Jerry Waxman, Author at Waxman Files

Let’s Not Bury ACORN Yet

September 25, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” is a quote attributed to Mark Twain and it is quite apropos considering what’s going on in politics today. ACORN has been around almost forty years and the public for the most part never heard of it until a year ago when allegations of voter fraud propped up. The charges were made by right wing operatives who have been trying to discredit ACORN for years. Last year the timing was perfect to try to tie in Barack Obama, a former “community organizer” with ACORN and William Ayres. There were a few people working with ACORN who falsified voter registration forms and those people were properly dealt with. No executives or board members were charged with any wrongdoing.

The reason for all this is simple: it’s all about voter suppression. Through ACORN’s community organizing efforts millions of people who would not normally be part of the process registered and voted. Their efforts affected many outcomes and the right wing sees its power slipping away. These most recent efforts are merely a continuation to discredit a valuable and important community organization and discredit our president at the same time. It is also no coincidence that these tapes have surfaced just as we’re entering the critical stages of health care reform; ACORN has a huge stake in getting real reform passed. Their clients are the people who need it most. I feel like I’m watching a sadistic Road Runner cartoon. No matter how many times that coyote falls flat on his face he continues the chase relentlessly. After all, he only has to win once.

“The Evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.”

The “birthers”, “teabaggers” and such show a real ignorance of history every time they open their mouths. Now they are going after appointed “Czars” and making comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin in the way things are being done by our administration. Allegations of communism and socialism abound and if you ask any of these people what a Czar is they can’t tell you. So here’s a short history lesson for those so challenged. Prior to World War I Nikolas Romanov using the title Czar ruled Russia. Kaiser Wilhelm of the Hapsburg family ruled Germany. The words Kaiser and Czar are derived from Julius Caesar and the emperors of Rome who bore his name. The word Caesar has come to mean something like “supreme ruler”. It’s just such a shame when people show their ignorance as arrogantly as these groups do. Anyway, the point of this exercise is to give some historical perspective to ACORN’s problems and show that we’ve been there in the past, even in the waning days of the Roman Republic, and the parallels are amazing. The politics of Rome prior to the formation of the Empire were amazingly complicated, but some things were clear: wealth trickled up, influence and legislation could be bought and reform was met with hostility.

Julius Caesar was arguably the most talented leader in the history of Rome. He was a brilliant military leader, strategist, politician and “community organizer”. He was an outstanding writer and a masterful orator, second only to Cicero, who was his bitter political opponent. He was also a social reformer working hard to include all of his conquered subjects as Roman citizens with full rights, and basically setting up his own personal Veterans Administration for soldiers under his command. Much of what ACORN does was ideated by him. He out-thought, out-fought and out-bought his rivals and in doing so amassed fabulous wealth and stature which he intended to share with the citizenry. His fatal flaw was his willingness to forgive his enemies, who should have been put to death, including Brutus and several of the conspirators for past transgressions. Brutus made a big mistake because Caesar had willed him much of the captured Gallic territories for his own domain. While Caesar was immensely popular among the Roman citizenry, he had his enemies and detractors in the Senate who tried to instill the fear in the populace that he would actually become King. His proposed land and agricultural reforms would have diminished the Senate’s power and very much lessened the Patrician influence in government. No wonder they resisted. He reluctantly refused the crown knowing that politically it was the wise thing to do. The sixty conspirators acted on the 15^th of March in the year 44 B.C. and assassinated him just prior to his embarking on another military campaign to complete some of Pompey’s unfinished business which would have given him more fame, glory and unrivaled power.

“…so are they all, all honorable men…”

The conspirators spoke to the throngs of mourners and almost convinced them that their acts were justified as he was about to become the great oppressor and they acted on behalf of all Rome. During this brief period the conspirators wanted to do away with Caesar’s chief lieutenant, Marc Antony but Brutus convinced them to spare him, which was another big mistake. Shakespeare has immortalized Antony’s address to the crowd in one of the most famous quoted passages in history. Whatever Antony did say that day it swayed the crowd and Rome to vengeance. The actual Roman Empire did not come into existence for another twenty years but the stage had been set for the sunset of the five hundred year old Republic. By attempting to “Save Our Republic” the conspirators actually hastened its demise.

Let’s fast forward about 1700 years to the Massachusetts county of Essex in the year 1692. From February 1692 through May 1693 a series of accusations and trials took place in Salem and other cities accusing certain people, mostly single women who were not part of the mainstream of the area, of practicing witchcraft. In 1689 Salem had founded its own church and ordained its first minister, Samuel Parris. Forget what you learned in 6^th grade. These Puritans were theocrats who wrote their own rules. What they did to the Indians after the first Thanksgiving doesn’t get taught in schools. Women held no rank in society and were perceived to be more lustful and susceptible to Satan than men. When a single woman or recent widow inherited land she was a ripe candidate for the church to take it from her by hook or by crook. Parris was not above this devious behavior so he condoned the trials, in fact members of his family were some of the accusers. This crowd could teach today’s subprime lenders a thing or two about stealing property. The trials had all the atmosphere of a kangaroo court. Overall, more than twenty people were executed and several more died in prison. There have been volumes written about this. Here’s a quick lookup about it. The facts are that no one in authority at the time tried to stop the proceedings because they had too much to gain by allowing it to happen. This was definitely a dark period in both American and religious history. Okay, Massachusetts was not yet a state and we were not yet a country with a constitution, so let’s fast forward a couple hundred more years to the late 1940’s.

