Today's US Senate Cloture Vote on Health Care - YOU CAN HELP!

--- by AK Muckraker

“Homework on a Saturday?” you think. “What’s the deal with THAT?”

Well, this is the deal. We’ve been waiting for health care, and talking about health care and listening to other people talk about health care, and getting screamed at by teabaggers talking about the evils of health care, and suffering through round after round of endless wrangling in the House, and now…

There is a health care bill coming from the Senate. Or is there? After all this time, and all this effort, the Republicans in the Senate want to vote no on cloture. This means that they don’t even want to talk about it. They want no discussion. But, the other side of the aisle, and most of the American people DO want to talk about it. Very very much. The longer this debate drags on, the more people will die. It’s a simple fact.

And just to add insult to injury, the drum beat of conservative radio talk in Anchorage has been incessant. “Call your Senator and tell them to vote NO!” “Health care bad. Obstructionism good!” “Call now! Tell your friends!” “No no no!”

And this went on ALL. DAY. LONG.

And whenever that happens the folks on the other end of the line have to make note of how many calls they have gotten asking them to vote no, versus how many want them to vote yes.

So, what I’m asking is this:

Pick up your phone and make a super-quick, painless, friendly call to the offices of Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski and tell them YES! Yes, yes, yes. Vote yes to start talking! Vote yes to move the debate a step ahead! Vote yes to bring us into the home stretch of health care debate! Yes for dialog! Yes for discussion!

And if you can only make one call, that’s OK but make it to Mark Begich’s office. Imagine those poor forlorn phone answerers who have been dealing with the rabid teabaggers all day. They will LOVE to hear from you. You’ll be like a little gift. A smile. A ray of sunshine.

And once you do that, you can do a little add-on and call Lisa Murkowski. She always likes to quote the statistics and say “I’ve gotten this many phone calls and not one of them said yes.” It’s irritating. Because there are more people who want this to proceed than people who don’t. But the people who don’t want it, get their marching orders and call in. Actually the people that don’t want cloture, really DO. They just don’t realize it. So do them a favor too.

The vote will come today, so no procrastinating. Right now pick up your phone and call.

All you have to say is “Hi, I’m calling to urge the senator to vote yes on cloture for the health care bill.” And that’ll do it.

Yes, right now! I’ll wait….

Senator Begich 202-224-3004

Senator Murkowski 202-224-6665

And when you’re done, you get a reward! You get to write a comment [here at Progressive Alaska or at The Mudfats] or drop me an email and let me know you did it! And if you’re out of state, please call your senator too and let us know.

Homework is always fun when you do it with a group of friends.