URGENT! Should Prop 8 Trial Be Televised?

From our friends at Courage Campaign:

This is extremely urgent and extremely important, and will only take a moment of your time.

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker -- who will be overseeing a federal court challenge to Prop 8 starting this Monday (January 11) -- is considering whether or not to open the court room to TV cameras.

The court just announced that it is seeking public comment on the proposal to televise the trial -- and that all comments must be submitted to the court by a Friday deadline.

The interest in this case is unprecedented. And not surprisingly, supporters of Prop 8 -- who eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry -- do NOT want the trial to be televised.

Opponents of Prop 8 -- led by attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson -- are seeking to televise the case in the interests of full transparency. They want this historic trial to be watched by as many Americans as possible. And, of course, we agree.

We have just this one chance to make our voices heard -- thousands of Americans calling for equality, transparency and accountability. That's why we're teaming up with CREDO Action to collect as many signatures as possible asking Judge Walker to televise the case. We need your signature now:

SIGNATURE DEADLINE: FRIDAY 9AM

http://www.couragecampaign.org/TeleviseTheTrial

Together, along with our friends at CREDO, we will hand-deliver your signatures to Judge Vaughn Walker on Friday before the deadline.

This case presents issues that are very important to the public, and will affect millions of people. However, if the case is not televised, only a tiny fraction will ever be able to watch the trial in person.

By televising the trial, the public will be able to see for themselves the arguments and evidence presented by both sides, and will therefore have more confidence in the outcome of the trial.

That's why we think the Prop 8 court case should be televised and we're collecting as many signatures as possible to submit to Judge Vaughn Walker. Click here to sign now and say "YES -- the Prop 8 trial should be televised." SIGNATURE DEADLINE: FRIDAY 9AM.:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/TeleviseTheTrial

If you know other people who believe the Prop 8 trial should be televised as well, please forward this message to them ASAP.

Thank you so much for making your voice heard at this critical time. We will update you as soon as further news develops.

Rick Jacobs

Chair, Courage Campaign Institute

2009 Goes Out Like A Schmuck

Usually, New Years Eve is a time of lists and resolutions - of what was and what could be.

This blog won't be doing any of that nonsense....... :-)

As I write this, it's 39 degrees and mostly cloudy here in our Nation's Capital. The forecast calls for intermittent snow showers and "ice pellets". Ice pellets? What, no rain of toads? For a decade that started with Y2K and ended with "death panels", it would seem appropriate.

For the three of you out there who still frequent this site, you may have noticed my output has been spotty this month. Between work, a creeping flu that turned into a stubborn sinus infection, work, and a side project I was organizing against the Stupak amendment, life spiraled out of balance - this blog was one of only many casualties.

I don't know what 2010 will bring. My hope is that it will be better than 2009, or at least more entertaining. And with that in mind, let me leave you with this.

Flash — Washington, DC: The Federal Death Panel is currently meeting in emergency session to consider the case of Rush Limbaugh. Death Panel insiders tell the AP that in light of the number of right wing radio talkshow hosts currently on the air, Limbaugh has “little societal value” and the Panel is likely to vote against any further spending on his care.

“It’d be like spending $1 million on some injuried Mexican day-laborer, who are literally a dime a dozen,” said one Death Panel member, who added, “Yes, he’s popular with a few million listeners, but they’ll quickly switch to Beck, Hannity, Mikey Reagan, or some other talker. Talk radio is ’short attention span theater’ anyway, so we figure after 6 weeks off the air, it’ll be ‘Rush who?’ for most listeners.”

A Death Panel staffer also told AP that, while Limbaugh’s care likely will be limited to ice chips and Bayer, the young Dominican boy who was surgically removed from Limbaugh’s private parts will be given full coverage, including extensive pyschological help.

Give The Gift Of Life For Companion Animals Stricken With Cancer

This summer, our journey ended with our wonderful girl, Jonesy, after an 18-month battle with lymphoma. We were lucky - we could afford the treatments that kept her healthy, happy and cancer free for most of that time.

