(This is my personal opinion only. I do not speak for any organization or office with which I am affiliated.)
Dear Andrew Romanoff,
I used to believe in you, Former Speaker of the House, Andrew Romanoff. Really I did...and I want to again. I cried when Gov. Bill Ritter picked Michael Bennet for US Senate. Ask my friends.
If you really want my vote, and the votes of other regular Coloradoans like me, you would not be resting on your laurels on what you did when you were in office at the state level. Where have you been since you left?
If you really care about my sister, the preschool teacher who has never been able to afford health care insurance at any point during her adult life, despite the fact she works eleven hours a day, why haven't we seen you at one of the (approximately) fifty town halls, rallies, protests, meetings, or other events my friends and I have been to this past five months on health care reform? Other legislators like Bennet, Perlmutter, Kefalas, Kagan, Williams, Ryden, both Carrolls (Morgan and Terrance) were there. Even hiding-from-the-sunlight Senator Udall was at one of them. State Rep. Daniel Kagan was at many of them. It's not like he didn't have better things to do, either. He was in office at the time.
How many did we see you at Andrew? ZERO. ZIP. Nada. Where were you while we fought for the lives of 45,000 Americans who die every year because they don't have adequate health care (per a new study referenced by msnbc just last night)? Where were you during the past 8 months you could have been leading this charge for no political gain? Seriously, Mr. Romanoff, where were you?
Some of my friends and I didn't take a vacation this year because of people like my brother. Dean is an independent home contractor in Michigan who cannot afford health care for his very painful diverticulitis and hernia. Instead, my friends and I went to rallies all summer, fighting for my brother Dean, and the tens of millions of other Americans like him. The thought that one rally, one phone bank, one town hall counter-protest might somehow effect a deciding vote was enough for us to not go on my vacation this year. My brother has two small children and may lose his home soon, because he has to pay for his son's health care for a congenital issue that couldn't wait. My brother will be driving to CO soon to do a kitchen remodel, doubled over in pain, so he can drive back to northern Michigan just to pay his rent, so his babies won't be living on the street. Did you take a vacation this summer, Andrew? He didn't. Many of us regular middle class Americans who care about getting federal health care legislation passed didn't, or couldn't -- for both financial and moral reasons.
Candidate Romanoff -- I believed in you; you let us down on the fight for federal health care finance reform so far, but it is not too late for you to do something about it now.
By the way, guess who was there most of the time these past 8 months, fighting with us on health care insurance reform? MICHAEL BENNET. If he wasn't there personally, he always sent his best staffers, even on the days when he only had two of them. Yeah, you know the guy -- Ritter's pick. I may not like how he got into office, but I love the way he delivered on something that will mean life or death for some of my family members. I love the way he has delivered for my aging parents who cannot afford the co-pays on my Dad's 13 post-cancer surgery medications.
Check my photos on facebook. I am glad I chronicled the last six months of health care reform events in Colorado. I am sad to say the only place I saw you was at a fundraising dinner in Arapahoe County. Check my photos. It's in there, too. And yes, I did tell you I was one of your strongest supporters when I saw you, but that was before I knew you would be throwing your hat into the ring now, after letting the rest of us in Colorado carry the torch on federal health care reform without you. I honestly thought you would do something first to show us why you deserve to play on the big stage. Spend a little time volunteering for Organizing for America in your free time? Nope, haven't seen you there, either. (Apparently, neither has Barack Obama...)
Prove me wrong, Andrew. Get Wade Norris or Cary Kennedy or Cindy Lowery or your County Chairs and Officers, or any one of your other high visibility supporters to run some phone banks, rallies, town halls, or other events while we are on the home stretch on health care reform. Have them take on Max Baucus - show us what you can really do. Throw your passion and your legions of supporters behind this one like Senator Michael Bennet and his bare-bones staff have in 64 counties these past 8 months, banging his fist down on tables and saying, "Health Care Insurance Reform is a moral obligation".
Stand up to tea-party protesters for all of my unemployed friends who cannot afford their COBRA premiums, or for whom unemployment is about to run out, who will soon join the 14,000 people per week in America who lose their health care insurance. Senator Bennet took on an ambush of many of them in Highlands Ranch at David Canter's house. Check my facebook photo albums. It's in there.
This isn't a state level fight, Mr. Romanoff --- this is federal, this is big time. Show us what you can do on the big stage. WHEN I SEE AS MANY ROMANOFF SHIRTS AT PHONE BANKS FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM as I have Bennet shirts over the last 8 months, I'll document all of it with my inexpensive camera, like I have all the others. Go ahead; make up for the last 8 months, where the only place full-time health care reform activists like my friends and I have seen you is a formal fundraising dinner in Arapahoe County.
My camera is ready, Mr. Speaker. Please prove me wrong. We dare you - me and family and my friends. I wouldn't offer you a challenge if I didn't think you were up to it. I think you are definitely up to it.
Oh, by the way, there are numerous health care insurance reform events this weekend (details below). I know it is Rosh Hashanah, but maybe some of your supporters won't be celebrating it like you and I will be. (I am taking a day off to pray for my parents, my brother, my sister and about 45 million other people's family members.)
As yet undecided voter,
Nancy Cronk
P.S. L'Shanah Tovah - May you be inscribed for a peaceful, prosperous, compassionate and EFFECTIVE New Year.
(This is my personal opinion only. I do not speak for any organization or office with which I am affiliated.)
Health Care Reform Events for Saturday, September 19, 2009:
#1: Littleton: Donovan O'Dell, Community Organizer. Two shifts: 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Location: Upper Ridgewood Park (The name on the park sign has been changed to Charley Emley Park), 2301 W Briarwood Avenue, Corner of Prince St. & W Briarwood Ave., Littleton, CO 80120. Contact Donovan directly for more info at littletondems.dpo@gmail.com
#2 Aurora: Joseph Soto, OFA Intern, Organizer. Time: 10:00 - 1:00 pm. Location: Bicentennial Park, 13655 E. Alameda Ave, Aurora CO.
#3 Denver: Walk into the Colorado Dems Party HQ office on Santa Fe. Ask for a walk-list and get to work. For other locations and times, contact your county Organizing for America leaders, Democratic Party Chairs, or call the Dem HQ for more info.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Right Out of the Republican Playbook
Right out of the Republican Playbook
(Also posted on Square State)
by Nancy Cronk
It is said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Imagine a relay race between the Democrats and the Republicans. Winner takes all. If Democrats win, innocent people's lives will be made better -- a stronger economy, health care insurance for everyone, green jobs, clean air, protected wetlands, guaranteed rights for all citizens, safer schools, etc. If the Ruplicans win, more corporate profit, more cheap labor, and the institutions that helped them get there remain in power for years to come.
The Republicans, licking their wounds from the 2008 election, have learned that splitting up into two smaller teams, the religious conservatives and fiscal conservatives, didn't help their overall game plan. Together in Barack Obama, they see not only a black man with a white man's attitude (their view, not mine) but also a serious threat to the status quo of corporate rule. Since November of 2009, they have started to come together again, in the spirit of a common enemy.
The opponent seemed so formidable in November -- a coalition of Latinos, African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, European Americans, women, children, men, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual and "questioning". And so many others... Together, we blogged, we sang, we marched, we picketed, we rallied, we canvassed and we voted. We had to -- our lives and our homes and our families were at stake. Using the battle cry of "YES WE CAN", we proved mightier than the most powerful army on the face of this earth.
