Physicians for a Democratic Majority : Blogger

The Vice-Presidential Debate

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:52:17 CDT

From Don McCanne's quote-of-the-day

The Vice-Presidential Debate
October 2, 2008

Sarah Palin: (in her closing statement) It was Ronald Reagan who said
that freedom is always just one generation away from extinction. We
don't pass it to our children in the bloodstream; we have to fight...

Freakonomics blog - Your country would like to treat you to a doctor's appointment

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:41:32 CDT

Freakonomics blog, new york times, September 26, 2008, 12:22 pm

Your Country Would Like to Treat You to a Doctor's Appointment

By Daniel Hamermesh

...

Real economic help for working families - great tips for talking about healthcare

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:08:06 CDT

Real economic help for working families.

Message of the Week from the Herndon Alliance- September 23rd

There's a lot of talk that health care reform may have to wait until better economic times. And hard working Americans need real economic relief now. That's why it's more important than ever that we keep the connection between health care reform and the economy front and center in our...

Why Obama's Health Plan Is Better - WSJ 9/16/08

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:12:34 CDT

Why Obama's Health Plan Is Better

By DAVID CUTLER, J. BRADFORD DELONG and ANN MARIE MARCIARILLE

Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2008
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122152292213639569.html

The big threat to growth in the next decade is not oil or food...

McCain's Radical Agenda - from Bob Herbert

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:10:32 CDT

New York Times Op-Ed, September 16, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/opinion/16herbert.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=opinion&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

McCain's Radical Agenda

By BOB...

McCain: Deregulate health insurance, like banking

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:04:54 CDT

Sat, 20 Sep 2008
Don McCanne's "Quote of the day" mailing list

Contingencies
September/October 2008
Better Care at Lower Cost for Every American
By John McCain

We can no longer afford to promise more than we can deliver. Nor can
we risk misdiagnosing the problem and devising a cure that might harm
the patient.

The problem is not that most Americans lack adequate...

Claire Baldauf - Intern in CA-50

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:09:04 CDT

I drove down to San Diego from Los Angeles on a Tuesday morning. Upon walking into the office, I was immediately greeted by the campaign manager and two volunteers who were both busy and friendly. I was quickly introduced to the field director and deputy field director and could immediately sense their enthusiasm for the race: Nick Leibham - Democrat, running against Republican incumbent - Brian Bilbray. The walls were covered in maps of the 50th district and Nick Leibham for Congress...

Notes from the Obama Campaign, #3: reflections

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:16:33 CDT

I have been home in Los Angeles for 24 hours. I finished my Obama Organizing Fellowship, and wanted to send out one last reflection on my time working on Obama's Campaign for Change in South Eastern Colorado.

Prior to my time in CO, I didn't comprehend the power of Wal- Mart. It functions as the social center of some of these towns. La Junta is the largest town in the three counties where I worked and...

Notes from the Obama Campaign, #2

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:13:41 CDT

One of the counties I organize for the Obama Campaign has some very interesting local politics. The woman who is the local Dem Chairperson is at war with the others in the county party hierarchy. I had been warned by the soon to be elected state Assemblyman and my field director that the Chairwoman, we'll call her Sarah, is hyper-controlling and "all talk and no action". Apparently in the recent past, members of the local Democratic leadership had tried unsuccessfully to take away her...

Notes from the Obama Campaign, #1

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:12:42 CDT

A few days ago I drove out to a small town in a rural community in Colorado when I am the Obama community organizer. That morning, I met with a Mormon woman in her mid sixties. She lives in a humble home, next to her red barn in the middle of a corn field. She has a big "proud to be a Democrat" sticker by the door to "warn them when they knock." I sat down at her kitchen...

Interning at WA-08

alexblum@gmail.com (Alex Blum) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:10:49 CDT

An entry from Paul Lee, who worked on Darcy Burner's Congressional campaign in Washington's district 8.

I really didn't know what to expect when I agreed to intern at a congressional campaign. I had done some issue campaigning before concerning universal healthcare, but I had...

Framing the Debate: How to Talk About Healthcare Reform

acalman@aol.com (Andrew Calman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:11:03 CDT

Healthcare Quote of the Day, by Dr. Don McCanne

Families USA, Herndon Alliance, Westen Strategies, Lake Research Partners
May 22, 2008
How to Talk About Health Care Reform: Summary of Research on Health Care Messaging
Celinda Lake and Drew Westen

If you want to see universal health care enacted, stop using that phrase.

Message development: Using focus groups of swing voters and online...

Auctioneers of Medical Debt

acalman@aol.com (Andrew Calman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:59:53 CDT

Healthcare Quote of the Day, by Dr. Don McCanne

The Wall Street Journal

June 3, 2008

Hospitals Put Patients' Debt Up for Auction

By Sarah Rubenstein

In a move that consumer groups say could increase pressure on people with unpaid medical bills, some hospitals are trying out a new tactic to recoup patients' debts: They're...

Healthcare Crisis in Los Angeles

acalman@aol.com (Andrew Calman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:49:44 CDT

Healthcare Quote of the Day, by Dr. Don McCanne

The New York Times June 5, 2008

A City Where Hospitals Are as Ill as the Patients, By Jennifer Steinhauer

For thousands of residents of South Los Angeles who had depended on the large county-run King-Harbor hospital, the past 10 months have been a grueling exercise in cobbling together medical care. When King-Harbor was shut by federal officials, it became the 15th general acute...

Healthcare Crisis in Los Angeles

acalman@aol.com (Andrew Calman) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:47:28 CDT

The New York Times June 5, 2008 A City Where Hospitals Are as Ill as the Patients By Jennifer Steinhauer For thousands of residents of South Los Angeles who had depended on the large county-run King-Harbor hospital, the past 10 months have been a grueling exercise in cobbling together medical care. When King-Harbor was shut by federal officials, it became the 15th general acute care hospital to close in Los Angeles County since 2000, about half of which served residents in South Los...