It was a time when you reported your neighbor for any suspicious activity. Once the definite threat of world domination by Fascism was put to rest, the fear of world domination by Communism, dormant since the Thirties, reappeared. There were communists everywhere, in government, in Hollywood, in labor unions, at the local supermarket….everywhere. They were hiding under your bed as well as their evil teachers were indoctrinating your children. Even Eleanor Roosevelt was under investigation. Enter the House Un-American Activities Committee with their trusty companion, The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy, aided and abetted by J. Edgar Hoover’s F.B.I. and other government organizations. All you had to do was disagree with someone about official policy and you were pegged a “red”. The biggest beneficiary of this period was Richard Nixon, who played it for all it was worth and built his entire political career on it. The Red Scare gripped this country with fear for several years before some people figured out it was all a hoax. Careers were destroyed and peoples’ reputations were ruined all in the name of patriotism. Actor Philip Loeb was blacklisted, and although he was never charged and he cooperated fully with the committee, he was never cleared by them. He begged them to clear his name and they never did. He ultimately committed suicide in 1955. In the movie, The Front, actor Zero Mostel’s character, Hecky Brown, was based in part on Philip Loeb.

The Red Scare went on unchecked for about five years before someone actually stood up and exposed it. Playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible about the Salem Witch Trials using actual trial records as part of his text. The play was an unabashed expose’ of McCarthyism, in fact Miller was quoted as saying “The more I read into the Salem panic, the more it touched off corresponding images of common experiences in the fifties.” The next person to stand up to McCarthy was broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, who in a series of reports on McCarthy revealed him to be dishonest, reckless and abusive. The tide had started to turn. Murrow ended his broadcast with this statement: “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men.” The final demise came a year later during the Army-McCarthy hearings which were televised and the country got the chance to see McCarthy’s underhanded tactics live. The reign of terror had finally ended for the time being. Subsequently, the Senate censured McCarthy, HUAC lost most of its power, and many of the convictions brought about during this period were overturned by the courts. Joe McCarthy died in 1957, but his legacy lives on. McCarthyism is an underlying reason why Democrats are perceived as soft on communism and weak on defense, and Democrats have never done much to dispel that idea.

So, let’s see how all this affects ACORN’s situation today. Original founder and CEO Wade Rathke was fired a year and a half ago when it was disclosed that his brother, Dale, embezzled approximately one million dollars in 2000. CEO Rathke covered it up for seven years until the facts came surfaced. Bertha Lewis took over as CEO and immediately started reforming and restructuring all functions of the organization, including policies and board of directors. Someone anonymously made up the loss. She appointed a blue ribbon panel of advisors in early 2009 to help her with the transition:

John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Board Member, RFK Foundation, former MD Lt. Governor

Andrew Stern, International President, Service Employees International Union

Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, Cityview

John Banks, Vice President of Government Relations Con Ed

Eric Eve, Senior VP of Global Consumer Group, Community Relations, Citigroup

Harvey Hirschfeld, President, Lawcash

Dave Beckwith, Executive Director, Needmor Fund

Since the fall of 2008, ACORN’s new management team has instituted a set of changes, including:

The establishment of a new senior management team of the organization;

Revamping of ACORN’s board structure, including the establishment of new oversight committees with new resourcing to those committees;

Processes to hire a new auditor, CFO, and other key management positions.

ACORN workers and volunteers have been on the front lines of the foreclosure crisis and health care reform battles and they work long hard hours for meager compensation. They also take their jobs very seriously. We’re not talking big money here. Bertha Lewis makes an annual salary that is less than most Orange County school teachers make. The office supervisors make considerably less and the average worker is lucky to be making above minimum wage. Many of the people who work in the Orange County office are volunteers. Sometimes they have to wait extra time for their paychecks as resources are not always immediately available. There’s really nothing to hide. Any investigation launched into ACORN’s finances will reveal that the overwhelming amount of dollars goes directly into client services. And that 56 million dollars that keeps popping up? Over a 15 year period that’s a drop in the bucket. By the way, any investigation will find that a large portion of that money went to aid people that the federal government failed to help-Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma victims.

“Listen…….do you want to know a secret?…….

It’s the best kept secret in all of the media. ACORN receives less than 5% of its operating budget from the federal government. Here’s another secret: EVERYBODY IN CONGRESS KNOWS IT! That’s why it was so easy for them to throw ACORN under the bus. It’s just an easy way for these phonies (especially the spineless Democrats) to appear to be resolute. Shakespeare said it best-“A plague on both your houses.” This is an organization that gets its hands dirty, constantly, in neighborhoods where most of us shudder to think about, serving people who desperately need help. ACORN is there every day doing what we in our churches and synagogues, the private sector and local governments have neglected to do for decades.

Shortly after the videos were made public Bertha Lewis issued this statement:

“As a result of the indefensible action of a handful of our employees, I am, in consultation with ACORN’s Executive Committee, immediately ordering a halt to any new intakes into ACORN’s service programs until completion of an independent review. I have also communicated with ACORN’s independent Advisory Council, and they will assist ACORN in naming an independent auditor and investigator to conduct a thorough review of all of the organizations relevant systems and processes. That reviewer, to be named within 48 hours, will make recommendations directly to me and to the full ACORN Board. We enter this process with a commitment that all recommendations will be implemented.”

Ms. Lewis is specifically ordering the following steps be taken effective noon eastern on September 16, 2009:

No new intakes will be accepted into ACORN’s offices for service programs, effective immediately;

An immediate in-service training for all frontline staff has been ordered within 48 hours;

ACORN’s independent Advisory Council will help select an independent auditor/reviewer no later than September 18th to review all of the systems and processes called into question by the videos.