And on our victory night, newly elected President Barack Obama said, 'This is just the first step. The real work STARTS NOW."
It is said if you don't keep moving forward, you will slide backward. There is no such thing as a quiet system. Stop moving, and entropy takes over.
I spent the last week blogging almost daily on progressive blogs, trying to rally the troops a little more around health care finance reform. What I saw horrified me as nothing else can. I saw in-fighting. Raw, precious, valuable energy wasted on whose primary challenger was better than the other. Not energy spent organizing, calling neighbors and friends, planning events, writing to legislators who actually vote... just arguing. The three most precious revelations we learned in the Obama campaign, "watch each other's back", "tell your own personal story" and "focus on issues not personalities", seem to have all but disapeared.
"My Senate candidate is more supportive of the public option than your Senator".
"But my Senate candidate drives a more fuel-efficient car."
"Barack Obama (or substitute the name of any recently elected Democratic official) has let us down".
"I am going to take my vote and go start a third party (a variation of taking ones marbles and going home)."
Meanwhile, the Republicans are figuring out how to work together as a team again. They're watching us, one eye glancing over their shoulders, hoping the punches we throw at each other will wear us out before they are called into the ring. The fiscal conservatives are financing the Sarah Palin wack-a-doos and putting them on buses, or training them to be lobbyists. The insurance companies have been working behind the scenes, spending $350 million so far to buy votes against health care fiance reform.
And stil we argue. "Van Jones was a saint. He should have his own holiday".
"Van Jones sabotaged us. He never should have signed that petition, even if the whole country knows George Bush had something to do with 911".
Republicans see what's going on, and they organizing while we fight amongst ourselves. Sound familiar? Does anyone remember a young smoke-bomb style distracion named Monica Lewisnsky? Anyone remember the next eight years after Democrats lost the White House, and the Senate and the Congress?
So, going back to the Chapter 4 of the Republican Handbook titled, "Divide and Conquer". Divide?
Check. Will we let them conquer, too?
(Also posted on Square State)
by Nancy Cronk
It is said, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Imagine a relay race between the Democrats and the Republicans. Winner takes all. If Democrats win, innocent people's lives will be made better -- a stronger economy, health care insurance for everyone, green jobs, clean air, protected wetlands, guaranteed rights for all citizens, safer schools, etc. If the Ruplicans win, more corporate profit, more cheap labor, and the institutions that helped them get there remain in power for years to come.
The Republicans, licking their wounds from the 2008 election, have learned that splitting up into two smaller teams, the religious conservatives and fiscal conservatives, didn't help their overall game plan. Together in Barack Obama, they see not only a black man with a white man's attitude (their view, not mine) but also a serious threat to the status quo of corporate rule. Since November of 2009, they have started to come together again, in the spirit of a common enemy.
The opponent seemed so formidable in November -- a coalition of Latinos, African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, European Americans, women, children, men, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual and "questioning". And so many others... Together, we blogged, we sang, we marched, we picketed, we rallied, we canvassed and we voted. We had to -- our lives and our homes and our families were at stake. Using the battle cry of "YES WE CAN", we proved mightier than the most powerful army on the face of this earth.
And on our victory night, newly elected President Barack Obama said, 'This is just the first step. The real work STARTS NOW."
It is said if you don't keep moving forward, you will slide backward. There is no such thing as a quiet system. Stop moving, and entropy takes over.
I spent the last week blogging almost daily on progressive blogs, trying to rally the troops a little more around health care finance reform. What I saw horrified me as nothing else can. I saw in-fighting. Raw, precious, valuable energy wasted on whose primary challenger was better than the other. Not energy spent organizing, calling neighbors and friends, planning events, writing to legislators who actually vote... just arguing. The three most precious revelations we learned in the Obama campaign, "watch each other's back", "tell your own personal story" and "focus on issues not personalities", seem to have all but disapeared.
"My Senate candidate is more supportive of the public option than your Senator".
"But my Senate candidate drives a more fuel-efficient car."
"Barack Obama (or substitute the name of any recently elected Democratic official) has let us down".
"I am going to take my vote and go start a third party (a variation of taking ones marbles and going home)."
Meanwhile, the Republicans are figuring out how to work together as a team again. They're watching us, one eye glancing over their shoulders, hoping the punches we throw at each other will wear us out before they are called into the ring. The fiscal conservatives are financing the Sarah Palin wack-a-doos and putting them on buses, or training them to be lobbyists. The insurance companies have been working behind the scenes, spending $350 million so far to buy votes against health care fiance reform.
And stil we argue. "Van Jones was a saint. He should have his own holiday".
"Van Jones sabotaged us. He never should have signed that petition, even if the whole country knows George Bush had something to do with 911".
Republicans see what's going on, and they organizing while we fight amongst ourselves. Sound familiar? Does anyone remember a young smoke-bomb style distracion named Monica Lewisnsky? Anyone remember the next eight years after Democrats lost the White House, and the Senate and the Congress?
So, going back to the Chapter 4 of the Republican Handbook titled, "Divide and Conquer". Divide?
Check. Will we let them conquer, too?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Pedigree or Poverty: Is there a litmus test for US Senate?
Pedigree or Poverty: Is there a litmus test for US Senate?
(Cross posted on Square State)
On Monday, September 7th, Square State blogger “JO” wrote a diary titled, “Michael and Me”, chronicling the rise up the political ladder of US Senator Michael Bennet. In it, JO claimed Michael Bennet's family finances and social connections resulted in his rise to the top. If Michael Bennet got on the faster elevator to the top floor, does that mean he doesn't have a right to be there?
As someone who grew up in a working class, blue collar home from a huge family (not unlike Bill Ritter's or Ken Salazar's childhoods, except my family did not own a ranch), I am also a populist, suspicious of those who rise to the top quickly with help from "Daddy's connections". The possibility someone could become Superintendant of DPS without paying his/her dues as a teacher, disgusts me. If "connections" were involved, it was a slap in the face to hard-working teachers who toil away day after day, year after year, hoping for recognition and promotion. (I cannot speak to the accuracy of that story because I do not have the facts.)
The same argument could me made about Michael Bennet's appointment to the US Senate by Governor Bill Ritter. Bennet's appointment was a slap in the face to Andrew Romanoff, who worked tirelessly as CO Speaker-of-the-House and deserved the promotion. I don't know a single progressive, myself included, who was not surprised and irritated by the pick that first day. Countless blog entries on Square State and elsewhere attest to that fact.
Michael Bennet is now our US Senator, like it or not. The question is no longer, "Should he have been appointed?” the question is, "Should he stay?"
Michael Bennet has positioned himself as a moderate Democrat in a very purple state. That is a wise move. As much as we all respect and admire Andrew Romanoff and his many accomplishments, let's be real. He would not have even the slightest chance of winning the general election in a state with 6-foot privacy fences and an abundance of gun-shops. If you can't see that, go hang out in Elbert or Douglas or Larimer counties for awhile, and count the gun racks and "hippies use side door" signs. If the general election were between Andrew Romanoff and Michael Bennet(hypothetically speaking), Andrew Romanoff would win in Denver and Boulder, and Michael Bennet would win overall.
