Thanks to everyone who volunteered, helped or attended last night’s events with President Obama and Senator McCaskill.   It is always an honor to have the President in our town and last night was no exception.  Last night reminded us again how fortunate we are to have a strong committed leader.  The President explained some of the key benefits of his Health Insurance Reform Proposal to a packed room of supporters

As Claire and the President both said – this is about the next generation, not the next election.  We need to continue to fight for Health Insurance Reform and to help I’ve included some of the key benefits of the President’s Health Insurance Reform Proposal below.

• It will strengthen the coverage you get at work by reining in the worst insurance company abuses.
• It will provide tens of billions of dollars in new tax credits to small businesses to make it easier for them to provide coverage if they choose to do so.
• Many Americans buying their own coverage in the individual market will qualify for tax credits that reduce their premiums by an average of nearly 60 percent – and they will get better coverage than what they have today.
• If you are on Medicare, you will have benefits you don’t have today: Preventive services like cancer screenings at no cost, and a substantial reduction in prescription drug prices if you fall into that gap in coverage known as the “donut hole.” Over time the proposal closes this coverage gap completely.
• If you don’t have insurance, you may be eligible for a tax credit to help pay for your coverage – part of the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history.
• Insurance companies will be required to offer coverage regardless of your health status or because of pre-existing conditions, and they cannot boost rates or drop you from your coverage when you get sick.
• If you are a parent, you can keep your children on your insurance plan until the age of 27 (the current limit is age 21).

Please take a moment and visit http://my.democrats.org/KaineReformto watch a video message from DNC Chairman Tim Kaine and to join the “Final March for Reform.”

Again, thank you for making last night a memorable one.  And let’s get to work!

Sincerely,
Brian Wahby
Chairman

Congressman Blunt Praises Grants to Help Homeless that He Voted Against

For Immediate Release:                         January 12, 2010

Contact:                                                  Ryan Hobart    (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125

Jefferson City, Mo – In another example of blatant hypocrisy, Congressman Roy Blunt is trying to take credit for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants that will help the homeless population in his district, even though he voted against the funding. [HR 3288, Vote #949, 12/10/09]

On December 10^th, after voting against the bill, Blunt said the funding for this HUD program shouldn’t be spent, saying that it is “good money on a bad fix for what is broken”. [Congressional Press Release, 12/10/09]

One month later, Congressman Blunt’s office sent out another press release in which he said these grants are “needed” and “best used” to help the homeless population in his district. What he neglected to say is he voted against the funding that makes these programs possible. [Congressional Press Release, 1/11/10]

“At least we know Congressman Blunt is consistent on something, and that is his DC double speak,” said Missouri Democratic Party Spokesman Ryan Hobart. “He has tried to have it both ways on numerous issues like H1N1 preparedness funding, Medicare funding and now grants to help the homeless. His DC double speak may work to explain his contradictory positions to Washington insiders, but, in Missouri, actions speak louder than words.”

Despite Congressman Blunt’s vote, approximately $900,000 is going to help homeless shelters and projects in Missouri’s 7^th Congressional district.

Congressman Blunt is running against State Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nomination for US Senate.

After this weekend’s developments, it now appears the Senate will have an opportunity to take an up or down vote on the genuine health reform the American people deserve – reform that offers security to those who have health insurance and affordable options for those who don’t.  This is the type of reform that we worked for when we elected Barack Obama President.

Although there is still much work left to do, last night’s vote is major step forward for the American people.  Does the bill do everything that we wanted, no. But last night’s vote is the first major step to reforming our broken system – an effort that progressives have been working toward for nearly a century. Now, we are on the cusp of making health care reform a reality in America.

As with any piece of legislation, compromise is part of the process.  However, some of the changes that have been made to bill are good additions that will make this historic bill even stronger:

• Between the time the bill passes and the time the insurance exchanges are up and running, insurance companies that try to jack up their rates will be punished.  Insurance companies that hike their prices may be barred from selling plans on the exchange.
• Starting immediately, insurers would not be able to deny children coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Discrimination on the basis of pre-existing conditions for everyone would be banned once the exchanges are open in 2014 – in the meantime, the bill creates a high-risk pool where adults with pre-existing conditions can buy affordable coverage.
• The bill includes explicit language that will protect a patient’s choice of doctors.
• Health insurers would be required to spend more of their revenue on providing you health care (between 80% and 85%) rather than on administrative costs and salaries.
• Small businesses will also receive additional assistance

These protections are in addition to the ones President Obama and Congressional Democrats have been talking about for months including, no longer will insurance companies be able to drop someone’s coverage if they become sick and no longer will anyone be subject to unlimited out of pocket costs. These types of out of pocket expenses are one of the major contributors to personal bankruptcy.

