The health care fight continues, National Voter Registration Day, and President Obama

Welcome to a new daily series at Shareblue Media, providing you with links to important news, interesting stories, useful information about actions of resistance — and a picture of President Barack Obama to keep you motivated. The disastrous Graham-Cassidy health care bill is foundering, but the fight isn’t over yet. As Sen. Ted Cruz joined […]

By Alison R. Parker - September 26, 2017

The disastrous Graham-Cassidy health care bill is foundering, but the fight isn’t over yet. As Sen. Ted Cruz joined the few “no” votes from his own side of the aisle, Republicans are desperately trying to come up with bribes to win them over.They tried it last week with Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who still remains undecided on the bill — something Planned Parenthood patients in her state are trying to change, citing her past support for the organization in a letter to the senator:

As Alaskans and as women, we were proud to see your decision last July when you stood up for us, for millions across the country and for the more than 7,000 Alaskans who rely on Planned Parenthood for care. You channeled the independent spirit of Alaska and listened to the people who elected you …

We would like to ask you to stay strong for Alaskans. The Graham-Cassidy bill will eliminate access to Planned Parenthood, significantly reduce the Medicaid program, and have the greatest negative impact on women and families. Communities across the state do not want to see the already limited health care services even further reduced …

Twenty out of 29 counties in Alaska do not have an OB/GYN. In 2016, Planned Parenthood delivered contraceptive care to nearly 3,000 Alaska patients – just 300 fewer patients than the state’s entire community health system served in 2015 …

The numbers are striking. But when you vote on this bill, we hope you will remember the people behind those numbers.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington took to the floor to speak out against the cruelty of the GOP’s bill. “Enough with all the partisanship around health care. Enough with playing politics with people’s lives. And enough with the repeated attempts to roll back all our progress and move our country backward,” she stated forcefully.”People across the country have been demanding for months to turn the page on Trumpcare,” she continued, “but instead of working in a bipartisan way to actually help people, a few of our colleagues have now pushed through yet another reckless repeal bill that is even worse than the previous Trumpcare version.”
“I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague from Arizona that the right way to get things done in the Senate, especially on an issue as important to families as their health care, is through regular order and finding common ground.”

Enough with playing politics with peoples’ lives & enough with the repeated attempts to roll back progress & move health care backward. pic.twitter.com/Reb54HQurb

— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) September 25, 2017
Millions of Americans who would suffer under Graham-Cassidy’s implementation, and from coast to coast, voters resoundingly reject the plan. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii understands their fear, and she spoke from personal experience about how close each and every one of us could be to a health crisis:

When I was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer about five months ago,” Hirono said, “two things: the first was the diagnosis came as a total shock to me … This is how a lot of people learn about a serious illness or condition: out of the blue, bang! They can’t plan for it. […]

With so much uncertainty right now in our country, the one thing that people should be able to count on in the richest country in the world is getting the care they need when they need it.

Sen @maziehirono: “we are all one diagnosis away from a major illness and I certainly found that out.” #GrahamCassidy would be “devastating” pic.twitter.com/HMLCmkzI2b

— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) September 25, 2017
Democratic Rep. Mark Takano of California had a sharp and crucial observation:

It’s truly astonishing that the bill being jammed through Congress right now is #GrahamCassidy instead of a relief package for Puerto Rico.

— Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) September 25, 2017

Considering how long it took before Donald Trump finally uttered a word — albeit a bizarrely critical one — about millions of American citizens struggling in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, Congress indeed ought to be picking up his slack to help rather than spending time trying to harm.

Hey, credit where due, right? After Sen. John McCain announced his opposition to the bill, helping to ensure its failure, grassroots social justice organization UltraViolet offered their thanks in a very big way:

McCain opposed #GrahamCassidy, so we just flew THANK YOU planes in Arizona. It’s time to defeat Trumpcare once & for all. #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/ct1awv3a4Z

— UltraViolet (@UltraViolet) September 25, 2017
But we all know the hardliners in the Republican leadership won’t give up the ghost any time soon, so pick up your phone and make some calls: 202-224-3121 — ask for your senator’s office and tell him or her why they must #KillTheBill

Another civic action you can take: Tuesday, Sept. 26, is National Voter Registration Day. Making your voice heard every day is important, but making it heard on Election Day is paramount. If you’re not registered, celebrate the day by getting it done. And if you are already on the rolls, remind your friends and family to do the same. As we have witnessed in stark fashion, voting matters.

And just in case someone gives you the tired old line that Democrats aren’t doing anything, just show them this:

OP-ED: Democrats are having a great election cycle, but you might not have heard about it pic.twitter.com/xv6EQXxXbm

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 25, 2017
Shareblue Media’s very own senior writer, Eric Boehlert, was on Stephanie Miller’s show Monday, and you should definitely give a listen: