By NYCEve (Eve Gittelson)

The most urgent only news today is that the Congressional Progressive Caucus is fighting back on several fronts.

1. There will be a news conference today as follows. A good turnout and a show of support for our Progressives is a high priority.

If you’re in Washington as a tourist, please go to the southeast side of the Capitol at 2:30PM. If you’re in Washington on business, please go. If you’re in Washington to support the 40th anniversary of Medicare, please go.

From: Shaunna Thomas
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 11:15 PM
Subject: Moment of truth: CPC and the Blue Dog compromise

I need your help – and the Congressional Progressive Caucus needs your help. Urgently.

Today, the Energy and Commerce committee accepted a compromise with the Blue Dogs which would have the effect of crippling the public option. (As reported, it specifically makes it so that the public option no longer pays Medicare+5%, but instead has to individually negotiate rates with providers. In addition to dramatically increasing the overall cost of reform, this has a big negative impact on the public option’s ability to jumpstart operations.)

This compromise is in direct conflict with one of the core tenets of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s criteria for a robust public option. The belief appears to be that the progressives will once again just roll over.

Not this time. Not this fight.

Tomorrow afternoon, the CPC will be holding a press conference in conjunction with their allied caucuses the CBC, CHC, and CAPAC. They are going to draw a very clear line in the sand – unambiguously and so brightly it’ll be seen all the way at the White House. We need the largest crowd we can get at the press conference:

Thursday July 30, 2009
2:30 pm
At the triangle on the southeast side of the Capitol

This is the first real moment in which the progressives inside of Congress are being tested for their resolve on healthcare. And this is the most significant ask they’ve made of progressives outside of Congress in the day-to-day fight.

Please help.

Can you reach out to your networks and help us get as many people as possible to come to tomorrow’s press conference?

Many, many thanks,
Shaunna

Shaunna Thomas
ProgressiveCongress.org
917-664-2497 (cell)- call any time

2. DEAL OR NO DEAL?

The news circulating is that the Congressional Progressive Caucus is not going to get out of the way for the Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Health Care bill. The Progressives are not going to accept a watered down bill. The 2:30 press conference will begin to explain where they plan to go with this. They’re circulating a letter for signatures. What the letter will contain is unclear at this time, but they are saying they have the votes to defeat the Waxman-Blue Dog compromise on the floor.

This version of events is what’s being reported in The Hill.

The Blue Dogs’ deal, which cut $100 billion from the healthcare reform price tag, was instantly denounced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who said, “It’s unacceptable. We’re not going to vote for anything that doesn’t have a robust public plan.”

Liberals aimed to win 50 signatures on a letter to their leaders opposing the deal to make it clear they could defeat the healthcare bill on the floor.

“Fifty is our threshold,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a co-chairman of the caucus. “That’ll kill anything.”

Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on the other hand says he has the votes to pass the Blue Dog Compromise.

As President Obama has repeatedly warned, “if doing this were easy, we would have done it many years ago”. More than ever, as activists, we must stay strong, resolved, focused and determined.

Deal or No Deal?