One More Last Chance?
Apparently some Capitol Hill offices will stay open Sunday morning to take comments on HCR. I don’t think that district offices are open, so the funnel effect should make it virtually impossible to get through. Try the numbers below if you live in any of these key districts (thanks again to Moses2317 for sending it in), but make sure that you also send a signed fax with at least your zip code through a free service like faxzero.
Brian Baird – Washington (Vancouver, Olympia) – (202) 225-3536Paul Kanjorski – Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Mount Pocono) – 202-225-6511
John Tanner – Tennessee (Union City, Jackson, Millington) – 202-225-4714
Earl Pomeroy – North Dakota (Bismarck, Fargo) – (202) 225-2611
Lincoln Davis – Tennessee (Columbia, Jamestown, Rockwood) – 202.225.6831
Marcy Kaptur – Ohio (Toledo) – (202) 225-4146
Mike Michaud – Maine (Bangor, Lewiston, Presque Isle, Waterville) – 202-225-6306
Bill Foster – Illinois (Batavia, Dixon, Geneseo) – (202) 225-2976
Kathy Dahlkemper – Pennsylvania (Erie) – (202) 225-5406
Chris Carney – Pennsylvania (Clarks Summit, Shamokin, Williamsport) – (202) 225-3731
Steve Driehaus – Ohio (Cincinnati) – (202) 225-2216
Stephen Lynch – Massachusetts (Brockton, Boston) – 202-225-8273
Rick Boucher – Virginia (Abingdon, Pulaski, Big Stone Gap) – 202-225-3861
Loretta Sanchez – California (Garden Grove) – (202) 225-2965
Dan Lipinski – Illinois (LaGrange, Oak Lawn, Chicago’s southwest side) – (202) 225 – 5701
Joe Donnelly – Indiana (South Bend, LaPorte, Michigan City, Kokomo) – (202) 225-3915
Marion Berry – Arkansas (Jonesboro, Cabot, Mountain Home) – (202) 225-4076
Jerry Costello – Illinois (Carbondale, Belleville, E. St. Louis, Granite City, Chester) – (202) 225-5661
Nick Rahall – West Virginia (Beckley, Bluefield, Huntington, Logan) – (202) 225-3452
Solomon Ortiz – Texas (Corpus Christi, Brownsville) – (202) 225-7742
Alan Mollohan – West Virginia (Morgantown, Wheeling, Clarksburg, Parkersburg) – (202) 225-4172
You know, I think Bart Stupak is only a district over: I live in Ann Arbor and my representative is John Dingell.
Man—no wonder I’ve been detecting stupidity on my stupid-o’-meter.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:37 am
I wish someone could explain to me why my Rep., Dan Lipinski, with probably the safest seat in the entire country, remains a no. He keeps clinging to the misinformation on federal funding for abortions. Disgusting. Anybody have a theory?
Also disgusting – Luke Russert on my t.v. right now. The king is dead, long live the king! Ugh.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:41 am
Carney’s a yes, as of yesterday afternoon. But given how nuts some of the folks in his district are (the local paper notes that the local diocese opposes the bill, just to give you a flavor of what he’s dealing with), positive calls and faxes would be a good idea.
Glenn Nye came out as a no last night. Makes me wonder if we’re at the point where vulnerable freshmen are being given leave to vote no.
Keep calm and carry on.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:43 am
@CaptMaggie: Send him a fax making the point that if he comes through then Pelosi won’t have to make an unsavory deal with Bart f*cking Stupak.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:44 am
After that asshole Altmire went public as a definite NO because he’s “listening to his constituents” (pay no attention to his former job as a health insurance lobbyist!), the people who went all out to elect him, the unions, were picketing his local office yesterday. Pissed off, they were. Very pissed off.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:44 am
I’ll try. Maybe I can send husband to Kinko’s this a.m. I’ve never thought much of him since his father gifted him with the seat upon his retirement. Makes me crazy.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:49 am
Faxed Mike Michaud in Maine. I did not realize he was iffy on this vote. Surprised me. In any case, I politely informed of him of my past support and that voting yes today on both bills was in line with his support for insurance reform.
