Kulongoski Pushes for Veto Override to Protect Kids' Health
Chuck Sheketoff
On the eve of the vote to override the President's veto of the Childrens' Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, Governor Ted Kulongoski has sent letters to our congressional delegation urging them to all vote to override.
Here's the press statement from his office:
(Salem) — On the eve of the scheduled vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to override the President’s veto of the bipartisan State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Governor Ted Kulongoski is urging the Oregon Congressional delegation to support the program’s reauthorization and vote to override. Earlier this month the Governor sent letters to the Oregon Congressional delegation pointing out that the President’s veto put health insurance coverage for thousands of Oregon’s children in jeopardy.“I urge you to continue siding with Oregon's children and vote to uphold the passage of SCHIP,” Governor Kulongoski wrote in the letters. “This bill represents a common-sense and bipartisan approach that will ensure that health coverage for millions of currently enrolled children is not jeopardized.”
While the SCHIP program has been temporarily reauthorized, the Governor stresses in the letters that this approach will not serve the children who currently count on the program.
“This piecemeal approach to reauthorization destroys the promise of SCHIP and leaves the program in tatters: it puts the coverage of children currently enrolled in peril while leaving us unable to expand coverage to other eligible children,” Governor Kulongoski wrote.
After the House of Representatives’ vote on Thursday, the Senate vote will follow. The Governor finishes the letters by urging members to stand in support of Oregon children when they have the opportunity to vote to in support of the SCHIP legislation. He encouraged those members of the delegation that have already supported the reauthorization of SCHIP with these words: “Please know that I--together with thousands of Oregon families and children--am standing beside you as you hold your ground.” He also reminded the entire delegation that “America is the richest nation in the world and I believe that means we have a responsibility to make sure no child is left without health care.”
Rep. Greg Walden's vote is key — see this post .
Discuss.
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Oct 17, '07
I just called Walden's DC office, but I'm from Portland, and the staffer who answered the phone made it clear that my opinion on SCHIP doesn't matter a whit.
What's needed are phonecalls from Walden's district. The toll-free number for the Capitol switchboard is 800-828-0498.
Where are the folks in Bend, Ashland, etc. willing to support health insurance for kids?
Oct 17, '07
Governor Kulongoski wrote a lovely letter to President Bush in August asking him very nicely not to press on with regulation changes IN THE CURRENT SCHIP that will cut 31,000 Oregon kids from the roles while the expanded program is being vetoed and debated and revoted and negotiated. We have no way of knowing whether Bush had someone read it to him or not, but we can guess.
I'm seriously disappointed that nobody is asking why the governor hasn't joined the governors of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Washington in suing to stop the enforcement of these new rules while the expanded program is being debated.
I appreciate the Governor's letter writing skills, but I suspect that Greg Walden is going do with his letter what Bush did with his... Recycling is the kindest word I can come up with.
It's seriously disturbing to see a Kulongoski press release praising an empty gesture published as a serious posting on Blue Oregon.
4:22 p.m.
Oct 17, '07
I wonder if Walden's starting to feel any heat on this. THAT would be a fascinating data point.
I just called Walden's DC office, but I'm from Portland, and the staffer who answered the phone made it clear that my opinion on SCHIP doesn't matter a whit.
I hope residents of D2 call the office to let Walden know they do not share his lack of concern.
Oct 17, '07
made it clear that my opinion on SCHIP doesn't matter a whit
Meanwhile, the giant sucking sound of money flowing from blue counties to red continues unabated.
5:12 p.m.
Oct 17, '07
I know it stinks, but that's how it works with Congressional offices. It is always best to contact only those members of Congress who represent you. The exception is that if you're contacting them because they're in a leadership position on an issue or something along those lines.
This helps to keep one person from calling a hundred Congressional offices and making it appear that an issue has more support or opposition than it really does.
When I worked in a Congressional office, we'd ask for information that would show what district the person lived in. If they were in ours, we wrote down their concerns, contact information, etc. If they were outside the district, we'd take other actions. Normally we'd take down the info, but then it would be forwarded to their member of Congress and would not be included in our total number of constituents for/against an issue.
