Arizona: Nancy Pelosi

November 10, 2009 - 04:33 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

GOP Gone Wild!

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

If you missed the House debate on the health care bill Saturday night, you missed the GOP gone wild and behaving badly towards the Democratic Women's Caucus. Is this how Republicans treat women in their own caucus? Is this how they treat their wife, daughter, mother? The GOP has already alienated every ethnic and religious minority group in America, now they want to alienate women as well?

Think Progress reports GOP Gone Wild: Unruly Republicans Silence Women Lawmakers With Screams, Shouts, And Delay Tactics:

As the Democratic Women’s Caucus took to the microphone on the House floor to offer their arguments for how the bill would benefit women, House Republicans — led by Rep.

November 10, 2009 - 02:26 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

C Street abortion ban: the revenge of "The Family"?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Affordable Health Care for America Act was supposed to be the first time since Medicare was enacted in 1965 that health care was reformed to move the country closer to universal medical coverage for all of its citizens.

Instead, the bill was hijacked by anti-abortion activists to enact the most regressive anti-reproductive freedom of choice for women provision in the past 30 years. Apparently conservatives in both political parties don't want government run health care except forwomen so that government can dictate their reproductive health care choices. (Also to dictate all of our end-of-life decisions, aka"death panels" and Terri Schiavo government intervention).

October 30, 2009 - 08:24 am
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

President Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

From the White House Blog "This Is About Whether We Value One Another":

[On Wednesday] the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act became law, and the President hosted a reception to celebrate a victory decades in the making and steeped in blood and pain. Amongst those attending were the families of the victims for which the law was named, as well as civil rights community leaders. Below are the President’s remarks in full.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you so much, and welcome to the White House. There are several people here that I want to just make mention of because they helped to make today possible.

August 18, 2009 - 11:14 am
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

A way to support Public Option supporters

by David Safier
As you probably know, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is holding firm on the public option. They say they will not vote for a bill without it.

If you want to support their stand with your dollars, you can go to Standing Up For The Public Option on Act Blue and give money to support the 57 Democrats who wrote the letter to Nancy Pelosi. It's not going to help each of them much. $50 is less than a dollar each. $25 kicks each of them about half a buck. But the total money collected sends the message that people support the actions of those who won't compromise away a strong public option.

August 3, 2009 - 05:41 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Americans United for Change ad: "GOP Rx"

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

H/t huffingtonpost.com for Obama Ally Slams GOP, Health Insurance CEO In New Ad:

Americans United for Change, a group that supports President Obama's plans to overhaul the health care system, released a new television advertisement on Monday, lumping together Republicans and health insurance executives as allied forces trying to derail reform.

Tilted "GOP Rx," the ad goes after one of those executives in particular: Cigna CEO Ed Hanway, for earning a reported $73 million golden parachute upon retirement.

"Ed makes more in one day, than the average worker makes all year long," the script reads. "Now Ed's retiring with a seventy-three-million-dollar golden parachute.

August 1, 2009 - 05:41 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) calls the GOP bluff on government run health care

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) has emerged as a leader for a Medicare-for-all single-payer health care option.

On Thursday, July 30th, the anniversary date of the enactment of Medicare, Rep. Weiner offered an amendment to HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, rhetorically proposing to repeal Medicare - that "socialist" government run health care system that has been so successful and is so popular with elderly Americans. Health Care -- 44 Years Of Medicare Success Time for Republicans to "put up or shut up." He of course was voting against it.

Congressman Weiner: "I dare you, I double dare you, vote yes on it, then go home and explain to your constituents how you're so philosophically opposed to publicly funded healthcare that you voted to eliminate Medicare on its 44th aniversary.

July 25, 2009 - 08:41 am
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Update: Blue Dog temper-tantrum over, negotiations resume

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

After stomping out of a meeting earlier in the day and taking their ball to go home, the Blue Dogs got all pissy, whined and threw a temper-tantrum until they got the attention they so much crave. Their childish behavior worked, unfortunately, and was rewarded with concessions from the House leadership. Leadership could use some parenting skills training on how to discipline unruly children.

House Democrats feuded openly over health care Friday before shaking hands on a deal that guaranteed only that they would keep negotiating. Liberal and Conservative Democrats Brawl Over Contents of Health Reform Bill

Rep. Henry A.

July 22, 2009 - 05:48 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

Recess is for kids, Congress doesn't need a vacation

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

This country is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and is engaged in two wars overseas. Structural economic problems that have not been addressed for decades have come due and need to be fixed. This is a time for bold action.

But Congress is worried about taking its August recess, a month-long vacation until after Labor Day.

Recess is for kids, Congress doesn't need a vacation.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agrees. Pelosi: Congress should work through recess:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said she's open to keeping the House in session through the August recess to pass its healthcare overhaul.

July 22, 2009 - 12:44 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

The can't-do attitude of Blue Dogs

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

- John F. Kennedy - speech at The American University, Washington, D.C., June 10, 1963

On Monday this nation celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, one of the crowning achievements of America's can-do spirit and optimism that no challenge is too great to be overcome by our imagination, ingenuirty and ability to overcome any challenge.

July 18, 2009 - 02:00 pm
NEWS FEED: Blog for Arizona

What's really going on?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

You are all probably aware by now that on Friday a bipartisan group of six senators sent a letter to the White House asking to slow down the process towards health care reform. This bipartisan group of senators consisted of Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Obama warns Congress not to 'slow down'

Ron Wyden? He's one of the white hat good guys in the Senate. Why would he add his name to a letter signed by the perpetual whiners of the Senate?

I reviewed the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times for some clue.