Tim Canova, Chair, Progress For All
I write to personally express my gratitude to all of you who stepped up to help beat back the atrocious Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare (also known as the Affordable Care Act or ACA). The GOP bill that was rushed through committees by House Speaker Paul Ryan and the Republican leadership would have raided Medicare and all but destroyed Medicaid. In addition, 24 million Americans would have lost their health insurance over the next decade, while giving enormous tax cuts to Wall Street CEOs and insurance companies.
In the end, the Republicans retreated from even holding a vote on their own bill. Throughout the Obama administration, House Republicans voted dozens of times to repeal all or parts of Obamacare. They were bullies who could always count on Obama to veto GOP repeals, and so they didn’t need to be responsible for offering any realistic alternative. But every bully is a coward. Now, with a Republican president, the GOP had to own any legislation it passes. But yesterday, House Republicans dared not even vote on their own healthcare bill, because the vote itself would have blown up the party. After decrying Obamacare year after year, election after election, House Republicans showed today that they’ve got nothing, that Obamacare is better than their own mean spirited alternatives.
We are inspired by the massive resistance of grassroots activists like you. That’s what won this battle. We made phone calls to House Republicans, we shared on social media, we marched in the streets, and we attended town halls and public forums to let members of Congress know the entire country was watching and we would not forget their votes! All across the country ordinary people stood up and spoke out against the Republican plan!
We celebrate this victory while remaining vigilant and ready for the next fight.
As members of Congress grapple with the GOP’s epic failure on healthcare, we must all turn out attention to improving the flaws of Obamacare. We in the progressive movement should take this opportunity to rally behind Rep. John Conyers’ bill, H.R. 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act – a single payer universal healthcare plan.
We should also continue our fight against big Pharma by building momentum for Senator Bernie Sanders’ bill, S. 469 – the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act – which would help curb the skyrocketing cost of medicine for not just seniors, but all consumers, by allowing us to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
At Progress For All we will continue working with our allies and grassroots activists like you to ensure that every American has a right to quality and affordable health care coverage. We will continue to fight for a single payer system that provides universal coverage.
Thank you again for standing with us. Keep the faith, our movement is growing!
I’m trying to get a message to anyone in who will listen…yes I know I am probably one in a million… but if someone could just hear out this idea and see if it is appropriate for a message for a progressive platform… take it and run with it!
Trump’s ideology and apparently those around him, think they can run the USA like a corporation. Well if that is what the people want then lets use it and run with it… except with OUR ideology. (one that is inclusive of the concerns of the people). WE THE PEOPLE INC. can be a message…a platform… people understand…a symbolic (or actual) movement to incorporate the people of the United States… so we can get the same rights corporations have. Like a group healthcare plan, offshore tax advantages, paid lobbyists in DC ( I mean do we really have representation? We might as well incorporate and buy some) ..etc… Lets get some lawyers on it to file papers. Imagine all the talking points that can be conveyed through the lens of the incorporated people of the United States. People can join the new corporation..that actually has their interests in mind! Our mission statement as a corporation? We provide the GDP!
If they are going to Corporatize the USA..we need to beat them to the punch and incorporate ourselves.
People rallied for the Tea Party because of it’s symbolic message…despite that fact it was funded by Koch et al.. to serve corporate interests (in disguise). We NEED a REAL peoples movement, that people can simply understand..and we can do it by using the power the ‘establishment’ holds against them. It is a simple principle in Martial Arts, rather than outright fight the enemy, one uses their own force against them! With the increasing ‘incorporation’ of the United States, We The People, might as well do officially…but in OUR name (not by those who pretend to serve us).
Thanks for hearing me out…