Category: John Conyers

I just got home from a preview screen of Michael Moore's new movie, Capitalism: A Love Story. Every citizen of this country should have to see this movie. Not only did we get to see the movie, Michael Moore was there and did about 30 minutes of Q & A after the movie. Representative Marcy Kaptur also attended and Representative John Conyers was there for the screening. All I can say is wow. Moore hit the nail on the head, not only Republican heads, but he bonks a few Democrats on the head too. As usual Moore hits all the right buttons and at the end tells the people, this is our country and we have to take it back. He obviously doesn't advocate violence, but he does advocate a peaceful revolution.

I’m off to class and then to an event with John Conyers. I’ll have some more stuff on the convention after that, hopefully finishing our coverage so we can move back to state/local blogging. Also keep your eye out for today’s challenge and Kane Gruber’s “Stubborn Things” radio show.

While LeBlanc's in the Pepsi center listening to Clinton's speech, I'm over at the convention center listening to the California Nurse' Association and the Progressive Democrats caucus for H.R. 676, written by John Conyers. I'd estimate that there are maybe 300 people here? Not a bad showing--especially considering that a number of the people in the room have "Hillary 08" buttons or shirts on.

You want this bill to become law. H.R. 676 is a single-payer universal health care bill. It "improves and expands Medicare" to cover everyone: as the speakers keep saying, "everybody in, nobody left out." With employer-provided health insurance costing more and being offered less (down from about 60% in 2000 to 53% in 2005, and dropping), unions are getting on board, employers are getting on board, and we need to push the new Democratic leadership not to cave to the insurance lobby once we've got power.

If this is (one of) your issues, the H.R. 676 caucus wants you to know about two candidates running on single-payer platforms: Debbie Cook in California's 46th District, and Andrea Miller in Virginia's Fourth District.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus just marched out to the podium and put on a very nice tribute to Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Reps. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Charles Rangel (D-MI) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MI) spoke.

Rep. Kilpatrick emphasized Stephanie's historic career and her personal friendship. Rep. Rangel said that our tribute to Stephanie should be taking the White House by working for Barack Obama. Rep. Rangel related that Stephanie had represented Hillary Clinton at a meeting with Barack Obama and House members after Obama clinched the nomination and helped commence the work of healing and unifying the party. He also spoke of a meeting of representatives that Stephanie convened in Columbus to talk about the flawed 2004 election in Ohio, and ended his part of the tribute by leading the gathering in chanting "Never again! Never again!" Rep. Thompson said "we need more legacies like that of Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the kind of legacies that last and inspire."