This hole thing is maddening.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:54 am
@Tim F.: Stupak will soon come on board. When the WH lawyers finalize Obama’s useless butt covering EO to simply restate the Hyde Amendment, then his gang will surrender. He is worried about community health centers performing abortions funded solely by direct tax money. I suspect they have already been working around the Hyde Am. for years to stay compliant, so this EO is just a figleaf cya for the asshat to stop his nonsense.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:57 am
Marcy Kaptur’s office is closed. I just left a message.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:06 am
Ortiz’ phone alternates between busy and no answer.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:10 am
According to twitter Kaptur is now a yes.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:11 am
Sanchez is disgusting, she may not even show up to vote! There is a rally planned for 11 Pacific time at her district office. She’s scared about her Republican opponent, but voting no is not going to help. Santa Ana and Garden Grove is not the rich part of Orange County and this would be a vote that would concretely help her constituents. Talk about the opposite of Profiles in Courage!
March 21st, 2010 at 10:17 am
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
No, they haven’t been, because they don’t do abortions. This whole @$&# thing is based on shit that doesn’t actually happen but might theoretically happen someday.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:29 am
@CaptMaggie:
You don’t have to do Kinko’s. Tim F has a link from a post yesterday that you can use to send a free fax from your computer.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:37 am
I’m so tired of calling Baird! He’s outta here anyway, so I suspect he’s know all along how he’d vote. Either he just hasn’t been able to ‘man-up’ about it, or they’ve asked him to hold off announcing so they could sell more popcorn. Either way, I feel betrayed.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:38 am
@TooManyJens:
I wonder how many people realize that outside of major metropolitan areas it is almost impossible to find an abortion provider?
When the house passed the Stupak amendment I did the only thing I could think of. I sent a check to Planned Parenthood.
March 21st, 2010 at 10:46 am
@Litlebritdifrnt: Yes, Marcy Kaptur is a yes, I just saw an interview with her and she said they have the votes.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:11 am
I’ve been trying to reach Lipinski’s office all weekend via phone and fax, but cannot get thru. Early Saturday morning i got to a voice message, which transferred me to voice mail w/a full mailbox – since then the lines are all busy.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:14 am
@CaptMaggie:
He votes like he’s still a Tennessean, which he was until Daddy shadily gave him a seat representing a solidly liberal district that Little Lip falsely claims is still a bunch of Reagan Democrats (it was 20 years ago). It’s not bad enough that the people of the 3rd got stiffed by having him foisted on them; he adds insult to injury by way too frequently voting against his constituents’ wishes.
From conversations with his (generally none too bright) staffers through the years, I conclude that he has a large chunk of Liebermanitis going on—criticism makes him dig in his heels harder. Adolescence pettiness and vindictiveness is such a useful trait for a congressman.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:31 am
FWIW —just sent the following text to Stephen Lynch
Dear Congressman Lynch
I’m writing as one of your fellow Commonwealth citizens, a near neighbor to your district, to urge you to vote yes on the Health Care Reform bill that will come before the House today.
You know, better than I every argument in this debate. I share your view – wholeheartedly – that the bill on which you must vote is imperfect. I want a public option; I want early Medicare buy-in; I loathe the excise tax.
But at the same time, the bill before you does a great deal that is important, and I see no chance of making this kind of sea-change in our health care system on anything like this scale for years if we do not move now. To quote a very distinguished thinker on this question, the bill
“… will expand healthcare coverage to an additional 36 million uninsured people; prohibit insurance companies from denying health insurance coverage because of a pre-existing condition; and providing for portability of healthcare coverage for those who have lost or changed their jobs.”
That’s you, of course, speaking on H.R. 3962…but everything in that statement is essentially as true for HCR as it must now be voted on, with the infuriating change that it will insure four million fewer currently uninsured Americans.
Still, 32 million newly insured Americans is a great goal to achieve. Security for those with pre-existing conditions is essential…for that is in potential every American. Portability is one of the most significant economic changes we can make, enhancing as it does the ability of people to seek new jobs and challenges. There is no single measure that can more improve our international competitive position than that.
You know all this. You knew it in November. It’s still true now. I urge you to vote yes today.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Bad news on Driehaus: he’s voting no.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:29 pm