Bring back Howard Dean!

Mornin’, BT, Jim

Man, you got that right. That said, the corruption runs so deep we’ll prolly not see the likes of Dean as head of DNC for some time to come.

Some disappointments but some wins.

A lot of work to do.

Never. Give. Up.

NPR is touting all the Rethug wins.

“FRightening Omen for Democrats”……ooooooo.

Lawrence O Donell is killin steele on joe

Mika and Joe won’t let that happen.

Is Steele there?

via satellite

That counts. As long as he’s hearin’ it in real time.

Morning.

Sheesh. Still not even 60 degrees here yet.

Maine here:

defeat of No on1 a bummer, but my daughter who worked on the campaign sez No on 1 had no ground game in much of the second CD. Now we only have 2 CDs here, and the second is where all the crazies live so No on 1 should have had it goin up there like the DSCC had during the 08 election. T here are still tens of thousands of votes uncounted, but if you wanna see what Yes on 1 was really about, just go to to the bangor daily news link above and look carefullly at the picture of the guy running the show and his wife bowing before him and HIs wacky god in thanks. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

So am I the only one (a jersey girl born and bred) who is under the impression that the mob is officially running jersey now?

oh the irony

I’m near the water so it’s warmer. Wasn’t payin’ attention to the weather on the news. Not one mention of the CA race. Big deal about Bloomberg, though. Shit, if ya spend $100M of yer own money to be mayor…and it was close.

Sheez Jim not even 30 here yet – not going to reach 60 all day.

Bring back Howard Dean!

Amen.

Good morning all.

I need an assist. Does anyone know for sure whether Barack Obama won New York’s 23th district in 2008? If so, do you have a link handy that has evidence that he did?

Thank you!

If they didn’t like the way Corzine ran the state wait til Christie and his gang get done.

As an outsider I am surprised at the No on 1 vote.

He was on a remote. Larry was great, just reamed him for 23.

12 people arrested at pelosi’s office

Pelosi Arrested Us for Asking for Healthcare
Healthcare Nonviolent Resistance
By Dan Hodges, Chair, Health Care for All-California

Around 3PM this afternoon I was one of 12 single payer activists who were escorted from the reception area of Nancy Pelosi’s office in the San Francisco Federal Building and arrested by members of the Federal Protection Service of U.S. Homeland Security.

that’s got to be over a hundred in just the last few weeks. i can’t keep track of all of the actions.

Good morning all. it should be a long four years for us in new jersey . . .

This is what I’ve found so far. I don’t know which district is which, however.

Always helps to add the goddamn link. http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/new-york.html

They must have Federal Protection Service on speed dial.

I don’t have the links handy (try Wikipedia; it should have a link to a good source), but I saw several references yesterday to Obama wining that district 52-47. That’s the same margin that Obama got in Alan Grayson’s district, too, so any argument that a district that “close” needs a Blue Dog in order to win is just bullshit.

In response to Jim White @ 21

Thanks!

Any argument that a district that “close” needs a Blue Dog in order to win is just bullshit.

Exactly right. I’m working on a diary about it now. I’m hoping you’ll think it’s a good one!

looks like pelosi did not include the kucinich amendment in the managers amendment. she did however, include “Second Generation Biofuel Producer Credit.”

this would be hilarious if so many lives were not at stake.

I’m glad I moved to Pa 9 years ago. Sad day I think. Just what they need in NJ a Karl Rove crook. He has pulled some really stupid stunts – perhaps he will end up indicted if the Justice Dept ever gets it’s act together.

yeah.

but pelosi is for hr 676, doncha knwo? /s

I saw several references yesterday to Obama winning that district 52-47.

That’s correct.

The “Managers Ammendment” for the House Health Care bill is posted here:

These corrupt pols don’t give a rat’s ass about anybody outside of the ruling class.

23 minutes?!?!

ny 23

Gotcha.

from oct 29: 115 arrested so far in 18 cities to demand for health care for all

Total number who risked arrest yesterday: 73 in 10 cities

Yesterday 37 were arrested, although 73 staged a sit-in or blockade and were not arrested due to the entire building being put on lockdown. Tomorrow, several dozen more risk arrest, including Margaret Flowers, MD, a former pediatrician and mother of three teenagers. (More information on Flowers is below.) A growing number of doctors and nurses are joining in the events to risk arrest for real health care reform, reform that addresses the main cause of the health care crisis, the insurance companies. They are demanding that health insurance companies immediately redirect all lobbying funds to pay for doctor-requested lifesaving treatments. 78 people have been arrested so far as part of the national mobilization (17 in the first week, 7 in the second, and 54 in the third). In this next wave, over 100 people will risk arrest. In the first two weeks actions took place in just two cities, New York and Chicago. In the second day of national action, actions took place in nine cities. This week, actions happen in 19 cities.

from oct 30: 13 students and citizens arrested in sit-in at Independence Blue Cross offices

Philadelphia – 13 students and citizens angered by our broken healthcare system, which leaves 47 million uninsured, is part of 60% of all bankruptcies, and causes about 45,000 avoidable deaths each year, were arrested at the Independence Blue Cross offices in Philadelphia on October 30, 2009.

fuck meek

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) on Wednesday abruptly withdrew his support from a controversial trade bill and legislation to create a single-payer health insurance system.

