Heartfeldt Politics Blog

Where Politics Gets Personal

Hello Heartfeldt Politics friends!

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Speak Up early and often here at Heartfeldt. Post your comments freely. I already know what I think--it's your opinions that interest me. It goes without saying that obscene or threatening comments and comments that are not germane to the topic will be removed. Thank you for your cooperation!

Monday

21Dec2009

Time for Women to Drive Our Own Health Care Bus

Monday, December 21, 2009 at 09:08AM

Check out this new video from new Women's Media Center website notunderthebus.com. You can also follow @notunderthebus (or check out hashmark #underthebus) on Twitter, and please become a fan on Facebook. It's going to be a long drive, but together we can turn this bus around starting today.

The Senate passed its version of what they are now calling "health insurance reform" in the snowy dark of the winter solstice night, moving Majority Harry Reid's (D-NV) bill (stuffed into its sausage casing) toward likely final Senate passage later this week. The so-called compromise to Sen. Nelson's (D-NE) Stupak-like language in there, banning abortion coverage unless a woman turns herself into a pretzel, and over in the House, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) is still yammering that's not stringent enough. The fight will continue this week and then go to conference committee. Ample time remains for more mischief to be done, or for improvements to be made. Get the latest information and take action daily at notunderthebus.com.

As Senate Continues Health Care Reform Debate, Delaying Tactics Reign

Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 09:28AM

Yesterday's wrap up report of Senate action from NFPRHA-worth a read to see how the meat grinder of legislation works, and how detrimental the 60-vote rule is to getting anything done. And bless Frank Lautenberg! He just never stops.

December 16, 2009, 5:00 p.m. (EST)

Today, the Senate continued debate on its health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). Last night an amendment offered by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) to provide for the importation of prescription drugs did not garner the necessary 60 votes for passage, so while the vote in favor was 56 -- 43, the amendment failed. The Lautenberg amendment was intended to improve upon a similar amendment offered by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) which also failed. Like the Lautenberg amendment, the Dorgan amendment did not get the necessary 60 votes, with the vote in favor only being 51 -- 48. A motion by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) to recommit the bill (effectively killing the bill by sending it back to the Finance Committee) also failed 45 -- 54. An alternative to the Crapo motion, offered by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) which would protect middle class families from tax increases, passed 97 -- 1.

Forward momentum on the bill came to a standstill today in the form of a new stalling tactic from Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) o

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Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Calls on Progressive Catholics to Resist Pressure from the Bishops on Abortion

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 08:48PM

Peggy Simpson reported this for the Women' Media Center; it's reprinted here with permission.

At a critical moment for health care reform, Townsend says it is essential for religious progressives to speak up.

December 16, 2009

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend broadened the Kennedy family’s dispute with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Tuesday night.

She elaborated on an op-ed she wrote for Politico.com criticizing the Conference of Catholic Bishops’ opposition to health care reform unless an unprecedented expansion of restrictions against abortion is included. “I don’t think the bishops should be allowed to do that,” she said Tuesday night. “I think we should be speaking out (against them).”
Townsend, former lieutenant governor of Maryland, also said it was crucial for progressives from within religious groups who had fought for women’s rights and gay rights to be “more articulate” about their faith.

“We progressive religious people have our backs against the wall. We allowed it to happen,” she said.

Citing Pew Center polls that show Republicans are more likely to say they are religious than Democrats, Townsend said not allowing one party to claim religion “means speaking about it and talking about it.” Already, she said, evangelicals are changing course, supporting progressive civil rights causes, “while our bishops are stuck.”

She questioned whether “you can build on something that is fundamentally corrupt

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separation of church and state in

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend,

Friday

04Dec2009

Watch Tiffany's Compelling Story About Health Care Coverage

Friday, December 4, 2009 at 12:52PM

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Stop Stupak,

abortion,

access to health care,

demand for reproductive health services,

health care reform in

Tiffany Moore Campbell,

activism,

anti-choice,

courageous leadership,

political activism,

women's health

Sunday

29Nov2009

Congressman Stupack and The Oglethorpe High School Cheerleaders

Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 01:40PM

Friedrike Merck, a talented sculptor, passionate philanthropist, and great friend wrote this commentary with a perspective on the health reform battle that I have not seen elsewhere. She has allowed me to share it with you. Let me know what you think.

Recently, some enthusiastic cheerleaders where barred from holding up Bible verse banners for their football team to bust through at the start of a game because the banner practice was considered a breach of the First Amendment, the religious Establishment Clause part. The students cried "censorship", as did local pastors and politicians, but they could not do an end run around the First Amendment of the Constitution, which states that there shall be no establishment of religion, that in a public school it gives the impression that the school endorses religion, and endorsing religion in a government funded institution is unConstitutional.

Recently, some enthusiastic Congressmen rammed their religion based amendment into the health care reform bill but strangely enough no one cried, "Establishment Clause!" If the rosy cheeked cheerleaders of Oglethorpe High can't jump with Jesus, then how is it possible that a United States Congressman is allowed to? Have the Fundamentalist faction incrementally lulled us over the last three decades into thinking that their religiously motivated politics is OK in Washington and OK in our democracy? The Stupack Amendment brouhaha

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Establishment clause,

U.S. Constitution,

abortion debate,

access to health care,

freedom of religion,

health care reform,

separation of church and state in

Barack Obama,

Friedrike Merck,

Oglethorpe Cheerleaders,

religion and politics,

reproductive health,

reproductive justice

SO HERE'S THE REST OF THE STORY ABOUT WHY I NAMED MY BLOG "HEARTFELDT"

People find it irresistable to make jokes about my last name. When I was a kid, that hurt my feelings. I didn’t know what to do so I kept quiet. Then, I began to understand why it’s important to speak up for who you are and what you believe.

Eventually that led me here to the front line of the 2004 March for Women's Lives alongside courageous people like Senator Barbara Boxer and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, whom I admire so greatly:

My political path began in the civil rights movement where I figured out that women have civil rights too, and segued into thirty years in the political crucible of reproductive healthcare and advocacy. Since it was my fate to assume executive leadership roles during the most contentious time for women’s rights since Margaret Sanger opened the first family planning clinic over 90 years ago, I learned not to back away from political controversy but to ride into the wave and use its energy in a positive way. In fact, controversy is a great opportunity to get people’s attention and clarify issues. That's a necessary part of the democratic process.

Thanks for coming to the Heartfeldt Politics Blog.

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Heartfeldt Politics Blog

Where Politics Gets Personal

Speak Up early and often here at Heartfeldt. Post your comments freely. I already know what I think--it's your opinions that interest me. It goes without saying that obscene or threatening comments and comments that are not germane to the topic will be removed. Thank you for your cooperation!

Time for Women to Drive Our Own Health Care Bus

As Senate Continues Health Care Reform Debate, Delaying Tactics Reign

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Calls on Progressive Catholics to Resist Pressure from the Bishops on Abortion

Peggy Simpson reported this for the Women' Media Center; it's reprinted here with permission.

Watch Tiffany's Compelling Story About Health Care Coverage

Congressman Stupack and The Oglethorpe High School Cheerleaders

SO HERE'S THE REST OF THE STORY ABOUT WHY I NAMED MY BLOG "HEARTFELDT"