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After extensive deliberation the AFL-CIO Executive Council, with my strong support and recommendation, agreed this afternoon to support and fight to pass the president's health care reform bill.
This was not a decision we made casually because we know this bill is not perfect. But it is the best opportunity we have had in decades to begin fixing America's broken health care system.
If you need proof this bill is worth fighting for, look no further than the swarm of insurance company lobbyists all over Capitol Hill trying to stop it!
Today I'm asking you to join us and do everything you can to help pass this bill. Call your representative now: 1-877-3-AFLCIO and tell your representative to support the health care bill before Congress.
Together we have fought to improve this bill every day for more than a year, and our actions made it far better. The president's health care reform bill will:
* Immediately stop the worst greed-driven insurance company abuses-like denying care because of pre-existing conditions;
* Toughen penalties on employers that try to run from their responsibilities;
* Put the burden of paying for health care where it belongs-on the wealthy; and
* Get life-saving health coverage to 30 million more people.
This is our moment. We can't miss this opportunity. The long-term health security that will result from this bill is the most important thing we can do for our future-for our children and their children.
Today I'm asking you to do everything you can to help pass this bill.
Call your representative today: 1-877-3-AFLCIO, and tell your representative: Pass heath care reform.
Join me as the labor movement helps make history again.
In case you're having any problems getting through to DC (using the 877 number above or the handy calling tool advertised in our side bar) here's the numbers for the regional WV offices, too.
Rep. Nick Rahall
Beckley Office
301 Prince St.,
Beckley, WV 25801
(304) 252-5000
The health reform vote is coming in the House. Representative Alan Mollohan (WV-01) needs to keep listening to us, not the insurance companies.
In Mollohan's district, the House's improvements to the Senate health reform bill will [pdf]:
Improve coverage for 336,000 residents with health insurance.
Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 175,000 families and 11,900 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
Improve Medicare for 120,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
Extend coverage to 51,000 uninsured residents.
Guarantee that 10,700 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
Protect 700 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
Allow 47,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents' insurance plans.
Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 33 community health centers.
Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $71 million annually.
A vote for health reform is a vote to stand with these people. A vote against health reform is a vote for the status quo, where insurance companies make record profits by raising rates by double digits (4x faster than wages in West Virginia) and dropping millions of customers from their rolls.
The House may vote on health reform as early as this weekend. When the vote comes, Representative Mollohan has a chance to show us that he's still on our side.
According to this whip count, Rep. Alan Mollohan still needs to hear from all of us that West Virginians support health care reform and he should, too.
As a reminder, here are the many ways you can get in touch with Rep. Mollohan. You can email him at CongressmanMollohan@mail.house.gov or phone or fax (or visit!) at any of his many offices:
Washington DC Office
2302 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
ph: (202) 225-4172
fax: (202) 225-7564
Clarksburg Office
Room 209, Post Office Building
PO Box 1400
Clarksburg, WV 26302-1400
ph: (304) 623-4422
fax: (304) 623-0571
Morgantown Office
Marina Tower, Suite 504
48 Donley Street
Morgantown, WV 26507-0720
ph: (304) 292-3019
fax: (304) 292-3027
Parkersburg Office
Room 2040, Federal Building
425 Juliana Street
Parkersburg, WV 26101
ph: (304) 428-0493
fax: (304) 428-5980
Wheeling Office
Federal Building
Chapline Street
Wheeling, WV 26003
ph: (304) 232-5390
fax: (304 )232-5722
Before the bamboozlement gets too far, let's be clear about what the House is considering doing. There are two bills. The senate's original bill and the changes to that bill the House has now negotiated with the Senate. Normally, this is all hashed out in a conference committee. And it's all voted on in a single vote. In this case, that's not possible because of the continuing Republican filibuster in the Senate. So the House is considering taking both bills, consolidating them into a single vote, up or down. The old fashioned way. This isn't 'not having a vote'. And this has been done repeatedly before. Anybody who thinks these two bills shouldn't be passed simultaneously or thinks one or the other shouldn't pass has a simple solution. Vote no. Simple.
This isn't complicated. It's consolidating two votes into one.
