Democratic Insider

Shortly after the Senate vote this morning, President Obama sent out the following email to supporters:

Although it's Christmas Eve, I wanted to share some exciting news: The Senate just passed a historic health reform bill.

In all the back and forth, it's easy to lose sight of what this incredible breakthrough really means. But consider this: This Christmas, there are millions of Americans without health insurance who risk losing everything if they get sick.

There are mothers and fathers who wonder how they'll provide for their children because an illness has wiped out their savings. There are small business owners who worry that they'll have to lay off a long-time employee because the cost of insurance is rapidly rising.

If we finish the job, all this can change. We will have beaten back the special interests who have for so long perpetuated the status quo. We will have enacted the most important piece of social policy since the Social Security Act in the 1930s, and the most important health reform since Medicare in the 1960s.

In Decembers to come, millions more will have access to affordable coverage. Parents will have the security and stability of knowing their insurance can't be revoked at a moment's notice. And the skyrocketing costs plaguing our small businesses will be brought under control.

When you make calls, write letters, organize, this is the change you're making -- a better life for your family and for men and women in every state.

There is still more to do before I can sign reform into law -- a last round of negotiations and final votes in the Senate and the House -- and I'm counting on your help every step of the way. But for now, I hope that as you celebrate this holiday season, you remember that the work you are doing is making our union more perfect, one step at a time. For that, I am grateful to you.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays,

President Barack Obama

P.S. -- Supporters of reform are signing a note of appreciation to all the senators who have worked so hard to make this possible. I hope you'll join them.

Continue reading "Message from the President: “A historic moment”" »

This morning, the Senate voted 60-39 to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, after overcoming a series of procedural hurdles and delay tactics by Republicans that were designed to stop the bill from ever reaching the Senate floor for a vote on final passage. DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement after the vote:

"Years from now, when historians look back on 2009, they will recall a Christmas Eve vote in the Senate that took us one giant step closer to finally delivering health reform to the American people.

"The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is landmark legislation. It is the most significant piece of domestic policy since Social Security, the single largest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare and the largest deficit reduction package in more than a decade.

"This bill will help more than 30 million Americans access quality affordable insurance. It will outlaw the insurance industry's worst practices, prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition or retroactively canceling coverage when someone gets sick. It will lower premiums for individuals, families and businesses. And it will actually reduce our deficit by more than $130 billion over the next 10 years.

"This bill accomplishes the goals President Obama articulated at the beginning of this debate: more stable and secure coverage for the insured, more quality affordable choices for the uninsured, and reducing the skyrocketing costs of care for everyone, including our government.

"For Senate Democrats - who stand united in the belief that health care is a right not a privilege - this bill represents hard fought common ground. Thanks to President Obama's extraordinary leadership and the legislative acumen of Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), Committee Chairmen Max Baucus (MT), Chris Dodd (CT), Tom Harkin (IA) and the inspiration of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Democrats are now closer than ever to achieving what no president in the past 100 years has been able to do. While there is still more work to do in the weeks ahead, comprehensive health reform is finally within our grasp.

"This victory for the American people comes despite the incessant and virulent obstructionism of Senate Republicans. Not one voted in a favor of reform - a crippling commentary on their failure to fulfill the responsibilities of leadership. As we move forward, the onus is on the GOP to explain why they sided with their insurance industry friends instead of American families - why they turned their backs on workers and small businesses who are struggling to stay afloat under the status quo.

"Democrats will continue to move forward; we will continue to make progress; and as the New Year dawns, President Obama and Congressional Democrats will deliver the critical changes to our health care system that have been nearly a century in the making."

Continue reading "DNC Chairman Tim Kaine on Senate Health Reform Vote: “Historic… victory for the American People”" »

Yesterday was Governor Kaine’s final appearance on WTOP’s “Ask the Governor” (WTOP is an all-news radio station in the Washington, DC-metro area).

Governor Kaine was fielding questions from callers, when “Barry from DC” called in. Surprise! Barry was actually President Barack Obama – calling in to thank the Governor for his service to the Commonwealth of Virginia and wish him happy holidays.

Here’s an excerpt from the round up in the Washington Post:

Obama started his call by telling Kaine that he had some questions about traffic in Northern Virginia. Both men laughed, and then Obama went on to say, "Rather than go there, I just want to say how proud we are of your service as governor as the Commonwealth of Virginia and just you and the family all the best this Christmas season, after a just terrific round of service for the people of Virginia." "Well, Mr President, that means a lot," Kaine told Obama. "As I think back about my four years as governor, I still think my happiest day as governor was in November of 2008 and the great work we did together across the nation and in Virginia was spectacular and I'm excited to continue to be in service, as they say."

