medicareforall
#berniesanders 112 cosponsors of #medicareforall were on the ballot. all of them one. 98 cosponsors of the #greennewdeal and only one #lost. Supporting #greennewdeal🌍 and #medicare4all is not just good #policy but good #politics.
Don’t believe what you heard from #centrist #dems. The #democraticparty needs to stand boldly for #systemicchange.
https://act.medicare4all.org/signup/covid-19-protect/
Nurses across the country report that they are not receiving the proper staffing, personal protective equipment (PPE), education, and communication from their employers, or isolation rooms they need to safely care for COVID-19 patients.
This is unconscionable. At a moment when we are asking nurses and other health care workers to step up and protect people, we must be able to protect them as well.
I stand with nurses, and I demand that you do everything in your power to ensure they are protected from COVID-19, because all of our lives depend on it.
#ppe #covid19 #medicareforall #healthcare #nurses
Originally Posted on June 18, 2017
As GOP members of Congress seek to furtively remove healthcare for millions by gutting the Affordable Care Act (ACA), to create tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, Congressional Democrats are striking back with HR 676. Authored by Representative John Conyers (D-MI-13), the bill is designed to expand Medicare to cover the basic medical needs for all citizens. However, Representative Sander Levin (D-MI-9), has yet to endorse the bill. A joint effort was staged between the Young Democrats of Michigan and Michigan for Revolution to rally at Levin's truncated town hall meeting in Madison Heights to find out why, and urge him to support HR 676.
A crowd gathered on the hill in front of the Local Plumber's Union 98 building in advance of the meeting, waving signs demanding healthcare for all and that the representative not back any military spending increases. Congressman Levin met with the protesters for fifteen minutes, prior to the start of the town hall. There, he was peppered with questions about why he wouldn't support Medicare for all, single payer or universal healthcare. While Levin did not explicitly refuse support, he stated repeatedly that his goal was to protect ACA and fight the GOP's attempts to eliminate it. "There is a real question of whether or not Levin actually supports Medicare for All in principle, or is just using the ACA as an excuse," said Sam Pernick, organizer for both the Young Democrats and Michigan for Revolution.
Speculation ranged among the petitioners as to why Levin would not back the bill, or the concept of universal healthcare, despite support from fellow Democrats in Congress. One potential reason is that he was one of the legislators who drafted the ACA and had a vested interest in protecting that bill, in particular. During the conversation with constituents outside the meeting, the closest he came to backing universal healthcare was by reintroducing the Public Option, an initial feature of the ACA stripped by Congressional Republicans. Another potential reason is revealed by his campaign finance data. For the 2016 election, Levin received $191,000 from insurance PACs and $154,500 from health professional PACs, which creates over $300,000 in vested interest to maintain the healthcare status quo.
Once inside the meeting, Levin began by addressing the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of Iraqi Christian immigrants. He spoke with the regional director of ICE, who claimed to not know where the order came from, and a verbal agreement between the Trump administration and Iraqi government to accept those deported was cited as a potential catalyst. Levin elaborated that most Chaldean residents arrested were being separated from their families here. The pretense the ICE used for taking them lay in criminal offenses decades in the past, many of which were non-violent drug offenses. The representative finished his speech by stating he will take a strong stance against these deportations, and was met with thunderous applause.
Further concerns were addressed as the Congressman stated his opposition to Trump's proposal to increase the Pentagon budget by $54 billion. He went on to express that "Donald Trump is not a threat because of his personality, he's a threat because of what he stands for," as a segue into his desire to renegotiate the NAFTA deal and reject the Trump budget plan in totality. Worker's rights were a major point of emphasis in Levin's speech, as American workers are being forced to compete with countries that forbid their employees to unionize and force them into wages as low as $2 per hour.
During the Q&A portion of the meeting, pressure to embrace Medicare for All and the concept of universal healthcare ramped up again. Several constituents asked about clarification for his stances, Levin reiterated his desire to protect the ACA and support of a public option. In Levin's view, standing against Trump and the GOP help reveal who Democrats are as a party, and "where they are wrong, we have to be very clear what we stand for."
