Sanders Talks Single Payer With Ed
Video via Heather at Crooks and Liars' Video Cafe:
Just
note what Sanders says near the end about the fact that it is
Democratic party members that want to make it a 60 vote healthcare
debate virtually guaranteeing to keep the most conservative Democratic
party members in conjunction with the near extinct gopasaurs in the right wing in the drivers seat on the healthcare debate.
Via PNHP:
Important coverage of PNHP co-founder Dr. David Himmelstein's single-payer testimony on Capitol Hill on April 23, including in the Congressional Quarterly, Kaiser, and the San Diego Union Tribune, among other places.
Single payer action items below...
Let's Shut Down the Fax Machines Again
Clark Newhall
Our last weekend was a great success. We shut down fax machines in the offices of Sen. Baucus, Rep. Pelosi (Washington and DC offices) and the White House. We sent over 7000 faxes in those three days.
it's time to do this again, because single payer is still being ignored at this critical time. The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Baucus, is holding 'roundtable hearings' in the next week to hear about health reform. Guess what. Not only is there no single payer advocate invited to testify -- there has not even been an invitation to a doctor!!! Donna Smith tells me that the only medical person testifying is a nurse from AARP; we know what she is shilling for -- more overpriced insurance policies AARP can sell to rip off seniors with. Unbelievable!!
At the request of Katie Robbins from HealthCareNow, we have created a new fax that you can send to any member of the Senate Finance Committee. A copy will also go to the usual suspects at the White House. Because the fax was written by Katie, the language is much less inflammatory than my typical rhetoric, but that's ok. I don't think anyone reads these anyway after the first 500 or so, they just count them.
So let's give them a pile of faxes to count. Send yours today. It's Free. It's Easy. That makes it Free and Easy. Just put your name, your email, where you are from and any comment you like, then hit the SEND YOUR FAX NOW button. If you like, you can send one to each of the Senators on the list. Have fun and let's see how many fax machines crash this weekend.
Take a moment to donate too. The time is NOW to make the most of our overwhelming show of support for single payer Medicare For All. We can do that by adding the Mike Farrell videos to nationwide TV but we need your donation.
The ads are scheduled to go on Larry King Live and on Hardball beginning this weekend, but every ad costs money. Help increase the number of ads we can show. So far we have enough to show the ads to 3 million people in the next week. We need your donation to raise that to ten million. Let's get those ads pushed out as far as we can. Help us now.
For more information on other healthcare news here is a diary at ePluribus Media chalk full of info.
















Yes. We can.
May 2, 2009 12:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
The sad truth is that, yes, we have to.
May 2, 2009 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is overloading fax machines really what is best here?
May 2, 2009 12:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
It will make an impression eds. See ctman1's last blog vis a vis Pelosi asking 'where are the faxes' regarding support for single-payer. If you're not even invited to the table for an honest discussion of single payer, what recourse do you have other than guerrilla theater?
May 2, 2009 2:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
My first response was hesitation about creating a paper deluge in the offices of people who are at least ostensibly on our side. But if Nancy Pelosi is asking, even rhetorically, for numbers in support of single payer, so be it. Fax sent.
(btw, M2, are the shades new? Love the look.)
May 2, 2009 9:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you kindly!
May 2, 2009 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
They are in fact new shades, W. I decided to take your suggestion to heart, and spice up my avatar, ;)
May 2, 2009 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, it was Pelosi's aide, but the same difference because leadership in the healthcare debate are trying to lie about there being no support for single payer at all - either that or, like dod flat out said, they will say they hear the calls for single payer but will ignore it.
Like the many supporters of Single Payer in the House have said, it is going to be up to the people to make them all pay attention to us.
See how they caved to the banks on the cramdown? Americans can not afford to lose this one to special interests.
May 2, 2009 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
.
Well . . .
It beats the hell out of staring at the stat sheets and playing with the calculator.
~OGD~
May 2, 2009 5:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL, I would be sold by that reasoning if I wasn't already. :)
May 2, 2009 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, the time for single-payer is now and we need to let our politicians know if we want it. This is just one method, but a really good one. Single Payer is Best.
Thanks CMan1. Love that Bernie too.
May 2, 2009 2:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you. And between Sanders, Leahy and other politicians (Dean) coming out of Vermont, I miss Vermont and their relatively sane politicians.
May 2, 2009 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for this post, ConnecticutMan.
We need to heed Bernie's message: grassroots (that means us!) insurgency to push single-payer.
Ed Schultz kept talking over Bernie, but Bernie patiently repeated and insisted that the people need to make their voices heard now.
May 2, 2009 9:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I didn't mind the talking over so much, as Ed was making sense. Have you heard any other pundit talking seriously about Single Payer and the fact that Americans want it now?
May 2, 2009 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks again. You more than CT man, you are THE man.
fax sent
=D
May 2, 2009 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
As always, thank you kindly Bwakfat. :)
Same to all of you that help out in these efforts.
May 2, 2009 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
I like Ed. I have personally worshipped Bernie for a hundred years or so. ha
You never quit CT. You are not a lazy man. And you are principled. Good post. We will play.
This is so neat having sound. I cannot believe how easy this is.
May 2, 2009 5:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only way single payer becomes impossible is if we all quit trying. And I am glad that you now have sound so you can hear some of the other internet voices you have been missing. There are some really awesome video Bloggers and internet radio stations out there.
May 3, 2009 8:45 PM | Reply | Permalink