Continue reading "“Barry from DC”" »

Shortly after 1:00 A.M. this morning, the Senate voted 60-40 to suspend debate and move towards a vote on final passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:

Following the vote, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

Tonight the Senate took another major step on the road to finally delivering health insurance reform to the American people.

Thanks to the leadership of Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (IL), Committee Chairmen Max Baucus (MT) and Chris Dodd (CT) and countless others, we are now closer than ever to achieving historic reform that will provide more stability and security to people who have insurance and more quality affordable options to those who don’t, while lowering the high costs of care for families, businesses and entire country.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, if it, or health reform legislation passed by the House of Representatives were to become law, would represent the most significant piece of social and economic legislation since Social Security, and would be the largest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare passed in 1965.

The Senate’s bill will extend coverage to more than 30 million Americans; end abusive insurance industry practices, like denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition or canceling someone’s coverage when they get sick; strengthen Medicare and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund; help small businesses provide their employees affordable insurance; and it will reduce our deficit by 132 billion in the first 10 years, and hundreds of billions more in the years after that.

Seven presidents have tried and failed to reform our broken health care system. But today, thanks to Democratic senators who worked hard to find common ground and the extraordinary leadership and vision of President Obama, the fundamental change that has eluded this country for decades, is finally within reach.

Unfortunately, not one Republican senator voted to allow this legislation to come to a vote on the Senate floor. Throughout this debate, Republicans have done everything in their power to delay and obstruct progress. Instead of fighting for the American people, they are advocating passionately for the status quo – a scenario in which 14,000 people lose their insurance every day, small businesses struggle to stay open and families live with the constant worry of being one injury or illness away from financial ruin. While it is shocking enough that not a single Republican Senator supports this important bill, the fact that they have all stood firm to even deny any opportunity for the bill to be voted on at all demonstrates how badly they misread the responsibilities of leadership.

Democrats will not rest until we deliver health insurance reform to the American people.

The vote on Monday night was the first of three cloture votes (which must achieve a 60 vote threshold) before health insurance reform legislation can be brought to the floor for a final up or down vote. No Republicans voted in favor.

Continue reading "DNC Chairman Tim Kaine on Historic Senate Vote: “Fundamental change…is finally within reach”" »

In an op-ed in the New York Times today, Vice President Joe Biden explains why, if he were still a senator today, he would vote "yes" on the current health reform bill:

While it does not contain every measure President Obama and I wanted, I would vote yes for this bill certain that it includes the fundamental, essential change that opponents of reform have resisted for generations.

We have been here before. In the past, as the moment of decision drew nearer, criticism from both the left and the right grew louder. Compromises were derided. The perfect became the enemy of the good.

Most recently, in 1993, Democrats had a chance to forge a compromise with Senator John Chafee, Republican of Rhode Island, on a health care reform bill. Congress’s failure to pass health care reform that year led to 16 years of inaction — and 16 years of exploding health care costs and rising numbers of uninsured Americans.

We can’t let that happen again. While it is not perfect, the bill pending in the Senate today is not just good enough — it is very good. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions or drop coverage when people get sick. Charging exorbitant premiums based on sex, age or health status will be outlawed. Annual and lifetime caps on benefits will be history. Those who already have insurance will be able to keep it, and will gain peace of mind knowing they won’t be priced out of the market by skyrocketing premiums. And more than 30 million uninsured Americans will gain access to affordable health care coverage.

The Vice President also addressed the disappointment that many feel over the removal of a public option from the Senate bill, but warned that there would be no second chance to vote yes for reform:

I share the frustration of other progressives that the Senate bill does not include a public option. But I’ve been around a long time, and I know that in Washington big changes never emerge in perfect form.

Those in our own party who would scuttle this bill because of what it doesn’t do seem not to appreciate the magnitude of what it has the potential to accomplish.

...Is America better off today because a chance at a compromise health bill was missed in 1993? For my friends on the left, the rising toll of the uninsured provides an emphatic no. For my friends on the right, the soaring share of federal spending on health care likewise provides a no. Let’s not make the same mistake again.

If the bill passes the Senate this week, there will be more chances to make changes to it before it becomes law. But if the bill dies this week, there is no second chance to vote yes. What those who care about health insurance reform need to realize is that unless we get 60 votes now, there will be no health care reform at all. Not this year, not in this Congress — and maybe not for another generation.

