If we're going to have an "opt-out" Public Option...

[MinneapolisMatt]

...then I'd like to see language in the HCR bill allowing a public referendum allowing the CITIZENS of each State to vote on the matter.

Not the stroke of a Governor's or a State Legislature's pen.

[Kurska]

1. Excatly 1 rec for you good sir.

[alfredo]

2. the opt out is better known as the "elect Democratic Governors" amendment.

Let's say 70% of the people of Georgia support a public option, but the Republican governor opts out, what do you think will happen when time comes for his reelection?

[emulatorloo]

9. Good way to put it. n/t

[yourout]

3. I agree.....the opt out would have to be a state wide referendum.

big K n R

[csziggy]

4. Yes, 'cause otherwise Floridians will not have a chance at health care

One good advertising hook would be to compare the health insurance situation to the home owners insurance situation - few insurance companies will insurance Florida homes and the state insurance pool is the largest home insurer in the state. So if the Repub state government refuses to let us get health insurance through a pool, they should shut down the home insurance pool (Socialized insurance, ya know) and leave millions of Florida homes uninsured. Think of the chaos.

[alfredo]

12. Then they can vote the bastards out and put in some Democratic leaders.

[csziggy]

13. Don't you think we have tried?

But the gerrymandering of the districts is rigged to favor the Repubs. And the Florida Democratic Party has been in disarray and is not that well run.

I've tried to volunteer at the FDP headquarters and they will not accept volunteer work except for elections. It is stupid, but they would rather use paid staff most of the time and ignore the people willing to work. And rather than refer me to the local Democratic Executive Committee, FDP sent me to the local Democratic Club - it is a good group, but they are more socially oriented than aimed at actual work.

Last fall, after the election, I wanted to work with FDP on improving the voter database interface to avoid some of the problems we had during the election - ways to reduce repeated calls and to call people who had been missed on previous calling blitzes. I wanted to do that work with them immediately while the experience of the election was fresh. I left them references, made it clear I was willing to work as a volunteer, and just wanted to help make their system work better. I did not even get a courtesy call back.

Until the damned FDP gets their act together, Florida Democratic voters are fucked.

Edited to add - I was a member of the local DEC but had to stop going when they moved their meetings to a building where without a handicapped permit I cannot get there. Soon, I do hope to get a handicapped permit, but it is not worth it for just one activity, especially when I find their efforts futile.

[alfredo]

15. In 2004, we took over the party. It started off as four people at a coffee house.

by Sept we had two thousand names. From Sept on other activist joined and carried the ball from there. The old guard was marginalized. We out hustled them. Kerry didn't win our state, but we knew he wouldn't. We used him as a loss leader. He brought volunteers in, then we funneled them into down party races.

We ran a campaign that picked up a seat and rebuilt the voter database for less than $5,000. The national party didn't do shit for us. We designed and printed all our flyers, from our desktops. Ran phone banks with our cellphones.

We joined up with the DFA and from there we (the insurgents) completed our takeover of the state party. Talk to the DFA and see if you can get some help.

[csziggy]

16. I wish I had the energy

I did join the DFA for a while after the 2004 election and attended a lot of their meetings. They never really went anywhere and I have not heard from any of them since about 2006.

Then I developed reduced mobility that resulted in knee surgery in 2007 - just as we were building a handicapped accessible house. I thought I would be in better shape and worked hard with the Obama election, but had shoulder surgery this June. I am at the age where I just don't heal very fast anymore and this last surgery really knocked my on my ass and various joint keep wearing out. I'm still struggling to get back to being able to put in a full day of just basic living. Trying to rebuild a party structure is far more than I have the endurance to do. Heck, we are still unpacking from moving into the new house after a year and a half - and since I cannot manage the stairs, I have no idea what my husband stashed up there.

The local Organizing for America has a strong group in this county and there is an offshoot group that is organizing separately - they do not want to be dictated to by the national organization and intend to work toward local goals. But I have not been able to attend any of the meetings. At this point, I am not sure I could help very much and I know I cannot count on helping at any particular event.

Yeah, I sound like a whiner - but it's why I am so frustrated that I cannot work within an existing structure to the best of my ability.

[alfredo]

17. If you can do data entry and man the phones, that is something the

younger, more energetic tend not to like.

I'm a 100% er too. My legs are fine, it's everything above the water line that has laid me low. So I can walk and talk, so that's how I help.