Aah, but "progressive" Barack Obama won in Colorado, you might point out. Barack Obama had a now-legendary ground game, and followed the worst President in the history of the United States. Barack Obama was in the right place at the right time, and was the right candidate. As my friend Ken Ohmstede recently said, "Andrew Romanoff is the right candidate at the wrong time". I have to agree with him.
Would I rather have a strong progressive as my US Senator? Absolutely! Do I believe one has even tofu's chance of becoming the most popular dish at Stampede? Hell, no.
Michael Bennet has travelled to 64 counties in Colorado, as of today. He started long before he thought he would have a primary challenger, listening to voters, meeting their families and learning about their needs and concerns. He didn't have to do that. He could be hiding somewhere with Mark Udall sipping Celestial Seasonings tea these past six months.
My gut tells me Michael Bennet is sincere in his concern for the well-being of others (all people, not just the wealthy), based on personal conversations and hearing numerous speeches. In his short time as US Senator, he has accomplished a great deal to help people I care about:
* was a cosponsor of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Prevention Act;
* was the deciding vote on the Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights;
* supported the Sander's amendment which would have capped credit card rates at 15% (it failed);
* supported Helping Families Save Their Homes Act;
* supported passage of Barack Obama's budget and the Recovery Act;
* supported the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor;
* voted for a public lands bill to protect national parks and open spaces;
* voted to expand SCHIP;
* voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act;
* has been a strong advocate for the public option (especially in contrast to Mark Udall, who must have come out, seen his shadow, and gone back into his hiding hole for six more weeks). This list does not include legislation Senator Bennet has introduced, which has not yet passed.
I am not formally endorsing either candidate, nor should I. The candidate who wins the primary, if there is one, will have my full, unequivocal support. I am trying to make sure the candidate who wins the primary will be tough enough, moderate enough, and respected enough by independents, to take on and win against their Republican challenger, whoever that may be. Losing one of our US Senate seats is not an option. To win in Colorado, all candidates in a statewide race need to win over independents. It's just that simple.
I have some questions for “JO the blogger”: The Kennedys were all children of great privilege who became heroes in modern American history. Can a rich kid ever make "the list of virtue" by his/her actions, or is there some kind of rule against it in the "American Dream Handbook"? As much as I love the almost-too-perfect real-life story of Barack Obama's rags-to-riches journey to the Presidency, is it realistic to expect all of our elected officials to come from poverty? In a democracy, shouldn't the rich be given the same opportunity to prove themselves as the rest of us? If his heart is in the right place, and he has proven himself to lead, does it really matter who his parents were?
Maybe I should ask Jared Polis.
(Cross posted on Square State)
On Monday, September 7th, Square State blogger “JO” wrote a diary titled, “Michael and Me”, chronicling the rise up the political ladder of US Senator Michael Bennet. In it, JO claimed Michael Bennet's family finances and social connections resulted in his rise to the top. If Michael Bennet got on the faster elevator to the top floor, does that mean he doesn't have a right to be there?
As someone who grew up in a working class, blue collar home from a huge family (not unlike Bill Ritter's or Ken Salazar's childhoods, except my family did not own a ranch), I am also a populist, suspicious of those who rise to the top quickly with help from "Daddy's connections". The possibility someone could become Superintendant of DPS without paying his/her dues as a teacher, disgusts me. If "connections" were involved, it was a slap in the face to hard-working teachers who toil away day after day, year after year, hoping for recognition and promotion. (I cannot speak to the accuracy of that story because I do not have the facts.)
The same argument could me made about Michael Bennet's appointment to the US Senate by Governor Bill Ritter. Bennet's appointment was a slap in the face to Andrew Romanoff, who worked tirelessly as CO Speaker-of-the-House and deserved the promotion. I don't know a single progressive, myself included, who was not surprised and irritated by the pick that first day. Countless blog entries on Square State and elsewhere attest to that fact.
Michael Bennet is now our US Senator, like it or not. The question is no longer, "Should he have been appointed?” the question is, "Should he stay?"
Michael Bennet has positioned himself as a moderate Democrat in a very purple state. That is a wise move. As much as we all respect and admire Andrew Romanoff and his many accomplishments, let's be real. He would not have even the slightest chance of winning the general election in a state with 6-foot privacy fences and an abundance of gun-shops. If you can't see that, go hang out in Elbert or Douglas or Larimer counties for awhile, and count the gun racks and "hippies use side door" signs. If the general election were between Andrew Romanoff and Michael Bennet(hypothetically speaking), Andrew Romanoff would win in Denver and Boulder, and Michael Bennet would win overall.
Aah, but "progressive" Barack Obama won in Colorado, you might point out. Barack Obama had a now-legendary ground game, and followed the worst President in the history of the United States. Barack Obama was in the right place at the right time, and was the right candidate. As my friend Ken Ohmstede recently said, "Andrew Romanoff is the right candidate at the wrong time". I have to agree with him.
Would I rather have a strong progressive as my US Senator? Absolutely! Do I believe one has even tofu's chance of becoming the most popular dish at Stampede? Hell, no.
Michael Bennet has travelled to 64 counties in Colorado, as of today. He started long before he thought he would have a primary challenger, listening to voters, meeting their families and learning about their needs and concerns. He didn't have to do that. He could be hiding somewhere with Mark Udall sipping Celestial Seasonings tea these past six months.
My gut tells me Michael Bennet is sincere in his concern for the well-being of others (all people, not just the wealthy), based on personal conversations and hearing numerous speeches. In his short time as US Senator, he has accomplished a great deal to help people I care about:
* was a cosponsor of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Prevention Act;
* was the deciding vote on the Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights;
* supported the Sander's amendment which would have capped credit card rates at 15% (it failed);
* supported Helping Families Save Their Homes Act;
* supported passage of Barack Obama's budget and the Recovery Act;
* supported the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor;
* voted for a public lands bill to protect national parks and open spaces;
* voted to expand SCHIP;
* voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act;
* has been a strong advocate for the public option (especially in contrast to Mark Udall, who must have come out, seen his shadow, and gone back into his hiding hole for six more weeks). This list does not include legislation Senator Bennet has introduced, which has not yet passed.
I am not formally endorsing either candidate, nor should I. The candidate who wins the primary, if there is one, will have my full, unequivocal support. I am trying to make sure the candidate who wins the primary will be tough enough, moderate enough, and respected enough by independents, to take on and win against their Republican challenger, whoever that may be. Losing one of our US Senate seats is not an option. To win in Colorado, all candidates in a statewide race need to win over independents. It's just that simple.
I have some questions for “JO the blogger”: The Kennedys were all children of great privilege who became heroes in modern American history. Can a rich kid ever make "the list of virtue" by his/her actions, or is there some kind of rule against it in the "American Dream Handbook"? As much as I love the almost-too-perfect real-life story of Barack Obama's rags-to-riches journey to the Presidency, is it realistic to expect all of our elected officials to come from poverty? In a democracy, shouldn't the rich be given the same opportunity to prove themselves as the rest of us? If his heart is in the right place, and he has proven himself to lead, does it really matter who his parents were?
