My name is Lois Herr, and I'm running for Congress in PA-16.
And I am mad.
While there is much good in last night's healthcare bill, an amendment sponsored by my opponent, Rep. Joe Pitts, is a direct attack on the freedom and privacy of American women.
Now keep in mind: this is the same Pitts who LED the debate of this amendment on the floor .
This is the same Pitts who has actively SPREAD LIES about the bill.
UPDATE: Thank you so much for support! And thank you for putting me on the REC list!
UPDATE2: Thank you for all the great questions! This is a great dialogue. Please keep it going!
UPDATE3: Thank you again for your comments and support! We've raised over $500 thanks to you! I have to go to bed now, but encourage you to keep leaving comments so I can read them in the morning.
UPDATE4: I am awake and responding to more comments! Keep the heat on Pitts
This is the same Pitts who has active ties to the C STREET GANG.
This is the same Pitts who only had a town hall after I ANNOUNCED I would host THREE.
There's a lovely pic of him in MinistryofTruth's diary.
UPDATE: Here it is! Thanks, Ministry of Truth!
In cynical and ideological move, anti-choice members of Congress, led by Pitts and Rep. Bart Stupak have adulterated the new health-care system to deny women the right to use their own personal private funds to purchase health insurance with abortion coverage. In doing so, the amendment makes it virtually impossible for private insurance companies to offer such coverage to any women, even if that coverage is not subsidized by the government.
Make no mistake, the target of this amendment is women's health, privacy and legal rights. The advocates of the far right have hijacked the health care bill. Along with most Americans, I urge the Senate to do what is right and eliminate this dangerous provision from the final bill sent to President Obama.
He leads the right-wing Values Action Team (Brownback leads the one in the Senate) whose sole focus is to add psuedo-Christian demagoguery into every piece of legislation that affects our private lives.
He must be stopped. Even though he promised to serve only five terms, he's currently running for an eighth.
I want to help him keep his original promise. I want to fight against the politicians who DON'T CARE about you and me.
People ask me: "What's the biggest difference between you and Joe Pitts?"
Nowhere is the difference between myself and incumbent Congressman Joe Pitts more clear than on the major issue of reproductive rights.
But it's more than that. I care about people. I care about the health and wellness of the families of PA-16 and all across America. I care about the bread and butter issues that affect all of us – the need for jobs and financial security, and the ability to retire comfortably.
I care about the educational opportunities and quality for every student, pre-school, elementary, high school and college-age students (including adults). I care about our environment – from the air we breathe, to the farms that produce our food and mark our traditions, to the forests and rivers that provide recreation and are homes to wildlife.
If I were in Congress, I would have voted AGAINST this amendment and FOR health reform with single-payer or a robust public option. It would be an easy choice.
I grew up on the campus of a small town college in Elizabethtown, PA. Upon finishing school, I spent 26 years in the business world working for AT&T, NYTel, and NYNEX. After that, I retired and bought a farm. I began a career in academia, teaching marketing and finally heading the marketing department of the same small town college.
I ran against Pitts in 2004 and 2006, each time getting a bigger percentage of the vote. I'm a former board member of the Veteran Feminists of America - and am listed in Feminists Who Changed America.
During all those years, I learned two things: 1) I fail at retirement; and 2) I want to solve problems. And clearly Joe is a problem.
Everybody's angry. And everybody wants to punish someone - anyone! - for this travesty. Here's an easy way to let EMILY's List, the DCCC, the DNC, and all the political insiders know that you CARE. Send them a message with your pocketbook.
If you care as much I do, help me defeat Pitts by contributing to my campaign on Act Blue. I know the economy's in rough shape (we remember all too well Bushinomics) - and I understand if you've hit hard times and are looking for work. It doesn't help that Pitts was the only Pennsylvania Congressman - Republican or Democrat - to vote against extending unemployment benefits.
But if you are able to give, please contribute whatever amount you can manage. You'll be making an investment in protecting everything you care about - healthcare, responsible energy policy, the end of Don't Ask/Don't Tell, and CHOICE. A strong voice in a conservative-male wilderness. The great state of Pennsylvania has ONE PRO-CHOICE WOMAN in the entire delegation. ONE. The only other woman, Kathy Dahlkemper, co-sponsored Pitts-Stupak.
My opponent gets the vast majority of his money from anti-healthcare, anti-choice, and anti-environment PACs. Just last quarter, he got $21,200 from actual human beings, but almost $50,000 from PACs. He doesn't care about people in the district because he doesn't NEED them. But I need you.
Help us defeat this sorry excuse for Congressman. Add one more voice for equality and justice.
[This DKos account actually belongs to Martine (politicslovr), a staffer for my campaign. But the shiny new campaign one is located here. We can start posting diaries on that one in a week!]