But when a huge issue (during my time it was impeachment of Clinton) comes up, we'd only tally them as "out of district" and move on, as we didn't have enough phone lines or people to keep up with the calls from constituents as it was - we couldn't tie up the lines with non-constituents.
It's sort of looked at like one person, one vote.
I mean, think about it - would you want a bunch of Republicans from other parts of the state (or country) making it appear that the residents of the 3rd Congressional District felt a certain way about an issue?
The best thing to do is to encourage those you know live in Walden's district to call or write about the SCHIP veto override.
Oct 17, '07
Rep. Greg Walden's vote is key...
Yes, it is. And his voting yes would be a good thing for the state.
This is a very good example of why elected officials need to work across the aisle--as Walden and Blumenauer have tried to do--and make common cause on good policy and leave the flaming to the blogosphere. If you don't have a working relationship with your R or D counterparts, you can't expect to have any influence on their votes or thinking. As I understand it, there was once a time in Washington D.C. that House members of the R and D caucus even socialized after hours. Imagine the results.
Oct 17, '07
Pelosi and Co. tried a callous and cynical hijacking of important childrne's health care. They attempted to jack up eligibility 5 fold and got caught doing so. They are the one's who have held this up as political fodder and children are the less secure for their political callousness.
I live in Walden's district; I called and encouraged him to stick to his guns. While the R's didn't do much in the way of compromise over the past 14 years, perhaps now the D's can start learning and teaching them about the art of reaching out across the aisle.
Oct 17, '07
Stop Chip, lest your bullshit rhetoric cause me to vomit. Please, elaborate as to what percentage must we increase SCHIP funding right now in order not be viewed as children haters.
Oct 17, '07
Pelosi and Co. tried a callous and cynical hijacking of important childrne's health care. They attempted to jack up eligibility 5 fold and got caught doing so.
I don't have much use for Pelosi either, but as I understand it even with the expansion of the number of children to be covered there will still remain some who will still go without coverage. There but for the luck of the draw would go the Republicans and their trolls who obviously don't give a damn about these kids. God bless America but not the poor among us. This is the new American Century in which we are getting rid of the poor, the tired and huddled masses.
4:27 a.m.
Oct 18, '07
I highly doubt however much pressure is put on Walden he'll vote to override the veto.
Oct 18, '07
I highly doubt however much pressure is put on Walden he'll vote to override the veto.
Walden voted for the illegal war on Iraq that has cost tens of thousands of Iraqi children their lives, so if he is that callous cutting health care for American children shouldn't be too difficult. It is a good bet that the Republicans and trolls supporting Walden on this issue also were in favor of this crime against humanity in Iraq. They are complaining about the cost for SCHIP even though it is chump change compared with the estimated two trillion dollars that the Iraq war will cost.
Walden made it clear with his alliance with Tom DeLay and his thugs that he is ambitious for power in Congress and will make Faustian bargains with anyone in the Republican party and its campaign donors to achieve that power regardless of morality. The dubious consolation for Walden is that he can count on the support of a majority of voters in the 2nd Congressional district.
Oct 18, '07
Freakin' amazing.
The soft ball press release is from the governor and about the governor yet all this thread can do is debate Walden.
How 'bout encouraging Teddy to quit writing publicity letters and actually try to do something? I remind you that according to the governor's own letter to Bush, until/if the expansion gets the votes to override, the regulations slashing 31,000 kids from the rolls could go into effect.
How is it that Ted gets a pass when even California's Governator is willing to take on the administration on this issue????
Oct 18, '07
And let me repeat...
Publishing this puff piece verbatim is (or should be) an embarrassment to Blue Oregon.
1:24 p.m.
Oct 19, '07
Portland MoveOn got a list from national of highly active members in D2 & called them and asked them to call Walden and ask neighbors to do so. At a point when about half of them had been reached, the response was 94% saying they would call. On the other Walden thread Paulie Brading responded to a question from me saying that a number of Democratic county committees were doing something similar.
This is an example of why it's important for Metro and Valley D's to pay attention to District 2 & build ties there and understand concerns & figure out how to back them up.
<h2>(I live in Portland)</h2>