Read the full op-ed . . .

Continue reading "Vice President Joe Biden: Why the Senate Should Vote Yes on Health Care" »

Copenhagen has been the epicenter of intense negotiations for the past two weeks about the necessity for global action to address the threat of climate change. President Obama arrived in Denmark on Friday. After remarks at the morning plenary session and several bilateral meetings, the President helped forge a last-minute agreement with China, India, South Africa and Brazil that now forms the basis of the Copenhagen Accord.

During a press conference Friday night (Copenhagen time), President Obama called the Accord “a meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough” because “for the first time in history all major economies have come together to accept their responsibility to take action to confront the threat of climate change.” That fact was echoed by the United Nations' top climate official, Yvo de Boer, who told the Washington Post the Accord was "politically incredibly significant," because so many world leaders personally participated in drafting it.   The Accord is not a binding agreement – and in the President’s own words, “we know that this progress alone is not enough” – but it does represent a significant step forward.

The talks hinged on three major issues – transparency (clear goals, monitoring and reporting), mitigation (a commitment to limit a rise in the Earth’s temperature) and financing (to help poorer nations adapt to climate change). From the New York Times:

The accord provides a system for monitoring and reporting progress toward those national pollution-reduction goals, a compromise on an issue over which China bargained hard. It calls for hundreds of billions of dollars to flow from wealthy nations to those countries most vulnerable to a changing climate. And it sets a goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2050, implying deep cuts in climate-altering emissions over the next four decades.

Grist has a round up of the provisions included in the Accord:

1. A commitment by developed nations to invest $30 billion over the next three years to help developing nations adapt to climate change and pursue clean energy development.

2. A provisional commitment by developed nations to develop a long-term $100 billion global fund by 2020 to assist developing nations in responding to climate change and become part of the clean energy economic transition.

3. A goal to pursue emissions reductions that are sufficient to keep the rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius.

4. Pledges by nations to commit to concrete emissions reductions, though the specific levels of reduction were not set.

5. A general goal to subject participating countries to international review of their progress under the accord.

6. Diplomatic space for the United States and China to work together to solve climate change.

7. A commitment to complete an assessment of the effectiveness of the accord in reducing emissions by the end of 2015.

According to the New York Times, Senator John Kerry (MA), the lead author of clean energy and climate legislation in the Senate, said the Accord would drive Congress to pass climate change legislation early next year. “This can be a catalyzing moment,” he said Friday. “President Obama’s hands-on engagement broke through the bickering and sets the stage for a final deal and for Senate passage this spring of major legislation at home.”

Read President Obama's full remarks . . .

Continue reading "“A Meaningful and Unprecedented Breakthrough in Copenhagen”" »

Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, wrote a passionate op-ed piece for this Sunday's Washington Post, in which she talks about how she believes her husband would have stood on the current health reform bill being debated in the Senate:

My late husband, Ted Kennedy, was passionate about health-care reform. It was the cause of his life. He believed that health care for all our citizens was a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that this year the stars -- and competing interests -- were finally aligned to allow our nation to move forward with fundamental reform. He believed that health-care reform was essential to the financial stability of our nation's working families and of our economy as a whole.

Still, Ted knew that accomplishing reform would be difficult. If it were easy, he told me, it would have been done a long time ago. He predicted that as the Senate got closer to a vote, compromises would be necessary, coalitions would falter and many ardent supporters of reform would want to walk away. He hoped that they wouldn't do so. He knew from experience, he told me, that this kind of opportunity to enact health-care reform wouldn't arise again for a generation.

...The bill before the Senate, while imperfect, would achieve many of the goals Ted fought for during the 40 years he championed access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans. If this bill passes:

-- Insurance protections like the ones Ted fought for his entire life would become law.

-- Thirty million Americans who do not have coverage would finally be able to afford it. Ninety-four percent of Americans would be insured. Americans would finally be able to live without fear that a single illness could send them into financial ruin.

-- Insurance companies would no longer be able to deny people the coverage they need because of a preexisting illness or condition. They would not be able to drop coverage when people get sick. And there would be a limit on how much they can force Americans to pay out of their own pockets when they do get sick.

-- Small-business owners would no longer have to fear being forced to lay off workers or shut their doors because of exorbitant insurance rates. Medicare would be strengthened for the millions of seniors who count on it.

-- And by eliminating waste and inefficiency in our health-care system, this bill would bring down the deficit over time.

