Speaker Pelosi: THIS WON'T GO UNANSWERED - Please read & kick & recommend

I am so angry now I could spit. My hands are shaking as I write this....

I called Speaker Pelosi's office in California about 15 minutes ago. I politely started to state my concerns about the removal of single payer debate on the House floor (the Weiner amendment) & the removal of the Kucinich amendment (allowing states to implement single payer). With just one word: hold, I was put through by the office staff to the answering machine. I left a message on the machine and then called the Washington office.

I got right through and the second I told them what the call was about, I was directed to an answering machine. I wasn't even told to hold.

So, I called right back and I said, I am calling to ask a question. Has Nancy Pelosi directed her staff to not speak directly with those who call about the Weiner Amendment or the Kucinich Amendment?

He told me the office has been INUNDATED with calls about these amendments for the past two weeks and do to the volume of these calls, they just put them through to voicemail.

So, I said that people who were calling to express their very concerns about these issues were being relegated to an answering machine?

Pelosi's official staff policy is for her staff not to speak with those who call about Single Payer. I wonder if they even listen to the messages or they just go to automatic delete!

Anyway, at this point, I told him that Pelosi is ignoring these callers and the issue of Single Payer and real health care reform at her own peril. I told him the democratic/liberal base that the party has taken for granted for so long is on the verge of breaking and that the health care reform will be the final straw. I told him that the democratic leadership so poorly represents the views & beliefs of their liberal base (the majority of people) that they are giving us no reason to support the democrats. I told him that the smartest, most creative part of the democratic party (the progressive base) is seriously on the verge of third party and if this is the way we are treated when we call about a life or death issue, they have made the decision for us. I then told him that I will be making a video and letting the blogosphere know that the Speaker is LITERALLLy ignoring mass numbers of calls about these two amendments.

I will not let this type of disdain to the people go unanswered.

This is where we are at people. They don't give a rat's ass what policies we want - they don't even want to hear our voices. Even though the MAJORITY of Americans want a REAL public option (one where the actaul public can enroll), we will not get it; just a ironic joke piece of legislation that creates a phony public option that is more expensive then private insurance and only 2% would be eligible for anyway. They get FLOODED...INUNDATED with calls for the Weiner amendment and the Kucinich amendment...

They won't take your call. Even when the lines aren't busy and their staff is free to taalk. I got through to both offices on the very first ring, all three times I called.

So, KNOW that the people are speaking. Know that the calls are being made and that the lines are ringing off the hook for real health care reform.

They just won't pick up the phone.

Who would be a good, strong candidate to replace Pelosi in the driver's seat?

But we'd have to lock up the most of the Dumbocrats to be able to hand Alan the gavel!

With Majority Leader Kucinich.

Grayson would make a good Whip.

I love Grayson, but as Speaker there's no way he could throw the kinds of bombs he's been throwing. I'd rather see him challenge Shill Nelson for the Senate in a few years.

Why would you support him and not Speaker Pelosi?

And that Pelosi is in the pocket of the Insurance companies?

get what you want other wise? Hmm, maybe you could vote for Cindy (that is if you're in Pelosi's district).

Apathy is his guiding principle and it will only cause us to forget the Bush years and wonder what is better than nothing.

put your thoughts into a single post, or maybe two, instead of always posting one liners as separate posts, I might not skip over all your posts whenever I see them.

Why dont imitate Gandhi? Lets have a nation wide strike for a few days. No spending, no buying, no work. This will affect pocket books and then my friends we might just might get some attention

oh goody, the mall is open till 10:00! We don't have the guts of the people of Iran, Ukraine, the Amazon.

She's Rahm's perfect little puppet. She's in there to do his bidding. Nothing more.

Obama showed his allegiance to DLC when he eloped with Rahm into White House!

for a long time. Pelosi has not changed in the slightest since she declared impeachment to be off the table. Anyone who believes otherwise is living in a fantasy world.

Dream on, but there isn't a snowball's chance in hell of it happening.

both of them have been useless.

even MORE difficult!

moderates and centrists and even Independents.

The same is true of the Rethugs. Their base is very right wing -- but to win a majority they have to get support from centrists and moderates and even Independents.

The real majority is in the middle, not with the base of either party.

If they don't want Single Payer, then stand up and vote on it. Let them go on the record as voting against the core interests of their constituency. All this back-room nonsense does is allow the stealth corporatists to keep hiding.

which they use to maintain their power.

Stripping the amendment is absolute bullshit... and I've left many messages on Ms. Pelosi's voice mail saying so... for all the good it does.

Pelosi might not have had enough votes for passage with the amendment in there.

