The chances of real healthcare reform and the public option actually passing

by: The Big E

Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 23:03:49 PM CST

However.

What does pass could have a huge impact on our lives here in Minnesota.

If you have specific questions about what's going on, please say something in the comments and I will get an answer for you.

Four short of healthcare reform

by: The Big E

Thu Nov 19, 2009 at 15:34:46 PM CST

Now that the sausage-making process is in the Senate and our Senators, Franken and Klobuchar, are on board, I usually can only watch with a mix of powerlessness, fear and disgust.  But SEIU has created a way to make a difference.

The Senate is introduced its health care reform bill yesterday, and only four fricking members of the Democratic Senator caucus are standing in the way of passage.  Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana are the only four remaining "Democratic" Senators who have not ruled out joining with a Republican filibuster of health care reform.

What the #%@*!?!

What's worse, these four don't really give a rat's a$$ what you think, even though their vote affects you.  Unless you are a resident of Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana or Nebraska, as far as they are concerned, you might as well live on Pluto.

Fortunately, Open Left is teaming up with SEIU to do something about it.  Even if you do not live in Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana or Nebraska, SEIU has developed activist tools that allow you to contact voters in those four states, and tell those voters to tell their Senators to get on board with health care reform.  Fight back and make a difference--sign up and tell one, or all four, of these "Democratic" Senators to pass health care reform with a public option:

Fight back against Joe Lieberman
Fight back against Mary Landrieu
Fight back against Blanche Lincoln
Fight back against Ben Nelson

Fridays with Franni

by: The Big E

Fri Sep 25, 2009 at 07:00:00 AM CDT

"Well, Al had to go back to Minnesota for some events," she explained.  "So he celebrated with the Hornsteins.  Thomasin and I stayed in DC and celebrated with the Ornsteins."

Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls) is married to a well-known Rabbi, Marcia Zimmerman.  Norm Ornstein, a well known political scientist, has known the Frankens for many years.  Funny how that worked out.

"But I've got to tell you about the Congressional Hunger Caucuses No Lunch Luncheon for the spouses," she continued after I got done chuckling.  "I went with Gwen Walz and Kim Ellison.  They've seen the problems of hunger on an every day basis as they've been involved in education."

"So many more kids are affected by this," she explained.  The economy has sent many, many families into poverty and many kids are going hungry.  MAZON and the National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) host an annual bi-partisan Congressional Spouses Luncheon Without Lunch briefing to provide the latest news and information to these very influential men and women about hunger in America.

"We all got paper plates with a photo of a face of a child," she said.  

"Next week Al is going to introduce legislation in the Senate," she told me.  "Keith Ellison is going to introduce the House version."  

You can find out more at this blog when the bills are introduced.