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Think John Conyers only does the "sternly worded admonition" thing with Republicans?
As you know, single payer, as best embodied by Conyers’s HR 676, has been off the table in the two Senate committees — Finance, chaired by Max Baucus (D-AHIP) and HELP, chaired by Ted Kennedy — charged with moving forward on health care reform.
In the House, health care reform is being covered by three committees. Education and Labor, chaired by George Miller, held the first-ever (Hooray! Shame!) hearing on single payer since John Conyers first introduced HR 676 in 2003. Selise live-blogged the hearing yesterday here and here, and you can watch the whole thing here.
The other two committees are Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce, chaired by Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), respectively. As reported here, by single payer activist Russ Mokhiber, Conyers minced no words Tuesday night (at an event honoring Joan Claybrook) on his determination to get hearings on HR 676 before both committees.
Give a listen to his jeremiad. It’s sweet. Key quotes, from Mokhiber’s article:
“Hey look – I’ve worked on this too damn long to let anybody – I’m going to every Committee not just Miller’s. Charlie Rangel – get ready for your pal to come to your Committee.”
“Henry Waxman, my brilliant friend, open up your door. And then if you want to try to pull something that’s okay. But to tell me it’s too late – I’ve got news for you. That means you really didn’t know me all of these years.”
“We’re going to have HR 676 heard in every committee of the House of Representatives or my name ain’t John Conyers.”
“I don’t mind losing a debate or losing the vote, but Jesus Christ don’t tell me that my proposal is off the table before we start, without even a hearing,” Conyers said.
“What kind of a Democratic congress is this?” he asked.
John’s feeling his Cheerios. Are you? Then call…
Ways and Means Committee Chair Charlie Rangel: (202) 225-3625
Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman: (202) 225-2927
12 Comments
Thanks! I’ve called them both. John Conyers has, as my grandmother would have said, stars in his crown.
thank you ralphbon. listening to the conyers mp3 now – beautiful!
“What kind of a Democratic congress is this?” he asked. ya dont want MY answer
p.s. i just called the committees as suggested, and for good measure also called waxman’s and rangle’s offices. if anyone else wants to do the same, here are the free numbers to the switchboard (just as for the office of any congressmember) that katymine found.
(800) 828 – 0498
(800) 459 – 1887
(800) 614 – 2803
(866) 340 – 9281
(866) 338 – 1015
(877) 851 – 6437
Will call tomorrow. Folks should keep calling their reps..let them know we are out here and we want single payer on the table
Gracias Selise.
Let’s all chime in folks!!
DId you see what your Congress did ? Something that Bill Clinton could not manage … get tobacco under the jurisdiction of the FDA !
This is a pleasant surprise, I’ll call a few of them on Friday. Linky from HuffPo
From the April Harpers Index
I’d give a link but they don’t have one. Nothing against them but I think they have a bunch of internet illiterate people running the place
I’m with Conyers on this one.
Interesting clip on this issue
Senator Grassley’s latest
http://crooksandliars.com/john…..oin-public
I am finally hopeful.
He should go ask ’grandma’ Nancy what bits of advice/direction she gives to new members. I won’t say Conyers has forgotten or whatever, but he might want to discuss with Pelosi what the role of Congress is in a modern Democracy. It *isn’t* the same as a legislator’s role in an Athenian democracy.