This holiday season, please consider giving the gift of life for pet owners who don't have the resources to provide care for their companion animals stricken with cancer.

Give a donation to the Magic Bullet Fund, which provides financial grants for treatments.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Chris Matthews on Progressive Critics of the Senate Health Care Bill, "I Don't Consider Them Democrats"

Today on MSNBC’s Hardball, Chris Matthews thought it might be fun to trot out the Obama administration's talking point du jour, that Democratic critics of the Senate health care bill are really just a bunch of irrational cheeto-eating surrender monkeys.

I don’t consider them Democrats, I consider them netroots, and they’re different. And if I see that they vote in every election or most elections, I’ll be worried. But I’m not sure that they’re regular grown-up Democrats. I think that a lot of those people are troublemakers who love to sit in the backseat and complain. They’re not interested in governing this country. They never ran for office, they’re not interested in working for somebody in public office. They get their giggles from sitting in the backseat and bitching.

Chris Matthews, surely you don't mean me? Of course, I do blog, and yes, I do get most of my news and information from blogs. Mostly because of pundits like you - who may or may not eat cheetos, but who surrendered their journalistic integrity a long, long time ago.

But Chris, if you're laughing at me, the joke's on you.

See, if you had been paying even the slightest attention, you'd understand that some of the most vocal critics of the Senate health care reform bill worked the hardest to get Barack Obama elected last year. We are Progressives, Independents, Decline-to-State, and Centrists. We vote religiously. We give generously. And we're scared to death that the health care bills making their way ever so slowly through congress are going to end up making the system worse rather than better.

At first we were patient. We held out hope that our President knew what he was doing, that he would keep up his end of the implied contract we entered into when we helped get him elected. We expected Change, we expected to be respected, empowered and included, we expected him to fight, and we expected to join him in that fight.

None of this has happened. And so we're going to speak truth to power. You may not like it, the White House may not like it, but you both underestimate our power at your peril. Because we're not troublemakers, we're organizers.

We know how to bypass the main steam media and the DSCC, co-opt OFA's resources for activism we believe in, raise money-bombs for Alan Grayson and to go after Blue Dog Dems who oppose real health care reform. We know how to canvass and how to phone bank. We can, and will, support a multitude of primary challengers against the entrenched corporate interests that just happen to call themselves Democrats.

The White House may not be afraid of us like they are big Pharma and the health insurance industry, but maybe, just maybe they should be.

VIDEO - Obama On Individual Mandates, "Like Forcing The Homeless To Buy Houses"

From FDL:

Progressives who have turned against the individual mandate in health care reform may want to highlight their one-time ally in that fight: President Barack Obama. Throughout the 2008 primary campaign, the mandate was one of the bigger debates between Obama and Hillary Clinton. Obama won the election but Clinton arguably won that debate, since the President took up the mandate in his health care plan. But he was pretty adamant about why he didn’t think a mandate was useful in the past. Perhaps the best distillation of that comes in this interview to CNN from Febuary 2008:

BREAKING! Senate "Gang of Ten" Reach Health Care Reform Deal, PO May Be Dead

From TPM:

Health care reform may have gone from having a PO to being a POS. Time will tell.

Ten Democratic Senators emerged tonight from a long series of meetings having reached a tentative agreement on a public option compromise. None would comment on the actual provisions in the deal, saying they first want to hear back from the Congressional Budget Office, which will begin scoring the new package tomorrow.

"We've made a lot of progress," said Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE). Now, he says, Democrats will "take the next step and ask the CBO to score what we've been discussing...we don't expect them to respond to us within 24 hours. Apparently it will take a couple days."

Within the past week, the 10 liberal and conservative Democrats hashing out a compromise have discussed a number of potential alternatives to the opt-out public option in the current bill, including tighter insurance reforms, an extension of the competitive market that insures Federal employees, and, most notably, a measure that would allow certain people between the ages of 55 and 64 to pay into Medicare.

However, none of the senators speaking to reporters tonight would confirm which, if any, of these items would be part of the package going to CBO.