On Tuesday of this week, ACORN selected former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger to lead the independent review of the organizational systems and processes surrounding the social services of the organization. Mr. Harshbarger, now Senior Counsel to the Firm of Proskauer Rose LLP, is also the former President and CEO of Common Cause, the good government organization.

“You have meddled with the primal forces of Nature, Mr. Beale, and I won’t have it!”

It’s time for ACORN to get back to basics-what made it work in the first place. Mention the name Saul Alinsky to any conservative and it’s sure to cause at least heartburn if not a downright stroke in them, and for good reason. Saul Alinsky’s methods of organizing worked then and they still work today. His first major accomplishment was to do what Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, did not do. While Sinclair exposed the conditions in the Chicago stockyards, Alinsky actually cleaned them up thirty years later. He didn’t care how big they were or how well connected they were or how wealthy they were; when he decided to take them on he won. His methods were unique, unorthodox and at times outrageous and they were also very effective. ACORN was founded on the Alinsky model in 1970 to work in depressed areas in Little Rock, Arkansas. Yes, for a short period of time they are not going to be as effective at preventing foreclosures, or getting necessary health care to clients, however, they are now free to get back into the neglected areas of the inner cities and organize these communities into action. In a way Congress has done them a favor but a word of caution to the wise: “When men sow the wind it is rational to expect that they will reap the whirlwind.”-Frederick Douglass. It’s his take on a passage from the bible and it is a stern warning to politicians about the validity of Newtonian physical laws. Recent actions to defund ACORN were so hastily concocted and so broadly written (as to not be an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder) that they will affect any enterprises that are currently doing business with our government, such as Halliburton, Blackwater and lots of corrupt government contractors.

Before we decide to condemn, let’s get an honest assessment of the situation. No obfuscation, no stonewalling, no excuses, no cover-up. If something’s wrong it gets fixed with full disclosure and no opacity. If ACORN is guilty of anything it is at worst poor judgment. It needs to make sure that its employees are properly trained and managed with regular progress and performance reports. This organization has nothing to hide, but it does have something to fear and here’s where everyone can help. The battle to clear its name is going to be costly because ACORN is being tried in the media and the media is withholding facts that help ACORN’s case. Until or unless John Roberts and Co. completely subverts our individual rights we’re still supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. That’s also supposing that any laws have actually been broken. So far only the two Republican operatives have violated any laws and that’s being looked into by ACORN. ACORN has also initiated legal action against Giles and O’Keefe and it will be interesting to see how that plays out, especially in the MSM. It’s also going to be interesting to see where their defense money comes from. Kudos to Rachel Maddow for her erudite, eloquent and well researched segment, The Truth About the Lies Against ACORN, it’s a real eye opener, and special thanks to all the bloggers on HP who have written on this. Here’s how to help. Go on to ACORN’s website now http://www.acorn.org/ and give whatever you can afford. 66,882,230 of us voted for change in the last election. If every one of us gave only $10.00 ACORN would have the resources to do its good works without fear or interruption or distraction. It would also show our spineless Democrats in congress what fools and cowards they consistently prove themselves to be.

“Big Insurance-Sick of It”

September 25, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

The E-mail arrived last week announcing Moveon.org’s new initiative in the health care reform arena, Rudy Mejia, a local Moveon organizer stated in his message that “Big Insurance-Sick of it” rallies will be held in front of health insurance offices and Blue Dog Democratic legislative offices throughout the country at twelve noon on Tuesday, September 22. Lunchtime on a Tuesday is not the best time to hold a rally. Despite the timing problem a modest crowd of about fifty people, some from as far away as Lake County, assembled in front of Senator Bill Nelson’s Orlando office to urge the senator to support a strong public option. There were no opposing groups; however, a local landscaping company was trimming hedges at exactly the spot where the rally took place. The noise from the gasoline powered trimmers made it difficult to hear. When asked to trim elsewhere on the buildings site the supervisor refused to do so. Local activist Dave Rice said “This is deliberate and I’m going to find out who put them up to this.” Undaunted, the people moved in closer.

Mejia stated to the assembled that Senator Nelson is a member of the Senate Finance committee chaired by Max Baucus and will play an important role in the shaping of the ultimate bill to be presented to the Senate. He also went on to state that as many as three hundred rallies such as this were being held nationwide and that this will be an ongoing endeavor until real health care legislation is passed. The spokesman for this rally was Lyman Baker, an East Orlando resident, who spoke at length on the need for reform. Here’s part of his speech:

“You can see why it is that the Finance Committee’s bill has been sarcastically called “The Health Insurance Companies’ Profit-Protection Plan.” It actually should be called “The Health Insurance Corporations’ Profit-Enhancement Plan,” since it directs huge numbers of new customers to them, and uses tax-payers’ money to pay the bill at the rates they set.”

“So it’s not hard to see why Big Insurance has been behaving as we’ve seen it do. America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is a national association of some 1300 member insurance companies that has spent millions of dollars fighting to kill real reform, particularly targeting the public health option, which is such a key part of President Obama’s health reform plan because it forces private insurance companies to compete with it and with each other in a way they won’t have to do under the bill proposed by the Senate Finance Committee.”

