Clear the Roadblock on Kids’ Health

10/18/2007

Hello DFLers,


Here we go again -- another fight with the Roadblock Republicans.


We've talked about the Roadblock Republicans who say they want change in Iraq but stand in the way of changing course every time they're actually asked to vote for it.


Now the Roadblock Republicans are about to be tested on kids' health care -- and the circumstances aren't all that different.


With one stroke of his veto pen, President Bush actually declared unilateral war on children's health care -- vetoing a $35 billion extension of the kids' health care program. This time George Bush's "coalition of the willing" is even smaller than it was in Iraq: a handful of right-wing ideologues who are putting their rejection even of good government ahead of health care for poor children.

(Yes, President Bush, who never saw a spending bill he wouldn't sign when Republicans ran Congress, the man who signed bills to build "bridges to nowhere" and lavished billions on Blackwater vetoed health care for our kids -- some days I have a feeling that if Halliburton provided children's health care, the President would've doubled S-CHIP by now.)


The question is whether his partisans in Congress will stick with him as roadblocks standing in the way of kids' health care. We need some Republicans to show some spine and help us override the President's veto.


Now, the fight is back in Congress. We're really close to overriding the President's veto and clearing the roadblock, but some Republicans in Congress are still balking. So I'm asking you to call Congress today and urge an override of the President's veto.


The House of Representatives votes tomorrow on that override, so your call today can make a difference. The Republicans are running scared on this, so if we can flood the lines of Congress with phone calls, maybe we can force them into doing the right thing, if they won't do it on their own. The Roadblock Republicans are standing in the way, but together, we can knock them down on this.


So pick up the phone and call the House of Representatives switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ask for your Representatives office and make sure they're voting to override President Bush's veto of the S-CHIP program.

If enough of us call, we can make a difference. We probably only need to scare and sway a dozen Representatives, and needy children around the country can get the healthcare they need for a great start in life.


That's a hell of a reason to pick up the phone and call right now.


Thanks!
John Kerry

P.S.: Call Congress and make it clear: President Bush has a veto pen on your side -- but we've got the American people on ours. This President once told the American people, "I'm a uniter, not a divider." Well, he's finally made good on his promise: he's united 67 Senators, a huge majority of Congress, 43 governors, the American Medical Association, the AARP, the HMO's, the labor unions -- he's united us against his veto and for S-CHIP.

So tell Congress to override this veto - or else we'll veto even more Republicans in 2008.