The decision to remove himself as co-sponsor of the two bills suggests that Meek is moving to the political center. Meek is the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination for former Sen. Mel Martinez’s (R-Fla.) old seat after Rep. Corrine Brown announced she would not challenge Meek for the Democratic nomination.

The single-payer and trade measures have attracted opposition from business groups.

As is required by House rules when backing away from legislation that a lawmaker has previously supported, Meek announced on the floor on Wednesday that he was removing his name from a bill requiring the review and renegotiation of U.S. trade agreements, which has won the support of nearly half the House Democratic Caucus.
The Hill reported on Wednesday that the bill had gained 124 co-sponsors and would put pressure on President Barack Obama’s administration as it prepares for an important World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in November.

Meek also dropped his sponsorship from Rep. John Conyers Jr.’s (D-Mich.) bill to create a single-payer health insurance system. That legislation has 87 co-sponsors.

RE: Maine — I’m beginning to agree with Nate that the gay version of the Bradley Effect may well be at play. That would account for about 5% of the votes right there, enough to swing the result. At least there won’t be any blame laid on high black voter turnout as there was in California last year.

In better news, Kalamazoo and Washington state came through for gay rights, so perhaps maybe we should look at what went right in those two places.

Hey, New Jersey gets to join Chicago and Connecticut in the “Let’s Elect a Republican Who’s Destined for the Slammer” sweepstakes.

THAT is a super effort.

Having doctors as part of the multi-city efforts is most effective.

Why I got arrested
From Matt Hendrickson

My name is Matt Hendrickson, I am an Emergency Physician and the Vice Chair of the Physicians For a National Program, Los Angeles Chapter. Yesterday I was arrested at the Cigna offices in Glendale, California.

After getting last second jitters to join the 12 arrestees in the “Patients Not Profits” event on October 15 at Anthem Blue Cross in downtown Los Angeles, I committed to joining 6 other volunteers for yesterday’s civil disobedience action to protest the harmful practices of private health insurance. Our group included a retired nurse, a Cal Tech Physics doctoral student, an unemployed clerical worker, a computer programmer, a labor organizer and a member of the California Democratic Party Board of Directors.

We participated in three training sessions where we learned about satyagraha (Gandhi’s term for soul force), and “the sword that heals” (Martin Luther King, Jr.): power in society flows not from guns or positions of authority but from the consent and cooperation of the people. That power is unleashed by the combination of refusal to use force to harm one’s opponent and the willingness to make deep personal sacrifices and even suffer for one’s causes.

The action was organized by Mobilization For Healthcare, a one month old organization cobbled together from the financial support of Healthcare-Now! and the civil disobedience expertise of the Center For the Working Poor. Center for the Working Poor is a shoestring nonprofit of young men and women that live communally in an old Victorian home in downtown Los Angeles and take inspiration from the teachings of Reverend James Lawson, the architect of the Civil Rights Sit-In Movement.

Mobilization For Healthcare’s first action was on September 29th, and since then there have been over 20 sit-ins with approximately 100 arrests. Ten other cities had actions today, another ten cities will do nonviolent civil disobedience over the next 6 days. Beyond the next week, Los Angeles is already planning their third action with a new wave of volunteer arrestees to include more physicians and reportedly local politicians.

trying for local press coverage (national news has pretty much blacked out all single payer / universal healthcare actions, news, etc)

I’ll be leaving that slot blank on my ballot. Meek is 100% asshole.

•Oh noes! The teabaggers lose again!!!
•So did Sarah Palin.

so I clicked on the new york times link and they times get it wrong again, trying far too hard to make a “ballanced” report, instead it’s decidedly unballanced, notice my bold;

The battle became one of the most closely followed races in the nation, drawing in some of the biggest forces in politics in both parties. Republicans who viewed the race as a test of the party’s most deeply held conservative principles,

the neo-con all of a sudden has “the party’s most deeply held conservative view”?

is he bat crazy?

the neo-cons abandoned the most deeply held coservative views they don’t hold them and that statenent is nothing but “let’s make nice to the neo-con”

the vast majority of republicans do NOT believe sarah or the neo-cons hold their “most valued views”, quite the opposite which is why they are voting for democrats in these elections, it’s why the democrat won over the republican (obviously)

TIME TO GET ER DONE!
Numb nuts Reid needs to get 51 votes and move forward with reconciliation and dump Liarman.

We participated in three training sessions where we learned about satyagraha (Gandhi’s term for soul force), and “the sword that heals” (Martin Luther King, Jr.): power in society flows not from guns or positions of authority but from the consent and cooperation of the people. That power is unleashed by the combination of refusal to use force to harm one’s opponent and the willingness to make deep personal sacrifices and even suffer for one’s causes.

This would be great to develop as an online information piece. FDL should have a Salon with MFH and touch on some of the content of the training to recruit more volunteers.

yes, sadly.

included the matt hendrickson link above for you. thought you would like the satyagraha training bit.

I saw that and it bears repeating. Thanks.

We participated in three training sessions where we learned about satyagraha (Gandhi’s term for soul force), and “the sword that heals” (Martin Luther King, Jr.): power in society flows not from guns or positions of authority but from the consent and cooperation of the people. That power is unleashed by the combination of refusal to use force to harm one’s opponent and the willingness to make deep personal sacrifices and even suffer for one’s causes.

i’m not sure where i stand (on the fence still i guess – although the lack of kucinich’s amendment for state based single payer may push me off), but unless i’m mistaken, jane raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of a progressive block in the house. 57 members of which signed a letter saying they would vote down a bill with out a “robust” po (in this case robust included the medicare +5 provision).

imo, we’ve got to have their back and/or hold them accountable if they back down.

I agree.

Gee thanks, DNC, for all your help in Maine. /s

do tell raven, I believe I would like to see live blog from the hitchcock nemesis himself

This is why getting people to take The Pledge (aka the line in the sand that one will not vote for any bill without, at minimum, a public option) is so important: Mere “support” has a way of evaporating once a bill actually looks like it’s coming up for a floor vote, as Jane pointed out about HR 676 weeks ago.

I don’t disagree and I think we can get there in the senate with 51 votes.

But berating him for twenty-three minutes would have been, too. Also.

from oct 29:

Dr. Margaret Flowers and Charles Loubert, 81, will stay in jail until CEO of CareFirst meets to discuss redirecting lobbying funds to pay for patients care

Baltimore, MD – Two physicians and two supporters were arrested today at a sit-in at a Baltimore CareFirst health insurance office. The sit-in is part of a national groundswell of citizens and health care providers demonstrating for meaningful health care reform at insurance company offices.

Doctor Margaret Flowers, a pediatrician who has testified before Congress on the need for meaningful health care reform, was arrested and intends to stay in jail until the CEO of CareFirst has a public meeting with her. She is joined by Charles Loubert, 81, a Baltimore resident and former teacher who was also arrested, and who was denied health care several years ago by his insurer. Both Flowers and Loubert are refusing to give information to the Baltimore police that would lead to their release until Chet Burrell, the CEO of CareFirst, agrees to meet with them publicly to discuss CareFirst redirecting all funds that go to lobbying, advertising, or political contributions to pay for the care of clients who need it.

iirc, flowers was part of the baucus 13 who were arrested in two actions protesting the lack of single payer in the hearings on healthcare reform last spring (hcan reps were there as well as industry reps). because of that arrest, i think she is barred from taking part in this kind of action for some time. if that is so, she may be risking some serious prison time by this action.

larry just got all up in his face about how stupid it was to pile on for this tool in 23, him, Mrs Moose and the rest. Steele did his best Bojangles.

if you think their pledge (pledged btw over meaningless criteria that would not create a public option able to compete to change industry behavior) and the hundreds of thousands of dollars that was raised is going to make them vote down the bill, i’ve got a bridge to sell you.

still. imo we should try. in defense of what little credibility remains. theirs and ours.

Then she also needs to demand Obama be a part of that meeting.

this is what happens because the Dem’s have been so inactive in DC even though they control both houses if they don’t start leading 2010 will be 1994 all over again.

