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Joe Lieberman, the independent Senator from Connecticut and member of the democratic caucus, has announced his plans to give republicans the number they need to block any health reform bill coming out of the Senate. The democrats have a (supposedly) fillibuster-proof majority this term, so if republicans want to continue their efforts to stall the wheels of progress, they need one additional member of congress to stand with them on a fillibuster. Is it merely coincidence that Senator Lieberman shares his home state with over 70 insurance companies who are headquartered there and has recieved over $1 million dollars in campaign contributions from insurance companies over the course of his career? Maybe he just wants to be the first Senator in history to break from his caucus on a procedural vote when that caucus has a fillibuster-proof majority? Whatever the reason, Senator Lieberman is practically begging for strongly-worded letters from thousands of Americans, so let's give him what he wants. If Lieberman sides with the republicans to fillibuster health reform, there must be consequences for his actions. Sign this petition and send a message to Lieberman letting him know his pink slip is ready and waiting. If you continue to block meaningful reform, Mr. Lieberman, you're fired!
Signing this petition will send a message to Senator Lieberman and the democratic members of various committees he sits on, as well as Senate majority leader Harry Reid and democratic whip Richard Durbin from Illinois.
Joe Lieberman threatens to break from caucus on a procedural vote? Say it ain't so, Joe!
Dear Representatives,
It has come to the attention of the American people that Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut, who is a member of the democratic caucus, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental affairs and holds seats in the committees on Armed Services and Small Business, has expressed his willingness to break from his caucus and stand with republicans in their effort to block a health reform bill that includes a public option. Your duty to the American people this session is to pass a meaningful health reform bill that will lower health care costs and make health insurance affordable and accessible to millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. Allowing Senator Lieberman to break from the caucus on a procedural vote would be disastrously counterproductive to the considerable effort towards this goal that has already been made - not only by Congressional democrats, but the millions of Americans who favor a public option for health insurance and elected President Obama based on his stated desire to make that option a reality.
We will not stand by and allow one person to act as a roadblock to reform. Senator Lieberman was not elected into office as a representative of the insurance industry, and the best interest of the American public does not reflect the same interest in insurance company profits as the insurance companies and corporate lobbies who have so generously filled Senator Lieberman's campaign coffers with contributions over the course of his congressional career. A majority of Americans favor a government-run public option for health insurance similar to Medicare and Medicaid, the existing government-run health insurance options for the elderly and indigent.
Does Senator Lieberman, like at least 55 republican representatives who are aged 65 or older and also oppose giving the public a government-run option for health insurance, participate in one of those government-run insurance options himself? Do we really need to remind Senator Lieberman that his salary and his health insurance premiums (Medicare or otherwise) are paid for by those American citizens who are either shut out of or continuously abused by the insurance market that congressional democrats are working so hard to reform?
I suppose it's easy for Senator Lieberman to ignore what the majority of Americans want when the insurance lobbies are paying him significantly more than his personal annual allotment of American tax dollars, siphoned out of the purchases and paychecks of the people who elected him, and the people he has now chosen to ignore. I've got news for Mr. Lieberman, but the American people can ignore a thing or two of their own - and ignoring incumbent candidates from Connecticut running for re-election in 2010 is steadily climbing to the top of the list.
Are congressional democrats going to stand idly by and allow Senator Lieberman to thwart the will of the American people by pandering to the insurance industry lobby and opposing health reform, or are you going to stand up for the best interests of your constituents and let Senator Lieberman know there will be consequences for his actions?
For now, the choice is yours. It's time to show the American people who is really working for them, and who isn't.
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