Another town hall

Once again I got to a town hall public meeting on health care reform when it was about to start and wound up in the overflow area – this one inside with Congressperson Yarmuth (D-Lousiville) and a local radio personality helping MC – at Central High School – about six blocks into the predominantly working-class, majority African American West Side. Because of my Florida driver’s license, I’m not sure I would have been able to get into the auditorium anyway.

There were more people here, but the crowd – even with plenty of opponents, including a bus – was more heavily tilted toward pro-health care reform people, including plenty of single-payer people. Yarmuth said he’s a co-sponsor of the singler-payer bill but he seems prepared to vote for whatever comes out although he said we’d probably someday wind up with single-payer. Yarmuth started out by setting out a range of health insurance reform regulations – no pre-existing condition exclusions, no lifetime caps, no kicking people off insurance for getting sick, portability – that, when he asked, most people there agreed with.

I couldn’t see Congressperson Baron Hill Monday – and I could see Yarmuth on the big screen – and I’m not sure how Yarmuth would have done with a more hostile crowd – but Yarmuth was a little more goofy, smiling nervously, and – noticeable on the big screen – moving around a lot. He raised some more complicated issues than Hill perhaps, and we had 1 ½ hours and so the questioners had more time to raise complex issues. Eventually he showed one concerned person that what they were complaining about in the proposal was a consequence of the reglations most people had agreed to (which suggested how radical some of them were). People brought up abortion, end-of-life decisions, and of course the budget deficit, the constitutuion, and government power. Many seemed skeptical about Keynesian countercyclical policies, though he tried to explain them. I was proud of both Hill and Yarmuth, who – before at least mixed crowds – sticking to their guns. They both laid out principles they were seeking and Yarmuth – when asked – said although he is a single-payer supporter – said he was not doctrinaire and would listen to suggestions from anyone. Like Hill, in response to a question about tort reform, Yarmuth said some of these Indiana-style lawsuit merit review boards were in the bill, but Yarmuth went into more detail, saying there were grants in there to encourage states to adopt these. He also conceded that – with all of the existing law the 1,000-page bill amends – you’d really have to read something like 10,000 pages to take it all in.

Health care reform advocates had gathered as early as 4 p.m. and were to have a vigil afterwards at 8 p.m. I got there just before the meeting was to start – at about 6:30 p.m. – and – after some delay – got waved into the overflow area without the heavy airport-style security (and ID-ing) that those going into the main auditorium went through. I saw Carloa and Jamie from church and a few others I recognized – though not the Organizing for America organizer whom I had met Saturday and not come back to make calls for Sunday. On the way there I called Bruce’s voice-mail to say I would not make it to canvassing Thursday – three nights out in a row, with two of them to health care – plus I don’t feel great. In my e-mail Wednesday night was a notice that national GOP chief Michael Steele was to be speaking Thursday AM in Floyds Knobs, IN, against health care reform, but I won’t make it to that. I saw the same ex-WLKY reporter, now with Fox, there was who was there Monday night in New Albany. Yarmuth pointed to President Obama’s speech to Congress – next Wednesday night – just scheduled today – as an important event in which the president may finally say more specifically what he wants, including possibly accepting state coops instead of a national public option (though Yarmuth hinted such a coop would have trouble developing in Kentucky with the sickest population and with a wide swath of rural areas without enough doctors and nurses). We’ll see what happens then and see if I volunteer or go to any more events before then.

-- Perry

Demonstration and counter-demonstration

Unbeknowst to me, health care reform advocates - particularly the union organizers and Single Payer people - staged a demonstration Tuesday in the same Jeffersonville (IN) park where I heard now Vice President Biden speak almost a year ago (and in the shadow of the office of Vincent's psychiatrist). But on the very next day - it turned out - the "Hands Off my Health Care" bus - apparently moving down from Indianapolis, where 100 rallied - was slated to bring people to the same park, and a counterdemonstration was planned - no doubt with some of the same people from the previous day's rally. Keep in mind that this is in Southern IN where there are key votes - in the House (with Blue Dogs Baron Hill and also Brad Ellsworth) and in the Senate (with Senator Bayh). I had visions of thugs being bussed in - with no local people at the Hands Off rally - and then angry confrontations between them and some of the particularly vociferous Single Payer people (Hill's staff had seemed to dislike both sides). I'm sure that may have been what the 2-3 TV stations that showed up hoped for also - and perhaps in time for the 6 p.m. local news. I got there a little late and headed by the Hands Off rally. There were about 100 people again - and over time I concluded that most were local people - plus whoever came on the bus. I only heard snippets of the speakers - probably an hour's worth of speakers. One addressed an Achilles' heel of the debate for reform advocates - abortion - I did not see people burning effigies of the president or Congressman Hill. I also did not hear anything as coherent as the conservative on National Public Radio Tuesday who made an argument about Medicare undercompensating health care providers and cost shifting due not just to uncompensated care but also due to Medicare undercompensated care (I believe this is an issue the Blue Dogs addressed - protecting low-profit margin rural hospitals in their districts more than the federal treasury - coherent, whether or not it's actually valid. I only saw Anglos over at the Hands Off rally. But, for the most part, the people at that rally and the counterdemonstration - where I shifted over and joined soon, didn't look that different from each other. I had seen some of these people before - at the June Southern Indiana for Change meeting where Organizing for Change activist Abby I thought was going to cry, at the rally in front of Congressman Hill's office, at the rally in front of Senator McConnell's office last week, and (a few people) at health care reform canvassing and phone banking. (I had missed the Tax Day tea party - with a much larger crowd - across the river in front of the courthouse in Louisville - perhaps with a few of the same people at the Hands Off rally.))

