJ), Mike Arcuri (Blue Dog-NY), Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL), Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS), Larry Kissell (NC), Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD), Michael McMahon (NY), Walt Minnick (Blue Dog-ID), Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA), Zack Space (Blue Dog-OH), and Harry Teague (NM) have in common with each other and with Paul Ryan. They all voted "no" both times last night. What they also have in common with each other-- though not with Ryan-- is that each and every one of them is on the DCCC's Front Line list. This is the absolutely #1 priority list for DCCC money. If you donate to the DCCC you will be paying for the re-election campaigns of these treacherous anti-family putative Democrats. Everything the DCCC had to say about Paul Ryan is just as true about the 34 Democrats who opposed the healthcare reform last night.
Regina Thomas is running against John Barrow, the only Democrat to vote "no" in a blue district. This morning she told us that Barrow "voted with the health care industry and corporations. He received more than $80,000 this year alone from health care lobbyists. His vote was for them and not the voters of the 12th. His actions prove just what kind of politician he is-- whomever gives him the most money determines how he will vote. July 20th will be here before we know it-- then we will have an opportunity to vote him out." We added Regina to the Blue America endorsement page yesterday and urge you to consider helping her campaign.
Another progressive Democrat endorsed by Blue America had a strong message about the vote last night as well. Connie Saltonstall's opponent, Bart Stupak, after nearly derailing the bill, took stock of his career mortality and pulled back from the ledge, though not before doing his worst to weaken women's choice. "First, let me say ‘thank-you’ to Congressman Stupak for his vote on this historic reform bill," she wrote in a statement to north Michigan media. "Healthcare reform will create a real difference in Michigan’s First District with provisions that extend healthcare coverage to 44,000 uninsured residents, protect 1,100 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs, grow jobs by extending tax credits to small businesses, and improve Medicare for 141,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole. And let’s not forget, healthcare reform is also about jobs-- about saving auto plants in Michigan from having to move jobs to Canada to save $7.25 an hour in healthcare costs." But what about Stupak; don't worry; she addressed that too:
Representative Stupak’s support has come at a very high cost. Mr. Stupak’s dogmatic insistence on inserting his own religious views into the legislative debate and threatening to deprive his constituents of needed healthcare reform has eroded people’s trust in him. Throughout this debate there is the sense that our Congressman has let us down. It appears he has been more interested in promoting his own personal agenda than in representing the people of Michigan’s First District.
The healthcare debate should never have been sidetracked into an abortion debate. For more than 30 years, the Hyde amendment has assured that there is no federal funding for abortion and this bill includes that provision; there will be no federal funding for abortion.
This is not a perfect bill. I believe universal healthcare is a right, not a privilege or a luxury. When I get to Congress, I will continue to fight for a single payer system which I believe is the most efficient and cost effective way to deliver healthcare to all. Quality healthcare also allows women the opportunity to make responsible life decisions for themselves and their families.”
Blue America-backed Bill Hedrick in Riverside County is up against right-wing fanatic Ken Calvert, who cavalierly voted against the interests of his own constituents last night, Bill's press release:
“For 18 years, Ken Calvert has put party politics before the people of this district. Today he had a chance to redeem himself by voting for the landmark health insurance reform bill that would directly help hundreds of thousands of people in the 44th. But Ken Calvert, once again putting his personal and party interests first, voted against it.
Because of the vote today, 107,000 residents of the 44th who had no access to health care have access. 19,600 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage. 81,000 young adults can remain on their parents' insurance plan. And 76,000 seniors will have their Medicare improved. Those are the facts of this bill.
What Calvert fails to see is that these facts are more than just numbers on a page-- these numbers represent real people that will benefit from this reform. Ken Calvert had the chance to do right by them, and he failed. Just as Calvert failed when he repeatedly opposed expanding insurance coverage to children, opposed re-importation of prescription drugs, and opposed low-cost health insurance plans for small businesses.
Two more facts worth mentioning: This bill will reduce the deficit by over $100 billion over the next ten years and by about $1 trillion over the next twenty. This is fiscally responsible legislation. Putting the party line ahead of the financial future of our children and our country is irresponsible leadership.
Today’s vote was ultimately about responsibility. Fiscal responsibility to bring America forward and the moral responsibility to keep America healthy. Ken Calvert’s record is clear-- he is not the person to lead us forward as we fight to further reform and balance the budget. It is time for new, responsible leadership in Washington-- leadership we can trust to get the job done.”