That's flatly indefensible.

Absolute bullshit.

would vote out a candidate because they simply allowed an amendment which allowed states the choice of starting their own single-payer systems?

That's a bullshit excuse... no moderate is going to face a tougher election because they allowed states this choice. None of them.

It's sad to see the crap getting any kind of credence at all here.

And if you're saying that the Party of the People doesn't want what the people want, then the people need a new party.

I am so fucking tired of this DLC "centrist" excuse for everything. Over 75% of this fucking country wants a public option, according to any poll NOT funded by the goddamn insurance criminals.

Personally, I support either -- but I've not seen polling that said the majority of Americans support single payer. Have you?

Unfortunately, the support for single-payer gets all too often conflated with the public option. Single payer eliminates all the insurance companies - something that's just not going to be considered.

Look at Britain. They still have private insurance as a supplemental for people who want elective care. Even here in the US one of the biggest insurance businesses is "Medicare supplemental" because Medicare simply doesn't cover everything. If we pushed through Medicare Part E, then the insurance companies could still offer supplemental policies.

full of crap and spin show 58-59% for PO

public option, ( by robust I mean one that anyone can choose) is not a particularly liberal idea. It is popular among many conservatives and liberals alike. We "liberals" are willing to compromise if our point of view is held only by a small minority of people. But the truth is that a very broad spectrum of Americans are sick of the health insurance industry's shenanigans, and we want either single payer or a real public option.

I, like most Americans, have family members who really need a strong public option. How about a four-year old (youngest of three) whose parents are low-income and whose medication costs $80.00 a month? The father's employer provides insurance for the father, but the rest of the family can only afford catastrophic insurance. Must a child born with a serious medical problem doom the entire family to poverty? That is what the lack of a real public option will mean. Why? Because a strong public option is the only way to lower the cost of health care insurance enough to help middle class American families.

Why won't Pelosi and Reid even allow the CBO to determine the relative cost of single payer? Because they know it would be much, much cheaper than their versions of health care reform.

health care system. A majority of Americans want it and that includes even Republicans. My sister is a Republican and she wants it.

I consider myself a moderate, and even Conservative on some issues, and I want it. This attempt to paint all those as the fringe of the party, just isn't going to work.

The real majority already said in ever poll that they want Health Care reform, not Insurance Reform that hands over more money to an already dysfunctional system.

The problem is we have one party and they work for the Corporations. If there's anyone left in the country who doesn't see that by now, it's because they don't want to.

I bet they tried to make it look like only the extreme, wacko leftwing of the party wanted Civil Rights also. I get so sick of this attempt to divide people. This issue is important to everyone and the OP is absolutely right. If Dems continue to ignore the people and cater to Corporations, there is no more reason to be a Democrat.

Nonetheless, leadership requires that you have a vision, and educate people on what that vision is and how we're going to get there. If you don't have this, no one in their right mind should follow - therefore you are not a leader. Obviously you're not going anywhere anyway.

I think it's normal to expect more from your elected representatives than to just follow the directives of the middle point of view. How do you get progress without vision? We could straddle the middle and go nowhere forever - and that gets back to leadership.

If your ideas are not good enough to be expressed in such a way as to be an obvious good for everyone, then maybe you need new ideas. I don't hear the leadership actually trying to educate their constituencies on the different options they have before them. The information they get is nothing more than press releases from corporations, read by news models who work for other corporations.

Their constituencies don't even know what the various options may be. The majority of the information that goes to both the citizen and the representative comes from the industry in question - on any given issue.

It seems to be this is just another sign that our politics is kind of broken.

It use to be, a couple of years ago. It has shifted to the left.

Look at how the GOP is running. They are pushing a (fake) populist agenda (funded by corporations). There is a huge logic disconnect with what the GOP is doing. They are not real populist so only the right wing nut jobs are attracted to their lies and spin.

There is a huge anti-corporatist, pro-populism rage in America. The GOP sees it and is trying to twist it to suit their purpose. But at the heart of Populism is Liberalism. Populism belongs in the Democratic party. It's a natural fit and America knows it.

This populist rage started at the end of bushes term, at about the time Obama finished up what the bush started by bailing out the uber wealthy bank CEOs and stock holders with our tax dollars.

I live in the heart of RepubliCON land. I can get every conservative I meet to agree with me merely by pointing out how Wall Street was saved while the average guy has to pay the bill. They don't agree with who caused all the problems, but they definitely agree that the government needs to stop giving welfare to the uber rich and do something for the little guy.

When it comes to helping the average worker (and that's what this health care reform is suppose to do) there is no center position anymore. It has moved to the left, yet our Democratic leaders seem blissfully unaware.