Maybe I should ask Jared Polis.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Ritter Campaign Goes to the Dogs
Ritter Campaign Goes to the Dogs
(Cross posted on Square State)
"Ritter's Critters" - Come walk your dog with some of Gov. Bill Ritter's campaign staff at noon, Sunday, September 6th at Cherry Creek State Park off-leash dog park. Meet Marty, the official Ritter campaign canine. Ask staffers your questions, give them a letter to hand to the Governor, and/or get your photo taken with Marty in the parking lot. Come and have some fun and make your pooch happy, too! This is an informal event - Park entrance fees apply. You don't have to be a hard-core Bill Ritter supporter to come - just have some fun with local Dems and friends, and get your questions answered about his campaign.Nancy Cronk, 303-680-6243
BE SURE TO ENTER FROM THE SOUTH END OFF OF THE INTERSECTION AT PARKER AND ORCHARD ROADS.
Please pass this on to any dog-lovers in your life! Thanks.
(Cross posted on Square State)
"Ritter's Critters" - Come walk your dog with some of Gov. Bill Ritter's campaign staff at noon, Sunday, September 6th at Cherry Creek State Park off-leash dog park. Meet Marty, the official Ritter campaign canine. Ask staffers your questions, give them a letter to hand to the Governor, and/or get your photo taken with Marty in the parking lot. Come and have some fun and make your pooch happy, too! This is an informal event - Park entrance fees apply. You don't have to be a hard-core Bill Ritter supporter to come - just have some fun with local Dems and friends, and get your questions answered about his campaign.Nancy Cronk, 303-680-6243
BE SURE TO ENTER FROM THE SOUTH END OFF OF THE INTERSECTION AT PARKER AND ORCHARD ROADS.
Please pass this on to any dog-lovers in your life! Thanks.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Health Care Insurance Reform and The Working Poor
Health Care Insurance Reform and the Working Poor
(Cross posted on Square State)
One of the arguments from the health care debate the Republicans don't want to talk about is the number of working poor in the United States who work like dogs and still can't see a doctor.
My youngest sister Roxanne is 32 years old. She had some serious health issues as a kid, but is doing pretty well as an adult. Raised in a large working class family, Roxanne put herself through college, receiving an Associate's degree in Montessori education. She has been employed as a preschool teacher all of her adult life.
My sister's job, like that of most people in early childhood education, has very long hours (7am- 6pm most days) and is emotionally exhausting. She doesn't make anywhere near the pay a public school teacher makes, nor does she get treated with the same level of respect. Preschool teachers and child care providers, in my opinion, have the most difficult jobs and are compensated the least. How do I know? I've done their job, too.
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 2007, the average salary of a preschool teacher was still under $20,000 annually. For my sister's long hours at work, she is paid enough to make a monthly car payment, a car insurance payment, buy her lunches and clothes, pay for personal necessities, and that is about it. She lives with my elderly parents because she cannot afford rent, so she is their caretaker at times, as well. Her employer, like most child care centers and preschools, does not provide health care insurance benefits. Most preschool teachers are married women and covered under their husband's insurance. My sister will probably never marry.
Roxanne cannot afford a dime for health care insurance, especially because she has a pre-existing condition, and the insurance costs are exorbitant (I hate the word "premiums" because it sounds so positive -- let's call them what they are -- stolen income). When my sister had a brush with death a few years back, she could not afford to pay her medical bills, nor the follow-up care she was advised to get. So, when my sister goes to a free clinic to get a prescription, she is completely dependent on a soft-hearted physician, or must grovel to one of the local charities to get it filled.
More often than not, she just goes without. "They need a union!" you say. Attempts at organizing the early childhood education industry have had zero success. Teachers usually go into the industry when their own children are infants, and stay until their kids are in elementary school. These women are often in the most exhausting period of their lives, juggling babies, a job, and very little sleep. Few teachers see it as a full-time, lifelong profession, so putting energy into professionalizing the industry is a low priority for most of these young mothers. Most teachers do not last long enough in early childhood to fight for the benefits they deserve.
My sister, and many early childhood educators, are among the 47 million Americans who cannot afford health care, or health care insurance. In a country like the United States that prides itself on being "modern", this is shameful. All around the world, industrialized nations give their most vulnerable citizens basic level health care as a civil right. For-profit health care systems are seen as dishonest, immoral and inhumane. Even Iran and North Korea, countries we love to hate here in the United States, have universal health care for all of their citizens.
People like my sister, who give every waking moment educating our nation's children and caring for others, are doing the most patriotic, noble service to their country, in my humble opinion. I ask my fellow Americans -- Republican, Democrat, Independent or other, to stand with me and say, "Enough is enough". No longer can we ignore this moral mandate. Health care is a right, not a privilege.
The myth of "the market" fixing all problems is a lie, and must die. The market has never given a "rat's behind" about the most vulnerable people in our society - the sick, children, the elderly, etc. The un-regulated market has created a situation where the richest one percent of Americans has ninety-five percent of the wealth. It has all but ruined our economy and destroyed this country, and it is time to say "THIS MUST STOP". We need to reign in corporate greed, and we need to do it NOW.
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Cross posted on Square State)
One of the arguments from the health care debate the Republicans don't want to talk about is the number of working poor in the United States who work like dogs and still can't see a doctor.
My youngest sister Roxanne is 32 years old. She had some serious health issues as a kid, but is doing pretty well as an adult. Raised in a large working class family, Roxanne put herself through college, receiving an Associate's degree in Montessori education. She has been employed as a preschool teacher all of her adult life.
My sister's job, like that of most people in early childhood education, has very long hours (7am- 6pm most days) and is emotionally exhausting. She doesn't make anywhere near the pay a public school teacher makes, nor does she get treated with the same level of respect. Preschool teachers and child care providers, in my opinion, have the most difficult jobs and are compensated the least. How do I know? I've done their job, too.
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 2007, the average salary of a preschool teacher was still under $20,000 annually. For my sister's long hours at work, she is paid enough to make a monthly car payment, a car insurance payment, buy her lunches and clothes, pay for personal necessities, and that is about it. She lives with my elderly parents because she cannot afford rent, so she is their caretaker at times, as well. Her employer, like most child care centers and preschools, does not provide health care insurance benefits. Most preschool teachers are married women and covered under their husband's insurance. My sister will probably never marry.
Roxanne cannot afford a dime for health care insurance, especially because she has a pre-existing condition, and the insurance costs are exorbitant (I hate the word "premiums" because it sounds so positive -- let's call them what they are -- stolen income). When my sister had a brush with death a few years back, she could not afford to pay her medical bills, nor the follow-up care she was advised to get. So, when my sister goes to a free clinic to get a prescription, she is completely dependent on a soft-hearted physician, or must grovel to one of the local charities to get it filled.
More often than not, she just goes without. "They need a union!" you say. Attempts at organizing the early childhood education industry have had zero success. Teachers usually go into the industry when their own children are infants, and stay until their kids are in elementary school. These women are often in the most exhausting period of their lives, juggling babies, a job, and very little sleep. Few teachers see it as a full-time, lifelong profession, so putting energy into professionalizing the industry is a low priority for most of these young mothers. Most teachers do not last long enough in early childhood to fight for the benefits they deserve.
My sister, and many early childhood educators, are among the 47 million Americans who cannot afford health care, or health care insurance. In a country like the United States that prides itself on being "modern", this is shameful. All around the world, industrialized nations give their most vulnerable citizens basic level health care as a civil right. For-profit health care systems are seen as dishonest, immoral and inhumane. Even Iran and North Korea, countries we love to hate here in the United States, have universal health care for all of their citizens.