Washington state Senator and progressive champion Craig Pridemore congratulated the outgoing congressman, Brian Baird for switching, at the last minute, from a no vote to an "aye," right in line with Craig's own attitude about healthcare reform. "I'm grateful that so many regional voices joined me in calling clearly and unequivocally for a straight up or down vote on the issue," said Pridemore, who has made a clear vote on health care reform a top issue in his grass roots driven campaign. "Baird shifted from opposition to equivocation and then support. While I applaud his ultimate vote, it took too long for Congress to reach this day, undermining public confidence and delaying the needed pace of change and reform." His opponent for the Democratic nomination, a multimillionaire conservative corporate shill has also equivocated on and no one has a clear idea of where he stands on it.
Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) is locked in a tough primary battle against a very conservative Democrat, Katrina Swett (the former head of Joe Lieberman's national race for the presidency). Last night Ann issued this statement: "Tonight the U.S. House of Representatives passed historic health care reform that will make a real difference for New Hampshire families and businesses. This bill will cut the deficit by $130 billion in the next decade alone, extend coverage to 31 million Americans without health care, stop insurance companies from denying coverage to people who get sick or have a pre-existing condition, and close the so-called "donut hole" in the Medicare prescription drug benefit that otherwise leaves thousands of New Hampshire seniors without coverage. In Congress I'll continue to work for and support a public insurance option that increases competition and will drive down insurance premiums and health care costs for New Hampshire families. I'm looking forward to President Obama signing this historic bill into law. Health care costs are out of control and are crippling New Hampshire families, small businesses and our national budget. The time for health care reform is now."
The only incumbent to vote with the GOP who Blue America helped to win office was Larry Kissell. We withdrew support for Kissell sometime ago when we saw a pattern of him deciding to vote against the constituents he had promised to support when he ran in 2006 and 2008. He has been a terrible disappointment. All the other Blue America-endorsed incumbents were upbeat about their support for the bill. John Hall (D-NY): "Today we took a huge step forward in our fight for affordable health care for all Americans. I cast my vote in favor of health insurance reform because it was the right thing to do. It was the right thing to do for the woman in Warwick who was dropped by her insurance company in the middle of her breast cancer treatments. It was the right thing to do for the family in Wappinger whose premiums are soaring because of their son's pre-existing condition. It was right thing to do for the Seniors in Somers who are stuck in the Medicare donut hole, paying more than they can afford for the medications they need. When I originally ran for office, I promised I would vote for anything that moved us towards universal health care coverage. Today I feel much closer to delivering on that promise."
We've had a bit of a rocky road with Tom Perriello but he came through for Virginia families last night. This is what he sent out to his constituents after voting for the reform bills:
You sent me to the People's House to do a job. For a century, leaders from both parties have pledged that all Americans deserve access to quality, affordable health care. Tonight we delivered on that promise. After more than a year of substantive debate and vicious smears, I had started to lose hope that we would deliver on the change we promised--that we would solve the problems others had simply kicked down the road. I say tonight that our dream of a better kind of politics stands restored.
A few moments ago, wearing an old suit of my father's, I cast my vote for universal affordable health care. Because you sent me here, I got to be part of this historic moment. Because you sent me here, I voted to make coverage available to 49,000 residents of my district. Because you sent me here, tonight I voted to reduce costs for more than 400,000 of my constituents by over $1,000 every year. Back home, those savings mean something.
Beyond the dollars and cents, tonight I think of those families without insurance who live in fear that they are one illness away from bankruptcy. I think of those with insurance who are one pink slip away from losing their family's coverage. I think of the small business owner who doesn't want to be forced to choose between closing up shop or cutting benefits to his or her workers. I think of the medical student who feels called into pediatrics but sees that our system simply doesn't make that a credible option. And I know tonight that we have made things better.
Some say that this vote seals my political fate, but I didn't come to Congress to do what's easy--I came here to do what's right. I came here to solve problems, to work on legislation that would mean something to families in my district, to be a leader, as you sent me here to do. Thank you for giving me this opportunity tonight.
Jim Himes said he was well aware that "taking a stand against the status quo means that I will be under constant attack from special interests" but he felt that "this was one of the most important votes that I will ever take. Not only will this historic legislation lower costs, improve quality and rein in the insurance industry-- it's also the largest deficit-reduction package in nearly two decades. The bill contains nearly every tested idea for controlling growth in health care costs, including new requirements for insurers to disclose and justify premium increases, new insurance exchanges to promote competition, and historic new incentives for wellness and preventive care."
Paul Hodes (D-NH) is another Blue America alum who fought for reform. He's currently running for the open U.S. Senate seat in his state and sent this to New Hampshire voters last night:
Moments ago, Congress successfully passed health care reform. I proudly cast my vote in favor of this historic reform because it was the right thing to do.
