Category: Public Policy

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Why progressives should embrace HR 3962

  By Health Care, Social Justice

Some progressives, motivated in part by Dennis Kucinich’s vote against HR 3926 are expressing disappointment with and even opposition to the health care reform legislation going through Congress. While HR 3926 is not perfect—and the anti-abortion language added to it is terrible and will, we believe, be removed later in the process—it is a bill progressives should and must support. In a long post I’ve explained in detail why I think single payer advocates like Kucinich are misguided in opposing the bill. Here, in this short version, I want to summarize the case for progressives giving active support to the legislation. Continue reading

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Dennis Kucinich’s Temper Tantrum or Why Progressive Should Enthusiastically Embrace HR 3962.

  By Health Care, Progressive Politics

This is a long post. But if you want to know what’s in the bill, why progressive should support it and why they should not pay attention to Dennis Kucinich or other single payer critics of the bill, this is a good place to start. In one of the political traditions in which I was raised, one of the more useful epithets was “infantile leftist.” An infantile leftist was someone who took the most extreme left position even though it made little sense as either policy or politics. And they did it, primarily for internal political reasons—to win support on the left—or to show themselves and others that they are more pure or progressive or left than anyone else in the room. That phrase came to mind when I saw that Representatives Kucinich and Massa had voted against HR 3692 because it was not single payer and even more when… Continue reading

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Health Care Reform: What you do in the next few days could make the difference

  By Health Care

All the work we have been doing to create a guarantee of quality affordable health care for all is coming to a point: The House vote on HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act is scheduled to take place this Saturday, November 7 at around 6:00 pm. The vote will be close. We don’t know whether we it will pass or not. It really depends on you. Three members of Congress in Pennsylvania–Jason Altmire, Chris Carney, and Paul Kanjorski–undecided. If we can get more of their constituents to call them, they would be more likely to decide in favor of reform. Continue reading

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Rally against Tom Donahue and the Chamber of Commerce in Philadelphia–and what we learned from it.

  By Progressive Politics, Social Justice

Last Friday, close to twenty advocacy groups and labor unions came together in front of the Loew’s Hotel in Center City Philadelphia to protest Tom Donhaue, the President of US Chamber of Commerce, who was speaking there. And, in the process, we learned something about the nature of political struggle in the United State today and about what we progressives must to do be successful We were there because, on issue after issue, Donahue has lead the US Chamber of Commerce to stand with the biggest, and most politically connected, corporations in the United States, and with their immensely overpaid chief executives, against the interests of not just the public at large, but most small and large businesses in the United States. Continue reading

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You are my heroes

  By Health Care, Political Organizing

I spoke tonight at the beginning of the health care week being put on by the Penn Democrats. With the news that Harry Reid had decided to put a public option in the bill he intends to bring to the floor, it was a good night to be speaking. I gave a different kind of speech than usual, putting our campaign for health care reform in the context of the revival of progressive politics. I’ll write that up soon. But on this very good day for our campaign when we have seen some inkling of success coming from our hard work over the past fifteen months, I did want to post the following reconstruction of my closing remarks. I said at the beginning of my talk that the election of Barack Obama was the start of the rebirth of progressive politics in America. And I said that to keep this… Continue reading

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If you keep the faith, we are going to win

  By Health Care

The last committee hurdle has been jumped. The Senate Finance Committee has reported a bill. It’s not great. It’s not we want. But it moves us a step closer to the real reform we must get in 2009. I want to give you some idea of how we are going to get the reforms we want this year. What we know and don’t know Now if anyone tells you he knows what will happen in Congress this year on health care, he or she is not to be trusted. As Yogi Berra once put it, predictions are hard, especially about the future. And they are especially hard in politics, where so many factors—ideology, interest, ambition, and skill—play a role in determining what happens, especially on issues as difficult and complicated as health care. But I do have a sense of how things will play out this year and I want… Continue reading

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The dangers of Philadelphia’s zoning code revision for neighborhoods

  By Neighborhoods, Philadelphia, Progressive Politics, Urbanism

I’ve been predicting for some time that the Philadelphia zoning code revision is going to be the next flashpoint for progressives. I’ve been concerned that a zoning code commission heavily weighted towards developers will attempt to limit the power of community groups to guide development in their neighborhoods. So I’m not surprised to that at YPP Matt Ruben has pointed out that a provision in the zoning code revision would undermine the impact of community groups over the zoning process. Matt and others have suggested some ways to improve the process. I’m not yet sure we have the best solution although some of the ideas put forward on that thread are good starting points. But one problem with the whole reform process is being missed in this discussion. Paul Boni points out that community groups generally are welcome at the ZBA, Planning Commission, and Historical Commission. This is true and… Continue reading

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Support Dawn Smith as she confronts CIGNA tomorrow

  By Health Care

Businesses often do things that harm innocent people or the public. But the health insurance industry is the only business in America that ties to increase its profits by deliberately targeting people who are sick or likely to be sick. Dawn Smith has a rare but treatable brain tumor and health insurance with CIGNA. But CIGNA has been denying her the health care she needs. And recently, CIGNA raised the co-pay for her pain medication from $10 to $1000. Dawn has traveled from Atlanta to Philadelphia in a mobile home to demand a meeting with CIGNA’s CEO, Ed Hanway. A rally with Dawn will take place tomorrow, Thursday, October 15 at noon at CIGNA’s headquarters at 2 Liberty Place (16th St and Chestnut St). Can you take a few minutes to join us in support of Dawn! RSVP here. The actions we are doing here are making the case, throughout… Continue reading

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Press Coverage and other reports on our Cigna civil disobedience event

  By Health Care

We got a fair amount of press coverage of our civil disobedience action last week. And people also posted video of most of the event. There was a good report about the campaign in general I the Philadelphia Inquirer There was a radio report on KYW Local TV coverage Coverage of HCAN protest & arrests at CIGNA: NBC 10, 5 pm, 10/6/09 Coverage of HCAN protest & arrests at CIGNA: Fox 29, 5 pm, 10/6/09 Blog posts on FireDogLake http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8795 http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8784 Two of our blog posts explaining what we did and why: http://blog.hcanpa.org/?p=204 http://blog.hcanpa.org/?p=206 YouTube Overview of event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI56EMceY50 More Complete Video coverage on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSlK3w6Vw08&feature=related Rally followed by Introduction by Marc Stier and stories about insurance company abuses. Stacie Ritter telling her story, Joan Kosloff talking about her son, Eric Julian Aycox , Michael Ladson talking about his younger brother Samuel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TroigMwRgNI Dawn Smith’s story told by Ray Torres… Continue reading

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Why Were Arrested Yesterday

  By Health Care

Click here to send a fax to your Members of Congress and let them know that you consider the insurance industry to be engaged in criminal behavior. Dennis Short Joan Kosloff, Michael Ladson, Ray Torres and I were arrested yesterday at 12:30 pm for blocking the doors to CIGNA’s world headquarters in Philadelphia today. The fourteen hours I was in jail were not much fun—although it was a day in the park compared to the suffering that insurance companies in America regularly deal out not only to those they refuse to insure and but those they do insure. The crowded cell, noise, stench, stale air, and hard steel bench were not were not really conducive to thought. But I had time on my hands and spent some of it thinking about how to explain, especially to those of you who may have had some doubts about our action, why we turned… Continue reading