| The letter below was sent out by the Progressive Democrats of America, and is reprinted in its entirety with permission from Tim Carpenter, Executive Director. I hope you'll use the links to read the background. The information in the (health care) links talk about a number of things the current legislation being discussed misses. The rights of individual states to allow for Single Payer in just their states. (If you can opt out, why can't you opt for Single Payer? Just saying...) Also affordability and the maintenance of reproductive rights. I have purposely not given my opinion on whether the bills in the chambers are good or bad, as passed in the House, and up for discussion in the Senate. I've only said that it's important that they pass. PDA provides important input to the discussion. Also take a look at the California resolution, it will become important next week. Dear Friends, Washington can be a very lonely place when you are fighting for progressive ideas like Medicare for All and an end to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is for that reason I wanted to thank all my friends at PDA for your hard work this past week.
Last Wednesday, I had an opportunity to meet with your national director Tim Carpenter, following his visit to the White House, and PDA’s political director Steve Cobble. They met with five other members of Congress that day in an effort to save my amendment. Later that evening, as a result of the leadership and grassroots work of Progressive Democrats of America and its allies, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) affirmed their support for a states' right to enact single-payer healthcare in their letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid. Read the letter here.
We succeeded in putting the CPC on record supporting states like California, Pennsylvania, Ohio and others across the country to continue the fight for single-payer healthcare at the state level. I know without PDA leading this fight we would have not won this important battle in the struggle for Medicare for All.
I also want to congratulate the California Democratic Party, which voted last week to end the U.S. occupation and air war in Afghanistan. I commend the authors of this resolution, especially my friend Norman Solomon, the national co-chair of PDA's Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign, and Marcy Winograd, PDA candidate for Congress. I also commend the leadership of Karen Bernal and the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party, and I applaud the work of PDA’s California chapters in helping to pass this timely resolution.
What a great week we had together! Please keep fighting to build the movement for Healthcare NOT Warfare.
In peace, Congressman Dennis Kucinich
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