Bob Fertik's blog

War Whip 0911

These are the members of the House Progressive Caucus who voted for war funding on June 16, 2009. If they had voted against war funding then, our troops would be coming home by now. We will keep calling these Members until they promise in writing to vote against war funding now.

Pelosi Must Let States Create Single Payer Plans

When Speaker Pelosi announced her "floor version" of the healthcare bill on Thursday, she made a critical mistake: she removed the "State Single Payer" amendment proposed by Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

The "Kucinich Amendment" passed the House Education & Labor Committee on July 17 by a rare bi-partisan 27-19 vote.

States should be free to create the best possible healthcare plans for their residents. If Congress gives States the right to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of a national "public option," it must also give States the right to "opt-in" to a State Single Payer plan.

Tell Congress the "Kucinich Amendment" must be included in a "Managers Amendment" to H.R. 3962 immediately. Pelosi will decide on Monday.
http://democrats.com/state-single-payer

URGENT: We Need 4 House Votes for a Robust Public Option

Capitol Hill sources tell me we're very close to a 218-vote majority for a robust public option, but we're still 4 votes short. Call/fax/tweet everyone below with this message:

The only way to reduce healthcare costs and make healthcare affordable for America's working families is to pass a robust public option based on Medicare+5%. Will you stand with the overwhelming majority of Democrats in supporting Medicare+5%?

Please post their replies in the comments below. Thanks!!

Robust Public Option

On Monday, Harry Reid dramatically announced he would include a "public option" in the Senate healthcare bill. But progressives won't settle for just any old "public option." Here are the minimum requirements for a robust public option that progressives can support:

  • based on Medicare rates (Medicare+5%), not rates negotiated with providers (which would delay implementation for several years)
  • nation-wide, with no state opt-outs until several years have passed
  • administered by Medicare, not a for-profit insurance company
  • available in 2010, not 2013
  • negotiated discounts for newer brand-name drugs and full coverage of older generics

 

Let's Kill Big Brother

5 Ways to help
on Twitter

4 ways to help
on Facebook

It's time to repeal telecom immunity for illegal spying, restore privacy protection to library and bookstore records, and roll back the worst abuses of the PATRIOT ACT.

Repeal telecom immunity and roll back PATRIOT ACT abuses

Glenn Beck Cloned

Joe Scarborough Equates Bill Moyers With Glenn Beck

On September 20, Joe Scarborough went on a Twitter rampage against Bill Moyers. (All of these tweets were written by Scarborough, some addressed directly to @individuals).

Sun 6pm

I just saw the one of the most unintentionally funny interviews in the history of mankind!! Bill Moyers interviewing the NYTs Sam Tannehaus.

Moyers--who frantically predicted the rise of a theocratic state over the past 8 years--suddenly concerned about GOP's apocalyptic thinking.

The Frantic Bill Moyers: "For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington."

Glenn Beck v. Glenn Beck

Even Glenn Beck hates Glenn Beck's despicable lie that President Obama is a "racist"!

2009 DEMMY Awards

In honor of Sunday's EMMY Awards, I'd like to give out DEMMY Awards to the best Democrats on TV.

Below are three categories: Pundits, Elected Officials, and Frauds.

We'll open the voting this weekend on Democrats.com, but I'd like to complete the nominations first. So which "TV Democrats" did I leave out?

Pundits

FOX Attacks Glenn Beck's 'Racist' Smear of Obama

On July 28, Glenn Beck declared:

Glenn Beck Boycott Cuts Ad Revenues in Half

Big news - the boycott of Glenn Beck advertisers has cut show revenues in half!

During the last week in July, Beck’s show pulled in over $1 million from advertising. The first week in September, that number was down to less than $500,000, even as his ratings have gone up.

It’s clear that our campaign is making a significant financial impact, despite Fox’s insistence otherwise.

What’s happening is a simple matter of supply and demand. Fox has a limited amount of time devoted to ads each day. If 62 companies refuse to run ads during Beck’s show, the demand for that time is reduced, and the rates the network can charge for the show plummet. In Beck’s case, almost no major companies are willing to advertise during either of his twice-a-day broadcasts, so Fox can’t collect as much ad revenue as they could before. If we can keep the advertisers away, Fox will have to decide sometime soon whether it’s worth losing money to keep Beck’s poison on the air.

Let's keep the pressure on FOX advertisers by signing this petition:

http://colorofchange.org/beck/hold/

Million Moran March

At long last, today is the super-hyped Glenn Beck / FOX / GOP 9/12 March, a.k.a. "Million Moran March." (Name inspired by famous rightwing sign on left.)

Here are some of the signs expressing their positive, unifying post-911 spirit. More photoblogs by Adele StanOliver Willis, NineTwelvePhotos, Tars Tarkas, TPMChris Edelson. Also Liveblogs by @DemocracyInUSA  

Jake Tapper Tweets

10/1/09

4:00 [tapper] yeah, i didnt have the Grayson quote in front of me. Paraphrased it wrong. Apologies. But Gibbs knew what i was talking about. actual Grayson quote is that GOP health plan is "dont get sick...If you get sick America:...Die quickly." bad paraphrase by me

3:50 [fertik] why did @jaketapper recklessly misquote Grayson? "the Republican solution to healthcare is they want everybody to die?" http://bit.ly/21p66D

3:00 [tapper] Today's Qs for O's WH - Predator attacks, Grayson's charge, Senate Finance Cmte amendments > http://bit.ly/GyzuG 

9/18/09

Rightwing Conspiracy Theories

Glenn Beck forced Van Jones to resign as the unofficial "green jobs czar" because Jones lent his name to a "911 Truth" petition. Key members of the White House Press Corpse decided that asking any questions about 911 made Jones an advocate of an outrageous "conspiracy theory" and immediately disqualified him from any position in politics.

Of course Glenn Beck spends four hours every day on TV and radio not just carelessly lending his name to petitions with questions, but manufacturing and relentlessly promoting completely baseless conspiracy theories.

Glenn Beck Conspiracy Theories

I'd like to collect all of Glenn Beck's crazy conspiracy theories on one page. Please post them in the comments below - and provide a good link (to Beck or someone writing about Beck) whenever you can. Thanks!

9/5/09 If we understand BO by who he surrounds himself with as HE told us, what does VJ911 [Van Jones] truther stuff tell us about BO's middle east policy?