People like my sister, who give every waking moment educating our nation's children and caring for others, are doing the most patriotic, noble service to their country, in my humble opinion. I ask my fellow Americans -- Republican, Democrat, Independent or other, to stand with me and say, "Enough is enough". No longer can we ignore this moral mandate. Health care is a right, not a privilege.
The myth of "the market" fixing all problems is a lie, and must die. The market has never given a "rat's behind" about the most vulnerable people in our society - the sick, children, the elderly, etc. The un-regulated market has created a situation where the richest one percent of Americans has ninety-five percent of the wealth. It has all but ruined our economy and destroyed this country, and it is time to say "THIS MUST STOP". We need to reign in corporate greed, and we need to do it NOW.
"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Multi-group Vigil / Concert / Rally with Sirota well attended!
Multi-group Vigil / Concert / Rally with Sirota well attended!
(Originally posted on Square State)
Wednesday's concert and vigil at Confluence park attracted more than 1000 political activists from all over Colorado. Guest speakers David Sirota, Dr. Irene Aguilar, Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Vice President of SEIU and numerous volunteers told health care horror stories, discussed the political challenges around the health insurance industry, and pumped up the crowd to take action.
A candlelight vigil honored the estimated 800 people who died in Colorado last year alone from inadequate access to health care. Latino band "Debajo del Aqua" provided upbeat music between the vigil and each speaker. Throughout the crowd, news of Senator Mark Udall's
SEIU prepared dozens of "story boards" -- large panels with photos and stories of real people in the Denver area with health care nightmares. Hundreds of blue "scrubs" shirts were signed with the names of people who have died, and a number of them were strung together around the perimeter of the stage area. Pro-health care reform signs including, "Single payer", "People of faith for health care reform" and "People not profits" were everywhere. This attendee did not see a single protester against health care insurance at this very large event.
The rally/vigil/concert was planned and sponsored by SEIU/Change that Works, with many other groups participating: MoveOn.org, Health Care for All Colorado, Organizing for America, etc. SEIU State Director Kjersten Forseth called the event "a huge success".
Thursdays Denver Post covered the second rally in a week to attract more than 1000 people demanding health insurance reform, on page 17A. The front page was reserved for a few crazy parents in Highlands Ranch who do not want their children going to school to be "influenced to be a liberal" by President of the United States, Barack Obama.
(Originally posted on Square State)
Wednesday's concert and vigil at Confluence park attracted more than 1000 political activists from all over Colorado. Guest speakers David Sirota, Dr. Irene Aguilar, Mayor John Hickenlooper, the Vice President of SEIU and numerous volunteers told health care horror stories, discussed the political challenges around the health insurance industry, and pumped up the crowd to take action.
A candlelight vigil honored the estimated 800 people who died in Colorado last year alone from inadequate access to health care. Latino band "Debajo del Aqua" provided upbeat music between the vigil and each speaker. Throughout the crowd, news of Senator Mark Udall's
SEIU prepared dozens of "story boards" -- large panels with photos and stories of real people in the Denver area with health care nightmares. Hundreds of blue "scrubs" shirts were signed with the names of people who have died, and a number of them were strung together around the perimeter of the stage area. Pro-health care reform signs including, "Single payer", "People of faith for health care reform" and "People not profits" were everywhere. This attendee did not see a single protester against health care insurance at this very large event.
The rally/vigil/concert was planned and sponsored by SEIU/Change that Works, with many other groups participating: MoveOn.org, Health Care for All Colorado, Organizing for America, etc. SEIU State Director Kjersten Forseth called the event "a huge success".
Thursdays Denver Post covered the second rally in a week to attract more than 1000 people demanding health insurance reform, on page 17A. The front page was reserved for a few crazy parents in Highlands Ranch who do not want their children going to school to be "influenced to be a liberal" by President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Udall Supports Public Option
Udall Supports Public Option
(Cross posted on Square State)
Fellow Arapahoe County Organizing for America Co-Chair Donovan ODell paid a visit to Mark Udall's office on Wednesday to drop off petitions and to share his views on health care insurance reform. He was told by the campaign that Mark Udall was in the process of drafting a press release to announce his support. The key words in the press release will be "a fiscally sustainable public option", he was told. It is anyone's guess exactly what that means.
(Cross posted on Square State)
Fellow Arapahoe County Organizing for America Co-Chair Donovan ODell paid a visit to Mark Udall's office on Wednesday to drop off petitions and to share his views on health care insurance reform. He was told by the campaign that Mark Udall was in the process of drafting a press release to announce his support. The key words in the press release will be "a fiscally sustainable public option", he was told. It is anyone's guess exactly what that means.
The Shit Hit The Fan
(Cross posted on Square State, Wednesday, September 2nd. I was forced to remove it and quit blogging on Square State due to lack of rule enforcement about personal attacks.)
The shit really hit the fan when I wrote a blog diary about Senator Michael Bennet calling me at home the other day. I knew most of my progressive friends were still celebrating Andrew Romanoff jumping into the race, so I had no idea how much I was stirring the pot to praise Michael Bennet on health care insurance reform.
I have three kids, and I am always telling my youngest,
So why me, countless friends asked. "Why would Michael Bennet call you?". I had some friends suggest such crazy, contorted political strategy scenarios, I had to laugh.
Here's the truth.
I live out in the belly of the Republican beast, the south metro suburbs. Moving from Ann Arbor, MI to unincorporated Arapahoe County twenty years ago was like landing on the moon, politically speaking. My family and I have endured being represented by Bob Schaffer, Tom Tancredo, Mike Coffman, David Balmer, and a host of other conservatives so politically frightening, it would make your flesh crawl just reading the entire list. And yet, over the years, we Arapahoe County progressives have secretly found each other, met in-cognito over a a glass of wine now and then, and stuck together. When Obama was elected, we ripped off our nose glasses and came out of the closet. We celebrate our new-found liberty every Monday night at Bistro Al Vino.
And we canvass. We worked our proverbial tushies off turning Arapahoe blue, and if we rest for even a single day, we might lose everything we worked so hard for. (So did amazing folks in Douglas County and elsewhere, by the way, who so rarely get the credit they deserve because they have so much farther to come.)
Here's my second attempt at progressive blogger suicide: you guys in Denver and Boulder have it easy. You don't know what it is to have seven signs in a row taken off your lawn by big guys in trucks with gun racks and old W stickers on their windows, in broad daylight. You don't know what it is like to send your kid to school in an Obama shirt and have them come home scared at lunchtime because another kid threatened to beat them up for being a "baby-killing socialist". You don't know what it is like to have your car doors kicked in and the police not give-a-rip because you didn't see it happen, and you can't prove it had anything to do with your Democratic bumper stickers.
I digress.
My progressive friends and I out here on the front-line (bordering insanity) have been going to health care rallies, town halls, meetings, and other events every week for months. I challenge anyone besides Bennet campaign staffers, SEIU/Change That Works, OFA, and Health Care for All Colorado, to say they have been to more. (I hope I didn't leave any major groups out. If so, I apologize.) We had a Q&A event in my own home and called it a "People's Town Hall" because my Republican State Senator, Nancy Spence, doesn't have any (if she does, only Republicans are invited, and they are not listed on her website). Fifty people showed up. Not bad.