It was the right thing to do for the people of New Hampshire’s second district that I am honored to represent. It was the right thing to do for the 1.3 million people in the Granite State who have fought a broken, backwards health care system for far too long. It was the right thing to do for the thousands of small businesses on Main Streets across New Hampshire that have been forced to downsize, lay off or shut down completely in the face of uncontrollable premium prices.
And it was the right thing to do for every single middle-class family in this country, gathered around their kitchen tables trying to figure out how they can possibly make ends meet.
Above all else, this bill is a jobs bill. It will fundamentally fix a broken system that has let insurance companies jack up premiums and eliminate health care choices, killing jobs across New Hampshire. In this reform proposal, nearly 35,000 small businesses across New Hampshire will be given tax credits to provide the health coverage of their choosing. This bill will help put the Granite State back to work.
It will extend coverage to 60,000 of our uninsured neighbors, reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion in the next decade, improve Medicare coverage for 200,000 New Hampshire seniors, and will rein in some of the most egregious practices of health insurance companies.
Insurance companies and their corporate allies spent billions trying to bully us into giving up. Today, we showed them what we are made of. They fought reform at every step, desperately trying to protect their own profits. But together, you and I stood strong, stayed tough and never gave up fighting because we knew it was the right thing to do.
Today is an historic day for this country. I am proud and humbled to be a part of it.
Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Chairman of the Congressional Progressive Coalition fought harder than almost anyone to make this bill better for ordinary working families. He voted for the half full glass and correctly called it a work in progress: "The vote we just cast is a beginning, not an end. It establishes once and for all that health care in this country is a basic right, not a privilege. Our system can be improved in the future, and it will be. I will make fighting for those improvements a priority as long as I am in Congress, because as much work as we’ve done over the past year, more remains before us. Major advances in our quality of life are rarely easy. They are not achieved in a single stroke. They are the result of years of persuasion, discussion and sometimes false starts. This bill is a foundation that we will look back on in five years, 10 years and 20 years and thank ourselves for laying now.”
And the president:
UPDATE: Waterloo
Not everyone is celebrating this morning. Republican propagandist David Frum seems depressed today as he reprises Jim DeMint's prediction about President Obama's Waterloo:
Conservatives and Republicans today suffered their most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s.
It’s hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the disaster. Conservatives may cheer themselves that they’ll compensate for today’s expected vote with a big win in the November 2010 elections. But:
(1) It’s a good bet that conservatives are over-optimistic about November – by then the economy will have improved and the immediate goodies in the healthcare bill will be reaching key voting blocs.
(2) So what? Legislative majorities come and go. This healthcare bill is forever. A win in November is very poor compensation for this debacle now.
So far, I think a lot of conservatives will agree with me. Now comes the hard lesson:
A huge part of the blame for today’s disaster attaches to conservatives and Republicans ourselves. At the beginning of this process we made a strategic decision: unlike, say, Democrats in 2001 when President Bush proposed his first tax cut, we would make no deal with the administration. No negotiations, no compromise, nothing. We were going for all the marbles. This would be Obama’s Waterloo-- just as healthcare was Clinton’s in 1994.
Only, the hardliners overlooked a few key facts: Obama was elected with 53% of the vote, not Clinton’s 42%. The liberal block within the Democratic congressional caucus is bigger and stronger than it was in 1993-94. And of course the Democrats also remember their history, and also remember the consequences of their 1994 failure.
This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none.
Connie Saltonstall's Perspective on Stupak's Annoucement That He'll Vote "Yes" On Healthcare Reform
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Desperate and scared about his career longevity, Bart Stupak, sought a face saving way of being able to vote yes in the hopes of derailing Connie Saltonstall's grassroots-fueled primary. President Obama agreed to sign an executive order that reiterates the odious Hyde Amendment. Nothing new there. And Stupak, who had already been abandoned by most of his anti-Choice band, was happy to announce he would vote yes. I asked Blue America endorsed Democrat, Connie Saltonstall to share her read on his actions today.
I’m pleased that Bart Stupak has announced he will vote for Healthcare reform. This bill will create a real difference in Michigan’s First District with provisions that extend healthcare coverage to 44,000 uninsured residents, protect 1,100 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs, grow jobs by extending tax credits to small businesses, and improve Medicare for 141,000 beneficiaries, including closing the prescription donut hole.