Lawmakers have suggested in recent days that the compromises under discussion were meant to replace the national public option that's currently in the bill. The Associated Press as the New York Times are even reporting that the public option is gone. Tonight, though, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested that might not be the case. "All the things you've read in the newspapers...'the public option is gone,'--it's not true," Reid said at an impromptu press conference after tonight's meeting broke.

Reid wouldn't elaborate further--and it's worth noting that in recent days, aides and members have tried to characterize some of the ideas on the table as a form of "public option" when in fact none of them are. But it looks like we'll know definitively by the end of the week--and maybe sooner.

"I already know that all 60 senators in my caucus don't agree on every piece of the merger," Reid said. "I know that what we've sent over there to CBO--will send to them tomorrow--not everyone's going to agree on every piece that we've sent over there, but that doesn't mean that we disagree on what we've sent to them."

Emerging from the meeting, public option stalwart Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) told reporters, "You're going to find nobody who's happy with everything."

One Voice For Choice: Don't Let Stupak And Nelson Hold Health Care Reform Hostage

Yesterday, Venice For Change and FDL Action PAC announced "One Voice For Choice", a unique phone bank effort that will call into the districts of Democratic lawmakers who voted for the Stupak amendment. We are targeting likely voters who are pro-choice and asking them to tell their member of Congress to vote for a final health care reform bill that's free of the Stupak ban.

The response has been tremendous. In only 24 hours, over half a dozen phone banks have popped up in my home state of California, and one in the heart of liberal Texas - Austin!

Will you volunteer to call them and explain that Stupak is much, much worse than any Federal law currently on the books?

Powwow points to two important posts by Pricilla Smith at Balkanization which outline just how bad Stupak is, and what is at stake (Part I and Part II).

And guess what, Ben Nelson is introducing Stupak in the Senate. And he's threatening to filibuster the health care bill if he doesn't get his way. Folks, this is crunch time. If we don't hold the line in the House, Stupak could very easily become the law of the land.

Join one of the phone bank efforts already going, or if there’s not one in your district, start one of your own!

SIGN UP FOR A PHONE BANK IN YOUR AREA!

"One Voice For Choice" has phone banks set up all over California. Don't see one in your area? Sign up to host your own! Please be sure to bring your cell phone and a charger.

Friday, December 4

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Sunday, December 6

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Saturday, December 12

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Sunday, December 13

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You can follow us:

on the web at www.onevoiceforchoice.com

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Excerpts of the President’s Address On Afghanistan

Hot off the White House presses. Excerpts from tonight's speech.

“The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 – the fastest pace possible – so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers. They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans.”

“Because this is an international effort, I have asked that our commitment be joined by contributions from our allies. Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead. Our friends have fought and bled and died alongside us in Afghanistan. Now, we must come together to end this war successfully. For what’s at stake is not simply a test of NATO’s credibility – what’s at stake is the security of our Allies, and the common security of the world.”

“Taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground. We will continue to advise and assist Afghanistan’s Security Forces to ensure that they can succeed over the long haul. But it will be clear to the Afghan government – and, more importantly, to the Afghan people – that they will ultimately be responsible for their own country.”

Ben Nelson Devoloping Stupak-Like Amendment For Senate Health Care Bill

From Congress Daily:

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said today he is crafting an amendment to prohibit federal funding of abortions that will be the same as the controversial proposal added at the last minute to the House healthcare overhaul bill.

"It's as identical to Stupak as it can be," Nelson said, referencing the amendment drafted by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich.

Democrats and Republicans have expressed interest in supporting the amendment as part of the healthcare overhaul debate in the Senate, he said.

Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., said today he will support Nelson's effort.

"I think it's likely to be one of the amendments we'll vote on," Casey said

Neither Casey nor Nelson knew when that vote might come. Casey noted he is unsure whether the amendment has the votes to pass or whether it would have to meet a 60-vote threshold or a simple majority. But he added he is not drawing lines in the sand if it is not approved.

Just when any amendments will come up for votes was unclear. A spokeswoman for Majority Leader Reid said at presstime there was no time agreement with Republicans.