Health care would finally be a right, and not a privilege, for the citizens of this country. While my husband believed in a robust public option as an effective way to lower costs and increase competition, he also believed in not losing sight of the forest for the trees. As long as he wasn't compromising his principles or values, he looked for a way forward.

...The bill before Congress will finally deliver on the urgent needs of all Americans. It would make their lives better and do so much good for this country. That, in the end, must be the test of reform. That was always the test for Ted Kennedy. He's not here to urge us not to let this chance slip through our fingers. So I humbly ask his colleagues to finish the work of his life, the work of generations, to allow the vote to go forward and to pass health-care reform now.

Read the full op-ed from Victoria Kennedy . . .

Continue reading "Vicki Kennedy: “The moment Ted Kennedy would not want to lose”" »

Last night at 1:00 A.M., the Senate was narrowly able to overcome a Republican filibuster of a key defense spending bill. On Saturday at midnight, money for the Department of Defense is set to run out – including the money that funds our troops overseas. Republicans had sought to use filibustering of defense funding as a way to delay further debate on health reform.

The New York Times reported:

With Democrats trying to inch toward a final vote on the health care plan before Christmas, Republicans are using every tactic at their disposal to try to thwart progress. Delaying a final vote on the Pentagon measure was just the latest and probably not the last.

Republicans acknowledged their resistance to the Pentagon measure was due to their desire to prolong the debate over the Democratic health care overhaul.

... Asked if he would vote for the defense bill, which Republicans routinely support, Senator Sam Brownback Republican of Kansas, replied bluntly: “No. I don’t want health care.”

The defense spending measure also includes a two-month extension of unemployment benefits and health insurance for out-of-work Americans.

This morning, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer wrote that "This is not a controversial bill – nearly 400 house members supported it and the vast majority of Republicans are expected to vote for it. It’s political gamesmanship at its worst."

The depth of the hypocrisy involved is stunning.  Back in 2007, when Congress was debating how to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible close, many of these same folks launched blistering accusations about Democrats' commitment to our troops.  Here are just a few of the things they said:

"Playing politics with the critical funding that our troops need now is political theater of the worst kind." – Sen. John Cornyn, [Press Release, 4/26/07]

"We have plenty of time and plenty of opportunity to have political debates... but it’s just unconscionable to me to tie the hands of the very troops that we all say we support." – Sen. John Cornyn, [Transcript, Senate Republican News Briefing, 4/10/07]

"Every day we don’t fund our troops is a day their ability to fight this war is weakened." – Sen. Mitch McConnell, [Press Release, 3/31/07]

"No way to treat the troops, and it is entirely inconsistent with [Senators’] expressions of support for the troops." – Sen. Mitch McConnell, [Congressional Record, 10/4/07]

"I don't understand this attitude of, ‘We can play with; we can risk the lives of these troops by waiting until the last possible minute to get the funding to them." – Sen. Jon Kyl, [FOX News Transcript, 4/10/07]

"Our obligation to those troops must transcend politics." – Sen. Jon Kyl, [Press Release, 11/8/07]

Now though, as we debate not foreign policy but health care, the Department of Defense funding can wait? Incredible.

The Senate is expected to resume debate on health reform tomorrow morning.

Continue reading "Republicans Filibuster Defense Spending to To Delay Health Reform" »

Yesterday, former President Bill Clinton called on the Senate to pass health insurance reform, saying abandoning health care reform now would be a "colossal blunder."

Here’s his full statement, posted on the Nation’s blog:

"America stands at a historic crossroads. At last, we are close to making real health insurance reform a reality. We face one critical, final choice, between action and inaction. We know where the path of inaction leads to: more uninsured Americans, more families struggling to keep up with skyrocketing premiums, higher federal budget deficits, and health costs so much higher than any other country's they will cripple us economically.

Our only responsible choice is the path of action. Does this bill read exactly how I would write it? No. Does it contain everything everyone wants? Of course not. But America can't afford to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

And this is a good bill: it increases the security of those who already have insurance and gives every American access to affordable coverage; and contains comprehensive efforts to control costs and improve quality, with more information on best practices, and comparative costs and results. The bill will shift the power away from the insurance companies and into the hands of consumers.

Take it from someone who knows: these chances don't come around every day. Allowing this effort to fall short now would be a colossal blunder -- both politically for our party and, far more important, for the physical, fiscal, and economic health of our country."

Congress last tried (but failed) to pass comprehensive health care reform legislation in 1994. Since that time, millions of Americans have lost their insurance, premiums for individuals and families have more than doubled and national health expenditures have nearly tripled.

