Here are the FDL Action health care reform highlights for Thursday, November 5.1. Jon Walker reports on what he correctly calls a "cruel sick joke" - the Republican "health care reform “alternative." Among other things, "It does not ban insurance companies from refusing to cover pre-existing conditions. It guts state health insurance regulations, and lets insurance companies charge sicker people more." That's why I like to call the GOP the "I've got mine so @#@$@ you" party.
2. Jon Walker blogs about DCCC chair Rep. Chris Van Hollen telling "members in a closed-door meeting that Democrats win by supporting the core Democratic agenda." Both Van Hollen and Nancy Pelosi emphasized that "Republicans attacked New York Democrat Bill Owens on health care during his own victorious special election campaign, but Owens still won." In short, Democrats stand the best chance of winning when they give voters a clear alternative to Republicans.
3. Jon Walker says that endorsements of HR 3962 (the "Affordable Health Care for America Act") by the AMA, AARP, American Cancer Society and Consumers Union "should help ensure that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be able to whip the votes to pass the bill on Saturday." Let's hope they more than counteract the Bachmann tea partiers who showed up en masse today on Capitol Hill!
4. Jane Hamsher has video of AMSA medical students and her visiting the Senate on Halloween to stop the Anna Eshoo/PhRMA Bill. Jane adds that you can help the medical students "spread the word by telling Senators Sherrod Brown, Chuck Schumer, Debbie Stabenow, Susan Collins and David Vitter (yes, that David Vitter) to help them fight to defeat Eshoo and PhRMA."
5. Last but not least, Jon Walker reports that Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has been disinvited as keynote speaker for the Palm Beach County, Florida Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser "because she has not yet decide to support cloture on health care reform." Sorta like your mother saying, "you won't get any dinner if you don't stop hitting your brother?" :)
