The McCloskey/Hostettler contests were very competitive with Frank being seated after a recount by the House after the House refused to accept the recount done by the Indiana Secretary of State. many of the precincts in that race are now in Hill’s district.

Hill’s races have been very close. He’s not a particularly strong candidate and a real democratic candidate could change the district for the better. Hill isn’t a strong candidate and he doesn’t represent democratic values.

We need a new Lee Hamilton for our district.

Residents rally in support of insurance bill

Some local residents took a stand Thursday in support of children’s health care.

Parents and children held a rally in front of Rep. Mike McIntyre’s Wilmington office on Front Street in an effort to urge him to vote in favor of overriding President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

On Sept. 25, McIntyre was one of eight House Democrats who voted against a bill to expand the program, which helps pay for health insurance for children whose families aren’t poor enough for Medicaid but don’t have health insurance. The bill calls for a 61-cent increase in federal cigarette taxes to pay for expanding the number of children covered.

Bush vetoed the bill this week. The legislation passed the House by a 265-159 vote. About 290 votes are needed to override the veto. The Senate passed the bill with a 67-29 vote, which is a veto-proof majority.

More than 200 rallies in support of the bill are being held across the nation.

The House will attempt to override the veto later this month.

- Angela Mack

From the Wilmington StarNews Link to article…

(I used it to make sure I didn’t misspell “misspell.”)

I’ve posted these links before but I’m gonna keep doing it. The first one is to a webpage and the second one is to a specific link there. The second one is a bit of an upload but you can see just how full of shit they are on this.

http://www.kff.org/

http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/7675.pdf

You’ll see there that half the increase in uninsured kids in 2006 came in “middle class” families. It’s just good stuff, good info. How to turn it into sound bites so that people listen?

Does the DLC have a position on SCHIP?

What? Didn’t you hear we all have universal health care already? Hillary provided it in 1993!

You say “No”? Oh, sorry, never mind.

Well, at least Hillary got lots of campaign contributions out of that trick.

It seems likely they’ll keep playing the issue the same way Hillary Clinton has, meaning they’ll keep threatening to provide health care, but hold off so long as the health care industry keeps forking over campaign contributions.

They might let Hillary sign SCHIP into law or some amendment to it, to make it look like she’s Moses signing the ten commandments or something. But, as for major reform, don’t look for that before her second term.

At least that’s the “plan”. Now whether they LET her have a second term isn’t clear. If they can prevent health care reform in her first term and then deny her second term…

That smoke tax is the argument my rep’s rep used for supporting the veto. Here’s the thing – you are asking for a complete loss instead of a partial success. On top of that, legislation can be modified in the next Congress. The funding source can be changed. But pitching the entire bill now leaves people to die.

Take the partial success (needy kids get insurance) and deal with the part you don’t like (smoker tax) later. If you don’t believe me, go read some bill texts. Many many of them are ‘changed text’ only bills.

Most of all, use this energy to force the congress to bring a universal healthcare program that everyone can afford to ALL AMERICANS! I am sick and tired of “family legislation” always offered from both sides of the isle that favor families only. As a single person I am sick and tired of my tax dollars going to fund tax breaks and various benefits for breeders only and single people like myself are constantly left out of many of these so called benefits. Tax breaks and tax increases should benefit everyone egually regardless of their family status.

‘Take this President away, we can’t use him anymore’

;>)

Perfect! Also reminds that ‘we’, NOT ‘him’ are in the position of ‘usage’.

Bob — Be sure to read the whole post from Digby. One of the Dems on the list is in a Katrina area that has been utterly devastated — what are the odds that a whole lot of the families in his district desperately need a helping hand until they can get back on their feet?

Christy,
I did go and read the whole post from Digby, and I am not disagreeing with you, or her. My lament is that our Democratic Party in Hawaii does not seem to consider that there are ANY “issues that are so fundamental to what being a Democrat is, by definition, that if you don’t support them, you aren’t one.” And our party here in Hawaii welcomed this homophobic refugee from the Republican Party, if not with open arms, at least through gritted teeth.

Some local politics involving competing factions within the Democratic Party are at work here, that are not all that different from the national scene. Suppose, for example, that Trent Lott didn’t want to be stuck with being a “Ranking Member” for the rest of his legislative life, and announced that he wanted to join the Democratic Party, meeting privately with Steny Hoyer and leaders of the DLC about possible committee or subcommittee chairmanships if he were to switch.

Bob in HI