Stupak's abortion amendment prohibits any public option from covering abortions. The prohibition would also apply to private plans offered through an exchange in which individuals can purchase coverage in part using federal subsidies.

The Senate bill attempts to maintain the prohibition on federal abortion funding by requiring insurance companies to segregate subsidy dollars and use other revenue to cover abortions. It also requires HHS to determine if and how any public option would cover abortions.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said today that White House Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle and Deputy Director Jeanne Lambrew agreed Monday to provide her with actuarial estimates of cost-containment amendments she plans to propose. One of those amendments, Collins said, would impose a penalty on reimbursements to hospitals that have high infection rates.

She said the bill still needs substantial changes to win her vote. "I certainly hope that will be possible," she added. "I think there's unease on both sides of the aisle about specific provisions of this bill and that it's possible that we can come up with alternatives that will garner bipartisan support."

Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy said today he plans to file his amendment to repeal the health insurance and medical malpractice insurance industries' exemption from federal antitrust laws. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said he would join Leahy in offering the amendment.

Lieberman said today he is encouraged by a CBO report Monday that estimates the majority of Americans' health insurance premiums would go down or remain untouched under the legislation.

"I was concerned about the impact. ... I was worried that some of the taxes, for instance, and maybe some cost-shifting might increase premiums more, but the report shows, and you've got to accept CBO ... that most people will see their premiums either stay where they would otherwise be or be reduced. And I think when you consider the fact that Senator Reid's proposal covers 30 million more people with insurance than are covered now, it's quite an accomplishment to be able to do that without raising premiums," he said.

Lieberman said he has not changed his opposition to the public option.

"Matter of fact, it strengthens my position, because my feeling is that the public option doesn't support any of the major goals that we've always, I've always, had for healthcare reform: cover more people. ... long-term cost containment, better cost containment and adopt some consumer friendly reforms of insurance industry practices," he said.

Dean, "You will have a revolt in the party." about health care reform

Uh-oh.

One of the leading progressive champions of healthcare reform is pessimistic about the state of the debate in the Senate, saying he sees virtually no path to passing strong legislation and predicting potential congressional losses for Democrats as a consequence.

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean told the Huffington Post on Monday that Senate Democratic leadership was "in deep trouble" on health care, even after Majority Leader Harry Reid cobbled together over the weekend the 60 votes needed to get legislation to the floor. The problem was as much about politics as policy.

"I think if you passed the Senate bill tomorrow it would be OK. But then the problem is they don't have any defense for their members in 2010," Dean said, noting that the public option would not become operational until 2014. "On the other hand, if they drop the public option [to placate moderate members], I think they lose seats."

"So this is really tough. I didn't anticipate being in this position. I thought it would pass. Maybe Harry has some magic up his sleeve. But I don't see how he gets those four votes [Sens. Joseph Lieberman (Conn.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.)] without compromising the bill," Dean concluded.

The former Vermont governor warned that if the party allowed the four moderates to further water down the bill (or defeat it altogether) it could lead to primary challenges or a drop in fundraising from the party's base.

"If you have members refusing to vote for Reid on procedural issues you will have a revolt in the party," Dean said. "What is the point of having a 60-vote margin? This is going to be death for the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] and the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]. Why would anyone donate to them if they're supporting candidates who defeat the Democratic agenda?"

There was, he insisted, an out clause. Reconciliation -- the budgetary maneuver that would allow portions of reform to be considered by an up or down vote -- "looks better every time," Dean said. "Someone has to say, at some point, we need to pass a bill." Reid has hinted that reconciliation is an increasingly unlikely proposition.

One of the loudest champions of a public plan, Dean has rarely expressed such pessimism about the state of play in the Senate. But even aides on the Hill admit that the path forward to gathering the 60 votes needed to stop a Republican filibuster is immensely challenging.

That said, Dean wasn't ready to read health care reform its final rites. And others who work on the progressive side of the debate said they are more bullish about the prospects of passing strong legislation. Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager for Health Care for America Now, said he noted that progressives in the Senate have been remarkably united in asserting their positions to Reid and indicating "that they won't be rolled by their more conservative members."

