From Democrats.com Unity

One week ago, we eagerly anticipated a crucial vote on single-payer Medicare for All ( H.R.676 ) in the House Energy & Commerce Committee, sponsored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). But then seven BlueDogs waged a highly-publicized war against a “robust public option” and the vote was delayed for a full week.

We just learned the vote will be tomorrow ( Friday ). Based on all of your calls, we have nine single-payer Democrats: Tammy Baldwin, Michael Doyle, Eliot Engel, Anna Eshoo, Gene Green, Edward Markey, Janice Schakowsky, Anthony Weiner, and Peter Welch.

Lean Yes
Diana DeGette CO01 202-225-4431
Jane Harman CA36 202-225-8220
Christopher Murphy CT05 202-225-4476
Frank Pallone NJ06 202-225-4671 @FrankPallone
Bobby Rush IL01 202-225-4372
Five more Democrats are leaning single-payer but still uncommitted. Please call each one and give them one crucial reason to support single-payer from our petition:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-petition?cid=ZGVtczQ4ODgzNmRlbXM=

(Be sure to sign our petition and forward it if you haven’t already.)

Be concise and practice in advance so you can speak quickly (or leave a voicemail) because they are getting swamped. Report the results of your calls here:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-committee-whip

Public Option Only (or Won’t Say)
Rick Boucher VA09 202-225-3861
Bruce Braley IA01 202-225-2911
G.K. Butterfield NC01 202-225-3101
Lois Capps CA23 202-225-3601
Kathy Castor FL11 202-225-3376
John Dingell MI15 202-225-4071
Charles Gonzalez TX20 202-225-3236
Jay Inslee WA01 202-225-6311 @RepInsleeNews
Doris Matsui CA05 202-225-7163
Jerry McNerney CA11 202-225-1947
John Sarbanes MD03 202-225-4016
Bart Stupak MI01 202-225-4735
Betty Sutton OH13 202-225-3401
Henry Waxman (Chair) CA30 202-225-3976

If you have more time, these 14 Democrats support a “public option” at best. But that “public option” (a new government program to compete with private insurance) was disastrously weakened this week by the BlueDogs. They banned the use of Medicare pricing to reduce costs and thereby expand availability. Try to persuade these 14 to vote for single-payer instead of a worthless BlueDog “public option.”

Don’t let anyone tell you single-payer can’t pass: the Kucinich Amendment for a single-payer “state option” passed by a shocking 25-19 bi-partisan majority in the House Education and Labor Committee on July 17. The Weiner Amendment will pass on Friday if enough Democrats vote for it!

A victory on the Weiner Amendment would make a huge difference. Please call as soon as you get this – night or day.

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

Jan Schakowsky in the Chicago area, who was a single payer advocate and IS a co-sponsor, recently said on a real news video that she thinks we’re going to get a “Really strong” public option. And worse, she said, they did a poll and people are saying they don’t want single payer–they would ‘prefer’ a public option, that even medicare patients don’t want to lose what they have.

Lose what they HAVE!! By extending medicare to all and ENHANCING their benefits?? Like LONG TERM and HOME CARE in HR676?? I called and asked what poll and her health person couldn’t tell me. Schakowsky is now scheduled at another rally with HCAN (she’s spoke at them before) on August 4th. Real single payer advocates are going there to rally for single payer and make sure people don’t get confused about it at this kind of event.

The really sad thing is that EVEN the head of Waxman’s health committee In dc told me in a meeting that lobbying for single payer would HELP a public option. So even those selling out on the idea would do better to stand with us in one voice for single payer. How do you expect to start out with a pathetic compromise and end up with the reform we want.

I’m beginning to think that progressives that are not FOR single payer, are working for the insurance and pharma and other vested interests. Their confusing the issue, like Obama does, has a similar effect as Republican and insurance industry lies. Actually PNHP had a good article about how companies higher people to infiltrate discussions and social networks on the web to pose positions as ordinary citizens when they are really hired hands.

When ins companies see this list, they’ll want to raise their
premiums… Perhaps this will pave the way for “Single Payer” as
the best way to deliver these consumer protections.

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Just curious… where are the Single Payer forums so we “Single Payer” advocates can chat and get inspired with moving OUR ball across the goal line.

-Bob O

He was also on Rachel Maddow last night:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32195170

These items should be their own story but there does not appear to
be a link to submit story ideas on http://www.HealthCare-Now.com

We need to “sing” messages like this out to the american people and not just the “Choir” here.

-Bob O