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How to tell Steve Lynch what you think of his plan to vote against the health-insurance bill
By adamg on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 4:34pm
Mike Ball, who calls Lynch a "suddenly unbearable" small embarassment, posts his phone numbers and a Web site on which you can send him a message.
Mike Durant posts a copy of the letter he sent Lynch, who happens to be his representative:
... My question is: do you want to kill healthcare reform for this generation, or do you want to work on it some more? Voting against the bill kills it. Voting for it gives you the opportunity to work on it more. ...
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Comments
Tell ya what Mikey. For every
Tell ya what Mikey. For every call that Lynchie gets that's pro-Obamacare he's getting 3 that are against it. You and the other delusional voters are in for a rude awakening. Feel free to give away all your hard earned money even though I doubt you worked hard a day in your life. But me and my future generations would like to keep mine thank-you very much. it's comical that kick backs, bribes, rides in air force one etc. and they still can't buy the votes. Know who Milton Friedman is? He coined the phrase "bureaucratic displacement". You should learn about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPADFNKDhGM
Know who Milton Friedman
Sure do. A brilliant guy who's idea's have been twisted, perverted, and regurgitated by a group of no-nothingers to "prove" their ideology, based off something they passively listened to in a intro to economics course. Do you?
Anyways, I'm sure Lynch is getting 3:1 calls in opposition from a district that went to Obama >70%. Maybe if you repeat it enough and click your heels it'll make it true this time. He's also not hearing it from the unions that backed him, is he?
Anyways, guess I must be one of those lonely one's. The aid on the phone said they're getting holy hell.
Draft Harmony Wu for the 9th Congressional District
Now here's a progressive candidate I could get behind. An Amherst College graduate who is a real progressive who organized for Barack Obama.
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/needham/2009/0...
I'll be there. With that
I'll be there.
With that connection, and Lynchs' no vote, maybe Bammie will make a stop to southie to campaign for her.
Signed and signed. Info on
Signed and signed. Info on the comments section of the newest front page posting
Harmony Wu, for YOU!
Can't fail!
Cite Palin
In the style of that partial-term Alaska governor, how's that insurer/pharma/hospital driven free-market health insurance working for ya, eh?
Those on planet Earth see from a history of a few to a few million to tens of millions uninsured, and as many or more underinsured, and many many millions of families seeing annual insurance increases of 10% to 50% and worse. And it's supposed to be this modest reform that will "suddenly" cause a jump in prices?
coward
Tell ya what "pussylegs" it's obvious you must have had a rough day answering phones at Lynch's office. How else would you know the call volume? Being a secretary is such hard work for someone as frail as you. So you go home, take off your high heels and get ready to talk some shit. But you ain't got the balls to put your name to it. Typical gutless repukelican. You comment on UH at 4:56 pm = Business hours -> You are a fraud. You don't work hard. I'm sure Milton Friedman is loving getting double teamed by Pinochet and Nixon in hell. Know who Jeezy is? He coined the phrase "my president is black." You should learn about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9sABRosdNg
Well, count me as one of '1'
Well, count me as one of '1' to your '3'. This transparent ass covering will not help Lynch at all. This fig leaf about the bill not going far enough is a crock, and anybody can see that. He just wants to ride the wave of the so-called 'independents' that carried Scott Brown to victory in South Boston. Well Steve, all a Republican or Independent needs to do is point out that you were for the even more 'liberal' first House bill before you were 'against' the watered-down Senate bill - do you think the Brown supports are against the bill because it doesn't go far enough? Of course not! Lynch is forgetting that 70% that went for Obama in the 9th District, people like me who voted for him precisely because he promised this change, and support for a bill that looks likely to pass is bound to be less vocal than the opposition. In for a penny, in for a pound Steve - I think you'd gain more votes if you showed true courage.
Pros and cons
When you call, they ask you to give your name and address. If you won't, they can easily ignore you as a crank.
If you will, they can easily verify whether you are a registered voter, which party you are registered with, and who you donate to.
Then they can ignore most of the rest of the cons as people who were never going to vote for Lynch anyway.
Lynch's biggest worry ought not to be losing to a Republican - this is unlikely in his district. His biggest worry ought to be losing to a primary challenger. The minority who voted against him in the election wouldn't vote for any Democrat. The majority who are his base are the people he needs to be most concerned about. If the three to one breaks down as three cranks and Republicans to one base voter, then the weight is on the one side of the scale.