Wishey washey Dems prove to us they haven’t forgotten how to lose…just be wishey washey. The changers turned out to be the ‘money changers’..or as Liberals know them ‘men without balls’ who failed America. If Dems don’t close on a ROBUST public option they will halt hope in America and lose to Repukes who will finish us off.

i can’t believe we’ve wasted over a year talking about a stupid policy to bail out insurance companies while ignoring any policy that could possibly work to provide universal healthcare.

does anyone still think that precompromising single payer and apparently hacker’s original public option proposal (still stupid, but not as stupid as what the dems have created) made any sense what so ever?

i can’t believe we’ve wasted over a year talking about a stupid policy to bail out insurance companies while ignoring any policy that could possibly work to provide universal healthcare.

you have a talent for hitting a nail on the head whence nobody else even sees that nail

ooo…thanx, I hope that goes on the youtubes

lol! 12 people just got arrest at pelosi’s office for trying to talk with her — and she claims to be for hr 676, but won’t even include the kucinich amendment to permit states to experiment with single payer. and kucinich’s amendment was passed in committee!

New post up top…

About as much sense as the Obama administration, a number of states and almost all prosecutor’s associations are against allowing lawsuits against prosecutors who intentionally frame people. The case is being heard before the SCOTUS today and I’m looking for links. If the plaintiffs lose this case anybody can be framed for anything with no recourse.

If Dems don’t close on a ROBUST public option they will halt hope in America and lose to Repukes who will finish us off.

i’m so sorry to have to write this but… there is not a robust public option in any of the bills that came out of committee. it’s over hype of a weak, limited, probably designed to fail public option. i know some people have been calling it “robust” but that’s just bullshit.

selise,

Do you think Mobilization For Healthcare would come to the Lake for a Salon and discuss their training sessions where people learn about satyagraha (Gandhi’s term for soul force), and “the sword that heals” (Martin Luther King, Jr.): power in society flows not from guns or positions of authority but from the consent and cooperation of the people?

It would be a simple way to recruit more people to sign the petition and to get more feet on the ground protesting.

Or perhaps a diary about the training?

KO should cover these protests and backdrop the health care fairs with the protesting

here’s what happened;.

the corporatists saw that bush was making the republican party a pox to voters so even before we won our majority they corrupted the democrats along with the republicans, they hedged their bet so to speak but it was no bet at all since they get positive return from both parties if they contribute to both parties

we really need public campaigning finance, I don’t think anything else works, the dems are just as corruptable as the repubs

if you really want to have that conversation, i would be happy to match you link for link. i don’t like to do it, unless provoked by false or misleading narratives, because i think i it’s unhelpful. but if you insist, i will go there.

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool.

US KIA Irak: 4357

US KIA Afghanistan: 911

US MBS 2009: 38,068

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Namaste

klynn, that is an awesome idea. would you be willing to ask?

FDL has it up on their youtube account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJX6PGjBev4

You can start by reading Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha).

FDL or Mobilization For Healthcare? Or both?

gotta go too. peace to all….

Oh, I do not need the training. I have a background in Peace Education and Mediation. But, I think a public venue would be quite effective for discussing the training.

mobilization for healthcare. some of the backstory to the conversation pw and i were having is that single payer has been off the table at fdl for over a year (we’re still free to write about it in the comments and diaries though).

I agree. I hope some others pick up the book, though, if only to follow Gandhi’s thought processes over the years.

oh, if you are interested in the topic, i’d love to talk about it more. i’ve had a little bit of the training for various actions (plus reading, etc on my own). best was when i did two days in bethlehem with ghassan andoni and the christian peacemaker team from hebron before olive harvest in the west bank 2002. amazing experience.

That just might change if Congress screws us. Again.

i hope so. which is why i don’t usually “go there” as i wrote in comment above. trying to push without pushing anyone into a corner. (trying doesn’t mean succeeding)

even if not, imo it would have been a great help to educate people on the various policy options. especially the only one with a genuine grass roots effort behind it. there is so much misunderstanding and while that’s to be expected (hcan has been using deceptive language from the start, conflating the public option with single payer among other things), imo it really is unfortunate. because while people are paying attention to an issue is the best time for education, etc. it doesn’t have to all or even mostly horse race stuff. my 2 cents. obviously opinions vary.

A lot of agreement here…guess it’s really is time to short the Dems and move on with our problems. Maybe in another country..heh

i don’t know of any major human rights struggle that didn’t have a social movement to demand them.

this isn’t the kind of issue that deecee insiders are going to be able to negotiate in one legislative cycle. this is going to take a social movement to confront both corporate and political power centers. lucky for us htere is a social movement now for us to join and support.

oops gotta run. like 15 minutes ago. later!

I think they’re hoping the absentee ballots will change the result, but it’s a slim poss.

I’m surprised too, but I think even “moderate” Maine is suffering from reactionary drawback from the meltdown.

Justice dept under holder is a wasteland.

might as well be gonsalez

Over-zealous (meaning mostly politically motivated) prosecutors are one of the biggest legal problems in America. There needs to be some kind of recourse for people beyond hoping the bar will punish malfeasance.

This era of personal responsibility requires regulation, governance and limits.