One of those odd things about Congress is that Democrats never gained any traction with their process arguments when the Republicans ran the show, yet some of those same Democrats get all nervous as soon as their hear the Republicans offer up even less convincing versions of process arguments.
I just heard today that a member of my extended family had another application for health insurance denied because of a pre-existing condition. This pre-existing condition is something she's had since birth--in fact, the best available scientific evidence suggests she inherited it from a parent, who also has this rare condition.
The denial letter from the insurance company helpfully suggested looking for a state program for coverage. In her case, she's a young adult who is potentially eligible for a state program but only if she goes for at least half a year un-covered by any insurance whatsoever. Meanwhile, she's at risk of major expenses if anything catastrophic happens.
Here's a young adult going to school part time who is falling between the cracks of any available health insurance plan. She's had health insurance her entire life and now that her COBRA coverage has run out she's joining the ranks of the uninsured.
For the conservatives and libertarians reading this who say "the market is the answer"--what we have here is a total market failure--no one will sell her insurance at any price. My relative's story is a hardly exceptional. There are people dying every day for lack of health care coverage.
How can it be that the wealthiest society that has ever existed on this planet is failing so badly to provide for the basic needs of its citizens?
Health care insurance reform can't happen quickly enough.
Keep at it, Sens. Byrd and Rockefeller, Reps. Mollohan and Rahall. We're counting on you to get health care reform passed this month.
Following last week's launch of anti-Democratic attacks by the prostitute-loving Dick Morris (who admitted his commercials were full of factual errors), a new group of rightwingers is airing "issue ads" against Rahall and Mollohan.
This week, the West Virginia Republicans can count on help from the American Future Fund.
A quick look into the past of the future fund shows it's made up of the expected Lee Atwater disciples:
- Former spokesman for the House GOP in Iowa, Tim Albrecht, who also worked on Mitt Romney's failed presidential campaign.
- Ben Ginsburg, legal counsel for the group. You'll remember Ginsburg as chief outside counsel for the Bush Cheney campaign in 2004. He, of course, had to resign his position when it was revealed he was advising the Swift Boat smear effort and contradicting the Bush campaign's claim that they had nothing to do with "outside" attacks on Sen. John Kerry.
- and Larry McCarthy, media strategist for the group - best known for producing the racist-as-hell Willie Horton ad for Bush Sr.'s campaign against Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988.
The West Virginia Democratic Party has a strong slate of candidates running for office, in some cases against each other. In most of the primary races I intend to remain neutral, but people can take their own stances.
Two notable exceptions I'll state upfront. I strongly support the re-election of Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sometimes the obvious needs to be stated: with the ads he is running, coal baron Don Blankenship wants to split Democrats. He knows he has no chance of winning those two House races. (He's willing to throw his vacation buddy Spike Maynard out as the Republican sacrificial lamb to lose to Rahall. Some friend you got there Spike. You two deserve each other.)
Blankenship's real agenda is at least twofold: 1.) to push the Overton window his direction no matter who is running and 2.) weaken Mollohan and Rahall for any future senatorial races by attacking them now and making them spend campaign resources now.
I'm not playing Blankenship's game. We've got two fine representatives for West Virginia in Mollohan and Rahall - I've long wished Rahall in particular was my representative instead of Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito - and those two gentleman have my support.
As always, I speak for myself. The rest of the fine community members of this group blog are free to disagree or agree.
The Charleston Gazette's Paul Nyden has a good, detailed story on the federal investigation of U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV01) who was cleared of any wrong doing after years long probe that began under the highly politicized Justice Department under George W. Bush.
Reports about that investigation surfaced after the National Legal and Policy Center -- a Falls Church, Va.-based organization with ties to right-wing groups -- filed a formal complaint against Mollohan with the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia on Feb. 28, 2006.
The NLPC launched a public campaign against Mollohan in April 2006, shortly before West Virginia's May 9 primary elections.
Over the years, the group has targeted other political leaders including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., former Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and billionaire author and activist George Soros.
The group routinely criticizes labor unions and also attacked AARP for opposing Social Security privatization.
Founded in 1991, the NLPC received $1.43 million in foundation grants between 1995 and 2005. Three foundations affiliated with the conservative Scaife family in Pittsburgh gave NLPC $1.18 million of that total.
Mollohan became the ranking Democrat on the House Ethics Committee in January 2003.