The guy that introduced Barack Obama in Grand Junction? One of our Arapahoe County guys -- Nathan Wilkes. The folks that have had countless meetings on health care reform since January -- Arapahope Community Team's Dr. Carol Blackard, Todd Mata, Donna Galassi, Donovan ODell and others. Know former CO Media Matters Editor Leslie Lyon? She lives out here, too, and breaks her butt every week helping us with health care reform events, when she should be looking for a new job. I am not saying all of the health care reform ninjas are from Arapahoe County, but a disproportionate number of them are. There is nothing like living under the rule of Tom Tancredo to make a progressive spittin'-mad.
If you don't believe me, check out my facebook photo albums. We're everywhere.
Every high-visibility event I we've been to in the last three months demanding health care reform (most of us were originally single-payer, but like many people here, reluctantly settled on the public option), the Bennet campaign staff has been there, too. They canvass for supporters for Bennet, we canvass for health care reform.
Michael Bennet himself has been to some of them, too. Young Dems/Arapahope Community Team in June? Bennet spoke on the need for health care reform. Denver Dems picnic? Bennet was there speaking on the moral obligation for health care reform. Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, north Denver, 47 counties around the state? Bennet spoke on the urgency of health care reform.
I have seen young Bennet intern dynamo Chris Rork more often than I see my own husband and kids. Need a pen? Ask Chris. Lost your water bottle? Ask Chris. Need to arrange a carpool? Ask Chris for help. Need a friend when a crazy tea-bagger screams in your face that Barack-Obama-has-an-all-lesbian-army-that-is going-to-make-your-daughter-have-an-abortion,or steal-your-identity-by-taking-your-photo, ask Chris.
Likewise, when word got out State Senator Shulthies's tea-baggers were planning to infiltrate David Canter's private home party for Senator Bennet, we called our Douglas County friends to provide back-up. Bennet's got our back, we've got his.
We also developed a tight relationship with SEIU/Change That Works. When trying to get activists in Denver and Boulder to care about Mike Coffman's Town Hall in Highlands Ranch, our buddies at SEIU, as well as Bennet's office, had our backs. They helped us get out some 800 reformers from all over the front range to show up to a meeting in a district where most Dems gave up 60 years ago.
There are lots of great people working on health care insurance reform all over the state - Patty Sullivan in Denver, Diana Caile in Boulder, Jody Visconti Clow in Grand Junction, etc. Too many to mention! There's a guy up in Ft. Collins -- can't remember his name, who sometimes stands alone on street corners with his health care reform signs. They know what I mean - Michael Bennet has been where they live too, talking up health care reform.
Bennet's folks helped us get out the people to the OFA bus tour rally just last week where National OFA Director Mitch Stewart came up to us and told us later, "Geez, Colorado rocks. You guys really know what you are doing here." John E. didn't make the photos for some reason, but he was there, too.
The Bennet folks and Arapahoe County health care reformers have been in the trenches together. We've bonded. We're tight. We've got each other's backs. We have since early June. When the Bennet campaign's high school and college volunteer interns went back to school and there were only two field folks until they trained more, and those two were so swamped they were working 24 hours a day, they still took all my calls. Chris Rork IM'd me at three in the morning one night, "How many volunteers do you have for tomorrow?" I IM'd him back, "Holy shit, Chris. Go to bed." (Yes, I was up and working on it, too.) There was never a minute Bennt's folks have not been there for us.
That means something.
I don't care how many blogs WN can write on in 24 ours (very impressive, by the way), saying Michael Bennet is not committed to health care insurance reform. Saying it over and over will never make it true. Michael Bennet and his staff have been there since day one, and he's said hundreds of times now he not only supports the public option, but it is a "moral imperative". What his "financially responsible" language means, I have no idea. I will leave that up to the political wonks who study this stuff all day long. I'm just Nancy-down-the-block with the clipboard and the hippy skirt.
So, Senator Michael Bennet probably asked himself not long ago, "Who is this lady that does not have a Bennet staff shirt that I see at every single event I go to on the front range, and hugs my staffers when she sees them (my guess)?" Then he called me to thank me, and to ask me to pass the word to my friends out here in Arapahoe County that we are on his health care reform radar. He appreciates us.
The fact that he called me when I was waffling over supporting one of Colorado's greatest progressives and our current Senator, was definitely a factor in my support. I have only met Andrew Romanoff in person once. I admire his courage, his brilliance, his progressive stand on just about everything, and I have followed his political career in awe. I have never seen him at a rally though, nor a picnic, nor a "people's town hall" in Centennial, or anywhere else. He's never come to any Living Liberally or Piney Creek Progressives event. Bennet's staff has -- many times. And yes, I have sent Andrew Romanoff facebook and email invitations more times than I can count.
That's about it. Not a sexy story. No exciting political secrets. No conspiracy theory. No complex political strategy. Just a so-called "Conservadem" who takes care of progressives in Arapahoe County, 'cause he notices us.
Now where the Hell is Mark Udall? Anyone check the Appalachian trail?
P.S. There's another big rally tonight, Wednesday, September 2nd, Confluence Park, 6:30pm. Hope you'll all be there!
The shit really hit the fan when I wrote a blog diary about Senator Michael Bennet calling me at home the other day. I knew most of my progressive friends were still celebrating Andrew Romanoff jumping into the race, so I had no idea how much I was stirring the pot to praise Michael Bennet on health care insurance reform.
I have three kids, and I am always telling my youngest,
"If you want to play with the big boys, you might get hurt, because they can play rough. I know it's a lot more fun. If you decide to play with 'em, don't come crying to me when you get knocked down."So, I humbly take my own advice. You guys are the big boys in my world. You hang out at the state capitol (for fun), follow every piece of legislation, and can cite litigation history without having to look it up. You were following Barack Obama's political career when I was still oggling over the Clintons. (And some of you seem to be giving up on him long before I ever will.) I take my Aretha Franklin-style-Obama-inauguration hat off to you.
So why me, countless friends asked. "Why would Michael Bennet call you?". I had some friends suggest such crazy, contorted political strategy scenarios, I had to laugh.
Here's the truth.
I live out in the belly of the Republican beast, the south metro suburbs. Moving from Ann Arbor, MI to unincorporated Arapahoe County twenty years ago was like landing on the moon, politically speaking. My family and I have endured being represented by Bob Schaffer, Tom Tancredo, Mike Coffman, David Balmer, and a host of other conservatives so politically frightening, it would make your flesh crawl just reading the entire list. And yet, over the years, we Arapahoe County progressives have secretly found each other, met in-cognito over a a glass of wine now and then, and stuck together. When Obama was elected, we ripped off our nose glasses and came out of the closet. We celebrate our new-found liberty every Monday night at Bistro Al Vino.
And we canvass. We worked our proverbial tushies off turning Arapahoe blue, and if we rest for even a single day, we might lose everything we worked so hard for. (So did amazing folks in Douglas County and elsewhere, by the way, who so rarely get the credit they deserve because they have so much farther to come.)
