Return of The Gotts

Is it 2012 already? Did I go into a Rip Van Winkle-like sleep? Is there no end to this nightmare? Or to John Gotts' ego?

Apparently Gotts got in the top two of the primary, even though he withdrew from the race.
He posted on his web blog on Tuesday:

I'm finding that the Palo Alto lifestyle is the only lifestyle for me. I will be here the rest of my life or will at least have a home here. I have to return to Washington to full-fill the promise I made to my 4th Congressional District but I will ALWAYS have a home here in Silicon Valley.

Dig that!

Sorry, John, I don't dig it at all. You don't HAVE to come back. Really. LD15 will be just fine without you. You obviously want CA to be your home. We're good with that. Especially since the last 'promise' you made was that you were withdrawing from the race to move to sunny California. Do us all a favor and stay where you are.

You can bet your many bottom dollars that your Republican opponent will point out the obvious flaws in your candidacy.

The Yakima Herald's question of the day:

Would you vote for a candidate, regardless of political affiliation, who entered a race, withdrew and then re-entered?

The response should not surprise anyone.
Except for John Gotts.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/polls/149

Maybe THIS is why he won't call us back...

All is becoming clear. Repeated calls for the Democratic Candidate for Legislative District 15 to provide more information on his candidacy have gone unanswered. The Yakima Herald reports this week on a possible explanation. I guess we won't be getting any recommendations from his previous employer...

Hold Dem Caucus Committee Chairs Accountable

At a time like this, you have to wish the Democrats were more like the Republicans. In one specific way, that is - the Republican Party term limits its committee chairs in Congress, whereas Democrats award chairmanships based on seniority. No wonder that Democrats are stuck with Senator Max Baucus to chair the pivotal Finance Committee. Baucus has been in the Senate since 1978, representing a great state, but one with a tiny share of the U.S. population. Not surprisingly, the drug and insurance industries are huge contributors.

Sen. Baucus, as you probably know, has used his chairmanship to put the brakes on health care reform in the Senate, and may ultimately succeed in killing a public health care option almost singlehandedly.There's no excuse for Sen. Baucus to wield this kind of power. Luckily, there's a way to fight back.

Some members of the Democratic caucus are discussing putting chairmanships to a secret ballot vote every two years - that is to say, every two years, all the Democrats of the Senate would get to vote on whether committee chairs get to keep their seats.

Here is a petition to tell the senators of the Democratic Caucus to institute some accountability for their committee chairs. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/chair_rules2/?r_by=5487-1998074-LUTPX8x&rc=confemail

Five Lies About Health Care Reform and How to Fight Back

The health care fight has turned ugly, fast. And lies about reform are spreading via anonymous email chains. Here are the real facts that you need to know:


Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!

The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill."1 What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans.2

Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!

The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options.3 Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down.4 If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them.5 But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.

Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!

The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.

Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage.6 And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.

Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!

The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits.7 Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.8

Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!

The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy. Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care.9 The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade10—and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses.11 Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit.12

P.S. Want more? Check out this great new White House "Reality Check" website: or this excellent piece from Health Care for America Now on some of the most outrageous lies.

Sources:
1. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," Associated Press, August 10, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747

2. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," Huffington Post, July 24, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730

3. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1

4. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737

5. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736

6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1

7. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748

8. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1

9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

10. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667

11. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735

12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1

Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732

#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743

#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742

#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734

#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744

Debunking Health Care Reform Myths

Ballots are Out!

It's kind of disappointing, all that expense to send out ballots with only one item to vote on. Even more ridiculous because there are effectively only two candidates, who would have automatically gone to the fall election as 'top two'. What a waste of money and paper.

Just a reminder, everyone: John Gotts is NOT a candidate for Legislative District 15. He withdrew from this race just days after the deadline to pursue other dreams in California. So don't waste your ink on his little block. And as anyone who is active in the Klickitat Democratic Party will tell you, Gotts does not have, nor will he ever have, the endorsement of the KCDCC.