Mollohan believes NLPC filed its 2006 complaint against him because of the major role he played in preventing Republican leaders from weakening House Ethics Committee rules.
There was never anything to the charges made by the group. If there was anything, under Karl Rove's direction, the DOJ would have brought charges against Mollohan.
Instead they aimed a smoke machine at Mollohan and then tried to claim there must be a fire -- all tied to defeating him in the 2006 election as opposed to tied to actual wrong doing. The GOP and their right wing allies went after Mollohan because he wouldn't make life easy for Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff.
For those of you who read what this blog frequently, you know I criticize Democrats more than Republicans because Democrats are the ones in power. When Republicans were running government in Washington, I spent more time pointing out how misguided their ideas and political philosophy are. Now, what the GOP says or does is largely irrelevant.
As we enter Election Season 2010, it's good to remember all the ways that Democrats who represent West Virginia do a good job. For example, the majority (though not quite all) of my disagreements with Reps. Mollohan and Rahall are around the single issue of coal. I feel they over-emphasize the importance of coal to West Virginia and under-represent the interests of the other 90% of the state's economy.
But, putting that aside, there are many ways that Reps. Mollohan and Rahall do a great job of looking out for the interests of the average West Virginian. This is something that all liberals and progressives in the state should be proud of. I was reminded of that this week when the NAACP released their score card for 2009 votes on a broad range of civil rights issues.
The NAACP score card covers votes on issues related to economic justice--things that directly and indirectly make a positive impact on the lives of West Virginians.
Thank you Rep. Alan Mollohan and Rep. Nick Rahall for a job well done in 2009.
The field for the West Virginia Representatives to the U.S. House is complete. Here's the candidates who have filed for office in each of the three district races.
The Candidates
WV-01
Alan B. Mollohan (Democrat) from Fairmont, Marion County
Mike Oliverio (Democrat) from Morgantown, Monongalia County
Cindy Hall (Republican) from Wheeling, Ohio County
Patricia VanGilder Levenson (Republican) from Wheeling, Ohio County
David B. McKinley (Republican) from Wheeling, Ohio County
Sarah Minear (Republican) from Morgantown, Monongalia County
Thomas Stark (Republican) from Parkersburg, Wood County
Mac Warner (Republican) from Morgantown, Monongalia County
WV-02
Virginia Lynch Graf (Democrat) from Charles Town, Jefferson County
Shelley Moore Capito (Republican) from Charleston, Kanawha County
WV-03
Bruce Barilla (Democrat) from Bluefield, Greenbrier County
Nick Joe Rahall II (Democrat) from Beckley, Raleigh County
Lee A. Bias (Republican) from Barboursville, Cabell County
Marty Gearheart (Republican) from Bluefield, Mercer County
Conrad G. Lucas II (Republican) from Huntington, Cabell County
Elliott E. "Spike" Maynard (Republican) from Williamson, Mingo County
What to expect
WV-01 While six different Republicans bloody each other up to face the incumbent Alan Mollohan he'll have, on paper at least, just as tough a challenger in the Democratic primary. The primary challenge from the conservative Democrat Oliverio may be a blessing in disguise for Mollohan if it brings out Mollohan supporters early and awakens a campaign apparatus that was dormant when he ran unopposed two years ago. The national GOP want WV-01 to be a high profile race, but with the recent clearing of Mollohan of any criminal wrong-doing in a long-simmering FBI probe, Mollohan can now focus on building up a war chest. Rep. Mollohan may have to campaign harder than usual, but with the advantages of incumbency he should have no returning for another term.
WV-02 After facing a well-supported and well-financed challenge by DCCC-recruited strong challenge by DCCC-supported* candidate Anne Barth in 2008, Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is breathing a major sigh of relief this year. The DCCC and state Democrat party was unable to recruit any high profile candidates for this race. Democrats are lucky that grassroots activist Graf has stepped up to challenge Capito, so the seat remains contested. Graf benefits from no primary challenge so can immediately focus on Capito and a general election campaign. Capito has 'bought a landslide' two cycles in a row, Graf can only hope Capito is complacent and gets caught by surprise if the Graf campaign catches fire.