The woman on the left below led some of the chanting. (I've got no video because Stephanie had our regular camera at school - I took Mom's old digital camera.)

A handful of Hands Off people wandered over to our demonstration. These would hae been the more confrontational types. I heard the word socialist several times - and one of the Hands Off activists told a TV station that he mainly didn't want to end up working to pay for health care for people who didn't work (most people on Medicaid and Medicare don't work already- ?) - but one of these two men said something about Obama being an imposter - like Obama is an actor - in some "Manchurian candidate" sort of way - and that someone else is the master puppeteer.

I do wish I'd gotten to hear more of the broad anti-reform coalition's argument (I saw a few people identified as Republican activists) - although I guess if I wanted to know that badly I could be reading a friend's anti-reform chain e-mails. I like the juxtposition below of the woman and her sign - a woman I met at Democratic Party HQ in New Albany who volunteered Bruce all 2008 to help Obama win (?) Clark County (IN) and the side of the Hands Off My Health Care bus (which periodically played Credence Clearwater Revival songs- probably partly to try to drown us out - since we were marching in a circle next to the bus - a ways from the rally - although we cleared to another sidewalk when leaders thought the bus riders would be trying to make their way back to the bus).

It was sometimes difficult for folks - even me - to lead cheers - What do we want? Health care! When do we want it? Now! - because of the rift between the Single payer and Obama care/public option folks. We had to design cheers that did not explicitly plug either one.

I left after almost an hour, before the riders had really returned to the bus. Soon there was already some news coverage: http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=10960171 But I thought this story may have exaggerated the level of confrontation. I saw no bussed in storm troopers, heard few ugly comments, and witnessed no fist fights. Maybe next time.

-- Perry

Turnout

Mid-week I had a double dose of Obama health care reform organizing. Tuesday night I stopped by the downtown Louiville café that had been the home base for the Obama budget canvassing where some 20 people (more than I had expected) – some veterans of the Obama KY primary campaign – gathered to chat with two Organizing for American organizers, one paid, one volunteer. They had called me to make sure I would be there, even though it turns out the weather had been awful that day. They did a good job of listening to people, but then after an hour (and I left early so Vincent and I could go to the gym) got down to organizing – primarily around calling east central Kentucky to push KY’s one other Democratic congressperson, Ben Chandler, to support health care reform. He’s been on the fence. Our own congressperson, John Yarmuth, is more progressive and has been supportive so far. There was talk about the tea party activity and disruptions to Democratic congresspeople trying to have town meetings.

The KY organizers, who have been touring across the state, said they were trying to rebuild some organization, since there was not a lot of general election action, since Obama for the most part wrote off this state. The organizers were more clear about the direction coming from the president – something that had gotten away from us somewhat at the July Southern Indiana for Change meeting. The organizers pushed volunteering in KY instead of IN (I recognized one of the single-payer advocates from the Southern Indiana meeting – I noticed she was quieter when a man was leading the meeting – but like me she seemed not impressed for his arguments why we should focus in KY.)

Wednesday night I was back across the river in Southern Indiana. It was not raining – like it was when the rain delayed me last week – but the whole area is still reeling from all of the rain. There was a big crowd – again, about 20 – which again surprised me. Remember I’ve been to several events over there where only two or three or four of us called or canvassed. Abby (daughter of Stephanie’s principals) had really pulled out the stops, partly because there was supposed to be a “Washington Post” reporter there. But she obviously also had help – by the presence – from higher-ups: two people from Congressman Hill’s office, some new IN organizers, and the Floyd County Democratic Party chairperson – all of whom I met, plus Abby’s mother and uncle, and Bruce and a woman, both of whom I’d met, who are Louisville people who were active in the election campaign.

There was little wrangling about single-payer here.