“That bill is now in “mark-up,” and our Senator Bill Nelson will play a part in that process of amendment. That’s why we’re here today to let him know why we understand that the public option is essential”

After his opening remarks Baker introduced several people who shared their stories with the crowd:

Betty Hack was denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
Nancy Jacobson spoke about her best friend, Barbara, who is a working artist and who travels around the country displaying her work at art shows and festivals. Considering today’s economy she can hardly afford to pay for her health insurance, which includes a $7500.00 deductible.
Joe Reed, an actor, was laid off from Disney. His story was featured in Linda Schrieves front-page story in Tuesday’s Orlando Sentinel (here) — a story that contains some informative statistics about how Florida is worse than average in the percentage of people without health insurance.
Jefferson Soler spoke about difficulties getting insurance as a person with a touch of autism (accepted only with a rider).
Tanya Cheney was laid off last fall and who (along with her husband, also laid off) has no insurance.
Judy Rice explained that because of a previous condition, she and her husband Dave ended up being charged $1000/month premium, and ended in bankruptcy.
Guenther Apsel, a Lutheran minister (81, now retired, living in Florida) who will be returning to Germany because medical coverage and treatment are unaffordable for him here.
Christine Fullerton told the crowd her insurance company 19 years ago so delayed authorizing treatment for her spinal condition, with the result that she has suffered permanent damage. Her husband was switching jobs and the old insurance company did not want to get stuck with the medical bills. The new insurance company would not insure her pre-existing condition.
Dave Kaminsky is facing 6 months without coverage after recent kidney transplant surgery, between when his current insurance will terminate and Medicare will kick in.
Wendy Woodall, a retired USAF Staff Sgt, related story of her friend Cheri who was kicked out of the hospital before 24 hours were up after having a double mastectomy.

Baker went on to say that these stories abound everywhere and that all of the people heard during the rally were productive members of society who are not looking for free government health care.

At the end of the rally a group of attendees including Jacobson, Fullerton, Kaminsky and others visited Nelson’s office and met with Sherry Davitch, his assistant for health care matters. Davitch was sympathetic with their concerns and claimed that Nelson is studying the issues and has not made up his mind. “Remember, Senator Nelson was Insurance Commissioner in this state for six years and he’s not their friend” said Davitch. Steve Litt and Nancy Jacobson, acting as spokesmen cited the latest polls indicating that the public and most doctors are overwhelmingly in support of a strong public option, to which Davitch replied “Which one? There are six of them.” She promised to talk to the Senator and let their concerns be known. The meeting was over and some members of the group felt that they had made some headway.

Orlando Dems Keeping Health Care Debate Honest

September 9, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

By Jerry Waxman

as submitted to the Huffington Post

“We must have lunch real soon…….Your luggage is checked through………..We’ve got inflation licked……I’ll get right back to you…….. It’s just a standard form……..Tomorrow without fail. ……..Pleased to meet you……Thanks a lot……….Your check is in the mail.

Marooned………Marooned…..….Marooned in a blizzard of lies! Marooned..……Marooned……..Marooned in a blizzard of lies! Your toes and knees aren’t all you’ll freeze when you’re in it up to your thighs……………It looks like snow, but you never know, when you’re marooned in a blizzard of lies.”

Songwriter Dave Frishberg’s witty and satirical lyric from 1983 is spot on when you’re talking about all of the myths and distortions being offered up by Health Care Reform’s opponents. Will Rogers classic allusion that all he knows is what he reads in the paper is, unfortunately, the case for many Floridians, and no attempt is made to clarify or get at the truth or supply background information by the Orlando Sentinel’s editors. Case in point: conservative radio host Neal Boortz was a prime reason that there was a protesting crowd at Congressman Alan Grayson’s Aug. 17^th town hall meeting. Boortz and other talk hosts continued to advertise the meeting site and time. The Sentinel reporters covered the event, but there was no mention of radio station WDBO’s involvement. Opinion columnist Scott Maxwell, who seems to be pretty fair in his assessments, never mentioned the radio rabble rousing either. There is no way that those protest crowds would have been there in such numbers without the publicity yet the local press makes no mention of it. Deliberately withholding this kind of information gives the protests more weight than they deserve, and it certainly flies in the face of certain journalistic basics such as who, what, when, where and why.

Each Sunday the Sentinel features a section called New Voices, where anyone (I’ll repeat that) anyone can write a 600 word op-ed on any subject. On September 5 a contributor named Kristen Soltis wrote a very carefully worded column that derided Alan Grayson’s August 17 town hall meeting labeled The Health Care Debate Deserves an Honest Forum. At the end of her letter the Sentinel disclosed that she is Director of Policy Research at The Winston Group. Once you Google search this firm you discover that it is a very right leaning polling and strategy organization. Another simple Google search revealed more than we need to know about Ms. Soltis. If you want to know who and what her connections are here is a link to her Muckety Relationship Map, which as you click on all of her relationships will reveal that she is extremely well connected in Republican and other right wing circles, having spent time at the RNCC and the Heritage Foundation. Here’s an example of one of her blogs. She has published scores of articles including one about getting the youthful voter to vote Republican in The Huffington Post. She is hardly a new voice, and she has her facts wrong about Grayson’s meeting.

Florida State Rep. Scott Randolph was incensed at the Sentinel’s lack of fact checking. I talked with him at the AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic. Randolph asserts that Ms. Soltis is a paid staffer whose job is to write these articles in newspapers around the country. “I was at three of Grayson’s Town Hall meetings, and she doesn’t know anything about how they turned out. The Sentinel allowed itself to be fooled. She’s not even a registered voter in Orange County.”

