According to Thom Hartmann, Jeff Merkley (Oregon) is going to vote NO on health bill...

[cascadiance]

As soon as I heard it, as an Oregon resident, I called his Washington office and gave them a load of thanks and said I had his back. I recommend that all voters, ESPECIALLY Oregon residents, do the same RIGHT NOW, to show that we progressives aren't people to be messed with, and that we will stand and fight with those that fight for us!

His DC phone numbers are:
[phone]
[phone] (FAX)

[still_one]

1. and I would hope Feingold and some others do also. The time is way past for compromise /nt

[MNDemNY]

2. No shit!! That is great news.

[sandnsea]

3. Is he going to oppose Oregon's subsidized insurance too?

It's fine if he wants to make threats to move this bill back to the left, but when it comes down to the wire, he better remember what he worked so hard to get passed in Oregon.

[cascadiance]

5. I think he wants *decent* health care coverage everyplace, not crap that's been compromised down...

... but perhaps we'll need to wait and see what his public statement on this is later. Probably another good reason to call him now and thank him for his efforts there, and help him shape what his statement will be to make sure he's doing the right thing for all of us and knows where to compromise and where not to.

[sandnsea]

7. So we should end Oregon's subsidized insurance?

Since it's not the perfect single payer plan? Oregon doesn't have caps or pre-existing regulations or anything else. We have an outrageously expensive pre-existing pool AND taxes on premiums and hospitals. All passed by Merkley and Democrats.

I hope he has taken some sort of sensible stand because following Howard Dean is the damn dumbest thing he could do.

[truedelphi]

10. Are you even aware of how screwed over Obama's stim bill left Oregon?

the state of Oregon, like other states with such rules, cannot touch much of the stim legislation because Oregon law requires that any and all Federal Funding of projects be for the duration of the entire project.

Obama's stim bill attempts only give most states fifteen to eighteen months of funding, with promises from the Administration to trust in the fact that the economy will simply be rolling around in fifteen months (almost all major construction projects require more than eighteen months. Look at San Francisco's Bay Bridge prohject and the YEARS it took - and then it ahd to be doen all voer again!) However Obama Administration wants legislators to ignore these realities as supposedly, over next 18 months, more money will be available. (From where I have no idea?)

De Fazio and others have seen through this smoke and mirrors. And if some other Oregon Rep is opposing the health insurance bill, it is probably for a very good reason, just as DeFazio's anger over the stim bill was for a very good reason.

[leftstreet]

14. +1

Thanks for a sane post

The problem is the same here in WA, and I assume for most states.

[sandnsea]

15. This has what to do with Oregon's health plans?

And DeFazio's objection to the stimulus was definitely stupid. I'm sure he'll do just like Perry and Jindal and run around and boast about any federal project in place, while failing to mention he voted against the stimulus to get it there.

It would be nice to have some sort of public option, but Merkley damn well knows how many people are helped with subsidized insurance and it is inhuman of him to oppose the expansion of that benefit to the uninsured.

[David Zephyr]

4. Yes!!!

Give him support. We need more now.

[cascadiance]

6. Hmm.. Someone's already unrec'ing this... This is what principled congress people have to face!

And we are expecting them to stand up for us to not compromise everything away? Lieberman will probably hold out even more with this sort of thing until he gets every other little element removed too. The insurance companies have his back. Do people like Jeff Merkley and Howard Dean (and the American people!) have ours?

[undeterred]

8. The bill does not offer a way to save on health care costs

because there is no competition. So I hope my Senators vote against it also.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Unvanguard]

11. The blood of the tens of thousands of people who will die if this fails is now on his hands. n/t

[EFerrari]

13. Are there tens of thousands insurance company executives?

Who knew. :)

[BzaDem]

12. Who cares? He isn't going to join the Republican filibuster. We don't need his vote on final passage

[debbierlus]

17. We need a Senator to filibuster

This is unconfirmed by the way.

[debbierlus]

16. Just called his office and the staff could not confirm