However, it appears that there is nothing new in the executive order that wasn’t already in the Senate bill. This means Stupak’s obstructive maneuvering and threats could have been avoided and saved the Democratic party and process much time and effort. Stupak has promised to continue this fight. In the August 3rd primary, Democrats will have the choice of voting against this kind of representation. They will have a choice to vote for Connie Saltonstall who supports universal health care and allowing women the opportunity to make responsible life decisions for themselves and their families.
Please consider helping Connie to win the race for the House seat representing MI-01. You can do it here. People in northern Michigan deserve a member of Congress who has them on his mind, not his own religious hang-ups and not the insidious agenda of the C-Street cult.
The Republicans are on the floor as I write claiming the health care bill is a pro-abortion bill. They sound demented. Here's the statement today from Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards:
“We regret that a pro-choice president of a pro-choice nation was forced to sign an Executive Order that further codifies the proposed anti-choice language in the health care reform bill, originally proposed by Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska. What the president’s executive order did not do is include the complete and total ban on private health insurance coverage for abortion that Congressman Bart Stupak (D–MI) had insisted upon. So while we regret that this proposed Executive Order has given the imprimatur of the president to Senator Nelson’s language, we are grateful that it does not include the Stupak abortion ban.“
Stupak Stigmata And The Martyrdom Of A Deranged Cultist
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Bart sees himself as a martyr now, rather than as an asshole
Michigan mishuganah, Bart Stupak, a putative Democrat from the northernmost reaches of that state-- 1% African-American, less than 1% Hispanic and 0.4% Asian-- joined Washington's most dangerous religious cult, The Family, and flipped out. He then figured out he could sabotage the Democratic Party entirely by wrecking the president's #1 agenda item-- healthcare reform-- by working with fellow C-Street cultist, Joe Pitts (R-PA), to falsely paint the healthcare reform bill as a trick to make abortion opponents pay for poor women's abortions. He's been working directly with the Republicans and right-wing elements to bring down the bill-- and the party-- something applauded Inside-the-Beltway as "bipartisanship."
He's complaining that his life has become a living hell, with his phone lines "jammed" with angry pro-choice and/or pro-health care callers and his wife has become so disconcerted that she's had to disconnect the family phone, an unlisted number, which seems to indicate that even their own friends are calling them to complain about Stupak's nefarious role in the healthcare debate.
“All the phones are unplugged at our house — tired of the obscene calls and threats. She won’t watch TV,” Stupak said during an hourlong interview with The Hill in his Rayburn office. “People saying they’re going to spit on you and all this. That’s just not fun.”
...“How’s it been? Like a living hell,” Stupak said.
The 57-year-old Democrat said he has a history of working behind the scenes with Democratic leaders on abortion.
“In the past, we’ve always been able to work it out,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve not been able to work it out.”
Other anti-abortion-rights Democrats have said they’ll support the Senate bill.
Rep. Dale Kildee, another Democrat from Michigan known for opposing abortion, released a statement on Wednesday supporting the Senate bill, which he said would prevent federal funds from going to abortion services.
But the intensity of the resistance to Stupak’s position has, if anything, stiffened his resolve. He shows no signs of voting for the Senate healthcare bill, which could hit the House floor this week.
“I’m pretty stubborn,” said Stupak, who keeps in his shirt pocket a list of lawmakers who are willing to vote no. The so-called Stupak Dozen met Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill to strategize and exchange stories of the pressure they are under.
Today Stupak tried making a deal with the leadership-- to vote for the bill, in the hope of slowing down the tidal wave of support Connie has been getting for standing up to his shameless bullying, in return-- listen to this-- for them letting him bring up his anti-Choice bill every single year. And he says if they agree, he can deliver useful idiot Marcy Kaptur as well. So far they've told him to go take a hike. We'll see. Meanwhile, please continue to support Connie's campaign. It certainly seems to be having an impact-- and sending the Democrats a message they can understand.
At about 8 minutes in, Rachel Maddow explains the battle between Stupak and almost 60,000 Catholic nuns. (Earlier she chats with Ezra Klein about the missing CBO numbers which, as you probably know, are no longer missing-- and are awesome, numbers that would even be hard for honest fiscal conservatives to vote against... if there were any. In fact, I watched demented Oklahoma anti-healthcare fanatic Tom Coburn publicly threatening to "get" any Republican in the House who breaks rank with the zombie-army and votes for the bill, regardless of the fact that it would bring the deficit down by $1.3 trillion.
And, in case you missed it yesterday, Stupak's own committeeHouse Commerce and Energy , came out with a review of the impact of the bill on Stupak's constituents, the very people who are now encouraging Connie to run. Highlights of what the bill will achieve in Northern Michigan's first CD:
* Improve coverage for 364,000 residents with health insurance.
* Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 197,000 families and 17,900 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
* Improve Medicare for 141,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
* Extend coverage to 44,000 uninsured residents.
* Guarantee that 10,000 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
* Protect 1,100 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
* Allow 50,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.
* Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 41 community health centers.
* Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $102 million annually.
I woke up early in the morning a few days ago and saw that finally someone in Michigan's vast first congressional district had decided to step up and stop letting anti-Choice fanatic Bart Stupak get a free ride to re-election. On seeing a brief news item about Connie Saltonstall running for Congress, I was on the phone with her in half an hour, ascertained she was of a distinctly progressive bent, and had her on the Blue America Sending Democrats A Message ActBlue page within an hour. Since then close to 200 people have contributed over $5,000 to her campaign. These were primarily people who didn't know much about Connie, but knew all they would ever need to know about Bart Stupak.
Within a day or two Digby was winging her way east to sit down, face-to-face, with Connie and... well, see what she was made of. A couple days later, Digby, John and I sat down and decided that Connie merits a full scale Blue America endorsement. We added her to our candidates page and she's already gotten another 160 donations and, again, over $5,000. Today at 3pm (est/noon on the West Coast) Connie will be doing her first ever live blog session. It's being hosted by Digby at Crooks and Liars. NOW, one of the biggest and most important women's advocacy groups in the nation, just endorsed her this morning. They said, in part:
The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee is proud to announce our endorsement of Connie Saltonstall for Congress, representing Michigan's 1st District. Saltonstall is taking on reproductive rights foe and health care reform obstructer Rep. Bart Stupak in the state's Democratic primary this August.
What a relief that a courageous feminist candidate stepped up to the plate to challenge the co-author of the anti-choice Stupak-Pitts Amendment. Thanks to Connie Saltonstall, Stupak's bullying attempts to use health care reform as an opportunity to restrict women's access to abortion will be contested at the polls. Saltonstall stated: "I believe that [Stupak] has a right to his personal, religious views, but to deprive his constituents of needed health care reform because of those views is reprehensible."
Saltonstall is a strong supporter of the full range of feminist issues, including reproductive justice, affirmative action, pay equity, constitutional equality and equal marriage rights. More specifically, she is in favor of repealing the Hyde Amendment, fully funding the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, rescinding the Defense Of Marriage Act, expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to add paid leave, and undoing the Bush-era damage done to Title IX.
There have been plenty of naysayers-- "she can't win" (which reminded me of how the battle started when we decided to back Donna Edwards against Al Wynn) and "he's entitled to his religious beliefs," being two of the most persistent comments-- but the folks who have been donating this week see an opportunity to hold a faithless politician who has gone way too far accountable.
Stupak has worked closely with conservatives to build a coalition to hold healthcare reform hostage, insisting that the bill will force Americans to pay for abortions, an out and out lie straight from John Boehner's messaging shop. Sadly, the bill will actually restrict women's ability to purchase insurance coverage for abortions, even with their own money. This was the result of a wrenching compromise by the pro-choice members of Congress who reluctantly acquiesced to the unreasonable demands of the minority so that millions of uninsured Americans might have access to health care. But that wasn't good enough for Mr. Stupak, who continues to lie about the provisions of the bill and is committed to vote with the Republicans who are determined to make healthcare reform President Obama's "Waterloo." Stupak refuses to take yes for an answer.
Well, as Digby pointed out to Blue America donors, Bart Stupak isn't good enough for a frustrated constituent named Connie Saltonstall, who waited patiently for months for someone to step up as Stupak waged his quixotic crusade against reproductive rights on the backs of the uninsured. When no one did, she finally decided that she had no choice but to challenge him herself. She says,
"Our Congressman has let us down. Bart Stupak has threatened to block healthcare reform unless the Amendment that bears his name is included in the final bill. I believe that he has a right to his personal, religious views, but to deprive his constituents of needed healthcare reform because of those views is reprehensible."
Saltonstall is an experienced and qualified politician having served in various capacities in Michigan politics for decades. More importantly, she is a person of deep commitment to progressive politics who not only believes that it's not too much to ask that the Democratic party protects a woman's constitutional right to privacy and provide health care for everyone at the same time, but that the progressive agenda can best deliver to her friends and neighbors what they need to get through these tough economic times, preserve their liberty and keep America a strong, tolerant, future-oriented nation.
