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President Barack Obama on Monday called on like-minded bloggers to help his administration keep the heat on lawmakers to pass health care reform.
"It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington," the president said during an invitation-only conference call. "And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody."
Lets keep up the good work! We have 44 Senators on record supporting the public option (or do we have 45? Lincoln on board?). 15 remain undecided and we need at least 6 more committed to voting for a public option.
Yesterday I learned that Senators Cantwell, Snowe, Dorgan, Reid and Udall had all announced their support in recent days and weeks for a public option. Those five and Al Franken get added to the 37 that Dr. Howard Dean has listed as public option supporters on his whip site Stand With Dr Dean Dot Com. The 44th on the list is Kay Hagan who came out in favor of the public option a few weeks ago.
Here are the fifteen Senators who have not confirmed to voting yes or no for a public option: Baucus, Bayh, Begich, Bennet, Byrd, Carper, Conrad, Feinstein, Lincoln, Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Pryor, Tester, Warner and Wyden.
What do we know about these fifteen?
Max Baucus D-MT: TPM claims that, "He's been trying to compromise with Republicans by offering them compromises that don't include a public option, but he has said the public option is 'on the table', and he said he opposes the public option merely because it won't get enough votes, not on substance."
Blogger Partially Impartial commented yesterday that Baucus' White Paper has a public option in it.
Evan Bayh D-IN: We know he's a Blue Dog and they have many concerns about a public option. According to TPM he hasn't "openly opposed it".
Mark Begich D-AL: I'm optimistic about his support. He hasn't given it yet, but there are some signs that he may. This article from the Mudflats about a Healthcare town hall he had was encouraging.
The Senator (who was wearing sensible shoes, I might add....maybe too sensible) started off the conversation by explaining that there are many versions of a health care bill floating around. It isn't just one bill that will be voted up or down at this point, but multiple pieces of legislation. Just in the last 24 hours, 200 pages have been added to the debate as new ideas are floated out to the congress. So, "be patient" the Senator urged. The target date to have something vote-able is October 1, which Begich calls "very very very optimistic," but acknowledged that it is the #1 priority to deal with before the year is out as there are 46 million Americans who are uninsured, 150,000 of which are Alaskans. He also reminded us that those with coverage are paying every day for those without - to the tune of $1000 a year. He has written a letter to Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and expressed his priorities for Alaska: Protecting and strengthening small business, addressing nationwide health workforce shortage, making a serious well-funded commitment to prevention, strengthening the Indian Health Service and reducing health disparities, and improving veterans' health care, especially access.
and here's Begich's statement from June 9 in the Hill.
"I think it's hard to say whether a healthcare bill with a public option can pass Congress. It depends how the bill is crafted. Issues such as a trigger are going to be important. I'm not sure where I fully stand at this point. I think there needs to be strong competition in the system, and I think that is what President Obama is trying to do with the public option. I would be cautious of any public option until it is all laid out."
Michael Bennet D-CO: He seems to be on the fence but leaning towards supporting a public option. TPM says that he, "prefers the co-op idea, but said he could support a public option." In this July 16 video on his facebook Bennet lays out his three areas of focus on health reform.
ending skyrocketing health care costs, making sure everyone has access to health care coverage, and finding a way to pay for reforms that does not pass the cost onto our children.
He also mentioned that we do have a public option already in the ER.
In a July 12th interview he indicates his interest in a public option. But doesn't quite confirm the vote.
"A Public Option that is well designed and paid for can be an important part of making sure that we cover everybody in the state. But the thing I'm most focused on is how we change the incentives so that we get higher quality of care at a lower price for everyone in Colorado"
Robert Byrd D-WV: is listed on TPM as "very old and very sick."
According to bloggers at West Virginia Blue he has stated his support for a public option and his opposition to using the Byrd rule to deny reconciliation.
Thomas Carper D-DE: He seems to be in favor of a trigger plan or the Conrad co-op plan. In an interview with David Schuster, Senator Carper said he won't draw a line in the sand about what type of plan he'll support. He says he's results oriented. Schuster then calls him out for taking lots of money from industry. I said yesterday I think this type of attack is overblown. I bet Carper cares a lot less about the $200,000 he's taken in contributions than the 50,000 (or however many) employees of HMOs and Insurance companies live in Delaware. Their gravy train is over whether we pass reform or not, the current costs of health care are unsustainable.
