My Late Brother David: He never cast his vote

HE NEVER CAST HIS VOTE

My brother David died before he got to cast his vote.

He died October 7, two days after his 67^th birthday, one month after his diagnosis of lung cancer with metastasis to the brain.

David was not especially political, but he was passionate about fairness.

He had worked for years, paying into social security, and become disabled while still relatively young.

David was very proud of his son, who has struggled his whole life with mental illness. He has been stable for years due to his sweet caring disposition, his own efforts, and to tremendous support from programs provided by the Massachusetts Medicaid system. He is very active in the Recovery Movement and peer support system in that state.

What kept my brother going through years of disability?

Social Security Disability.

What kept him going through years of medical care?

Medicare.

What helps his son to live a meaningful life and be stable?

Medicaid.

After his diagnosis I suggested to David that he apply for an absentee ballot, in case he became too ill to get to the polls. He fully agreed. Little did we know that he would never cast that ballot.

He told me for whom he would vote. He enthusiastically backed President Obama, as the candidate who will ensure that Medicare and Medicaid will continue to fulfill their missions of helping older, poorer and disabled Americans. The President is devoted to giving all of us getting the opportunity to live up to our full potential.

These are values my brother shared.

As I cast my own vote, I would like to think that I’m sharing it with David.

Bill, Barack, and the Excitement of Being There

Bill, Barack, and the Excitement of Being There

The last two nights of the convention found us delegates excited and totally fatigued. The transportation was cumbersome, with the 20-minute distance from the hotel to the city taking up to two hours. This, along with the wining and dining of late night parties, meant operating on two or three hours sleep. No complaints, but this does remind me that politics is a young persons game!

Michelle Obama further humanized her husband, as though that were needed! Bill Clinton did a superb job of responding to republican charges from their convention, and of detailing successes under President Obama. Clinton is one of those very rare speakers who make you feel that of 40,000 people in the room, his eyes are seeking out just your eyes. He is a political wonk yet can lay out arguments in clear English. He is humorous but doesn’t come across as mean spirited.  In person he is electric.

Since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by the roll call by which the states announce their votes for a candidate. On Tuesday night, I had signed my name on the PA state ballot, thus giving my official vote for Barack Obama. It felt great! Here I am, in a democracy, exercising not just my own vote, but also being able to represent my congressional district in a vote at the convention. On Wednesday, the states announced their votes, with Ohio being given the chance to put the President over the top. I watched as Senator Casey handed over the privilege of casting the PA vote to our youngest delegate. Yes, this campaign is all about how to make a better world for the next generations.

On Thursday night, we were treated to the incredible voice of Marc Anthony leading us in the National Anthem, and to the Foo Fighters, Mary J Blige, and James Taylor. 

The President was in no way subdued, yet did not rise to the soaring rhetoric of 2008… nor did he need to. He needed to lay out a clear sense of his goals for the next four years, which he did. He is a dynamic speaker, who gave a speech grounded in reality.

Other reactions to the last two days of the convention: I cried unashamedly when Gabrielle Giffords came onto the stage, helped by Debbie Wasserman-Shultz. I grew up as the son of a quadriplegic parent, so my emotions were partly personal.  Many of us in the hall were crying. Here was a congresswoman who almost died by gunfire and who is working so hard, and so publically, to get back to functioning.  She struggled to walk, and then she stood and recited the pledge of allegiance. We cried for her, for ourselves, and for our country. I also realized how disappointed I was that our party was not brave enough to talk about gun control at all during this convention. We proudly stood up for women’s rights and LGBT rights and the rights of the middle class, but did not have the courage of our convictions to work toward reducing the slaughter brought about by unfettered access to guns.

Check out the Guest Post in Esquire by Tom Junod, written after President Clinton’s speech.  He talks of how places like water parks and Disney World now have a two-tiered system. You can pay regular price and stand in long lines seeing the preferred payer cut in front of you, or you can pay varying amounts extra to obtain preferential treatment.  Junod puts forth the idea that Democrats believe we should all have an equal chance in the “line” that is our society. He then states that “Romney was born with a Flash Pass on his wrist, and he can’t help but conceive opportunity as the opportunity to walk to the front of the line—to either pay for it or to dream of being able to pay for it one day.”

Conventions do reveal what a party stands for. By clear design, the delegates at the Democratic convention reflected the melting pot that is America. The platform stands for fairness and justice in meeting the needs of our diverse population as a country. It was a privilege to be a part of it.

We are in the Palms of Her Hands!

We are in the Palms of her Hands!

I have heard that watching Michelle Obama on TV was exciting, and brought people to tears.  It is hard to describe what it was like to be there in person. The earlier speakers set the table beautifully. This was especially true of San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro who was so dynamic that he reminds one of an unknown Senator Obama at an earlier convention.   Thus, we were well primed for hearing the First Lady.

There was real excitement in the room. Just before she walked across the stage, attendees were given We Love Michelle signs, which many of us took home later as souvenirs we will display in our homes.