Blue America is proud to endorse Connie Saltonstall for Congress. We hope that you'll join us for a live chat at CrooksandLiars.com at 3PM, meet Connie for yourself and gage how much you want to participate in this campaign. The future of the health care reform bill, the Democratic Party and the country are at stake and regardless of the outcome when the vote is finally taken, Bart Stupak has proven that he is willing to go to any length to impose his personal religious views on the whole country. If you feel, as we do, that this is not in keeping with the fundamental values of the Democratic Party, then a donation to Connie Saltonstall's campaign is the best way to ensure that he no longer has the opportunity to do it.
UPDATE: And By The Way The Healthcare Reform Bill Would Benefit The Residents of MI-01 Tremendously
The Commerce and Energy Commttee has come out with a review of the impact of the bill on Stupak's constituents, people who are now encouraging Connie to run. Highlights of what the bill will achieve there:
* Improve coverage for 364,000 residents with health insurance.
* Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 197,000 families and 17,900 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
* Improve Medicare for 141,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
* Extend coverage to 44,000 uninsured residents.
* Guarantee that 10,000 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
* Protect 1,100 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
* Allow 50,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.
* Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 41 community health centers.
* Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $102 million annually.
But Stupak is still insisting on joining the GOP obstructionists in opposition.
Bart Stupak Democrat (MI-1) clearly wants to be remembered as the Democrat who destroyed health care reform proposed by a Democratic President and Congress. Together with Republican Joseph Pitts (PA-16) he offered the amendment to the Affordable Health Care Act that used the health reform effort to extend the Hyde prohibition on abortion funding to restrict women’s ability to secure abortion coverage with their own funds under the reform bill. The amendment to the Act passed on November 7, 2009 by a vote of 240-194 with 64 Democrats and all Republicans voting for the restrictive language.
The Amendment supporters allege their intention is only to extend the Hyde Amendment policy which prohibits federal money for abortion services. In reality, the amendment restricts private insurance from providing abortion services in their policies under either a public option or exchanges. So Stupak and Pitts are using the Health Care Act intended to address need for health care for all Americans, to advance a narrow anti-choice agenda.
The Senate rejected the Stupak-Pitts language and put in a barely tolerable substitute which pro-choice Senate and House members have reluctantly supported in order to pass the overall bill. Now Bart Stupak is again threatening to kill the reform and refusing to vote for the Senate version. This is intolerable and goes beyond a member supporting a strongly held position. All the parties fighting for health care over the last year have made compromises in order to secure the best bill possible. All progressives who support the flawed bill have given up very strongly held values to come to a compromise that will address the immoral lack of health care in the US. Mr. Stupak is holding the Bill and his party hostage to his own deeply flawed view.
Pitts and Stupak opportunity in 2010
Stupak and Pitts provide an electoral opportunity for holding accountable legislators in both parties for their anti-choice actions and their opposition to health care reform.
We are very fortunate to have progressive candidates willing to take on Stupak and Pitts in 2010. Connie Saltonstall just declared her candidacy last Friday in Michigan 1 and Lois Herr is hard at work in PA 16. Both these districts are challenging to win. Why should we let these legislators get by year after year voting against our interests without even challenge them? Particularly as Democrats have won more districts in Republican majority districts, the need for organizing by progressives in these districts has become even more critical. One of the best ways to identify and organize progressives in conservative areas is to run candidates who can gain respect and will attract hard working progressives and ordinary citizens to their campaigns. These candidates need our support and resources.
Connie Saltonstall is an experienced and qualified public servant who has served in various capacities in Michigan. She is deeply committed to health care and the protection of a woman’s right to choose. She is responding to a deep dissatisfaction with Rep. Stupak putting his own anti-choice concerns ahead of the needs of the district and the nation. Tomorrow she will be live-blogging with Blue America at Crooks and Liars (2pm, est); please go over and meet her yourself. Meanwhile if you'd like to help elect Connie to the seat Stupak holds, you can contribute to her campaign at the Blue America page.
Joe Pitts was the co-sponsor of the anti-choice amendment and is a leader in Congress pushing restrictions on abortion in all areas of policy.
Joe Pitts is in his 7th term representing the 16th District of Pennsylvania. He is active in the fundamentalist group described in Jeff Sharlet’s book The Family. He has a right wing record on everything we care about. Lois Herr is Pitt’s opponent in PA-16. Lois is a long-time friend. I’ve known her for 30 years as an activist when she organized women inside A T & T for fair policies for women employees. She wrote a book about that experience and the larger struggle against A T & T called Women, Power & AT & T. Lois was born and raised in her district. Lois has been a farmer, business leader and has always been a passionate progressive.
