Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Blue Dog Democrat Contact Info

Today is Tuesday, July 28, and we hear that Nancy Pelosi may have conceded that the Healthcare vote will not take place prior to the August recess. I suggest pretending that we didn't hear that--it could be a ruse to get us to stop contacting Congressmen. Please continue to make the calls this week. (Fax and email info is also listed for each Congressman.)

Please go so far as to write this activity into your calendars for each remaining day this week. Our country's future depends on our cumulative efforts. YOU hold my children's future in your hands.

The following lists of Blue Dogs and other Democrats potentially vulnerable on the healthcare vote came to me from email and internet -- I didn't write them up. Here are phone numbers for the U.S. Capitol switchboard (let me know if they don't work or you find other errors):

1-866-220-0044
1-877-851-6437
1-877-762-8762
1-202-224-3121


LIST OF BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS

Blue Dog Leadership Team
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD) Blue Dog Co-Chair For Administration CONTACT
Rep. Baron Hill (IN-09), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy CONTACT
Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Blue Dog Co-Chair for communications CONTACT
Rep. Heath Shuler (NC-11), Blue Dog Whip CONTACT


Blue Dog Members
Altmire, Jason (PA-04) CONTACT
Arcuri, Mike (NY-24) CONTACT
Baca, Joe (CA-43) CONTACT
Barrow, John (GA-12) CONTACT
Berry, Marion (AR-01) CONTACT
Bishop, Sanford (GA-02) CONTACT
Boren, Dan (OK-02) CONTACT
Boswell, Leonard (IA-03) CONTACT
Boyd, Allen (FL-02) CONTACT
Bright, Bobby (AL-02) CONTACT
Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18) CONTACT
Carney, Christopher (PA-10) CONTACT
Chandler, Ben (KY-06) CONTACT
Childers, Travis (MS-01) CONTACT
Cooper, Jim (TN-05) CONTACT
Costa, Jim (CA-20) CONTACT
Cuellar, Henry (TX-28) CONTACT
Dahlkemper, Kathy (PA-03) CONTACT
Davis, Lincoln (TN-04) CONTACT
Donnelly, Joe (IN-02) CONTACT
Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08) CONTACT
Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08) CONTACT
Gordon, Bart (TN-06) CONTACT
Griffith, Parker (AL-05) CONTACT
Harman, Jane (CA-36) CONTACT
Holden, Tim (PA-17) CONTACT
Kratovil, Jr., Frank (MD-01) CONTACT
McIntyre, Mike (NC-07) CONTACT
Marshall, Jim (GA-03) CONTACT
Matheson, Jim (UT-02) CONTACT
Melancon, Charlie (LA-03) CONTACT
Michaud, Mike (ME-02) CONTACT
Minnick, Walt (ID-01) CONTACT
Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05) CONTACT
Moore, Dennis (KS-03) CONTACT
Murphy, Patrick (PA-08) CONTACT
Nye, Glenn (VA-02) CONTACT
Peterson, Collin (MN-07) CONTACT
Pomeroy, Earl (ND) CONTACT
Ross, Mike (AR-04) CONTACT
Salazar, John (CO-03) CONTACT
Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47) CONTACT
Schiff, Adam (CA-29) CONTACT
Scott, David (GA-13) CONTACT
Space, Zack (OH-18) CONTACT
Tanner, John (TN-08) CONTACT
Taylor, Gene (MS-04) CONTACT
Thompson, Mike (CA-01) CONTACT
Wilson, Charles (OH-06) CONTACT


Target these Representatives on Healthcare
Posted by Erick Erickson (Profile)
Tuesday, July 28th at 6:30AM EDT
We know that most of the Blue Dogs are going to oppose healthcare. But what about the non-Blue Dog Democrats who live in districts McCain won? They seem to be good targets in addition to the Blue Dogs.

So here’s the list of targets for today. As the week progresses, we’re going to update, add to, and subtract from it. Start calling. And if your Congressman is not on the list, go here and find your Congressman. Start calling now.

Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1) http://kirkpatrick.house.gov/
Vic Snyder (AR-2) http://www.house.gov/snyder/
Betsy Markey (CO-4) http://betsymarkey.house.gov/
Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) http://www.kosmas.house.gov/
Ike Skelton (MO-4) http://www.house.gov/skelton/
Harry Teague (NM-2) http://teague.house.gov/.
Michael McMahon (NY-13) http://mcmahon.house.gov/
Eric Massa (NY-29) http://massa.house.gov/
John Boccieri (OH-16) http://boccieri.house.gov/
John M. Spratt Jr. (SC-5) http://www.house.gov/spratt/
Chet Edwards (TX-17) http://edwards.house.gov/
Tom Perriello (VA-5) http://perriello.house.gov/
Rick Boucher (VA-9) http://www.boucher.house.gov/
Alan B. Mollohan (WV-1) http://mollohan.house.gov/
Nick J. Rahall Jr. (WV-3) http://www.rahall.house.gov/

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Activist Alert: Say "No" to Government Healthcare

(Below please find a description of parts of the Healthcare bill, followed by directions on how to take action. Thank you for your activism! -- Crista Huff)


Here are some highlights from the first 300 pages of the Healthcare bill:

Page 50, Section 152 says that Healthcare will be provided to ALL non-US citizens, illegal or otherwise. Page 170, lines 1-3 say that any Nonresident Alien is exempt from individual taxes to cover the cost of their medical plans. (Tax-paying American citizens will pay for them.)

Other specific line items, which are easy to find in the proposed bill, include:

1. Private medical insurers are not allowed to enroll ANY new customers as of the first day that the government plan begins.
2. All citizens or businesses who refuse to enroll in the government plan will pay financial penalties.
3. Healthcare will be rationed, especially for senior citizens.
4. Doctors will be penalized if a patient, who has recently been in the hospital, returns in the near-term for a readmission.
5. Doctors' salaries/incomes will be decided upon by the government.
6. All citizens WILL pay for their healthcare via debit of their direct financial accounts.
7. The government WILL audit the books of all employers that self-insure.
8. The government will set the prices for ALL private health plans.
9. There will be a government committee which decides the treatments/benefits you get.
10. The government will have a database of your personal and financial information.
11. The government is creating a Healthcare Exchange to bring private Healthcare plans under government control. The government mandates ALL benefit packages for private Healthcare plans in the Exchange.
12. The government will raise taxes on all people to fund the healthcare plan, as they see fit. (Have you noticed that the pro-government healthcare advertising keeps referring to this plan as "free"?)
13. The Treasury Dept. is authorized to take money from Social Security to pay for healthcare.

As a retired Vice President of Morgan Stanley, I'd like to stress that investment markets are designed to function under capitalism (free markets), not under socialism. Therefore, in addition to saying goodbye to your current levels of taxation and healthcare, say goodbye to your asset values if this bill passes.

Read about the Healthcare bill: http://www.patientsunitednow.com/. (Many more articles at the end of this email.)

Take action! Call your Representatives and Senators in Washington D.C. Tell them to vote "no" on government healthcare. The healthcare vote is imminent!

Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO) 202-225-7882
Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) 202-224-5852
Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) 202-224-5941

All Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
All Representatives: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

Take action! Contact this vulnerable legislator and urge him to vote "no":

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) ph. (202) 224-3744 fax (202) 224-6020
(When his staff asks for your zip code, tell them 52401 Cedar Rapids, 51501 Council Bluffs, 52801 Davenport or 50309 Des Moines.)


Take action! Sign the petition at http://www.freeourhealthcarenow.com/

(Thank you to fellow conservatives who provided this and other healthcare information: Laurie Bratten, Rita Hyland, Sofie Inkpen, Michelle Morin, Joy Wharton.)

* * * *

More articles and videos from Michelle Morin:


At Least 62 Dems have publicly opposed some key provision of health care: http://campaigndiaries.com/2009/07/19/at-least-61-house-dems/


President Barack Obama warns Congress not to slow effort to overhaul health care: http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/07/obama_warns_congress_not_to_sl.html

Importing the Uninsured; Immigration could trip up the Democrats’ planned health-care takeover: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDliZWM0MjI4MTA5ZTZlOGJlZmUxMzY1ZmJiNzUxYWE


Video Blog from Take Back Medicine: http://www.takebackmedicine.com/video
ObamaCare is an Economy Killer: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/07/17/morning-bell-obamacare-is-an-economy-killer/


