"The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done."

Swell. When will he be willing to stare down the other party to get actual things done?

I'm on it.

Pres. Obama can only do what Congress will pass.

If the Democrats can't pass it, or won't vote for it, Obama himself can't get it done.

The problem is with the Democrats in Congress, not the one in the White House. A Tip O'Neill or Ted Kennedy could get it done, but what's up there now....

There is a "compromise" proposal to stop insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, but then have them accountable to federal rather than state laws, as they are now.
(link...)

This is a trap. The insurance companies have long been pushing to be regulated by federal rather than state laws. Three years ago the American Diabetes Association fought to keep legislation from being passed that would have put the insurance companies under federal rather than state regulation.

A law that puts insurance companies under federal rather than state regulations would make consumers more powerless, not more powerful.

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present.
President Abraham Lincoln 1862

Single payer advocates at The Pen are getting pissed and have sent out this "what the hell is wrong with you people?" email:

Folks, we really need to have a talk. When you hear lunatic talk out
there (mostly trial balloons really) like Congress doesn't even think
it can pass a weak joke of a public option, there is only one reason.
None of us are doing enough to speak out. We need more people to call
their members of Congress. We need more people out there wearing
their "Single Payer Health Care" caps. It's just that simple, we MUST
speak out to win.

Again, here is the link to our phone lobby page on HR 676

HR 676 Phone Lobby Resource:
(link...)

If you want to know why we are not YET winning this fight, take a
look at this page and hang your head in shame. We have done at least
two alerts on this to our distribution list of hundreds of THOUSANDS
of progressive activists. And yet in our own state of California we
count a grand total of 50 calls made and logged to our two U.S.
Senators combined this entire month. We asked you to make ONE call
this month and you have failed us, and you have failed yourselves.
Response in other states was just about as pathetic. But every day is
a new chance to change our lives forever, and don't you ever forget
it.

Do you people mean this as a joke??? We can't even describe to you
the gargantuan amount of work it took to create this new interface,
which empowers you to log notes of your actual calls to members of
Congress, as a public record of the actual calls they are getting. We
have easy links on the same page to put all their local district
office phone numbers at your finger tips. Easy policy points to make
on the phone as to why single payer is what we must demand. Reference
links to back everything up. And all you have to do is USE IT.

HR 676 Phone Lobby Resource:
(link...)

Do you not understand that the so-called "public option" is designed
to rip you off PERSONALLY to the tune of something like five to ten
thousand dollars a year? Just like enforced car insurance in various
states, where you have NO CHOICE but to cough up the money, now they
want to force you to buy the same medical insurance scam you can't
afford now, with some kind of silly new bureaucratic co-op or
something designed to be a "no better" alternative. Members of
Congress themselves admit that none of these "not single payer" plans
will save us a dime. But without our voices they will just plow ahead
and implement the worst policy imaginable.

That's right, they want to gouge you for five to ten grand a year,
without saving the American public a damn dime. Your money, FIVE TO
TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS, every year, no choice. Is that enough to get
you to pick up the phone one time and make a local telephone call to
the district offices of your members of Congress?? Maybe you are
making phone calls in some other way WITHOUT leaving a trace of your
activism. But all we know is that we are not doing enough, none of
us, and it's a disgrace. C'mon people, get it together.

Our other leadership type activist friends tell us don't send out an
email like this. Just make people feel good they say. Well, damn it,
last time we checked you were not on this distribution list just to
get a feel good stroke job. You are on this list because you want
someone to tell you the TRUTH. And the truth is, you need to pick up
the phone right now and make your voice heard for single payer, or
you are going to have the IRS banging on your door demanding five to
ten thousand dollars a year ransom for the same medical insurance
corporations who are ripping us off now. That's every year from now
on for the rest of your less than adequate medical care life. No
choice, just cough it up.

And that's the truth.

And yes, you can also respond to this action through the new Twitter
gateway. Just send the following Twitter reply, and add any personal
comment you like.

@cxs #p998

And if you want a step by step explanation of how to set up the
Twitter thing here is the link for that.

Twitter Activism Step-By-Step: (link...)

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.

If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
(link...)

Or if you want to cease receiving our messages, just use the function
at (link...)