Kent Conrad D-ND: He's got the co-op plan but TPM says, "Main reason for opposing the public option because it didn't have the votes, not because of its substance. If momentum picks up, I think he'll jump aboard."
Conrad recently said, "what's critically important here is that we do bend the cost curve right and virtually every economist that has come before us has said reducing the tax subsidy for healthcare which is 2.4 trillion over the next ten years should be part of it"
Dianne Feinstein D-CA: Calls to her office have left varying results, one saying she supports a public option. Another aide said she'd have to see the details first. And then there's this story of calling her office"
For the past three weeks, I have been trying to glean something--anything--meaningful from California's senior senator, Dianne Feinstein (D), on healthcare. I have called, I have written. I have called and written again, again and again.
The results of my quest, while frustrating, offer a stunning example of how out of step Feinstein is on the issue, something underlined by her inability to create a meaningful message even if that message is designed to obscure.
Blanche Lincoln D-AR:
TPM claims she wrote "a column today saying 'Options should include private plans as well as a quality, affordable public plan or non-profit plan that can accomplish the same goals as those of a public plan.' The nonprofit concept almost certainly won't be included in the final bill." Does that make Lincoln the 45th vote?!? I wonder what turned her? She couldn't have enjoyed the Blue America ads.
Bill Nelson D-FL: has not stated support for a public option. MoveOn, SEIU and other groups organized a protest in front of his office on July 9th.
I really can't find much other information about Nelson. TPM says he "sits on the Finance committee, does not want to embrace the public option but has avoided openly opposing it."
Ben Nelson D-NE: . He can be found on both sides of this debate. Publicly saying he will oppose a public option and then telling Nebraskans he would consider it.
Jane Kleeb, a top Democratic powerbroker in Nebraska, said Nelson's openness to a public option was the biggest takeaway from the meeting.
"He made it clear that he is open to the public option. That's not a line in the sand where he says it must be off the table for him to move forward on health care reform," she said.
Mark Pryor D-AR: . He seems to be with Feinstein in the can't support it till I see it crowd. From the Arkansas Times
Pryor's office meanwhile put out the following statement to the Arkansas Times in regard to a public or government-backed plan: "Senator Pryor supports every American being able to keep the coverage they have now or being able to choose a plan that best meets their needs. A public option plan is something that is still on the table and something he could support, but it should be designed in a way that increases and does not eliminate competition."
John Tester D-MT: Tester is with Pryor and Feinstein. His spokeswoman said, "He'll support whichever proposal is the best for Montana and would provide patient choice, control costs and ensure coverage for families and working people," said his spokesman, Aaron Murphy. "He wants to weight and investigate all options and not settle on any one plan now, because he hasn't seen all the plans on the table."
Mark Warner D-VA: has expressed interest in a co-op plan and is considering a trigger
Ron Wyden D-OR: has his own plan called the Healthy Americans Act.Repeated calls to his office have indicated his support for his own plan, and an unwillingness to say if he'd support a public option if his bill failed.
McJoan defends Wyden in this blog What's With Wyden? McJoan was e-mailed from a Wyden staffer that, "Majority Leader Reid and Chairmen Baucus have asked Ron to bridge the gap between progressives and the moderates to find enough votes for them to pass health reform this year. That is what he is attempting to do." The staffer then goes on to call reconciliation a fairy tale. McJoan and others say that Wyden's bill is excellent.
Here are the contact numbers for those Dems who have yet to state strong public opposition or support for the public option.
Sen Mark Begich D AK
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-3004 | Fax:
Web: http://begich.senate.gov | Write: senator@begich.senate.gov
Sen Michael Bennet D CO
Supports the choice of public Healthcare option? Don't know
Contact information:
Phone: 202-224-5852 | Fax:
Web: http://bennet.senate.gov | Write: senator_bennet@bennet.senate.gov
Facebook: Bennet For Colorado
Feel free to also contact the 44 Senators who have confirmed support for the public option (these plus Reid, Snowe, Cantwell, Dorgan and Udall), and the 41 Senators who are against the public option: these plus Lieberman.
More information about the public option here
by Slinkerwink and nyceve
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