The Senate Health Bill: Chock Full of Bad Policy: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/07/17/the-senate-health-bill-chock-full-of-bad-health-policy/


Stealth Agenda in Health-Care Bill: Early Childhood Home Visitation: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/07/17/stealth-agenda-in-health-care-bill-early-childhood-home-visitation/


In Case You Missed It: Government Health Care in Pictures: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/07/16/in-case-you-missed-it-government-health-care-in-pictures/


Bombshell: House Health Bill Makes Private Medical Insurance Illegal: http://patriotroom.com/article/bombshell-house-health-bill-makes-private-medical-insurance-illegal


Help AFP Examine the Health Care Bill, read it here: http://americansforprosperity.org/examine-the-bill


The Health Care Reform Bill in its Own Words: http://blog.ntu.org/main/post.php?post_id=4771

Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Cocktail Party in the Street

I thought I'd write a little about small political protests. Such events may deter conservatives, because the idea of a "protest" seems hostile, and conservatives tend to be calm and polite. Surprisingly, small protests are quite different from large events like Tea Parties, but not more aggressive. They're like cocktail parties in the street!

Tea Parties and other large events like the Stimulus Protest this past spring are huge events, ranging from hundreds to thousands of people. Here in Denver, we had up to 10,000 people at the April 15 Tea Party.

Last month I heard that the liberals were staging a Single Payer Healthcare Rally at the Denver Capitol. A bunch of us got the word out in order to form a counter-protest, but we only had a few days' warning, and didn't have any sense of how many people might show up. My husband and the kids came with me, and we were the first ones there. The liberals were on the steps of the Capitol, so we decided to hang out on the sidewalk across the street with our anti-government healthcare signs.

Soon, a man with a political t-shirt sidled up to us, checking us out to see which "team" we were on. He turned out to be from the Independence Institute, and brought several friends along. Then a friend from Facebook showed up, and a Congressional candidate who brought his entire family, and a friend from R Block Party. Our group totalled about 20 people, all milling about and talking and introducing each other. There were at least ten children, too, who mostly played in the adjacent shady park.

My friend Katherine and I made up a song, sung to the tune of Kum Ba Yah. Here are the best verses:

"Someone's paying for....free healthcare."
"Someone's waiting for....free healthcare."
"Someone's dying for....free healthcare."
"Obama....free healthcare."

While we held our signs and talked, cars drove by and honked in support. A few of our people walked over to the liberal side of the street, some to infiltrate and take pictures, others to bait the government healthcare ralliers into screaming tirades. (Pretty much your mere presence can bait a liberal into a tirade.)

Since I had my kids with me, I stayed on the conservative side of the street and introduced myself to the people I didn't know. I had a marvelous time meeting these new people, added quite a few of them to my subscriber list, and regularly hear from two of them now. As we send out political alerts about events and important news, we now include each other on the distribution lists.

Then in July, MoveOn.org announced another health care rally. My daughter and I were the first protesters to show up at Senator Bennet's Denver office. And then it happened again. A man approached us and casually said, "Tea Party?" We laughed and said, "Yes!", and he said, "Lemme go get my sign!" In singles and pairs, conservatives showed up. One lady was from the 912 Group, another was from the Coalition for a Conservative Majority in Colorado Springs, then a Ron Paul fellow, plus a doctor and a lawyer and a brand new activist. My excellent neighbors Kim and Mark showed up too! The media arrived. We were all so busy chatting with each other that the news crew had trouble getting our attention for an interview.

Now that I've been to two of these small protests, here's my advice: When you go, arrive on time, and stand away from the liberal group. Bring extra protest signs to share with others. If you arrive at the Capitol or the legislator's office and don't see any other protesters, simply go inside to the legislator's office. Once there, politely tell the staff that you're there to voice your complaint about that particular pending legislation. (They get phone calls like that all day long, so they'll take it in stride.)

Bring along some business cards or pen and paper, maybe a camera. You're going to meet very enjoyable people. Some of them will be members of local activist groups which you may want to know more about. Some will have email lists for political news. You won't need to engage with any liberals unless you truly seek them out.