Some constituents disagreed, and considered universal healthcare a viable rally point. Said one: "We have been missing the mark, in the Democratic party. We have a responsibility to make that [healthcare for all] happen...I have to give my children hope for tomorrow, hope for a future where I may not be there. I have to let them know that we have something, we have a vision, and you are responsible for driving the vision."
While the cheers greeting that particular constituent were not enough to sway Levin, the rallying contingent felt it was a productive first step. Regarding the next step, Sam Pernick said "We have asked Congressman Levin for a 'progressive town hall' to discuss issues critical to the progressive movement and to the democratic party." With a strong showing of popular support, Levin may be convinced.
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#MI9thDistrict #medicareforall #universalhealthcare #sanderlevin #healthcare #nafta #ACA #publicoption #youngdemocrats
What useful role do #healthinsurance companies play in a this #Pandemic? We would argue very little. I they ensuring that the courageous medical professionals are getting the gear they need to protect themselves? Did they ensure that there would be enough #lifesaving #equipment? Their should be no #middlemen taking #profit out of the #healthcare system. #medicareforall #singlepayer
So you wanna be President? Who doesn't?!
On an almost daily basis, a new entrant emerges on the Democratic side for President. Each candidate announcement sets off a range of speculation from the mass media talking heads and the social media chattering class. Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes shift their coverage on Trump/Russia collusion and the government shutdown to allow candidates to preview their campaigns with an initial TV appearances. Twitter polls and already heated Facebook conversations speculate on the preferred candidates and which candidates are supposedly dealbreakers for their votes in a general election.
The understandable Democratic zealotry to remove Trump from office in one way or another, has potential candidates announcing earlier than in any other campaign season. This elongated campaign will invariably suck up much of the oxygen around social change activity and transfer to campaigns, punditry, and electioneering. In this series, I offer a few cautions as we head into this new period in our history.
Progressives: Steward Our Energy and Attention
A full year away from the first primaries, we progressives need to keep our eyes on the current challenges. The immediacy of the government shutdown certainly helped focus our attention to begin the new year, but there's still so much to do over the next 18 months before the fall election period. Where we do not believe we will achieve a legislative win, we can frame the issues for the 2020 election and beyond. Here's what rises to the top in terms of a legislative agenda and a framing of issues:
- Securing Democracy - HR 1 is an excellent start in confronting the political corruption from the influx of significant sums of money and addressing some of what is fundamentally broken in our democracy. Issues address include: Automatic Voter Registration, Restoration of the Voting Rights Act, Public Financing of Elections, An End to Gerrymandering, and A Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United. These measures would restore faith in the democratic process and create a more just political playing field.
- Medicare for All - Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and other progressive coalitions are actively engaged in education and canvassing efforts, pushing the universal health care agenda. There is broad public support and multiple Democratic candidates are now on board with a measure that Bernie Sanders's first brought to the fore. We certainly must defend the gains of the ACA, encourage all states to accept Medicaid expansion. And we must continue to education why the United States should join most of the rest of the world in provide health coverage to all citizens.
- Green New Deal - There is a growing movement with new entrants like Sunrise who are lifting young voices and taking an adamant stand around the Green New Deal set of policies to fully address the impending and immediate threats of climate change. In her few weeks on the job, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez provided tremendous exposure to this agenda which also includes economic justice issues. We need to figure out in greater detail what this agenda means at state and local levels and start implementing.
- Immigration Reform - With all the talk about the the wall and border security, it would seem that there is an opportunity to put forward a new framing as opposed to just reacting to Trump administration racism and xenophobia. I hear many Democrats expressing their support for border security without fully embracing the notion that we need to be welcoming of immigrants. Immigration reform has been on the table for years, but perhaps now there is an opening to move in a bipartisan manner.
With firm control of the House and dozens of wins in state legislatures and governorships, progressive and Democrats should keep the focus on issues and making some headway.. Yes, campaigns can help amplify issues, but there is also the risk that a particular policy solution gets solely associated with one candidate and one campaign. More to come on this topic..
#Politics #democrats #president #GreenNewDeal #immigration #medicareforall #AOC #democracy #bluewave
Proposal to discuss: #support for #universalhealthcare should be a #litmustest for #democrats from now on. #democrat #democraticparty #medicareforall #aca #healthcare #healthcareisaright