You want everyone in America to have access to affordable health care? Then it's time to make some calls.
We need to know which members of the Texas congressional delegation support the public option for universal health care, and which ones don't. The reason is simple, as Chris Bowers wrote, "Let’s Get Some Answers On The Public Option" --
For years, candidates for, and members of, Congress told us that we needed to elect and re-elect them in order to lower health care costs and provide universal coverage. And so, for years, we dutifully worked our collective asses off, delivering wide majorities for Democrats--who said they would lower health care costs and provide universal coverage--in both branches of Congress.
Now, when it comes time for them to deliver on health care by providing a public option--the care minimum required to reduce costs and provide universal coverage--what we are getting instead are backroom deals, flip-flops, and cop-outs.
Enough.
Everyone is on board with this plan. Health Care for America Now, Democracy for America, and dozens of progressive bloggers around the country are joining forces to ask Congress these simple questions:
Do you support a public healthcare option as part of healthcare reform?
If so, do you support a public healthcare option that is available on day one?
Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to Congress?
Do you support a public healthcare option that can bargain for rates from providers and big drug companies?
TX Democrats: Congressman Chet Edwards and Congressman Gene Green have not issued any comment about the public healthcare option. All other Texas Democrats have said "yes" -- that they support the public healthcare option.
TX Republicans: Not one member of Texas' Republican delegation -- including Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn -- have said anything about whether or not they support a public healthcare option.
Folks, its time to make some phone calls.
Follow this link to find out where each member of the Texas Congressional delegation stands. (I've also copy and pasted the information below the fold for those members of Texas' Congressional delegation that have not yet announced their position). That link also has phone numbers and e-mail addresses for each member of Congress -- write them or call them with the questions listed above, and then let us know what they said.
You can respond in the comments with any answers you get, or e-mail me privately at phillip@burntorangereport.com.
Lawmakers here intend to replace existing funds with federal stimulus money.
I literally spat out my coffee this morning when I saw an article on front page of the Houston Chronicle's City and State section Stimulus, or better yet, status quo. Political reporter Lisa Falkenberg reveals one of the most appalling and unimaginable Republican shenanigans regarding federal stimulus money.
It seems that our esteemed lawmakers cleaned out the public schools' piggy bank so it could replace it with federal stimulus money
Although U.S. Reps. Gene Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Charlie Gonzales, Al Green, Ciro Rodriguez and Henry Cuellar, all Democrats from Texas, stressed that they "support President Obama's goals to end our addiction to foreign oil, invest in clean, renewable energy and transition to a low-carbon economy," the five congressman warned that the President's proposals could curb domestic energy production.
The group, who were joined by six other House Democratic colleagues, sent a letter yesterday to U.S. Rep. John Spratt, chairman of the House Budget Committee. The committee is expected to begin considering President Obama's budget today.
Obama’s budget would bar deductions for intangible drilling costs, block oil and natural gas companies from claiming domestic manufacturing deductions and repeal the percentage depletion for wells. It also would impose new use-it-or-lose-it style fees on inactive drilling leases on public lands.
Administration officials have argued that the incentives encourage reliance on polluting fossil fuels while draining federal coffers.
... they told Spratt [that] the U.S. needs an all-inclusive energy policy that recognizes the role of natural gas and oil. And they are concerned that some of the proposed tax increases could hurt “domestic energy production and job growth,” while disproportionately affecting small and independent producers.
Do you think these six congressman are right or should they have stood with President Obama on his energy proposals?
The following U.S. House members endorsed Rep. Noriega in the U.S. Senate race: Reps. Al Green, Ruben Hinojosa, Silvestre Reyes, Chet Edwards, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Charlie Gonzalez, Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, Lloyd Doggett, Solomon P. Ortiz, Gene Green, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.
"Rick Noriega is the candidate in this race whose entire life represents his commitment to profound service to our nation ... military service and public service," said the members of the Texas Delegation. "From the halls of the University of Houston under an ROTC scholarship, to the halls of Harvard, to the Texas National Guard, to the halls of the State Capitol, to the mountains of Afghanistan after 9-11, and to the Texas border with Operation Jumpstart - we know that Rick Noriega is the candidate to best serve Texans in the United States Senate."
"On the defining issues of the day - national security, border security, health insurance for our children, and fiscal responsibility - Rick is uniquely positioned, by virtue of his life experience, to best serve Texas interests in the U.S. Senate," the members agreed. "U.S. military policy will long command the attention of future Congresses. Rick's understanding of on-the-ground logistics - as well as abilities and limitations - of our military will be a fresh and important voice in the Senate on military issues."
Charles Kuffner adds some insight as to why this is really pretty awesome and a success for Team Noriega.
Excellent. It may not seem like a big deal for a bunch of Democratic members of Congress to endorse a Democrat running for Senate, but 1) it's never a trivial thing to get a bunch of Democrats to agree on anything; 2) the more unified Noriega's support is here, the more likely he'll get support from the national folks; and 3) this is still a contested primary, however loosely that's being defined.
You may be wondering about that thirteenth member of Congress. That would be Rep. Henry Cuellar, and as usual, he's doing his own thing.
Various members of Congress also taped video statements of support which the campaign will be distributing over the coming days.
It appears Dallas County Commissioner John Price thinks Chris Bell is looking good. Price was one of the first Democrats to endorse Carol Keeton Strayhorn for Governor, but now thinks, “the Strayhorn campaign has failed to pick up momentum. He now suggests that Mr. Bell has the best chance to beat Republican incumbent Rick Perry.”
Rick Perry receives a 2-star rating from Inc Magazine. The magazine says simply, “Some fine achievements are mitigated by mistakes, failures or oversights.”
The Perry campaign responded like any leader would, ““I don't know what they're smoking up there.”
Maybe the rotten score has something to do with Perry’s blind support for bad policy like coal plants. Tom Paine has a great write up on the coalitions opposing Perry’s express plan to pillage the entire state.
Van Taylor is becoming desperate and has started playing the race card to scare people. In the same ad, Taylor criticizes Chet Edwards for giving hungry people food. Interesting tactic...
All the way in DC, the House Ethics Committee is having a closed door session today on disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley. Texas has two members on the committee (one on each side of the aisle)—Republican Lamar Smith and Democrat Gene Green. Smith bought his seat for $10,000 to help protect his buddy Tom DeLay, and it will be interesting to see how our two Texans pursue policies to prevent this from happening again.