Lois ran for the Pitts congressional seat the first time in 2004. That year Joe Pitts received 64.4 % of the vote, in 2008 he was down to 55.9. In 2004 Kerry lost the district by 24 points, in 2008 President Obama lost by 3 points. The impact of having congressional campaigns that are real in this district have organized the progressives in the district. Democratic Party registration in the district has increased 30%. None of this would have happened without the willingness of progressive candidates to put themselves forward. Lois is fighting hard to win. She needs money and volunteers to run a successful campaign. You can learn a lot more about her and her campaign here at her website. And you can donate here at ActBlue.
I hope we can show these candidates we appreciate their courage and get them the resources they need to lead and to organize and to win.
Is Healthcare reform On The Verge Of Passing? Or Will Jim DeMint Be Proven Right About Obama's Waterloo?
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Does Democratic whip Jim Clyburn know something about anti-Choice fanatic Bart Stupak that no one else does? Yesterday on Meet the Press Clyburn predicted that Stupak would vote for the final bill. "There will be no federal funds for abortion," Clyburn reiterated, the Democratic position from the earliest negotiations. "And I think that most people that look at this have now come to that conclusion. And I do believe that Congressman Stupak will end up voting for this bill because I think he's going to be very comfortable with it in the coming days."
But while more and more Democrats have been rallying to Connie Saltonstall, the former Charlevoix County commissioner who just decided to run a primary race against Stupak, he ran to his anti-choice conservative allies whining that the Democratic leadership has been ignoring his deranged and infantile outbursts. "They're ignoring me," he complained to the neo-fascist National Review. “That’s their strategy now. The House Democratic leaders think they have the votes to pass the Senate’s health-care bill without us. At this point, there is no doubt that they’ve been able to peel off one or two of my twelve. And even if they don’t have the votes, it’s been made clear to us that they won’t insert our language on the abortion issue... I am a definite 'no' vote. I didn’t cave. The others are having both of their arms twisted, and we’re all getting pounded by our traditional Democratic supporters, like unions."
Unions have defended and supported Stupak. If he wants to demonize them in the right-wing media, he must really be feeling the heat. Just by mentioning that Connie was in the race, Blue America has raised nearly $4,500 for her in a few days. Now that Digby has traveled to meet her in person and speak with her about a broad range of issues, kick the tires and determine that she's of good character, our PAC will be formally endorsing her on Wednesday morning. (She'll be live blogging with us at Crooks and Liars at 3pm (EST/12pm PT). Stupak realizes he's now turned himself into another Joe Lieberman or Blanche Lincoln. He's pissed off the base so badly that it will be difficult for him to ever win an election again.
Although Boehner, a guest on CNN's State of the Union yesterday claimed that Pelosi doesn't have the 216 votes she needs to pass healthcare reform, Pelosi disagrees and Clyburn says he's confident that they will have the votes when the vote is taken. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was on Fox News Sunday predicting that within one week healthcare reform would be "the law of the land." But the latest Hill report sounds like a real gut-wrenching drama
More than a few politically vulnerable lawmakers, such as freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), appear torn.
On Wednesday night, Pelosi cornered Perriello for an intense conversation on the House floor.
Asked about that conversation, Perriello walked away, telling The Hill that he “wouldn’t talk about healthcare.” Perriello, who is in a tossup race, voted yes last fall.
The enormous media attention on healthcare reform doesn't make the members' situations any easier.
Some members have expressed their views to hometown newspapers while others have kept mum. For example, Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.), a no vote last November, has declined to talk to the Denver Post about her position.
Supposedly Markey wanted to vote "yes" in November but was warned by her own leaders that it was too risky in her district and forced her-- tears in her eyes-- to vote "no." She then ran and joined the Blue Dog caucus. Now she's in a pickle.
The pressure will be most intense on the Democrats from the classes of 2006 and 2008. These members are the most vulnerable in the midterm elections and are considered more likely to be persuaded by Democratic leaders, including Obama.
A yes vote could help them climb the ladder in the Democratic Party. Yet, it could also be a liability in the elections.
Freshman Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), a GOP target who voted no last year, told Foxnews.com, "I'm not afraid to cast a tough vote and I'm not afraid to stand up to leadership in doing so."
...Little over two weeks ago, freshman New York Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon told the Staten Island Advance that he didn’t “see anything” in the president’s revamped healthcare proposal “to have me come off my ‘no’ vote."
But since then, his position has shifted somewhat.
Noting that the Democratic Caucus hadn't seen the actual bill yet, McMahon said he "can't say finally" how he will vote but "you know I didn't vote for the health bill the first time."
Asked if he was "undecided" or "leaning no," McMahon joked, "Is there a place in between?"
Then he responded, "I'm leaning no."
