Guest blogged by Ernest A. Canning
Coinciding with an internal Senate Democratic Caucus debate over health care reform that Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) described as only “slightly less raucous than the town hall meetings,” the non-affiliated progressive activist group Democrats.com has launched a petition campaign aimed at curtailing donations to official Democratic fundraising organizations [emphasis in original] until “the Democratic Congress passes — and President Obama signs — healthcare reform with a robust public option.”
That “robust public option” is defined in the petition as being “based on Medicare rates, not negotiated rates,” available “nation-wide, with no state opt-outs,” “administered by Medicare, not a for-profit insurance company.” and “available immediately.”
The idea that the public option would be managed by a private insurance company has recently emerged in reports of Congressional negotiations aimed at merging various versions of the legislation passed by separate committees in the House and Senate, as noted by RAW STORY’s John Byrne today.
The progressive activists campaign calls for signatories to respond to requests for donations from the three major Democratic campaign/fundraising organizations — the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) — with a http://www.democrats.com/donor-strike-for-public-option”>link to the petition, instead of funds, until such legislation has been passed and signed by the President.
“Until then,” the petition states, “I will only support individual Democrats who support single-payer Medicare for All (the 88 sponsors of HR 676).”
“We elected solid Democratic majorities in Congress and a Democratic President to fulfill Democratic promises of progressive change,” the statement continues, “We did not elect Republican Senator Olympia Snowe to break those promises.”
The complete short petition follows in full below…
• based on Medicare rates, not negotiated rates
• nation-wide, with no state opt-outs
• administered by Medicare, not a for-profit insurance company
• available immediately
Until then, I will only support individual Democrats who support single-payer Medicare for All (the 88 sponsors of HR 676), or (at a minimum) pledge to vote against a bill without a strong public option. I will also support challengers who support Healthcare Not Warfare.
We elected solid Democratic majorities in Congress and a Democratic President to fulfill Democratic promises of progressive change. We did not elect Republican Senator Olympia Snowe to break those promises.
And if a small number of corporate-funded Democrats in the Senate and House stand in the way, it is the job of our leaders – Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and President Obama – to persuade those Democrats to stand with the party that elected them. Even ‘fiscally conservative’ Democrats have absolutely no excuse for voting against a robust public option, because CBO says it will save $110 billion.
So if I receive a fundraising email from the DNC, DSCC or DCCC, I will reply with a link to this petition. If I receive a fundraising call, I will tell the caller about this petition. If I receive a fundraising letter, I will return the envelope with a link to this petition:
http://www.democrats.com/donor-strike-for-public-option
We desperately need real health reform, starting with a robust public option. Until you deliver on your promises of change, I will reserve my contributions for individual Democrats who will truly fight for what we all believe.
UPDATE 10/29/09:On 10/28/2009 Democrats.com announced that 21,651 donors had joined the strike for a robust public option.
Not a very impressive statistic, but then I suspect most Americans are unaware of the donor strike.
Was kinda wondering when the MILLIONS of Dems would start taking things into their own hands. When we tsake the moolah away, the mice can’t play. See? Easy-peasy. Just wondering how long it will take the ‘representatives’ to crumble under the pressure ffrom their very own CONSTITUENTS! Togtogether we can win this game taAS IF OUR VERY LIVES ARE A GAME… Sorry ‘bou thw typos-on my crapberry, I can’t see what I’m typing in the box… 🙁 TOGETHER!
I have been doing this since it became clear Obama sold out Main Street and the Constitution( by late Jan. 09).I return the all fund raising letters stuffed with my own comments and articles…And if I am really cranky..about 90% of the time lately… I let them pay the postage.
This is a great idea and perhaps the best way to compete with the health insurance industry checkbook.
I have also just posted an Open Letter to the President from your Disappointed Supporters, which focuses on the public option. It’s at my blog.
This is a good idea but slightly pathetic. The so-called progressive movement in this country is doing something wrong. I mean, it’s less important to progressives themselves than the Democratic Party.
Now there’s a petition I’ll sign. I’ve been pretty disillusioned by the total ignoring of petitions going on by our so called representatives. Anyway, this one gets to the substantive issues below the bouncing ball buzz words! Great job of describing a real robust public option!
And will someone please let mccain know that the labeling of legislation that does the complete opposite of the label is the cheap suit of the last administration.
http://mccain.senate.gov/public...8-805ed7bafc6b
your blog is dong what i have been doing for a while,not supporting a party which has basically turned conservative.We must also not vote if the Democrats refuse to change course.It will mean the retard republicans will be elected but the alternative is to watch the democratic party turn into a full blown republican party like they were in the 1860’s before roosevelt transformed the democrats into a peoples party.
I have signed so many petitions, but this one is the best I think, and I am certainly not going to vote for Obama again. There are many more strikes against him than his equivocation on health care reform, and in particular with me, on civil rights issues and the previous administration’s war crimes. I hope he has a progressive challenger in the Democratic primary in 2012, but if not, I will be looking for an independent or third party candidate I can vote for in good conscience. And if not that, I will never vote Republican but I will let come what may and stay home. There is no difference between these two fraudulent parties.
To paraphrase the Vietnam vet activist, now a US Senator and former candidate for President:
who will be the last person to die before we get single payer – medicare for all?
I like it. Money talks.