Here's my second attempt at progressive blogger suicide: you guys in Denver and Boulder have it easy. You don't know what it is to have seven signs in a row taken off your lawn by big guys in trucks with gun racks and old W stickers on their windows, in broad daylight. You don't know what it is like to send your kid to school in an Obama shirt and have them come home scared at lunchtime because another kid threatened to beat them up for being a "baby-killing socialist". You don't know what it is like to have your car doors kicked in and the police not give-a-rip because you didn't see it happen, and you can't prove it had anything to do with your Democratic bumper stickers.
I digress.
My progressive friends and I out here on the front-line (bordering insanity) have been going to health care rallies, town halls, meetings, and other events every week for months. I challenge anyone besides Bennet campaign staffers, SEIU/Change That Works, OFA, and Health Care for All Colorado, to say they have been to more. (I hope I didn't leave any major groups out. If so, I apologize.) We had a Q&A event in my own home and called it a "People's Town Hall" because my Republican State Senator, Nancy Spence, doesn't have any (if she does, only Republicans are invited, and they are not listed on her website). Fifty people showed up. Not bad.
The guy that introduced Barack Obama in Grand Junction? One of our Arapahoe County guys -- Nathan Wilkes. The folks that have had countless meetings on health care reform since January -- Arapahope Community Team's Dr. Carol Blackard, Todd Mata, Donna Galassi, Donovan ODell and others. Know former CO Media Matters Editor Leslie Lyon? She lives out here, too, and breaks her butt every week helping us with health care reform events, when she should be looking for a new job. I am not saying all of the health care reform ninjas are from Arapahoe County, but a disproportionate number of them are. There is nothing like living under the rule of Tom Tancredo to make a progressive spittin'-mad.
If you don't believe me, check out my facebook photo albums. We're everywhere.
Every high-visibility event I we've been to in the last three months demanding health care reform (most of us were originally single-payer, but like many people here, reluctantly settled on the public option), the Bennet campaign staff has been there, too. They canvass for supporters for Bennet, we canvass for health care reform.
Michael Bennet himself has been to some of them, too. Young Dems/Arapahope Community Team in June? Bennet spoke on the need for health care reform. Denver Dems picnic? Bennet was there speaking on the moral obligation for health care reform. Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, north Denver, 47 counties around the state? Bennet spoke on the urgency of health care reform.
I have seen young Bennet intern dynamo Chris Rork more often than I see my own husband and kids. Need a pen? Ask Chris. Lost your water bottle? Ask Chris. Need to arrange a carpool? Ask Chris for help. Need a friend when a crazy tea-bagger screams in your face that Barack-Obama-has-an-all-lesbian-army-that-is going-to-make-your-daughter-have-an-abortion,or steal-your-identity-by-taking-your-photo, ask Chris.
Likewise, when word got out State Senator Shulthies's tea-baggers were planning to infiltrate David Canter's private home party for Senator Bennet, we called our Douglas County friends to provide back-up. Bennet's got our back, we've got his.
We also developed a tight relationship with SEIU/Change That Works. When trying to get activists in Denver and Boulder to care about Mike Coffman's Town Hall in Highlands Ranch, our buddies at SEIU, as well as Bennet's office, had our backs. They helped us get out some 800 reformers from all over the front range to show up to a meeting in a district where most Dems gave up 60 years ago.
There are lots of great people working on health care insurance reform all over the state - Patty Sullivan in Denver, Diana Caile in Boulder, Jody Visconti Clow in Grand Junction, etc. Too many to mention! There's a guy up in Ft. Collins -- can't remember his name, who sometimes stands alone on street corners with his health care reform signs. They know what I mean - Michael Bennet has been where they live too, talking up health care reform.
Bennet's folks helped us get out the people to the OFA bus tour rally just last week where National OFA Director Mitch Stewart came up to us and told us later, "Geez, Colorado rocks. You guys really know what you are doing here." John E. didn't make the photos for some reason, but he was there, too.
The Bennet folks and Arapahoe County health care reformers have been in the trenches together. We've bonded. We're tight. We've got each other's backs. We have since early June. When the Bennet campaign's high school and college volunteer interns went back to school and there were only two field folks until they trained more, and those two were so swamped they were working 24 hours a day, they still took all my calls. Chris Rork IM'd me at three in the morning one night, "How many volunteers do you have for tomorrow?" I IM'd him back, "Holy shit, Chris. Go to bed." (Yes, I was up and working on it, too.) There was never a minute Bennt's folks have not been there for us.
That means something.
I don't care how many blogs WN can write on in 24 ours (very impressive, by the way), saying Michael Bennet is not committed to health care insurance reform. Saying it over and over will never make it true. Michael Bennet and his staff have been there since day one, and he's said hundreds of times now he not only supports the public option, but it is a "moral imperative". What his "financially responsible" language means, I have no idea. I will leave that up to the political wonks who study this stuff all day long. I'm just Nancy-down-the-block with the clipboard and the hippy skirt.
So, Senator Michael Bennet probably asked himself not long ago, "Who is this lady that does not have a Bennet staff shirt that I see at every single event I go to on the front range, and hugs my staffers when she sees them (my guess)?" Then he called me to thank me, and to ask me to pass the word to my friends out here in Arapahoe County that we are on his health care reform radar. He appreciates us.
The fact that he called me when I was waffling over supporting one of Colorado's greatest progressives and our current Senator, was definitely a factor in my support. I have only met Andrew Romanoff in person once. I admire his courage, his brilliance, his progressive stand on just about everything, and I have followed his political career in awe. I have never seen him at a rally though, nor a picnic, nor a "people's town hall" in Centennial, or anywhere else. He's never come to any Living Liberally or Piney Creek Progressives event. Bennet's staff has -- many times. And yes, I have sent Andrew Romanoff facebook and email invitations more times than I can count.
That's about it. Not a sexy story. No exciting political secrets. No conspiracy theory. No complex political strategy. Just a so-called "Conservadem" who takes care of progressives in Arapahoe County, 'cause he notices us.
Now where the Hell is Mark Udall? Anyone check the Appalachian trail?
P.S. There's another big rally tonight, Wednesday, September 2nd, Confluence Park, 6:30pm. Hope you'll all be there!
Michael Bennet called me Monday, August 31st
Michael Bennet Called Me Today
(Cross posted on Square State)
Senator Michael Bennet called me personally about 4pm Monday. We talked for 20-25 minutes. He called me to thank me, and the volunteers I work with, for all of the hard work we are doing in Arapahoe County on health care insurance reform. He was very sweet about it. I was quite humbled by his call. He was traveling in rural Colorado, so we talked until his phone was about to cut out. I did not take notes while we talked. When the call was over, I wrote down what he said to the best of my recollection. If I got any of the details wrong, I apologize in advance. Here is the gist of it:
Michael Bennet:
"The campaign may be facing some challenges in the near future. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your support, and hope we will continue to have it."
He asked if I had any questions. Since the phone call caught me off-guard, I came up with a few general ones. I told him people I talk to are still confused about his stand on the public option, although I have been at numerous events where he emphatically said he was for it.
"What do I tell my friends who were at Ed Schultz's event last night?"
He replied (verbatim), "There is no sunlight between where I stand on the public option, and where President Obama stands on it. I support his efforts 100%."
I asked about the "revenue neutral" thing Ed Schultz was talking about. He said this, "Some people want Medicare to be expanded for everyone. That would be great, but, how would we pay for it? I can't vote for something that sounds great but increases the debt we pass on to my daughters and their children." Then he said (paraphrasing),
"I am in lock-step with the President on this issue."