According to The Hill's tracking of member positions, 35 Democrats say they are going to vote no or are likely to vote no. Another 73 are publicly undecided.
Of course, it is impossible to read the minds of legislators, and it is highly probable that some undecided Democrats have decided. For tactical and other reasons, they are deciding to keep their votes to themselves-- and perhaps Democratic leaders.
Likewise, there are certainly some Democrats in the no/leaning no category who could be persuaded.
But not all of them.
Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), who voted no in November, has said he is an absolute firm no this time around. Rep. Gene Taylor (Miss.), one of the most conservative Democrats in the lower chamber, has repeatedly promised his constituents he will vote no. Similarly, there is no chance that Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) will vote yes. Davis represents a district that Obama won with 71 percent of the vote, but is running to win the governor's mansion in a state that gave Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over 60 percent in the 2008 presidential race.
Don't you wish there were men and women as courageous as Connie Saltonstall in all these districts? Wouldn't you love to see a forthright Democrats stand up against Boren. At least Democrats in the Alabama gubernatorial primary have an opportunity to Just Say No to Davis and end his disgraceful political career. And for the rest of us... please Send A Message Democrats Will Understand. Connie: “Our Congressman has let us down. Bart Stupak has threatened to block healthcare reform unless the Amendment that bears his name is included in the final bill. I believe that he has a right to his personal, religious views, but to deprive his constituents of needed healthcare reform because of those views is reprehensible.” She believes that voters in Michigan’s 1st CD will support a candidate who will work for them on the important issues of job creation, heath care, education, infrastructure maintenance and improvements, and protecting the environment. (They take the threats to the Great Lakes eco-system very seriously in MI-01). “Michigan and the First District are facing enormous challenges and we cannot afford to sacrifice solutions for individual agendas. Stupak is co-chair of the Pro-Life Caucus and is putting their interests above those of his district. No federal funds have been used for abortions since 1977, and that provision will stay in effect without his amendment. In my opinion, Bart Stupak has shown that he is willing to block important legislation to support his own agenda at the expense of those he was elected to represent.”
Update: Backing Grayson
Marcy Winograd, who is running for Congress against corporate Blue Dog Jane Harman, is urging all House members to get behind Alan Grayson's legislation to allow Americans to buy into Medicare at cost. The last we checked there were 60 co-sponsors. Marcy told us she would have been the first co-sponsor to sign on if she were in Congress. Although residents of CA-36 strongly favor meaningful healthcare reform with a public option (or single payer), Harman has refused to co-sponsor Grayson's bill, although is likely to do it if Marcy keeps campaigning about it as she has been doing all week.
"By all means, Americans should be allowed to participate in an already-established single-payer system that cuts waste while offering quality health care. Unfortunately, my opponent Jane Harman has yet to co-sponsor this much-needed bill, despite her pledges to support a public option. In Congress, I will champion efforts to make Medicare available to anyone who wants to participate."
It's better not to let your emotions get in the way of real life political decisions. But yesterday when I read that former Charlevoix County commissioner Connie Saltonstall had jumped into the primary race against anti-Choice fanatic Bart Stupak, I was on the phone to her within minutes. Pro-choice and pro-healthcare reform, hardheaded and hardworking, we were happy to get her right up on the Blue America Sending Democrats A Message page. And I was also happy pulling out my credit card and making a donation to the very tough campaign she's taking on.
Michigan's northernmost district (MI-01)-- the entire Upper Peninsula plus 16 northern counties-- is the second largest district east of the Mississippi River. It leans Republican, voted for narrowly Bush twice and then narrowly for Obama in 2008 (while going for Stupak with 65% of the vote). Stupak has successfully painted himself as a Democratic populist and justifies his anti-Choice mania with a veneer of sanctimonious moralism. His overall voting record isn't nearly as populist or progressive as he attempts to portray it. According to Progressive Punch he's been with the Democrats only 66.15% of the time on the tough closely contested votes where he's been most needed. Since Obama was elected he's been the 159th most progressive Democrat, a pretty mediocre record but one that the district has been satisfied with. Connie has a great deal of sympathy in the district when she says that although Stupak "has a right to his personal, religious views... to deprive his constituents of needed health care reform because of those views is reprehensible."
"As a realist I know that defeating an incumbent is difficult," Saltonstall told CNN. "But I also know that there are many past supporters who have told me they have voted for Bart in every single election and they'll never vote for him again. It will be a lot of hard work, it will be a serious challenge, but we're going to try because the voters of this district deserve a choice."
Please, help us send the Democrats-- and conservatives-- a message, in this case, that their religious beliefs should not be imposed on the general public. Do it here at ActBlue.