The bill will save families and small businesses money on their premiums, significantly reduce the national deficit, and add years to the life of the Medicare Trust Fund.  And perhaps most importantly, it will make coverage affordable for more than 30 million Americans who currently do not have it.

Are they items that we all would want in the health care reform package that did not make it in the Senate bill – yes, but know that we still have to merge the Senate and House bills in Conference and the final version of the bill is not yet clear.  Things in the bill might improve, or if we are not vigilant, may get worse.  The bottom line is this:  We are standing at the precipice of a historic policy shift in our country; we have move this policy farther in a shorter time than anyone since the 1960’s.  We need to continue to support President Obama, House and Senate leaders as they move toward final passage.  And then we need to stay engaged to make sure we get more Senators and Reps elected in the next cycle to improve on what the President and this Congress will have accomplished.

– Brian Wahby, Chairman

For Immediate Release:                         December 9, 2009

Contact:                                                Ryan Hobart    (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125

Congressman Blunt Continues to Go to his Base – Lobbyists and Washington Insiders

Blunt turns to “kingmaker” and “super lobbyist” for insider $$$

Jefferson City, Mo – On Thursday, Congressman Roy Blunt will once again take time to court his loyal base – Washington insiders and corporate special interests.  Blunt is looking to ensure he doesn’t lose his place as the #1 recipient of lobbyist money and will attend a fundraiser hosted by Washington Insiders – Fred “Republican Kingmaker” Malek and Charlie “Super lobbyist” Black. (CQ 12/1/09)

“Congressman Blunt continues business as usual, siding with D.C. insiders and lobbyists in hopes of bolstering his already top lobbyist fund-raising numbers,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “While Washington power brokers may be pleased with Blunt’s record, a recent poll said 65 percent of Missourians believe he is part of the problem in Washington. In other words, Congressman Blunt’s years of reckless spending and favor-peddling in Washington for insiders like convicted felon Jack Abramoff, Fred Malek, and Charlie Black are catching up to him.”

Who is Fred Malek? For almost forty years, Fred Malek has been intimately involved in national Republican politics. He was a close adviser to President Richard Nixon and served as the Campaign Manager for President George H.W. Bush’s unsuccessful 1992 re-election campaign. He also helped with John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. In 2004, Malek and his investment firm were censured by the SEC for investment fraud and settled the matter by paying a fine of $250,000. (USA Today 10/15/08)

Who is Charlie Black? Charlie Black is a prominent lobbyist and former adviser to John McCain. McCain’s Presidential campaign came under some significant heat for keeping Charlie Black as an advisor because of his record as a hired gun for controversial clients. (Wall Street Journal 5/19/08)  Here is a Moveon.org ad from 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjCYmjjxp8I. He is also well-known for saying that a terrorist attack during the 2008 election would have been a “big advantage” for Senator McCain. (New York Times 6/24/08)

Congressman Blunt’s loyalty to lobbyists and the corporate special interests they represent has not gone without reward.  USA Today noted that Congressman Blunt has taken more money from lobbyists than any other candidate in the nation this year. During the first six months of 2009, Blunt took $310,534 from lobbyists, putting him ahead of both the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. (USA Today, 10/4/09) In the last fundraising quarter, Blunt took more money from Political Action Committees (PACS) than any other non-incumbent Senate candidate. According to Dave Catanese of KY3, only three 2010 U.S. Senate candidates took in more PAC cash than Blunt over the last three months – all are incumbents. (KY3 Political Notebook, 10/23/09; FEC.gov)  Congressman Blunt has also taken $718,785 from commercial banks, placing him in the top 10 recipients of big banking money from the U.S. House of Representative and Senate. (Center for Responsive Politics, 11/16/09)

Congressman Roy Blunt faces State Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nominee for US Senate.