And if you're not calling, here are some quick bullet points:
- There are 13 male GOP senators locked away in a room drafting this bill in total secrecy. No one has any idea what's in it
- Mitch McConnell wants to pass this thing before the July 4th recess when he knows that senators are going to be beat up during town halls, etc
- There is not a Democrat in the House or the Senate who would disagree that the ACA needs some work and not one who wouldn't work willingly across the aisle to fix it. The GOP Congress Critters pointing at the Democrats and the ACA all know this, don't care, and will happily dissemble away in pursuit of passing this terrible bill.
The question that remains, of course, is WHY does Mitch McConnell want to pass this terrible bill that people are going to hate. If they pass it, the terrible bill becomes a terrible law. It's bad politics and bad policy. So, WTF?
And then it occurred to me that the GOP will do what they always do and blame Democrats for the crap-pile they built. They'll get buy-in on this wholesale lie from Fox News and a chunk of America will believe it despite how obviously untrue it is:
So we gotta stop this bill in its tracks and the best way to do that is by calling your damn senators. These calls matter. They are how we stopped it in the House the first time and why, when we stopped calling, they got it through the second time.
I'm going to make it super easy and tell you exactly what to say:
Democratic Senator
Democrats have a couple of ways to stop this thing. Indivisible has a pretty good run down on what these methods are, but I like my script more. So here's what you say:
You: Hello, could I leave a quick message for the senator?
Them: Of course
You: I'd like to encourage the senator to do whatever s/he can to stop the AHCA bill from coming to a vote before July 4th. I'd support filibuster-by-amendment for a reconciliation vote or withholding consent. This is a very serious, very scary bill and we need to stop it by whatever means we have. Thank you.
Them: Thank you. What is your zip code
You: [I don't know what your damn zip code is. Just tell them whatever it is]
Republican Senator
This Indivisible script I like a little more. But if you want to keep it short and sweet, like I do, then try this:
You: Hello, could I leave a quick message for the senator?
Them: Of course
You: I would like to express my anger at the secrecy under which the AHCA bill is being drafted and demand that the senator not vote for any bill until it's had a full public hearing, a CBO score and is confident that no American will lose healthcare through its implementation. Thank you.
Them: Thank you. What is your zip code
You: [I don't know what your damn zip code is. Just tell them whatever it is]
Remember, be nice and polite to these staffers. No swearing, no yelling, no sneering. Be friendly, polite and calm.
Look, guys, I'm going to England next week. I can't make my calls. Do it for me. These calls super duper matter. They matter so much I've removed all the f-bombs from this blogpost because I want you to be able to share it with all your friends. These calls matter bigly. They are urgent. Call every day. Tell your friends on your own social media feeds to make the calls. We need to flood the senate and tell them re: AHCA -
Did my Obama gifs make you sad? Make you miss back when we had competent, rational, drama-free leadership and all the POTUS tweets were boring and written by staffers? Good. Liberal complacency is what got us the Incompetent Orange Menace. Pick up your phones and Make Them Calls!
