Liberal groups provide air cover to Democrats
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A coalition of unions, liberal interest groups and other organizations is providing air cover for 20 House Democrats who voted this past weekend in favor of the Democratic leadership's health care reform bill.
The umbrella group Health Care for America Now and one of its larger members, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, are spending $650,000 to run the ads for one week in each of the Democrats' congressional districts "thanking them for theirvote," said Jacki Schechner, spokeswoman for HCAN.
All but two of the Democrats were elected in 2006, 2008 or 2009 and several of them only won by slim margins. The two Democrats elected prior to 2006 included in this ad campaign are Rep. Tim Bishop of New York (2002) and Rep. Leonard Boswell of Iowa (1996). The National Republican Congressional Committee has already announced plans to target Democratic members over their vote in favor of the health care bill.
Schechner also said that another one of HCAN's members, Americans United for Change, will thank 10 more members in TV ads, bringing the total amount spent on this campaign to $1 million.
See the ad and the list of 20 Democrats.
View the ad here
List of the 20 Democrats in this campaign
· Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut
· Rep. Michael Arcuri of New York
· Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada
· Rep. Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire
· Rep. Mark Schauer of Michigan
· Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio
· Rep. Debbie Halvorson of Illinois
· Rep. Bill Owens of New York
· Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan
· Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona
· Rep. Bill Foster of Illinois
· Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon
· Rep. Harry Mitchell of Arizona
· Rep. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico
· Rep. Jerry McNerney of California
· Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin
· Rep. John Hall of New York
· Rep. Dan Maffei of New York
· Rep. Timothy Bishop of New York
· Rep. Leonard Boswell of Iowa
HCAN's Jacki Schechner on the new ad campaign, the Lieberman filibuster threat and the Senate fight ahead:
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Just like the Democrats to collect their pieces of silver.
The GOP’s “Right To Life” position is a strong part of their platform in that they are against abortion and euthanasia. However it’s ironic that they won’t support health insurance reform, with a public option, that could save your life once you’re born. They want you to be born so you can pay premiums to the health insurance industry, but if you can’t afford insurance premiums it is then acceptable to the GOP if you die.
Simply put, the majority of the GOP places three things above your right to affordable insurance and possibly your life:
1. Continuing to receive campaign contributions from pharmaceutical, medical, and insurance companies.
2. Playing to their base to get re-elected.
3. Insurance companies making profits.
Okay "tea partiers" I have a question- actually 2 questions,
1st Question I get why the insurance companies are against this (after all if UPS or Fed Express could get rid of the Post Office and charge whatever the hell they want for sending packages I could understand them wanting to do so). I also get why the GOP leadership is against this bill as well (one need only lokk at how long they were out of power after being against Social Security) But why oh why are regular people against this?
2nd Question. If it really is about te money wher the hell were you guys when George W Bush decided we should spend 12 million dollars an hour on a war against a counrty that never attacked us? It has been a while but when W took office we were looking forward to surplusses as far as the eye could see. But that didn't seem to bother you did it?
People are twisting the issue about healthcare needing to be reformed due to "higher costs".
If i build cars, and say one year i build one, but next year i build 10, my costs to build those cars has roughly gone up 10times!!!! OMG we better reduce costs!!! Let's let the govermnemt step in and force us to sell the cars for less and to deny no one with bad credit or no money. You also can't force the new owner to return the car if they stop paying for it.
Now apply this analogy to healthcare. As a whole, we have more, and better services available. THis all costs more. But government is stepping in and forcing pricing practices...it's a recipe for disaster. We've already seen the houseing market collapse, then the car makers. Now it's only up to the Senate to crash the healthcare system....
One of the newly elected reps in MD who voted against health care reform is Kratovil. He's from a part of MD full of trailer hillbillies and rednecks. That pretty much tells you who is for and against health care. Some people are not smart enough to understand that this affects us all and you would think those people would be the first to ask for health care that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford and probably can't afford at present.
I think the union workers are more important than any of you people on here and you should be taxed more to keep the UAW and SEIU alive and well. After all they donated atleast a $100 million getting the Dems elected and it is only fair Obama and friends should return the favor. So what if it isn't there money, OH WAIT a minute, that is my money they are repaying the favor with. Wonder how many people could get healthcare with the $350 million Obama used to get elected or the $10-20 million to he spent flying around fundraising for Dems and and Chicago?
What the American people are going to wake up to, and i hope sooner rather than later, is that they've been lied to by the insurance companies and their GOP lapdogs! this bill will help the majority of people including the ones mindlessly screaming against it. it won't help as much as single-payor, but it's a good start. but watch it get killed or eviscerated in the senate by King Joe the First. I thought lieberman was just a senator. apparently his is the only opinion on healthcare that counts, at least that's how he's acting.
The government run health care option does not enjoy the support of the majority (although polls published here and largely made up of democrats would differ) of the people. That will be made clear in 2010. We simply cannot afford it and if we could it is still a horrific idea. Inefficiency, fraud, waste and rationing are the bedrock hallmarks of this plan. Those independents, the majority of which lean conservative, who believed Obama's untruths will not be fooled twice.
I want to congratulate all the congressmen and women retiring in 2010,that voted for the health care bill knowing it will not pass the Senate as is..They are too stupid to be re-elected and just want to placaid the sheeple who think they were voting for a passable health care bill.
"The liberals need to understand that when this country goes broke, they will be included."
And the conservatives need to understand that if they can't afford health insurance for themselves and their families, thanks to the Democrats passing insurance reform with a public option, they will be able to be insured.
Of course the greedy unions would do anything to keep their meal tickets in office....
Were you liberals aware that some unions such as the UAW (those who have taken a bail-out) members don't pay one dime for healthcare...nope..but they will be glad to keep those in office who keep it that way.
no need to target anybody. When health care reform fails this country, democrats will be a footnote in history
Keep your capitalism out of my healthcare. Have a nice day!
How paranoid, crazy and willfully ignorant do you have to be to defend the folks who are standing in the way of reform. It makes me sick to think the black helicopter gibberish we see on here is from completely well meaning folks who believe the crap that is shoveled in front of them everyday. I suspect there are plenty of things that would make a better bill, but some reform is better than none. Why is there so much hate for the middle class from their own ranks?
If the unions are for the bill that is enough reason for America to be against it. These bloodsuckers have been bankrupting the private sector for years, now they want to make their mark on the country at large.