Health Care '09 - What did we accomplish?
Posted on June 26th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Take Action!
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Yesterday was amazing.
10,000 people from just about every state in the Union came to DC. People came from all walks of life - pastors, bricklayers, restaurant workers, small business owners, actors and actresses, doctors, nurses - and they gave their legislators a clear message - we want health reform, we want health reform that's real (including a strong public health insurance option, we want health reform that will lower costs, and we want it now, in 2009, because we can't wait.
As someone who spent all day walking through the crowd and taking in the event, it was impressive. Not only the numbers - 10,000+ in Upper Senate Park was more than the Capitol Police had ever seen - but the lineup was, shall we say, star-studded. Howard Dean, Anna Berger, Senators Schumer and Brown, Congresswoman Allison Schwartz, many other Members of Congress, and our celebrity special guest, actress Edie Falco. They spoke along with grassroots supporters who shared their stories.
But the rally wasn't the only event yesterday. It wasn't even the main event. Twenty town halls were scheduled, with dozens of Members of Congress attending to hear directly from their constituents about health care. And on top of that, hundreds of people met with their legislators one-on-one in small lobbying visits, further driving home the message.
The question looms, however: Did we make a difference? I say unequivocally, yes.
The reports are still rolling in from the visits people had with their Members of Congress, but Health Care for America Now has already advanced our campaign significantly. Senator Burris and Representatives Lipiniski and Rush are the newest Members of Congress to sign on to our statement of principles. And in perhaps the biggest news of the day, Senator Arlen Specter endorsed the Schumer proposal for a public health insurance option, a proposal completely consistent with our principles.
So not only did people come to DC and talk about health care, but Congress listened. That to me says this event was worth it.
We've got a long fight ahead of us, and it won't always be all good news, but things are moving, and we're going to win, because we can't wait.
See below for photos from the event:
I stayed at home because HR676 WAS EXCLUDED. I can't except or support the lame proposals from the President and Congress.
acret99
I agree with acret, the proposals are very lame from the president and the congress if one compares them to HR676.
Making deals with the insurance/healthcare industry has been tried in the past and the public paid the price for the insurance/healthcare industry has shown not to be trust worthy.
I also stayed home as did many others whom would have liked to participate. Many of the single-payer supporters are very unhappy with the treatment from the Obama administration and the congress. Jailing single-payer folks in the senate hearings was not a way to make friends and influence supporters.
Ten thousand demonstrators?
I agree with you in principal but I went to the Washington DC from CT (on a bus at 1:00 AM ) for the practical reasons of meeting with my representatives to make them hear that I still support a Single Payer plan and to let them know that the plans put forth so far, including a Public Option will NOT redirect the lion's share of the money to health care (out of the pockets of the insurance companies).
I think we have to take every opportunity to make ourselves heard and the fact of the matter is that most of the people there support Single Payer. When I met with my representatives and brought up my opinion about Single Payer my group also weighed in as supporting single payer.
It was also an opportunity to educate some young demonstrators in our group about single payer and like Johnny Appleseed, plant some seeds of knowledge.
Finally, it was an opportunity to show the professional health insurance and health industry lobbyists there (those were the ones in the $3,000 suits),that the People are massing together against them and a not so subtle reminder to the politicians that the Voters are watching! It was an exhausting but an exhilarating day!
M. Heckler
Stratford, CT