Another Democratic activist took it even further. Douglas DeClue, in an angry letter to the editor (copied to me) let his feelings be known. Here are some excerpts:

To the Editors of the Sentinel:

Give me a break.

The only reason the right wing Republican teabagger crowd is complaining now about Alan Grayson is simply because they got beat at their own game.

They were out organized by local grassroots Democratic activists in turning out a crowd for Alan Grayson’s town hall event and now that they got beat they want a do-over.

The teabaggers who have been crashing town halls around the country and harassing and intimidating elected officials have clearly been organized by right wing radio talking heads who in turn have apparently gotten their marching orders and talking points from the Republican Party and the Health Insurance lobby.

In this particular case, for all of her whining about the event being “preloaded” with Democrats, she utterly fails to point out in “Honest Forum” that nationally syndicated right wing radio talk show host Neal Boortz had tried to do its own “preloading” by using his national radio program to whip up a lynch mob to storm a local town hall meeting with his ill informed radical right wing shouters.

In this Neal Boortz failed miserably of course because the City of Orlando and Orange County overall is overwhelmingly Democratic, by over 80,000 registered voters (272,923 to 192,419 as of March of this year) and by 19% in the last election (Obama 59%, McCain 40%).

Perhaps it is time for the newspaper publications that are still around to start practicing the journalistic standards and display the integrity that we expect of them. Ideology aside, a free and independent press is necessary to the functioning of a free society. A paid for press is nothing but an expensive ad. An incurious press is an insult to everyone’s intelligence.

“Walk on, Walk on with hope in your heart and you’re in for a big surprise,

when you’re marooned, marooned, marooned, marooned, marooned in a blizzard of lies!”

DO YOUR JOB, MR. PRESIDENT

September 3, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

I just received an e-mail from Adam Green at Bold Progressives urging me to send a message to President Obama. Of course, it’s concerning his taking a firm stand on the inclusion of the public option. I get these kinds of letters all the time and normally I just sign them and don’t add my personal comments. Not this time! I’m tired of an impotent congressional leadership and, to date, a feckless administrative stance on a number of issues. Here’s the letter I wrote:

“Your administration has been a bitter disappointment to me. You have, so far, failed to address the breakup of the corporate media, failed to repeal DADT, failed to bring Dick Cheney and his cronies to justice and failed to rein in the very perpetrators of our financial dilemma on Wall Street. In fact, you have abetted them and allowed most of them to continue doing what they are doing by not establishing the proper controls. We also get pleas for more money from you. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! DO YOUR JOB OR YOU WILL BE REPLACED IN 2012! The public option is non-negotiable. Show some spine-show some muscle and do the job we expect of you. In retrospect, Hillary is looking a lot better. I’m beginning to regret not giving her the chance.”

This might not be as respectful as it could have been and I don’t care. This is an opportunity to tell him how we really feel. While I’m still working hard for progressive candidates and ideals I’m tremendously disappointed in our leadership and the only way to show it is to withhold support for those people who are not acting in our interests.

Adam’s letter also asked for money which, if I had received this e-mail 10 minutes earlier, I might have donated if my unemployed son in Mississippi hadn’t texted us that he was out of minutes and could we help. Hey, today is his third anniversary and what are parents for? Adam, I promise to send you something real soon, okay?

Here’s something you readers can do. Go to www.boldprogressives.org and sign the petition. Also include your personal message. My message was deliberately harsh in its tone; yours doesn’t have to be but don’t candycoat it. Tell this administration exactly how you feel. If you’re so inclined, give a few bucks to the cause and add in one for me.

Florida Health Care Reform Advocates Ratcheting Up the Pressure on Elected Democrats

September 1, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

“Shame on us!” admonished Monica Russo to the assembled 1100 participants at the Floridians Rally for Healthcare reform, “Shame on us!” She used the phrase several times to accent what people were not doing hard enough to influence their elected representatives to pass meaningful healthcare reform. It was more like preaching to the choir and yet her stinging rebuke was a warning that healthcare reform could fail without the extraordinary efforts of all the assembled and their activism in promoting the legislation to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

The event, sponsored by Health Care Reform for America Now with participation from OFA, SEIU, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, ACORN and FCAN was held Saturday afternoon, August 29 at 2:00 PM at the Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex to a capacity crowd. This was not an open event; a ticket was needed to enter and participate. Outside, there were a few vendors and petitioners for candidates for office and Florida Redistricting, and even some protesters, however, nothing got confrontational or out of hand. Buses had brought people in from Miami, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and other cities throughout the state.

Russo, a member of the SEIU Health Care Team, also acted as emcee and started the afternoon with a fitting tribute to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, specifically citing his continuing efforts to assure that every American had access to a quality education and quality health care. After a moment of silence, State Senator Dan Gelber led the Pledge of Allegiance and told the crowd that at the moment there are 800,000 children in the state of Florida who are uninsured, and that something needed to be done about it. State Representative Scott Randolph Welcomed everyone to the event which is in his district (36).

A short health story was told by Matthew Le Clair, 23 regarding his physical condition. Two years ago at the age of 21 Le Clair had experienced severe back pains but had no insurance and none offered by his employer so he didn’t seek treatment until the pain was too unbearable. After a $3000.00 MRI and minimal treatment he was diagnosed as having three herniated discs. Unable to perform the physical tasks, he was fired by his employer due to illness.