Things move quickly in politics and sometimes change overnight. We are now seeing a real left majority in America. Will the Democratic party use it or lose it?

It may not be a majority anymore. I wonder why they are refu$ing to see that($$$$$$)?

is conservative on fiscal policies. I just don't know enough about Independents. I have now decided that centrists and moderates are a part of the corporate dream - I will have none of it. Corporations, the ones who lie, scheme, and steal from us ARE OUR ENEMY. The ones who want to own all of their piece of the earth resources - all who want to control us and are not that far away from depopulation, repopulation with serfs - worldwide, including in this great supremacist country.

They want our labor for near free - with enough wages to buy entertainment, toys, and losts of bad and modified food.

They want no protests. They want total submissiveness and obedience.

They are hammering us down.

Pelosi is a facilitator. One of MANY.

The worst phrases and words in this country. Bought and paid for. Imperialism. Torture. Wall Street. Spying on the citizens. Immunities. DLC.

Period.

Sending us to an answering machine isn't going to do it.

Want more losses like yesterday? Keep it up, idiots. We've HAD ENOUGH! We will replace you.

This is to the person who stated the majority are not liberal. Not, the poster directly above me. Sorry about the confusion. I am still in my emotional mad mood and posted in the wrong place.

(And, I am sure THEY want the choice, not just 2%)....

Majority for the legalization of pot

Majority for sane environmental policies

Majority against corporate bailouts

Majority want good pay and workplace protection

That, the HUGE lie they so want you to believe.

Don't repeat their lies.

What percentage of Americans want single-payer? I don't know. Do you?

and from what I found it looks like 49% to 60%



Also this little clip from an article looking at the media's coverage of the health care debate





This link gives short descriptions of several polls asking about single payer going back to 2003 and has links to more detailed info about the polls. http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html

I have found with friends and coworkers who haven't paying as much attention as we do here, that many of them thought "public option" meant single payer and most are not happy to hear it does not. The poll numbers showing 70% of the population supporting "a public option" may include many who think it is single payer - and it certainly includes a lot people who know that's not what the public "option" is and who would prefer Medicare for All.

America is no longer a Democratic Republic. Our elected officials no longer represent the will of the people and no longer act in the best interests of the people they represent.

the correct term for what we have no is an oligopoly, right? Anyway, it sure ain't what they sold us in school about the principals this country is founded on and what we are supposed to stand for and all the reasons all our citizenry fought in all those wars.

Now it's just a government for corporations. The merger of corporation and state is fascism, correct?

America is now a fascist state.

Gosh darn it all.

-90% jimmy

one could charge them with treason. Threatening the welfare of this nation. Not following the constitution. There has to be a way to take back control of this country. By this I do not mean just democrats, but include the republicans that really want their country back also. For years it has not mattered which party was in office the American people got the pointed end of the stick.

Pelosi has been plainly treasonous ever since she had her 'impeachment is off the table' moment.

Talk about ignoring the constitution and giving a green light to any abuse of power by the exec branch!

Congress == a wholly owned subsidiary of big business.

it might at least generate some bad publicity.

i'd bet there are a lot of disillusioned local dems regretting busting their asses for this outcome.

and she was saying how disappointed she is. still hopeful, but very disappointed.

writing, emailing, calling Congresspeople or signing petitions, or any of those quaint, old-fashioned components of what used to be democracy do a damn thing. The electorate basically only exists to elect and re-elect the Congresspeople. Once in the electorate is scorned.

I pictured them up there LAUGHING at all of us because "we just will NEVER know" IF OR WHAT they decided to listen to. We can call, write, petition, stand on our heads and spit wooden nickles and STILL YOU JUST DON'T know if your voice has been heard!

AND, even IF they hear the voices... THEY don't give a tinker's DAMN!

I know it's like a broken record for me, but I say it all the time to my husband and those around me... NOTHING is going to get their attention until there's a HUGE uprising! People say it doesn't work anymore, but I say... NOTHING IS working NOW so what's to lose??

They sit up there high and mighty and almost KNOW we are almost helpless to replace them... they HAVE the money, they HAVE the people who keep GIVING them money (the big guys) and they HAVE people who know more people who can GIVE THEM MORE MONEY!!

They SAY they will listen to us, they SAY call us with your concerns, they SAY they work FOR THE PEOPLE, but even when some of their own TRY to get WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT... THEY screw them over!

I wonder how long it's going to be before they "skewer" Grayson??

