| I don't have health insurance. Is it possible 1.4 million New Jerseyans aren't insured? Are you?
Last night, Howard Dean rolled out an initiative on health care on the occasion of his return to the organization he founded - Democracy for America - and its fifth birthday. NJ DFA members and allies, including Gov. Corzine, were at gatherings all over the state and connected on a national conference call.
There was outrage in some quarters when President Obama passed Dean over for HHS Secretary once, then again. But Dean has a history of walking right past disappointment and finding alternative ways to make change. This time he navigates right between those demanding nothing less than single-payer and the culture of those worried that that would mean losing their own insurance options, and suggests we can accommodate both.
Dean lauded President Obama's actions on health care reform, and the president's assertion that those who like their current health insurance policies should be able to keep them. Dean's focus is on pressuring Congress to make sure there is a public insurance option for those who cannot get, or cannot afford private health insurance. An option to buy-in to a Medicare-style insurance coverage.
The health care system is broken, even for those who are covered, some of whom find themselves denied coverage when they get sick, can't get coverage for pre-existing conditions, or get private insurance where their dollars are funneled into profit-making for the insurance company. We know that, and it's revolting, that this country cannot do better.
Dean anticipates using DFA's million-strong email list to generate a quarter-million petition signatures, clearly aiming to pressure Congress for a public option, and perhaps to encourage Obama not to step back in that resolve. Much of DFA's focus over the next year will be about this, including here, with canvasses, house parties and lobbying among the tactics.
Sign the petition.
New Jersey was well-noticed in last night's Dean hook-up. There were several mentions that Corzine was in attendance, at the party in Hawthorne organized by Jeff Gardner, where Corzine spoke for 30 minutes in a packed house of about 75 people. And DFA presented three stories, recorded in the voice of DFA activists, telling Dean what he's missed since he's been gone from DFA for 4 years. One of them was mine, about how we used both DFA and Dean's 50-State Strategy to win in crimson red Flemington. The New Jersey story and the rest of the call are here.
Full-disclosure: Jeff Gardner & I are both co-Chairs of DFA-NJ, and staff members here. Blue Jersey & DFA are separate entities, but there sure is a lot of cross-over. |