* Updated: In my haste earlier, I may have left the wrong impression. To clarify: Anne Barth was well supported by the DCCC once she entered the race; State Sen. John Unger was the original DCCC-recruited candidate up until he unexpectedly dropped out just prior to the filing deadline. Also, although Anne Barth did well with fund-raising, she was still out-spent by Rep. Capito by around 3:1.
WV-03 Incumbent Democratic Nick Rahall will have no problem dispatching Barilla in the primary. Former Democrat Spike Maynard is widely expected to be well funded by Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship and prevail in the Republican primary field. A Rahall vs. Maynard general election will almost certainly be a hugely negative, substance free affair. This race will draw national interest--after all, can you think of any other congressional candidates who have inspired Grisham novels? In the end, the interest will benefit Rep. Rahall's fund-raising and he'll be returned for yet another term.
West Virginia Republicans last hope for defeating Rep. Alan Mollohan fell as the Justice Department ended the investigation into him with no charges. Despite all the noise by the GOP, the four-year investigation that went on for years under the political machinations of the Bush "Justice" Department has come to an end.
The Justice Department has shuttered its nearly four-year investigation into the personal finances of Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), freeing the 14-term lawmaker to pursue what could be a tough bid for reelection without the lingering cloud of a federal criminal probe.
Tough reelection? Let's hope the Republicans believe their own propaganda. If the Republicans can find an opponent who didn't lie to boost his or her resume like their past challengers have done and if the RNCC provides HUGE amounts of money to a potential challenger will I believe the Republicans really think they have a shot. The WV GOP will make a lot of noise, but look for Rep. Shelley Moore Capito to help squelch any national GOP efforts to recruit and fund a real challenger to Mollohan. She does not want a potential rival for other offices in the state to come from within the state party that she controls.
In any event, a Republican challenger would have to get by Mollohan, who has been highly effective despite the mud thrown at him by the Republicans.
In a statement, Mollohan said the investigation was sparked by a conservative watchdog group's partisan actions. The probe was launched when he was serving as the top Democrat on the House ethics committee.
"For nearly four years, in the face of a politically-motivated assault on my character, I have continued to fight for jobs and the working families of West Virginia. With this behind me, I am more determined than ever to stand up for the people of the First Congressional District and fight for what matters," Mollohan said.
If I was Rep. Alan Mollohan hearing the GOP noise machine winding up, I'd be thinking: "Oh, please don't remind anyone of all those appropriations I've brought home to West Virginia."
"Drown me! Roast me! Hang me! Do whatever you please," said Brer Rabbit. "Only please, Brer Fox, please don't throw me into the briar patch."
Good afternoon, West Virginia Blue readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
Our fearless leader has his own open thread on the front page, but these stories are a bit more focused and we do have The Most Important News of the DayTM
I'm too pissed about the amendment forced through for a vote by Bart Stupak (D-Mich) to write a full-fledged diary about it. There's a lot of excellent coverage at FDLACTION (emphasis mine):
Multiple sources are reporting that Stupak's anti-abortion amendment, that would basically prevent all insurance plans sold in the individual and small group market from covering elective abortion, is expected to pass. It would be the most far reaching restriction place on abortion at the national level in years. Moments ago on MSNBC, Bart Stupak (D-Mich) affirmatively said that his amendment will pass.
I warned last week that Reps. Rahall and Mollohan were actively supporting Rep. Stupak. If you're unhappy about that, contact them now and urge them to vote against the Stupak amendment. Tell them health care reform is no time to limit access to legal health care procedures.
(We're not there yet, but if the Stupak amendment passes it's fine with me if any liberal legislators decide to vote against the entire bill because of it.)
Update Call Rep. Capito, too. She's a member of the pro-choice Republican woman's caucus. She is supposedly pro-choice (even though most of her supporters think otherwise). This is the moment of truth. Call and make sure her office knows you are paying attention.
The core premise of health reform is that if you like the coverage you have, you can keep it. Yet for the millions of women whose current insurance plans include coverage for abortion care, that promise may be broken today.
Congressman Stupak wants to place new restrictions on abortion and deny women this coverage. However, the House bill being voted on today already contains a compromise that reflects the status quo and current law: It prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion but still allows women to use their own money to buy the coverage they need.
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