The three person keynote panel included Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson, Mary Kay Henry, Executive Vice President of SEIU and Tony Fransetta, President of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans. Grayson explained that the current bill in the House of Representatives stops insurance companies from lifetime capping of claims and also stops them from excluding people with preexisting conditions. Grayson reminded everyone that 18000 people die each year because they do not seek medical attention due to lack of insurance coverage.

Fransetta, whose organization has over 200,000 members in Florida, railed against the “wimpy Democrats” and went through a check list of myths that needed to be debunked, including Medicare benefits being cut. What he did say is that Medicare will be reformed so that providers will be more accountable to the taxpayers.

Ms. Henry hosted a question and answer session in which the panelists answered questions from participants who wrote them down on white 3×5 cards. The questions seemed too well thought out and studied to have been spontaneous, but they produced some interesting responses. Scott Randolph advised at one point during his answer that there was talk in Republican legislative circles that during the next session they would sponsor a bill exempting Florida from any healthcare reform bill that Congress passes. He urged everyone to write their legislators in opposition to the proposals. There was a question about small businesses being overly burdened by this legislation. Grayson told the questioner that any small business with a payroll under $250,000.00 would be exempt and that her business payroll was small enough that she didn’t have to worry. He also added that during the Bush years insurance company rates tripled and their profits rose 800% placing much more of a burden on the small business owner. The highlight of the Q & A came with Fransetta’s rousing response to a question about Socialized Medicine in which he claimed it already exists “and you will never see any Republican denounce it!” He was speaking about VA healthcare, a system which he as a disabled Korean War veteran was completely familiar with. He warned all not to be fooled or intimidated by any claims of Socialized Medicine.

After the Q & A, Miriam Silvermintz of West Palm Beach explained why she has become an activist. Her son, now 20, is diabetic and at the moment is covered under her insurance, but shortly he will need his own coverage and will not be able to get it due to his preexisting condition. She held a meeting at her house and recruited several friends to become active. I interviewed her afterward and she intimated that her group must have touched some kind of nerve because she was invited to participate in Charlie Crists’ 2008 State of the State Address where he mentioned her family by name, although nothing ever came of it.

The stage was now set for Monica Russo:

“Stand up if you’ve made a call, stand up if you’ve knocked on doors, stand up if you’ve written a letter to the editor, stand up if you’ve organized a house meeting.” Each question elicits a response from less than half of the attendees, whereupon she scolds them with “Shame on us!”

Russo outlined her plan of action:

Wear the blue ribbon provided in your health care package until legislation is passed
Get together September 2 and organize for action
3. 10000 calls to Senator Bill Nelson’s office in Washington on September 9 202.224.5274, in Orlando toll-free 888.671.4091 (let’s face it- we pay his salary, he can afford the call.)

Russo then went on to say that senators like Bill Nelson and representatives like Suzanne Kosmas need to realize that they can’t just automatically take for granted the votes of Democrats if they don’t do what the people want. The Florida labor unions are beginning to realize this and so is the average Democratic voter in Florida. If they are going to seek reelection they are going to have to earn those votes, and it’s possible that they could lose in the primaries if they don’t take action now. It’s time to throw down the gauntlet.

Press coverage for this event didn’t generate much activity, although there was an article in the Orlando Sentinel describing the event. WFTV Channel 9 did cover the event and conducted some interviews with participants. Jamie Foxx performing at the nearby Bob Carr Performing Arts Center got more press coverage.

NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S TOWN HALL MEETING

August 18, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

As submitted to the Huffington Post 08/18/09

“I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
I’ve been waiting for this moment, all my life, oh lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord

Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you’ve been
Its all been a pack of lies

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
I’ve been waiting for this moment, all my life, oh lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord”

With apologies to Phil Collins and Genesis

The Orange County Democratic Executive Committee meets every third Monday of each month at 7:00 PM, and for over the last year the IBEW local 606 has hosted the meetings in their hall not far from Downtown Orlando. Attendance at meetings is mandatory for precinct captains with few exceptions, so there is usually a robust crowd at these monthly meetings. The IBEW hall holds up to 125 people and the room is usually 75% full at meetings. On August 14, DEC members received word that Congressman Alan Grayson was to be a special guest at the meeting and he was to update the membership on the current state of Health Care in Congress. On August 16 Grayson announced a town hall meeting immediately following the DEC meeting.

Neil Boortz, a nationally syndicated right wing talker got the word and went on a diatribe against Grayson, talking on Orlando’s WDBO, which you can see here. Other right wing radio hosts on WDBO as well as other talk stations added fuel to the fire so that there would be a substantial crowd at the hall to protest the proceedings. There is no counter programming for progressive talk within the Orlando media market. The closest radio stations are either in Daytona Beach, Tampa or Gainesville and their signals do not reach Orlando. DEC sent out a message to the membership to come early. The crowd started to assemble at 3:30 in the afternoon. At 4:30 the DEC decided to suspend the business meeting and allow Grayson to address the membership, in effect holding two town hall meetings, one at 7:00 and one at 7:45 for the general public.

For the DEC members Grayson stated several positions that he had not heretofore made generally known. When asked about his position on the public option he stated that he supported it, however, if the bill did not contain it he might still vote yes if other provisions were met, such as the insurance companies returning at least 85% of their premiums to health care benefits, no new taxes on people making less than $350,000.00, the elimination of pre-existing conditions and no change in the quality of Medicare. One participant on Medicare offered her opinion on the misconception that Medicare is free. It is not. Seniors on Medicare pay approximately $100.00 per month for part B and many also buy supplemental plans to cover their deductibles which cost an average of $175.00 per month, plus a prescription drug plan under part D that costs about $35.00 per month depending on where one lives. So, the average senior pays about $3600.00 per year for their “free” health care. Grayson also commented that the current bill will phase out the Medicare Donut Hole over a four year period.