Abby and then the IN state director talked, and then Bruce and I headed out to canvass in two different neighborhoods not far from downtown. At the last moment the “Post” reporter, who had appeared, tagged along with us. Apparently Abby had partly funneled him towards us. Bruce’s car was a mess, and so Robert ended up caravanning with us. The first neighborhood we went to had gotten hit bad by the flooding the day before. The first man I talked to had just come up from trying to get water out of his basement. Bruce and I took opposite sides of the street and Robert tagged along behind me for a while. Two or three of the voters I talked to he asked follow-up questions of, identifying himself, and then even took a picture of one of the voters in her front yard with her flag. He was doing an article which may be in in the next week about the health care reform debate in the district of Baron Hill, who has turned out to be a pivotal figure in the debate in the House (as a key Blue Dog Democrat who still seems to want reform, on the House Commerce Committee). We noted that Hill, who he was to interview Thursday, has not scheduled town meeting-type events during the August recess. I talked him a little about my support for health care reform: I have a “Cadillac” plan, but am just a job loss away from losing it. And I have family members with no health insurance and have seen people lined up in emergency rooms, some with health problems that it’s not efficient for them to be in emergency rooms for, and know my employer is paying extra (the hidden tax) because of that. I also mentioned that my Mother’s health insurance company may turn her down for a important potentially life-saving medication, and so we already have rationing – it’s just by insurance companies, not the government. I had had time to think about this a little because Abby had told me he might call me the day before. We also talked some of the politics of health care reform – both in Southern Indian and elsewhere – something I’ve already covered some on the blog.

Robert left us and Bruce and I moved to a different neighborhood on the opposite of downtown. This was a neighborhood not unlike the one in Jeffersonville that Tim, Abby’s uncle, and I had walked a month ago – a very Democratic, mixed-race, mixed-class neighborhood. It looked like it had an African-American church on one side of it. I didn’t know there was such neighborhoods in New Albany: a black plurality neighborhood also a little like my old neighborhood, Phoenix Hill. People were relatively supportive, and Bruce and I – who had not taken enough flyers – ended up running out of some. We were supposed to encourage people to call Hill to thank him for helping turn the Commerce Committee around – but had to call to get his number and write it on a flyer. Compared to canvassing in Jeff days, we have a beautiful new color flyer, but we had not gotten enough of them. Some cute dogs and a few conversations. Between the two of us in the two neighborhoods – over two hours – complete with newspaper interviews and flooding and dog conversations – Bruce and I got about 11 public endorsements, I think – which is better than the two or three I usually get on the phone.

Speaking of surprise big crowds partly to impress people, we had one of our two biggest Toastmasters meetings – 15 people – in recent years, when the Toastmasters area governor – from an adjoining club – as a guest. My new colleague Joelle did a good job with her second speech, but we faced very difficult extemporaneous speaking topics. This is just my third meeting since turning over my VP for Education reins to a fellow club member, and essentially only the second meeting whose educational program I didn’t plan. But the meeting went well, and I continue – as VP for Public Relations – to blog for the club at: http://peacespeakerstoastmasters.blogspot.com

-- Perry

Mid-week

Stephanie got to the New Albany rendezvous late, but arrived in Nashville - having stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way for lunch with her four colleagues (another is already there) - at 2 p.m. Central time, to find that her conference is at the Grand Old Opry resort, site of a weekend Food Network event starting Friday (Stephanie's last day there).

Vincent met with his counselor for the first time in three weeks Wednesday, and she said she congratulated him on the break-up with Samantha and urged Stephanie and me to give him until Sunday to finish his on-line classes (well, really, she means the Senior English class - there's no way in the world he could finish that - including the research paper of the same sort that tripped him up when he was taking this class in the classroom - AND his math class) and said that - while we spoke by phone - he was on his way home to work more. He has completed four additional job applications - Skyline Chili, a local bakery, a Speedway gas station, and Taco Bell - but has turned down offers from us to drive him to deliver them. He received an e-mail this week that the soon to be reopened local Target store - with hundreds of jobs - would not be hiring him. My idea is that we offer a chance to put him under computer room arrest - he stays in the room to work on his classes without going out except with us to look for jobs or go to the gym or to go to counseilng or the doctor's - until he finishes the two classes (unless he gets a job and starts making utility contributions?) - Otherwise, we suggest he take and mail in the GED pre-test and give him the number of a YMCA program that helps find places to live for 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds to live or $60 to take the Greyhound Bus to Columbus, presumably to right back with his father.

Wednesday I also read that in the morning the Southern IN Congressperson whose campaign I've volunteered for - and whose office several dozen people and I demonstrated at Tuesday (see below) to push him to back the president's health care reform proposals - is one of four (out of a total of seven) Blue Dog Democrats on the House Commerce Committee - who has OKed a compromise that would get the proposal out of the committee this week - but not onto the House floor until September - and would also complicate the public option, lower the penalties and raise the size threshhold of requirements that businesses insure employees, and limit the power of the federal government to lower health care reimbursement rates. The time change gives opponents more time to organize against whatever proposal comes out, and the other changes probably limits both the universal access and cost-cutting impacts of the proposal. Whether Baron Hill ends up voting for a bill and, if so, if he can still gets re-elected, remains to be seen.




Also Wedneday I got a scary, chain e-mail from exactly the kind of person who health care reform should attract - a sales professional who lost her job and has been without health insurance for more than a year, partly because - with her house not foreclosed yet and without a child and a good 15 years short of 65 - she doesn't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, and so slips through the cracks. Yet she was disseminating conservative criticism of reform proposals - much of it misleading at best - apparently without any recognition of her vested interest in reform. If she had said - even though these reforms would help me, I oppose this in principle because . . . then at least I would have taken it as well-informed principle, but . . . On the whole, not a great sign for prospects for reform.

-- Perry