The conservative movement benefits from your activist participation Each time you step outside your comfort zone and do a new activity, you get more relaxed about it. Then you can convey your enthusiasm to friends, co-workers and relatives. They in turn are then more likely to participate as well.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Activist Alert: Protest National Health Care

Part One -- The Phone Blitz

The Liberal organization MoveOn.org is planning a telephone blitz on National Health Care for Thursday July 9. Conservative voters generally do not approve of nationalized healthcare for myriad reasons:

1. Similar healthcare policies in Canada and the United Kingdom have led to long wait times for appointments, service denials, and lesser quality of care. Read more from the Wall Street Journal article "Of NICE and Men" dated July 7, 2009.
2. Democrat proponents of nationalized healthcare in the U.S. propose the inclusion of all illegal immigrants within the healthcare plan.
3. Our country already has a medical plan which is breaking its back financially: it's called Medicare. If our country cannot afford the service levels already provided via Medicare, how does it propose to afford to distribute these same services to the rest of the population, including illegal aliens? Nationalized healthcare is not fiscally practical.
4. Similar healthcare policies in foreign countries have led to doctor shortages. Potential medical students, upon learning of the much lower incomes afforded doctors under nationalized plans, often choose alternate careers.
5. Under nationalized healthcare plans, a government clerk decides which medical course of action is right for you. This responsibility no longer lies with you and your doctor.

Take action! Phone the same Senators' offices that the MoveOn.org people will be phoning on July 9. Tell them to vote "no" on National Health Care, a.k.a. Socialized Medicine, ObamaCare, Single Payer Health Care or Public Option Health Care.

Senator Mark Udall's District Office in Denver
phone 303-650-7820

Senator Michael Bennet's District Office in Denver
phone 303-455-7600
toll-free 866-455-9866
fax 303-455-8851

Senator Michael Bennet's District Office in Fort Collins
phone 970-224-2200
fax 970-224-2205

Senator Michael Bennet's District Office in Durango
phone 970-259-1710
fax 970-259-9789

Take additional action! If you would like to contact additional Congressmen and Senators, phone the Capitol Switchboard toll free at 1 (866) 220-0044. Out-of-state subscribers are encouraged to contact their state's U.S. legislators, and to edit & forward this Activist Alert to their mailing lists. Thank you!


Part Two -- The Counter-Rally

The MoveOn.org people are planning to rally at 150 Senate offices around the country. Visit their website to find the rally near you. Attend with protest signs and conservative friends.

Here are MoveOn's two rallies in Denver in support of Public Option Health Care, directly from the MoveOn website:

Thursday, 9 Jul 2009, 9:30 AM
89 registered participants

Sen. Michael Bennet's District Office
2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202

Senator Bennet's Denver office building is located right next to the west bank of the S Platte river on Fifteenth Street. Confluence Park is on the east bank. There is parking around the building and a pedestrian walkway and grassy verge along the river in front of the building.

* * * *

Thursday, 9 Jul 2009, 11:45 AM
24 registered participants

Sen. Mark Udall's District Office
999 18th Street, North Tower, Suite 1525 Denver, CO 80202

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Another Activist Steps Forward

The following is an email from a local Republican which I was fortunate enough to be copied on. It reflects the mood of my fellow activists so well that I asked Mr. Winter if I could print it here, and he agreed:

"Wow what a great time. I have not attended a Highlands Ranch July 4th event for several years. Now that I am no longer involved as a Councilman with the City of Lone Tree I have time for the Republicans. I will tell you I was impressed. We had a lot, I mean a lot of folks on the route wave and thank us for being in the parade. The 35+ or so Republicans (young and old) walking all had a great time.

I also worked the Republican booth and we had a lot traffic coming by, asking questions, taking literature and signing up on the email lists. When I finished I went by the term limit petition booth. I signed the petition. There were several folks out talking and collecting signatures. That was also a well coordinated event. It is great to see this level of activity and volunteerism alive and well in the Republican Douglas County Party.

I believe our time is upon us. Remember elections have consequences!! Let’s keep up this good work. I was invigorated and motivated to work for the Republicans' success!! I commit that I will be around to help Douglas County and Colorado Republicans to bring us success and bring some common sense back to running our Governments.

On this Independence Day, God Bless our Troops. It was obvious to me, that today, Independence Day July 4th, 2009, that we have started to take our Country back!!"

God Bless America

Elton Winters