Back from D.C. - Initial observations
Damn it was a long day.
Anyway, returned safety from D.C. and will confess to being a little more than beat. I’ll have some detailed observations as the next week progresses. I also want to say to keep July 30th open as there is another activity in D.C. celebrating the 44th anniversary of Medicare.
What was D.C. about today? Well, simply said - ensuring there is a public option that is included as part of health care reform. What is the public option? Well, no one really knows because it is not fully defined but they are “working” on it. For me the definition of the public option that works is simply medicare for all. Allow people to buy into medicare with all the requisite conditions, affordable, publicly funded privately delivered etc.
So, highlights for me aside from all the nice people on my bus were
- As always with these things - I spent the majority of the time talking to people. Strangers from PA, WV, TN and overseas who gave me ribbons and opinions in exchange for greetings and stickers. Assuming the videos came out, I interviewed a bunch of folks and simply asked them “what brought them to DC and what did they want”. Which brings me to this observation - We all want the same thing. The organizers of this event are focused on a “public option”. As you know from my writings - I’m a single payer person. So, as I as I spoke to lots of different people, they would go on about a public option. I would usually ask if that option could be a single payer option like medicare for all. They all said - yes. There you have it folks - it isn’t rocket science.
- Another major highlight for me was standing up on the bus during a debrief of the day as we headed home and making the case that single payer and public option are not mutually exclusive and that we are on the same side. It seemed to be news to some folks I was with.
- Listening to Charlie Rangel use the words single payer in his remarks.
- Meeting Senator Gillibrand for the first time and confirming with her staff that her position is still medicare for all.
- I missed the lobbying activity (long security lines) but I have a general consensus from meetings with our WNY reps I’ll share.
- Taking a picture to include in SBR’s next wingnut post - there are really odd people out there with some convoluted beliefs.
There is more but that is it for now.
More later - Off to bed
Related posts:
- Initial Reflections on D.C. trip
- With Cabinet appointees like these who needs opposition?
- Incremental Health Care reform is the correct approach - proponents just use the wrong start date
- Charlie Rangel - Tells HCAN about his support for Single Payer
- Peter Mott, MD - Why single payer and not public option
Nice job, stlo7. I am so jealous. I absolutely wanted to go, but July 30th, yes, I’m in.
Looking forward to the videos.
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