DEC Chairman Bill Robinson asked all DEC members to vacate their seats to allow the assembled outside the same opportunity to meet with the Congressman that they had just enjoyed. A mixed crowd was let in consisting of people for, against and undecided on Health Care Reform. By this time the outside crowd had swelled to over three hundred people, many carrying signs for or against, mostly peaceful. There was some contention between groups and there was at least one arrest, but generally all the crowd did was change traffic patterns. There were many comments about this being a “staged” event. The real drama was going on inside.

Grayson’s press person, Todd Jurkowski moderated the evening and presented questions from all sides. Jurkowski started the meeting off by requesting that all parties respect the speaker and the meeting. Grayson acknowledged that there were different views in the room and that the difference is really in the means rather than the goal. He took an equal amount of questions from the protesters and the undecideds as he took from the pro people. Many of the issues that he touched upon in the DEC meeting were also discussed during this meeting. He reiterated that if you are currently satisfied with your current insurance you can keep it, plus if you change your employment or lose your job you will not lose your insurance. He added as well that pre-existing conditions will be a thing of the past.

He discouraged critics from asking questions that did not pertain to the bill at hand such as tort reform and Medicare fraud, stating that those issues will be addressed in many other bills (15 to be exact) which will follow. He cited his record as an attorney who has gone after fraud and waste in government and that it is part of his mission in life. He also said that tort cases and medical malpractice account for only 1% of health care costs. Certain protesters denied his claim, so he invited them to show evidence backing their position. When someone asked him about being denied coverage under certain circumstances he directed them to the bill, which was next to the dais as well as on a projection screen. At that point he pointed to the exact page and paragraph, adding that he in fact did read the bill and he was entirely familiar with it. All remarks based on fear and hearsay were directed to the bill. Grayson continually asked people to show him where their allegations were in the bill. At one point a woman alleged that prostate cancer and breast cancer were being treated unequally Grayson told her that if her allegation proved to be true he would introduce an amendment to correct the situation. At least one protester commented that Grayson had presented cohesive and coherent answers to questions and had cleared up many misconceptions. Other protesters would have none of it and kept protesting that the meeting was a setup. Grayson ended the meeting at 10:00 PM with the note that he wanted a bill that would allow people to live and how can we as a nation best help save lives. He’s certain this bill goes in the right direction.

Three hours worth of meeting was given scant coverage on the 11:00 news by all of the local channels. The Orlando Sentinel gave a somewhat accurate account of the proceedings, and columnist Scott Maxwell blogged the event. Unfortunately, neither Maxwell nor the Sentinel reporters discussed the real reason the crowd was so large due to the radio publicity. To their credit, their reporting was mostly non-partisan and straightforward.

As a society we must determine whether debate can be elevated or squelched. The exercising of our first amendment rights also bears the responsibility of allowing others their right to be heard. This meeting may not have been in the classic tradition of the mythical town hall, but this Monday evening many views were heard, no one was shouted down and more than a few people learned something, whether they liked it or not.

How The Right Continues To Get It Wrong

August 11, 2009 by Jerry Waxman Leave a Comment

As submitted to the Huffington Post

I’ve been deluged over the last six months by all kinds of letter writing and petition requests from every progressive committee and cause that has my e-mail address. There are also one or several conservative groups that continue to send me stuff. I read their stuff just for laughs, but honestly there’s nothing to laugh at, sort of like Dennis Miller, even when he was a liberal. I laugh at their sheer audacity, and I laugh only because I would explode in anger over how ridiculous their positions are. The messaging being done by the progressive and liberal groups is in its relative infancy compared to the vitriol and hate that the conservatives have been doing since the first Bush presidency, further exacerbated by Bill Clinton’s dubious signing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which allowed broadcasters and publishing companies to buy up and control local area media markets all over the country.

The Republicans were as wrong in their message then as they are now, but over the course of twenty years (almost a full generation) the relentless hammering away with virtually no opposition has taken its toll. We progressives were asleep at the wheel during all of this and we allowed the deterioration to happen. The seeds that were sown even before 1988 have produced a bitter harvest being played out in places like St. Louis, Tampa, Philadelphia and anywhere else that there have been disruptions in town hall meetings. In my last post I chronicled my conversation with Rhonda Welsch, a very conservative woman of 40 who was 12 years old when Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his first term. Ms. Welsch, having grown up in a conservative area and household, has nothing to compare her experiences with. Willfully ignorant and incurious people prefer what they’re used to and don’t handle change easily. The progressive message has a long way to go before these people pay attention, and no real change will be effected until the conservatives realize that they are going to have to compromise the way our founding fathers did. I wonder if that will happen in my lifetime. I don’t know.

Back in 1998 I attended a reception for Sandra Mortham, then Secretary of State for Florida. As an arts administrator I donated $25.00 to her campaign fund and reasoned that she had been good to Florida’s arts organizations and she was approachable. At that point Florida was #2 nationally in arts funding and Mortham was an enthusiastic supporter of all arts disciplines. She took pride in citing figures that every dollar invested in the arts was returned threefold to the community. It was also known at the time that her opponent in the primary was to be a woman named Katherine Harris. Jeb Bush was the Republican candidate for Governor. There was some scandal about improprieties in her office and Bush eventually endorsed Harris who went on to win the primary. That small donation got me inundated with direct mail of all kinds from every conservative Florida and national politician, as well as pointed hate mail against then Clinton administration by people like Leonard Starr, Newt Gingrich, Bob Barr and others too numerous to mention, but the tone of all this mail was tortured logic, blatant misinformation and outright disdain of any Clinton policies or progressive political positions. Once Jeb Bush took office this state took a backward slide from which it has never recovered, and Katherine Harris was at the forefront of that decline. Today, Florida has virtually no money for the arts, and totally disdains any money for the proper education of our most precious resource, our children. I’m still on some of their mailing lists and from time to time they waste their money on mailings to me.

