What you can say to your blue-state senators about the AHCA

[gaudior]

I'd been getting a bit frustrated with how little I seemed to have to say to my Senators about the godawful politics, because Warren and Markey are both very strong Democrats who were generally already doing what I would ask them to do.

But then I came across a blog post talking about the vote-a-rama. This would give us a tactic to take to prevent (or at least delay) the passage of the horrifying AHCA, even though Senate Republicans are planning to use reconciliation to only need 51 votes.

So I wrote the following:

Dear Senator Warren,

I am writing to ask you to personally propose 100 amendments during the vote-a-rama phase of the reconciliation process of the AHCA, if Senate Republicans do indeed try to pass it using reconciliation. The AHCA is an abomination which would cost MILLIONS of American lives if it were put into law-- we won't know exactly how many millions if Senate Republicans manage to push through their version of the bill before the CBO report on it comes out.

We may not yet have enough votes to defeat it, but I want you to make them work for it. I want you to propose amendments so that Republican Senators will have to admit to EVERY SINGLE callous and life-destroying element of the bill. I want you to make sure that we have soundbites of them showing how little they care about their constituents, which we can use against them in 2018. I want you to make them say out loud how many Americans they're willing to kill for the sake of corporate profits.

This will be grueling and exhausting, but I believe that nevertheless, you will persist.

Gratefully,
[Gaudior]


If nothing else, delay should give people in red states more time to work on their Senators, and more time for the CBO report to come out showing just how bad the bill is. You can contact your Senators here.

Let's see what we can do.

--R

Comments

[navrins]

Suggestion followed and reposted (with modifications).

Also, I sent you a message via DW a week or two ago because I wasn't sure what email you're using these days, but I don't know if that messaging mechanism actually works either. Please let me know if you didn't get it.

[gaudior]

Oh, I like your version better.

And yeah, sorry-- I did get your DW message I'm just, as you see (and as that entry was talking about) slow to respond. But getting together sounds good-- send me an email-- gaudiorrr at gmail-- about when is good for you!

[sovay]

I want you to propose amendments so that Republican Senators will have to admit to EVERY SINGLE callous and life-destroying element of the bill. I want you to make sure that we have soundbites of them showing how little they care about their constituents, which we can use against them in 2018. I want you to make them say out loud how many Americans they're willing to kill for the sake of corporate profits.

That is an excellent letter.

[kivrin]

Thank you! Just sent a fax along those lines to my Democratic senator. Now, to write yet another prodding, needling, beating-with-nettles-y message to my Republican senator.