He continued to talk about the federal deficit under Bush going from x number of trillions of dolllars to y number of trillions (I don't remember the numbers he used, exactly.)
"Take the enormous price tag of the Iraq war, for example. That was irresponsible. We can't keep doing that. It is not ethical. It is not our money to spend. It will be our kids and their kids who have to pay it off. We have to think about what we are doing."
I said, "Barack Obama says up to two-thirds of the health care insurance reform plan will be paid for by streamlining wasteful systems, making processing claims more efficient, improving technology, etc."
He said, "Exactly."
Then I said, "President Obama said letting the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy lapse will mean increased tax revenue, and that will more than cover the last third, if I remember correctly. Are you okay with letting the very wealthy pay a little more in taxes to cover the difference?"
His exact words were, "YES. Absolutely."
He went on, "The amount of revenue we lose if the Bush tax cuts continue amounts to 15 TIMES the cost of the stimulus package we just passed. Imagine what else that money could be used for." (He went on to quote a lot of numbers and facts that I cannot remember now, and did not write down.)
"So, bottom line, you're saying you support the public option as the President does, one hundred percent, right?" I asked.
He said, "Yes, it is a moral imperative. It will save us money in the long run. Rebuilding our economy is very dependent on getting health care reform passed now. Again, I stand very firmly with the President on this issue."
He asked if I had any more questions. I told him I didn't have anything specific prepared, but wondered where he will be on energy and the environment? He said: "Have you ever met my wife, Susan?"(I actually, have, only briefly, and did not know until later who she was in relation to him.)
"She spent many years working for an environmental group. She and I talk about energy and the environment almost every day. NOTHING will get by her. She won't let it (he laughed). I am very progressive on environmental issues. What else?"
"Next question, labor. Without having specific questions prepared, on a continuum of conservative to progressive, where can I count on you to be in regard to labor?"
He answered, "Let me be perfectly straight with you. I believe in the worker's right to organize. I believe in strong labor.... (pause)... I don't believe in knee-jerk decisions based on being obligated to ALWAYS vote only one way without discussion. I have to be sure both sides consider what is best not only for the people they represent, but for the FUTURE of that industry. I am concerned about how ALL of the people who are involved will be affected in the long run, as well."
"Take Detroit for example." (something I know a little about since I am from Detroit and was raised in a UAW family. Did he know that?)
"The auto industry includes the car manufacturers and the labor unions. They failed to work together to predict where their industry was headed, and as a result, the industry failed. We can't afford to do that. We need everyone at the bargainging tables and we need everyone working together, sharing their best ideas. Rebuilding our economy depends on it."
He also said he had to do the same thing with education, and that his decisions weren't always the easy ones.
"As long as both sides have the best interests of the students at heart, particularly the most vulnerable students -- the poorer kids, for example -- that is my priority. Does that make sense?"
He mentioned more about the "green energy economy" and how important it will be to our collective future.
At that point, he needed to go because his phone was starting to cut out. I had just enough time to tell him, "Thank-you so much."
(Cross posted on Square State)
Senator Michael Bennet called me personally about 4pm Monday. We talked for 20-25 minutes. He called me to thank me, and the volunteers I work with, for all of the hard work we are doing in Arapahoe County on health care insurance reform. He was very sweet about it. I was quite humbled by his call. He was traveling in rural Colorado, so we talked until his phone was about to cut out. I did not take notes while we talked. When the call was over, I wrote down what he said to the best of my recollection. If I got any of the details wrong, I apologize in advance. Here is the gist of it:
Michael Bennet:
"The campaign may be facing some challenges in the near future. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your support, and hope we will continue to have it."
He asked if I had any questions. Since the phone call caught me off-guard, I came up with a few general ones. I told him people I talk to are still confused about his stand on the public option, although I have been at numerous events where he emphatically said he was for it.
"What do I tell my friends who were at Ed Schultz's event last night?"
He replied (verbatim), "There is no sunlight between where I stand on the public option, and where President Obama stands on it. I support his efforts 100%."
I asked about the "revenue neutral" thing Ed Schultz was talking about. He said this, "Some people want Medicare to be expanded for everyone. That would be great, but, how would we pay for it? I can't vote for something that sounds great but increases the debt we pass on to my daughters and their children." Then he said (paraphrasing),
"I am in lock-step with the President on this issue."
He continued to talk about the federal deficit under Bush going from x number of trillions of dolllars to y number of trillions (I don't remember the numbers he used, exactly.)
"Take the enormous price tag of the Iraq war, for example. That was irresponsible. We can't keep doing that. It is not ethical. It is not our money to spend. It will be our kids and their kids who have to pay it off. We have to think about what we are doing."
I said, "Barack Obama says up to two-thirds of the health care insurance reform plan will be paid for by streamlining wasteful systems, making processing claims more efficient, improving technology, etc."
He said, "Exactly."
Then I said, "President Obama said letting the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy lapse will mean increased tax revenue, and that will more than cover the last third, if I remember correctly. Are you okay with letting the very wealthy pay a little more in taxes to cover the difference?"
His exact words were, "YES. Absolutely."
He went on, "The amount of revenue we lose if the Bush tax cuts continue amounts to 15 TIMES the cost of the stimulus package we just passed. Imagine what else that money could be used for." (He went on to quote a lot of numbers and facts that I cannot remember now, and did not write down.)
"So, bottom line, you're saying you support the public option as the President does, one hundred percent, right?" I asked.
He said, "Yes, it is a moral imperative. It will save us money in the long run. Rebuilding our economy is very dependent on getting health care reform passed now. Again, I stand very firmly with the President on this issue."
He asked if I had any more questions. I told him I didn't have anything specific prepared, but wondered where he will be on energy and the environment? He said: "Have you ever met my wife, Susan?"(I actually, have, only briefly, and did not know until later who she was in relation to him.)
"She spent many years working for an environmental group. She and I talk about energy and the environment almost every day. NOTHING will get by her. She won't let it (he laughed). I am very progressive on environmental issues. What else?"
"Next question, labor. Without having specific questions prepared, on a continuum of conservative to progressive, where can I count on you to be in regard to labor?"
He answered, "Let me be perfectly straight with you. I believe in the worker's right to organize. I believe in strong labor.... (pause)... I don't believe in knee-jerk decisions based on being obligated to ALWAYS vote only one way without discussion. I have to be sure both sides consider what is best not only for the people they represent, but for the FUTURE of that industry. I am concerned about how ALL of the people who are involved will be affected in the long run, as well."
"Take Detroit for example." (something I know a little about since I am from Detroit and was raised in a UAW family. Did he know that?)
"The auto industry includes the car manufacturers and the labor unions. They failed to work together to predict where their industry was headed, and as a result, the industry failed. We can't afford to do that. We need everyone at the bargainging tables and we need everyone working together, sharing their best ideas. Rebuilding our economy depends on it."
He also said he had to do the same thing with education, and that his decisions weren't always the easy ones.
"As long as both sides have the best interests of the students at heart, particularly the most vulnerable students -- the poorer kids, for example -- that is my priority. Does that make sense?"
He mentioned more about the "green energy economy" and how important it will be to our collective future.
At that point, he needed to go because his phone was starting to cut out. I had just enough time to tell him, "Thank-you so much."
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