( – promoted by buhdydharma )
So I’m reading the indefatigable NYCeve’s Diary The August Plan to Secure the Public Option yesterday morning and click the link to the FDL “Whipcount Tool.” Now, as you might be able to tell from my nom de Kos, I live in the most azure, indigo part of the bluest borough of the bluest city in the country — the People’s Single Payer, Socialist, Zabarist Republic of the Upper West Side.
My own Rep., the estimable Jerry Nadler, is obviously with the program, having taken the FDL Pledge to vote against any bill that doesn’t have the Public Option. What to do?
Well, my mom, 93-year old (bless her heart) “Grandma West” (as my kids call her) lives in NY-18 in Westchester – which was not listed on the FDL tool.
cross-posting on Kos
Rep. Lowey is having a healthcare conference call at 5:00 pm (est) today. Call her office for phone in information.
I conferenced Rep. Lowey’s office with Mom and spoke to the marginally clueless, probable summer intern who answered the phone. I explained that Mom was a constituent and had questions about health care. She said she could tell me Rep. Lowey’s position, and she would record our opinion, but if I had questions I should to talk to Lowey’s health care specialist. We told the intern that we strongly support a public option and want Rep. Lowey to come out for it. We then left a voice message for the health care specialist, who called back this afternoon. See below.
This experience gave me an idea — Why not reactivate Sarah Silverman’s spectacularly successful (we won FL didn’t we?) Great Schlep for health care and the public option? Most people should have at least one relative living either (a) in a district where a progressive Rep has not yet taken the pledge; or (b) in a blue dog district: I’m talking to you, relatives or friends of people who live in AR-4 (Mike Ross) or FL-2 (Allen Boyd).
There’s no need to actually schlep. You can call, or even better, write snail-mail handwritten letters.
So Sarah, if you’re out there (loved you in The Aristocrats, by the way), how about starting up a Great Healthcare Schlep?
Or let’s do it even without Sarah. Who’s with me on this?
Update: I just received a phone message from Jean Doyle, Congresswoman Lowey’s Health Care Specialist, who said that Lowey does “strongly support the Public Option in the final bill”
5 comments
Skip to comment form
and I hope you post here more often.
As someone who was cited on KO, we need more progressive voices yelling their asses off.
I called my grandmother today after reading your article. Great idea.
Shlep on!!!
The
downupside to the schlep (let’s try to be optimistic) is that you get to call that brother in FL, and the aunt in FL, and the uncle in CA, and you get to explain to them why the Public Option is good and why they should make a call or 2. This is of varying degrees of difficulty. Yes, I’d rather go out to dinner with my kids all of whom are in Brooklynistan and Loisaida, but sometimes you have to take one for the team and call. After this they won’t say, “You never call any more.” Yours with appropriate guilt, dsYes, but are you willing to join the Dinosaur BBQ Liberation Front? GOTT MIT UNS!!!