Trying to "kick them out" is MUCH HARDER than most here think!! I've been thinking for quite some time that I should become an Independent, but would have to give up my right to vote in a primary here. Now, that doesn't seem so important these days! I'm SURE I'm to the LEFT of what is being called Progressive, and I KNOW I'm to the left of Obama... so defection seems to be the only sane answer for the most part. At least I won't have to continually be put down and ignored by Democrats who I THOUGHT were standing up for us!!

My house is so silent these days because I can't STAND to listen to MSM spewing crap, and even those on "OUR" SIDE aren't having much affect either! Olberman, Maddow, etc. They ARE trying, but it AIN'T working! Even the guests they have on who truly mean well, actually know what will go down in the end!

I LOVE Howard Dean, but even he says Health Care MUST be passed and it seems it doesn't matter WHAT'S in it... JUST GET SOMETHING PASSED!

JMHO!

Why did we win VA in 2008? - Voter turnout
Why did we lose that state in 2009? - Voter turnout.
What is the REAL grease on the gears of democracy? - Voter turnout.
Who REALLY owns this government? We do.

If we were not a democratic republic, do you think that Obama would be in office? I don't. We have to stop blaming the world win we lose. If shitty healthcare reform gets passed, it's OUR fault for not getting out this year and sweeping the elections.

It's not Obama's fault for not motivating his base.
It's not Pelosi's fault. It's not Reid's fault. It's not Rahm's fault. It's not Rush's fault. It's not Palin's fault.

The voters are responsible for holding their elected officials accountable. If Politicians don't feel threatened by voter turnout is it because they are confident that they are doing a wonderful job and the voters are happy with the work being done, or because they know the voters are lazy and don't really give a damn as long as no one cuts the fast food, TV and Internet access?

Cheeseburgers and porn. Those are the real weapons of Corporate America. And those weapons only have power because we give it to them. Wait, we BUY it from them.

The system isn't broken - the voters just don't care. But since we are the voters, who should we blame?

How is that our fault? They keep moving the bar. 51 senators is not enough. Now 60 is not enough. They keep moving the bar.

They don't want single payer. They don't really want a public option either. How plain do they have to make it?

now if we don't do that, whose fault is it?

The founders didn't care what King George wanted. They made it clear what they wanted, and forced England to comply. We are in a much better position than the colonists, but we can't do anything to change our fate?

How has ANY entrenched power responded to change? How has any opressed people wrested that change regardless?

I'm not advocating violent overthrow -nope. We live in a Democratic Republic, and we can vote the fuckers out, or at the very least scare the crap out of them.

Despite the wins and losses this election year, did we scare the crap out of any politicians?

If voter turnout is only at 50% of last year, are we doing OUR job?

we have to have the left hook in place, and let them know that we can take their asses right back out again.

FDR/intervention to keep the corporate state machine running. I do think FDR and some politicians had/have good intentions, but this country was never about equality for the masses or genuinel democracy. It's an ideal for us and it gives us hope, but it's just a nice-sounding slogan for the entitled who rule over us.

That's a pretty hopeless situation you've described. Should we just give up and be ruled?

I called his staff (so polite, so respectful, so empathetic - night and day with the Pelosi cowards)...

I told the staff that he ought to know Pelosi has made it her policy to NOT take calls about the Weiner & Kunicin, they say they have received so many, the staff just puts them through to voicemail. I wanted him to know that people are listening and calling to the point of inundation. And, I wanted to let him know that even when we call, they refuse to talk to us.

I thought if he was on tv, he might point this out to the American public.

These people are beyond repair, we need fresh new people. Replace congress in 2010.

here is the number: 1-202-456-1111. Every time I've called I gotten a live person and they listen and some ask follow-up questions. You should tell them of the treatment you are getting from Pelosi and push for the WH to influence her to reinstate debate on the single payer.

Everytime I call...

I will call anyway.

I never have received a followup question. Ever. And, I call a LOT.

Maybe it is because my calls are pretty much statements, not questions.

I'd think the White House has Pelosi's back on this.

of calls....

Of course, he has got her back. I know that very well.

I am calling to let him know that WE won't have their back, if they keep this SHIT up.

They're getting very arrogant about taking our support for granted.

single payer or at least a very strong public option - we won't support them. I'm sorry. I hope the WH got the message last night. I think they were taking us for granted - still riding off the glow of last year. But they've got to see that we're smarter than they give us credit for - and if they don't listen to us people - the voters - then they might just be looking for a different job next election. We have the power and if they don't think we have it in us to vote them out - Yes We Can.

... that WE won't have their backs next election. It's the only currency they understand.

or they will keep giving us what "they want" and call it a good day.

or they will keep giving us what "they want" and call it a good day.