I used to intern for a
I used to intern for a Senator, they might not pay as close attention if you're not a constituent, but any political information (like voter rolls/donation info) is kept in an office that is completely separate and inaccessible to anyone working for the Senator. We didn't really even know who worked in my Sen.'s political office.
And you bet they are paying attention to who is calling and what the feeling is. Most likely they are keeping a running tally with records of how many "yes" and "no" calls.
Kept?
Voter rolls and donation info aren't "kept" in anybody's office, inaccessible from anybody. They're public information. Give me your real name and address and I can tell you your registration and every political donation you make by looking it up in a second. When did you use to work for a Senator? The fifties?
Funny enough Sockpuppet, I
Funny enough Sockpuppet, I don't doubt anon.
The tubes be a harsh mistress to understand for many a elected official.
Stephen Lynch election possibilities
Why are we talking about elections here? Why are we not talking about a health care bill that will do some good and will provide a base to change and better life. Are we so concerned about a Congressman's job? He's got insurance...the best...the same insurance the average Canadian has. I heard a Tea Party demonstrate tell me that Canadians are dieing in the streets. That's a lie....I know it for a fact. I heard a Senator say a Canadian Prime Minister came here for his heart operation and that's proof our system is better. Really??...maybe the Prime Minister wanted the doctor here to operate and wasn't drawn here because of the system. That doctor could have been anywhere in the world and the Prime Minister would have gone to him. Propaganda is dangerous. Lynch doesn't understand that...he is blind. He has no health insurance worries....unless he's out of a job....maybe. We should be debating the good of the bill and the problems of it weaknesses.....not Lynch's job. As far as I'm concerned he's done....he never should have been there in the first place. He has the intellect of a Snail.
Somebody's putting some real money in
Just got a robo-call (didn't catch the name, Americans for Somethingorother) urging me to call Lynch to tell him to vote yes on the bill.
Maybe Lynch is right
Of course none of us have read the bill, so debating its merits is a sham.
At what point does it become such a bloated give-away to the insurance companies, big health combines and Big Pharma as to be repulsive?
It sounds like Lynch might be genuinely repulsed. I also first blanched at the report of his no vote, but when I read his statement it seemed genuinely chagrined and based on principle.
Glenn Greenwald has an interesting piece today on the subject which is congruent with Lynch's statement.
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/...
The jist of it:
We might be signing on to a bloated subsidy of insurance companies and Big Health which will bankrupt us and which cannot be changed.
I know Obama's presidency might be on the line here, but he and the Dems in Congress have fucked this up so badly they probably deserve to be in this situation.
Vote No for Obamacare
Vote NO
This bill is a disaster!
Vote Yes! This bill is a
Vote Yes!
This bill is a great start!
here's a pretty summary (cribbed)
I have grave reservations about the bill, because I think it uses the full force of the federal government to enforce the mandate without using the federal govt’s power in any meaningful way to control corporations. I think both the Medicare changes and Medicaid expansions are great, though of course neither of those require the comprehensive plan, and the Medicaid provisions will be prone to cherry-picking by deficit hawks. Finally, this bill does next to nothing to affect the real issue, which is cost, so it will actually make companies less likely to choose to build a factory in Michigan instead of Ontario. And, personally, as someone with a pre-existing condition about to enter the indiv market, I would benefit personally, though not in a really immediate way.
I don’t have to decide whether to vote for or against this bill. So I can leave it like that–this is a horribly flawed bill, doesn’t fix the biggest underlying problem, and therefore doesn’t stave off the real risk of American failure internationally, but does help millions who urgently need the help (though not as many millions as the bills supporters claim, because many of those millions will get health insurance but not health care).
I think Dem politicians are probably right to conclude they need to pass this bill for the good of the party in the short term, and so I can understand why the party is scrambling to make that happen. But I am very agnostic over whether this bill will either help the party in the medium (2012) or long (when it actually goes into effect) term, or whether it will damage it hugely. ANd I’m not optimistic they’ll be able to do much to improve it, but I’d love to be proven wrong.
My take? I’d like an honest discussion of this, one that has frankly been silenced in many parts, because if this bill passes yet people don’t acknowledge its huge failures, then it won’t get better and the good parts will be chipped away for funding reasons while the bad parts will remain.
Even Stupak says Yes
TMP
Boy does Lynch look like a kid with his pants down.
Lynch's Dem challenger Mac D'Allesandro Rally Tue in Boston
At noon on the Common across from the statehouse (Park & Beacon) Mac is having a rally. If you live in MA-9 and work in the city, you should go listen to what he has to say.