UPDATE: Progressive members of Congress need to hear from all of us. FireDogLake has made it easy. Names and numbers are here. Ask the progressive to hold the line by supporting the public option. A real public option. These calls are making a difference.
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Things could be getting a lot more interesting up there on Capitol Hill. I've had the sense that White House negotiators have long believed their biggest (only) hurdle was the Blue Dogs and the Baucus/Conrad roadblock. They've taken for granted the wishes of the real progressives, who actually support Obama's agenda. But, the progressives are letting it be known they won't be taken for granted. This is what we want from progressives -- A spine:
The Blue Dogs’ deal, which cut $100 billion from the healthcare reform price tag, was instantly denounced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who said, “It’s unacceptable. We’re not going to vote for anything that doesn’t have a robust public plan.”There's more after the break. You'll see that Obama has already called Rep. Jan Schawkowsky (D-IL). She needs to stick with the progressives on this one.
Liberals aimed to win 50 signatures on a letter to their leaders opposing the deal to make it clear they could defeat the healthcare bill on the floor.
“Fifty is our threshold,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a co-chairman of the caucus. “That’ll kill anything.”
Remember, the Blue Dog's bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee is only one of three moving forward in the House. Two other House Committees passed bills with Obama's health care agenda intact.
Here's more of that article. Democratic leaders on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue seem to realize they have a problem with progressives now:
The White House and Democratic leaders moved quickly to try to quell the liberal insurrection. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called a group of liberals to her office in the mid-afternoon, and Democrats postponed plans to continue a stalled markup of the bill by the Energy and Commerce Committee until Friday. Instead, they held a caucus meeting to answer member questions.
“It’s more important to let members ask questions, raise concerns,” said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the chairman of Energy and Commerce.
Within hours of the liberal complaints, Obama was on the phone with Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a fellow Illinois Democrat and Energy and Commerce member who is in charge of the healthcare issue for the Progressive Caucus.
He told her the bill should go forward, Schakowsky said.
