Went to my Congressman’s District Office, this past Monday, March 15, 2010.
Asked to speak to whoever it was that one could speak to when the Congressman was not there.
Out came a young man, his Deputy District Administrator. I had met this young man about two years previously, but he did not recall me.
“What did you come to talk about?”
“I came to talk to you about the health care reform. I would like to know why the Congressman has changed his position with respect to the public option. He promised that he would not sign any health care reform bill that did not contain a public option. He was a signatory to this letter stating just that. So, why has he changed his position?” [I held in my hand a letter of August 17, 2009, with 60 Members of Congress, who had signed on, as an attachment to the letter, stating their position with respect to the public option, i.e., that they would NOT sign any health care reform bill without a public option. This was a letter to The Hon. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, signed off on be Raul Grijalva, Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee, representing the Congressional Progressive Cause and the Congressional Black Caucus.]
“He can change his position if he wants.”
“You know about Cong. Grayson’s bill H.R. 4789, don’t you? The Medicare Option for anyone under 65 who wants to join and pay for it?,” I asked. “What are the Congressman’s feelings on that?”
“He’s against it – there aren’t enough votes for it.”
“Well, I can tell you that since he introduced it, plenty of Americans have signed up in a matter of a couple of days, they are signing up endlessly – it’s phenomenal.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he says, “the votes are not there and the Congressman is going to sign the bill as it is.”
Continuing the “joust” . . . .!