She will probably not listen to your voice messages. And if she refuses to answer or stonewalls you in anyway, you expose that to your local media and everyone you know.

If that day comes and Nancy refuses to consider a debate, her political carrier is finished of dereliction of public duty of her constituents.

for the last years of the Bush presidency. There are ZERO consequences to her.

Yet, proudly wants to meet with her lobbyists who will fund her campaign fund? She needs to resign, NOW.

As far as I can tell, she isn't.

Btw, it doesn't please me in the least to notice this. It just seems to be a fact.

...is for someone with the balls enough to challenge her seat in the next upcoming election.

Unbelievable.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

I sincerely am sorry to be such a downer. But you can't challenge that kind of money without an equal amount of money.

A primary "challenge" is pie in the sky.

And, I have faxed and emailed.

I always try to call and speak personally with a live human being.

that should be telling them what the people want..

They care what the ruling class and its lobbyists want

Via email, Mobilize for Health Care:





here's their website: http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org /

I even might do one of these sit-ins, btw... (I'm in San Francisco)

and then i got pissed sent emails to all i could think of...no kucinich amendment, no weiner vote...no STRONG PUBLIC OPTION...YOU WILL ALL PAY HEAVILY IN 2010 and 2012. I mean it too. i will work my ass off for an independent whoever....i am sick of this crap

I was glad to have asked the right question, and I was able to confirm my suspicions.

I forgot to report in the original post that I told him that I was a VERY active member of the blogosphere and I would be reporting to the people about this call - he got very nervous and asked if the call was being recorded. I told him no, and I was being honest.

I let him hear it for all the people who have been basically hung up on (being put through to voice mail), loud and very clear. I hope he passes along the message.

I would ask of all you to keep calling and demand to talk to a real human being before you proceed. I will make the video tomorrow. I will be posting it. We all need to be very loud and annoying, they need to start taking us seriously and they need to hear the anger (at this injustice) in our voices.

Enough is too much.

She took it on her own to take bush impeachment off the table. She didn't ask or care how we felt about that, either. I'm no Pelosi fan.

about the CBO score for single-payer.

They have been dragging their feet on an estimate for months now, if you do not give people the information then they cannot make an informed choice - and we have to protect the for profit companies as they play a valuable role in our system.

So, these scum bag tactics are revealed early on.

They ignore us until they need money and votes, then the phone starts ringing and we start hearing about Republican obstructionism.

It's all BULLSHIT. They do what their corporate sponsors want. Pelosi is a RICH WOMAN. She isn't going to do anything to jeopardize her wealth or her corporate-sponsored funding.

Thank you for your efforts. I too am getting sick and tired of this.

Every day that this so-called healthcare reform gets pushed back is another day that people lose interest and say "WTF, they don't care what WE want."

REC.

They may actually believe there would be real consequences from the 'base'. They are so damn smug with there attitude 'where they gonna go?'. They know we won't vote Republican. And, many have believed that the best way to push change would be to do it through the democratic party. It has become crystal clear that this tactic is not working.

We can't keep beating our head against the wall...over and over and over...

It is time to fight. We have not yet begun.

Look forward to your YouTube video.

Health Insurance reform is starting to look like a big ponzi scheme for the Insurance companies.

Problems in order of importance.

1. There is no Single Payer Medicare rate reimbursed plan.
2. Mandated Health Insurance (Unconstitutional to force me to get insurance)
3. Penalties for non-compliance to #1
4. Watered down Public Option which is going to still cost alot.
5. Employers are not being forced to pay 100 percent for health care.
6. Employers are allowed to opt out of covering employees by paying a small fine.
7. Employers are not being forced to increase pay for employees to help them offset the cost of mandated insurance, public or private option.

Look I know the costs of insurance are doubling and are unsustainable but I think if our leaders are not going to get us a system that will actually work for the middle class and working poor then screw it. Re-focus on lowering costs and supplementing income so the middle class and working poor can afford health care.

Our Leadership the Democratic leaders will be the ones that get hammered if a half assed attempt at reform gets passed. Its all in time. Obama needs to be up on the Hill every night for the next 2 weeks getting us a single payer medicare rate reimbursed plan where they can continue to take my medicare tax dollars and give me health insurance. This country put a man on the moon for christ sake don't tell me we can't do this.

I'm sure they are hoping they can quietly make it go away before then, when no one is looking.

Your taxes will be increased unless you pay for the insurance and thereby become eligible for a tax credit for part of the cost. That is how they will get around the constitutional issue. They will use the tax and spend power.

When their office communications become jammed with angry voters, they will line up outside of Pelosi's office and ask is going on.