Rhonda Welsch is not alone. Corporate executives, attorneys, physicians, Wall Street bankers and other professionals of the same age group grew up with the same messages being pounded continually without an organized, coherent and attractive counter message. They cut their teeth on greed and selfishness; they really don’t understand ethical behavior and they really feel that they are entitled. I blame myself and every other progressive for not being more vigilant and not acting when we could have. Jimmy Carter might have beaten Reagan if we had the proper grass roots in place. The race was very close until the final weeks. We could have made the difference. The kind of activism we displayed last year could have made the difference in 2000 as well, especially in Florida. So much for complacency.

I continue to get viral e-mails forwarded to me by a dear friend who happens to be a racist libertarian. To his credit he doesn’t generate them, he just forwards them. He’s an ex NY cop who became an actor and a singer and he’s fun to be with as long as we don’t discuss politics. Many of his e-mails show his appreciation of the arts in the form of the female anatomy in various poses and states of physical activity and undress. The others, unfortunately, are a rehash of all the vitriol, myths and baseless attacks from the 2008 campaign, including several rants by Jackie Mason about Barack Obama. I actually became a Huffington Post Blogger by forwarding all of his e-mails to the Post during the campaign so I have him to thank for all this, but I digress-the purpose of this column is to show why the Republican message is and has been wrong.

In the beginning of this post I told of all the letters and petitions I receive. Some stuff I delete, as we all do. I do sign most of the petitions, but not the ones I disagree with. Somehow, a petition I signed got to the office of our soon-to-be ex Senator, Mel Martinez, and someone had to have misread it, because it alleged that I opposed government funded abortions. Here is the letter I got from Martinez:

Below is a response to the recent comments I received from you:

Dear Mr. Waxman: Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to the use of taxpayer funding for abortion services. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns. Every human life is precious. We must uphold our Constitution which ensures Americans the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but even before these—the right to life. I am committed to promoting a culture of life in America. Like you, I am opposed to all abortion, and do not support the use of taxpayer funds for any abortion. I appreciate you sharing your views with me, and rest assured that as your Senator, I will continue to support the right to life. Again, thank you taking the time to share your views with me. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez

United States Senator

That’s funny, because anytime I contacted him it was about either single payer, or barring that the public option on health care, and that I was solidly in favor of those options. I never once mentioned abortion. So, I wonder if he and Charlie Crist share the same mail responders since Crist seems to have a problem with answering his mail as well. If on the off chance I did sign the wrong petition, I sincerely apologize for that lapse in judgement. Frankly, abortion is a non-issue. It belongs between a woman and her doctor and nowhere else, however, people like Mel Martinez continue to use it to obscure the real issues confronting him. He is a coward and his letter is a copout. He has never completed a government job he started and now, at a time when Florida needs responsible people in leadership positions he chickens out. That’s the Republican message that they are sending. He may be a decent man; many people have told me he is, but none of his actions, save his Sotomayor vote show any integrity or compassion for his voting public. Good riddance to both him and his message.

A tale of two citizens

The monthly meeting of The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades was held on Thursday, August 6 at their headquarters in Orlando. Coincidentally, this was the same day of the disrupted Tampa town meeting. Several politicians were there to update the members on their respective positions. The first two people to speak were freshmen congressional representatives Alan Grayson and Suzanne Kosmas both of whom have constituencies in Orange County. The union members were a mixed group, some being Democrats and some being Republican, but all were well behaved and respectful. Grayson was poised, sure of himself and completely at ease as he gave an impromptu talk about his childhood illnesses which were many. His parents, both teachers, had been on strike during one of his illnesses and there were questions as to how to pay for their son’s medical treatment. He then spoke on the merits of the bill which he fully supports, including the public option, and he is fighting hard for the bill’s passage. His term for the bill, while acknowledging it was not a perfect bill was “Peace of Mind.” Kosmas, who came late to the meeting, was much stiffer in her presentation. She apologized for only hearing the peace of mind part of Grayson’s speech and then, much like a university teaching assistant in economics, not yet sure of her subject, launched into an essay about being cautious in crafting the bill. She appeared ill at ease with anything to do with health care and over the course of fifteen minutes managed to say very little at all. In a safe atmosphere where there is no threat of disruption; at a friendly union hall where she gained a lot of support over her years in the Florida Legislature, she chose to play it worse that safe-she was non-committal. What’s she afraid of? She beat Tom Feeney on his own turf in a district he drew for himself as a lifetime fiefdom. Obviously the fear of the Republican message bothers her more than the constituency of East Orange County Democratic voters that she’s avoiding. East Orange County Democratic voters were instrumental in her being elected and they can also deny her re-election.

The Republican message is inherently wrong. It has led us down a dangerous and destructive path for a full generation. To acquiesce to the message is also wrong. This is not mathematics. Two negatives do not make a positive. Last week I saw a sign on a local church sign: “There is no right way to do something wrong.” It’s a great message.