"Reconciliation is one of those things that is always there," Kirsch added. "It might not be the topic of conversation now. But it might go that way if four senators decide to wag the tail of the dog."

Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who has worked with HCAN and others on health care reform, was similarly upbeat. The goal, she said, was to keep the ball moving, pass legislation out of the Senate and then improve on its policy prescriptions once in conference committee with the House.

"The issue is to ensure that something is decent," said Lake. "I think the other thing is we need the president to weigh in, and I suspect he will weigh in very heavily in the conference committee."

Trading Away The Public Option For Fun And Profit

Amid the drama today regarding the Senate cloture vote (It passed 60-39. Yay, us!), was another, more insidious drama taking place behind the scenes.

A Senate Democratic aide tells me that folks aren't too happy with the news that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is negotiating a public option "trigger compromise" with members of the caucus.

"He went on his own to talk to Landrieu about the trigger option," the aide says. "That's rather unseemly, especially for Schumer to have reached out to Landrieu before we had the vote. It's very inappropriate."

Obviously there are plenty of reasons for plenty of people to say they're upset about this. But the fact that Schumer began these discussions before today's vote does seem notable, given that Harry Reid was supposed to be negotiating for the votes.

A Schumer spokesperson later denied the Senator was pre-negotiating for a triggered public option.

But then at a press conference held shortly after the vote, Senate Majority Leader had this to say:

Q: Senator Lincoln today made it very clear that she’s not going to support any kind of public option. Senator Lieberman has said the same. What do you see as the chances it will be in the final bill.

Reid: First of all, I support a strong public option. I welcome Senator Schumer, Landrieu and Carper, who Senator Landrieu said are working together to find a public option that is acceptable to all Democrats….

Q: Did you just say that you’ve tasked Senator Schumer, Carper and Landrieu or …

Reid: No. It’s my understanding that Senator Landrieu said today that she’s working with Senator Schumer and Carper to come up with an alternative.

Finally, just a few minutes ago, Schumer's PAC sent this fundraising letter out:

Dear Marta,

Moments ago, the Senate voted to begin its full debate on historic health care reform legislation instead of obstructing it with a filibuster.

Tonight's vote marks the biggest victory to date for our grassroots effort to pass health care reform with a public option. We cannot give enough thanks to the over 100,000 signers of our petition at CitizensForAPublicOption.com for helping to fundamentally shift the momentum towards meaningful reform.

Not long ago, a few loud opponents of reform armed and organized by the insurance industry dominated this debate. Now the American people, the majority of whom support a public option, have spoken out and gained the upper hand.

Not long ago, the public option seemed like little more than a pipe dream. Now it's part of health care bills in both the Senate and the House.

Not long ago, members of our own Democratic caucus weren't sure they could even support an up-or-down vote on health care reform legislation. Tonight they voted to end the Republican filibuster.

But despite this good news, the fight for meaningful health care reform is not over. As we debate amendments to this legislation in the coming weeks, we will work with our colleagues to ensure it continues to address the "Three C's" of meaningful reform: competition, choice, and cost reduction. And we will firmly oppose any effort to eliminate the public option.

Tonight we celebrate a milestone no one thought we could reach just months ago. Tomorrow the fight continues. We will not let up until the President signs a bill we can all be proud of.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Senator Chuck Schumer

Senator Dick Durbin

Senator Patrick Leahy

Trading away the public option for fun and profit. Nice.

"They Need To Come Down Here And Stand In These Lines"

Senator Blanche Lincoln, meet one of your constituents, Steve Maitlan, of Little Rock, Arkansas. Steve's a hardworking American who hasn't been to a doctor in over 5 years. While you threaten to derail health care reform this afternoon on the floor of the Senate, he waits patiently in line at a free health care clinic sponsored by MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and organized by the National Association of Free Clinics.

He has a message for you and all your fellow Senators on Capitol Hill.

"They Need To Come Down Here And Stand In These Lines. If it takes them two hours or four hours, they need to stand in these lines and talk to the people. If they can live without health care for five months like I have for five years they'd get a little bit better perspective what it's like."

Watch the whole thing.