Continue reading "Former President Bill Clinton Calls on the Senate to Pass Reform" »

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine wrote an op-ed featured in POLITICO today, taking the Republican Party to task for continuing to advocate for Wall Street, bankers and the well-to-do over the interests of families and small businesses:

Last week, the U.S. House took an important step toward reining in Wall Street’s excesses and restoring balance to our banking system with financial regulatory reform legislation: the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009.

The bill passed the House 223-202, with no GOP votes — unfortunate, but not surprising, considering Republicans began the week by huddling with 100 Wall Street lobbyists to strategize how to kill the bill.

This is the story we’ve seen play out time and again during the past year. President Barack Obama and Dems propose an idea, and Republicans say no way. It’s almost a reflex: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — “no”; equal pay for women — “no”; clean energy — “no”; health insurance reform — “no”; and now financial regulatory reform gets a “no” from the GOP, too.

We’ve called out the Republicans this year as the “party of no,” but the GOP is increasingly moving beyond “no” to revisit recent history. Republicans are aggressively advocating for a do-over of Bush-era policies that have already proved disastrous — tax cuts for the wealthy, massive deregulation, high deficits and an economic program that left working Americans scrambling for cover.

Republicans’ ideological commitment to those demonstrably failed ideas is even more dangerous to American families and workers than their “just say no” approach.

...If the GOP had its way, we’d be suffering through the same policies that cost us millions of jobs, caused trillions of dollars in retirement funds to evaporate, exploded our national deficit and caused us to miss opportunities in emerging global industries. The American people can’t afford to live through the sequel of failed Republican policies.

Read the full op-ed...

Continue reading "Tim Kaine Op-Ed: “A GOP sequel that’s worse than no”" »

DNC Executive Director Jen O'Malley Dillon just sent out the following email:

We've been fighting for health reform for decades. Now it's within reach.

Democratic senators across the country are currently fighting hard alongside the President to pass reform. They deserve our appreciation. Others are still trying to score partisan points rather than stand up for American families -- and they need to understand that their constituents demand better.

Please read the email below and help us hit one million calls to Congress since August in support of reform today.

Thanks,

Jen

--------------Original Message--------------
From: Mitch Stewart, BarackObama.com
Subject: One million calls

Friend --

If we don't pass health reform, millions of Americans will be trapped in a broken status quo, unable to pay their bills or see a doctor when they need one.

More and more employers will drop coverage for employees. And Medicare and Medicaid will blow a hole through our budget.

There's too much at stake not to get this done. That's why OFA supporters have made 849,856 calls to Congress in support of health reform since August.

And that's why today, with the Senate locked in last-minute negotiations, our goal is to hit one million calls.

Can you help? Click here to call your senators now and help us "ring in reform."

This holiday season, millions of Americans will go without desperately-needed care simply because they can't afford insurance.

But insurance lobbyists are desperate to pull apart the bill and derail reform, so your voice is needed now.

Many senators are already working hard for reform, and they deserve our thanks. The rest urgently need to hear that their constituents are counting on them to stand up for change.

Just dial the numbers above, then tell the staffers who answer where you live -- so that they know you are a constituent -- and that you support reform.

Then click here to make sure you call is counted in the race to a million:

http://my.barackobama.com/RingInReform

Thanks for standing up,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Continue reading "One Million Calls" »

Republicans have been railing against President Obama and Congressional Democrats for months, falsely claiming that our federal deficits are a result of the policies Democrats have pursued. Today, a new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities determined that the nation’s current budget deficits are largely a consequence of Bush-era policies. According to the Center, the Bush-era tax cuts, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the economic downturn account for almost the entire deficit over the next 10 years:

"…If not for the tax cuts enacted during the Presidency of George W. Bush that Congress did not pay for, the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that began during that period, and the effects of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression (including the cost of steps necessary to combat it), we would not be facing these huge deficits in the near term…"

The Center concluded that the Bush tax cuts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan accounted for “$500 billion of the deficit in 2009 and $7.1 trillion in 2009 through 2019…” Absent the current economic downturn and the fiscal policies of the Bush Administration, the budget would have balanced over the next decade.

Why is this important? Commentary from the Washington Monthly:

"...It's important for the public to realize who's responsible, in large part because it's important for the public to weigh policymakers' credibility. If GOP lawmakers embraced policies that are almost entirely responsible for the deficit those same lawmakers are now complaining about, it's a relevant detail."

Food for thought.

Continue reading "Bush Era Policies Responsible for Record Budget Deficits" »