Update [2007-4-24 12:55:16 by nyceve]: Congressman Conyers has joined us. He wants to thank everyone personally for the outpouring of support.
This is a personal appeal to the Daily Kos community, and a HR 676 update from Congressman John Conyers. It comes via his communications director, Jonathan Godfrey.
John Conyers needs our attention today. This diary contains a couple of urgent action items.
Congressman Conyers is a great Kossack. If we do one thing really well around here, we support fellow Kossacks. John Conyers is determined to take back our country. That's one hell of a big job, and he needs our assistance, I have no doubt he's come to the right place.
We can make a difference, and I know we'll show him what we're made of.
Before I tell you what we need to do for Conyers, I'm going to tell you what John Conyers is doing for the American people. Here's a little secret courtesy of Jonathan Godfrey, which I think will make the for-profit insurance industry tremble in their depraved and corrupt shoes.
In the course of a lengthy telephone conversation yesterday, Jonathan told me that his heroic boss, Congressman Conyers said the following: "if I had to select only one bill to pass this year it would be HR 676!" This is the gift John Conyers will give to the American people.
Let's get to work and make it happen.
Congressman Conyers is chairing a forum later today on single payer, here's where we come in. Information on the forum is at the end of the diary.
First thing Conyers would like for you to do is to go to the link provided and sign his petition supporting HR676.
Here's the link, please sign the petition, PLEASE.
http://johnconyers.com/...
The Forum Conyers is chairing this afternoon is to educate and enlighten his Congressional colleagues about HR676 and single-payer. What happens later today is central to the ultimate goal, passage of HR676.
According to Godfrey, educating Congresspeople--literally talking to members of congress about single-payer, is a critical step which we overlook at our own peril. Conyers isn't going to overlook anything--he's got all the bases covered. The forum this afternoon is being held to raise the profile of single-payer health care, (the only solution to our national crisis), among members of Congress. Yeah, those people with the affordable guaranteed Cadillac health care--everything we don't have.
Do you know that HR676 has about 66 co-sponsors? Do you know that if a vote on HR676 were held tomorrow, it would not obtain the votes of every Democrat in Congress? I wonder why. Conyers is a man on a mission--today, to educate Congress, tomorrow, to educate the American people.
You can read more about HR676 here:
http://www.healthcare-now.org/...
I'll tell you another secret. Godfrey told me Conyers is relentless. HR676 is always front and center. Whenever Conyers is on the House floor, he corrals whomever he can, and makes his pitch for single-payer. He is tireless, because the stakes have never been higher.
This brings me to the last part of Conyers message.
The time has finally arrived from a national strategic perspective to force the health care debate to be about one thing and one thing only, single-payer.
It's also time for every one of us, to call our Congressperson and demand that they co-sponsor HR676. If you think your call is unimportant, think again. On certain issues, in select districts as few as 20-50 calls can make a Congressperson reevaluate a vote or sponsorship of particular legislation. And remind them THEY WORK FOR US!
EVERY CALL MATTERS.
PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND ASK IF THEY'RE PLANNING TO ATTEND CONYERS FORUM. THEY'VE ALL BEEN INVITED.
IF YOUR CONGRESSPERSON IS NOT GOING, ASK THEM WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN GETTING UP-TO-SPEED ON THE MOST URGENT DOMESTIC ISSUE FACING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?
Here's a link to every member of Congress.
http://www.house.gov/...
And, as promised, here's all the information on Conyers Forum.
Press Advisory
What:
Congressional Forum: Universal Health Care with Single Payer Financing
Where:
2237 Rayburn House Office Building
When:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007, 2:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Who:
Members of Congress:
Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman, Rahm Emanuel
House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer
Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell
Financial Services Committee Chairman, Barney Frank
Rep. Yvette Clark
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
Rep. Hilda Solis
Rep. Keith Ellison
Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Rep. Yvette Clark
Rep. Steve Cohen
Rep. Yvette Clark
Panelists:
Marcia Angell, M.D., Former Editor-in-Chief, The New England Journal of Medicine; Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dean Baker, Ph.D., Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research; Former Senior Economist, Economic Policy Institute
Claudia Fegan, M.D., President of Medical Staff, Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, Illinois
David Himmelstein, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)
Arnold S. Relman, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Former Editor, The New England Journal of Medicine
Leonard Rodberg, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair, Urban Studies Department, Queens College/CUNY
John Sheils, M.S., Senior Vice President, The Lewin Group, Former Congressional Budget Office Analyst
Jaime Torres, D.P.M, M.S., Founder & National Coordinator, Latinos for National Health Insurance; Advisory Board Member, National Hispanic Medical Association
Walter Tsou, M.D., MPH, Former President, American Public Health Association
Dr. Quentin Young, M.D. National Coordinator, Physicians for a National Health Program
If you don't know what people-powered politics is all about, you will after today. Mark my words.