The air went out of DFA after the 2006 elections. They became victims of their own success. It's more fun being an insurgent.

I wonder where OFA will go after health care?

[csziggy]

18. Doing data entry,walk lists and other computer work was part of what

Did in my shoulder. It had been hurting before I volunteered for the Obama campaign, but that last month of the campaign really tore it up. I don't want to go through that pain again - or have to go without using my dominant arm for an extended period! I ended up being a team leader by default since our team leaders failed to follow through with their commitments.

I am very good on the computer stuff - I was the first volunteer to have my own password and the first to be a power user on the system. Instead of our coordinator making our walk lists, I did them out of my house. With a semi-rural territory, it was easier than sending volunteers back into town to pick up lists. Usually I did all the data entry for the team while the groups were out knocking on doors especially the last week or so when someone needed to be on call , I could handle that.

Plus, we had a number of non-ambulatory volunteers so I set up for them to do their calling straight out of the computer from their homes. We were the only team in our area to run out of calls in the last days of the campaign - calling from the computer screen eliminated duplicate calls AND eliminated the need to code the data in later. The callers could check to see if the people had been called recently and did the coding as they made the calls.

Frankly, at this point I would prefer to volunteer for specific candidates rather than a party or organization structure. It is just a matter of convincing the different campaigns that this aging overweight lady is more valuable as an organizer than trying to talk me into waving signs - which seems to be what most of them try to get me to do. I certainly do not look the part of a good organizer.

[alfredo]

19. What you need is a "sponsor", someone at headquarters to recommend you

to your candidate of choice. That person can say that you can and will do such and such.

[csziggy]

20. Once the campaigns start gearing up, I will evaluate my capability to be active

Right now, I am still trying to get my life in order after moving, the campaign and then the most recent operation. A lot of things got left undone that I am trying to catch up on. If I can get that done I'll volunteer again. But I have to take care of my life for now.

I do know people who might be sponsors - maybe I will try to touch bases with them over the winter.

Thanks!

[alfredo]

21. One thing I don't get to do is election day get out the vote. I work the

polling place in our precinct as a Election Judge. I've been doing it for years.

It pays good too: $250 for a 13 hr day.

[csziggy]

22. My sister does that - but I just do not have the endurance for that length of day

I managed to supervise the teams, but could take breaks, prop up my feet and generally not push it all day.

My sister is disturbed because the Supervisor of Elections is suggesting that organizations provide volunteers for working the polls - despite the fact that Florida law requires that poll workers be paid. And the groups suggested for providing the volunteers all seem to be pretty conservative ones. Now another county is thinking about doing the same to cut their budget. Not a good idea and I hope someone can challenge this idea before an election gets screwed up.

It's too late for me to search out the articles on this concept, but it was Hillsborough and I think Hardee Counties in Florida (where else?).

[alfredo]

23. That sounds like Florida is determined to become a banana republic.

[seemunkee]

5. Opt out is another way for blue states to pay for the stupidity of red states

[pnwmom]

6. Not me! Based on the dumb referendums that I've seen voters approve,

both here and in California, I wouldn't trust the voters of my state -- only a minority of whom don't have insurance at the moment -- not to be fooled by the Rethugs argument that a public option will cost taxpayers more money.

[mvd]

10. Good point, though I'd like to be able to opt back in if..

the state turns more conservative than the governor. Maybe have a mix of methods.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Good idea

Because you KNOW the lobbyists will be descending like flies on the Governors and elected officials of southern and Red states.

A few hundred thousand bucks in "campaign donations" will save them BILLIONS in lost revenues.

[NNN0LHI]

8. There is already a public referendum every election where the citizens get to vote on the matter

Why do it twice?

No governor is going to opt out of this plan and watch all their businesses flee to other states with a public option.

Don

[Bigmack]

11. Racism....

I always play the race card on any of this stuff.

People in certain areas (that will go unnamed) would vote to have their state opt-out simply because they can't stand the idea of their "hard earned tax dollars" (puke!) going to provide health care to brown/black people. They'll vote against their own self-interest to make sure "those people" don't get care.

[csziggy]

14. What if they also approve buying insurance accross state lines?

So if my state (Florida) opts out, I can buy insurance from a saner state?

And make that as part of the referendum on the state offering a public option - if a certain percentage of the citizens buy insurance from a different state, the state they live in must offer it.