Michelle Obama is statuesque, beautiful, and articulate. At the same time, she is completely unpretentious and is totally genuine. There is no false note in anything she says. Her love of her family and her country are palpable. In the auditorium, we were entranced into respectful silence. This alternated with loud cheering and enthusiastic waving of our soon-to-be souvenir signs.

To use an old baby-boomer phrase, being in the convention hall was very cool. You are in a concert and sports arena, which has been transformed into a totally different venue. The staging was well done. I was surprised last week to see that the background for many Republican speakers was a swirl of blue colors. It looked like the storms and hurricanes they were trying to pretend they had handled well. That was when President Bush congratulated Brownie for a job well done. 

The stage was large, with the speakers dwarfed by the screen behind them. The pictures surrounding the screen changed with the speaker. For example, when the San Antonio mayor spoke, the screen was wrapped with pictures of his city. The best was when a firefighter spoke and was surrounded by a fire station. Stage right were the fire hats and jackets and boots. The technology is so good that I was wondering if we could see Sparky sliding down a fire poll!

I am looking forward to tonight, especially to see Bill Clinton. He has a unique ability to take complicated issues and explain them in plain English. (If only Barack Obama had done this with the Affordable Care Act). He can remind us how his tax increase and social safety net policies led to major growth in the economy. We need to follow his model now, as it is dangerous to the economy to elect Romney who would focus on all the wrong strategies.

I am watching Fox News as I write. They just announced that the Presidents re-nomination will be moved away from the huge football stadium. Typical for the channel of fair and balanced reporting, the only reason Fox gave was concern that the DNC might not be able to fill all the seats. In fact, there is concern about thunderstorms and lightning and the safety of the crowd. As usual, why let the facts get in the way of a way to frame the story to your side’s advantage?

 

We are in the Palms of Her Hands

Caucus on Behavioral Health

Caucus on Behavioral Health

There are many caucuses one can attend at the convention. Unfortunately, traffic delays made it hard to get to the convention center for the whole meeting, but I did get in at the end of the Recovery Caucus Meeting. Keynote speakers were David Wellstone and former congressman Patrick Kennedy, each sons of the late senators who were passionate about the rights of the mentally ill and of substance abusers.

I have spent over 35 years working in the field of behavioral health. One of the key political advances in recent years was the 2008 passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act. It mandates that if an insurance company offers addiction and mental health benefits, they must be non-discriminatory, with benefits equal to medical ones. For those who have attempted to use benefits for behavioral care, this was a huge success, as the discrimination in benefits was devastating. 

I remember going to DC with a National Alliance of Mental Health group, and listening to Senator Kennedy and Senator speak with fervor on this bill.

Unfortunately, the final regulations have not been provided by HHS, so it is not yet fully implemented. Advocacy groups will mount a petition drive after the election to move it along.

Another great advance in behavioral care is the Recovery Movement. This works to replace the old paternalistic system of care, with one that genuinely focuses on the wellness and on the wishes and aspirations of consumers to live as meaningful and healthy a life as possible. My nephew is a great example. He completed training as a mental health advocate, and both helps and is helped by peers who are fully in tune with what each person is experiencing. He co-chairs a state committee in Massachusetts, which is charged with setting up state plans for care of consumers.  Pennsylvania is also focused on Recovery, with Montgomery County seen as its best model ever since Nancy Weiman, Deputy Administrator for mental health, declared a “year of recovery” and continues to follow it up with resources, training, and clinical programs. Consumers in Lower Merion/ Narberth benefit from these efforts.

There are caucuses on many topics such as small business, seniors’ issues, and women’s issues. As someone in health care, I was delighted to see a room full of consumers, providers and advocates devoted to this topic.

Tuesday at the Convention: Waiting for Michelle

Tuesday at the Convention: Waiting for Michelle

I met Barack and Michelle Obama on the campaign trail in 2008. They were each young, articulate, and passionate about improving America.

I am curious to see how they look in person four years later. Their positions seem to age people prematurely. My impression is that they are older and wiser, but won’t look much different. Any naiveté they had about being able to govern in a bi-partisan way has been shattered. Despite this, the President was able to bring America back from the brink of financial and international disasters left to him by President Bush. Now, can the convention make the case clearly that he needs more time to complete the job, hopefully with a congress that will work with him on improving the economy, instead of always obstructing his agenda?

Pennsylvania delegation is housed in three hotels in the South Park area (no, no, not THAT South Park?) Today began with 6:45 AM busses to our prime hotel where we obtained our daily credentials and had a breakfast meeting. It was interesting to sit next to the press, watching Rick Williams and Larry Kane at work. They are such familiar faces that you feel you know them, but of course they are just doing their jobs like the rest of us.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz spoke. Sage is an energetic advocate for the party. She warned about Pennsylvania not being complacent about this election, even though Obama is ahead in the polls. She reminded us to work hard to elect all of our candidates, up and down the ticket. She specifically mentioned Dr. Manon Trivedi in the 6^th district. I will add my own thoughts: PA should go to Obama BUT if the PA Supreme Court validates voter ID, we may have enough people disenfranchised to throw the election. This would be a travesty of all that a democracy stands for. 

Other speakers included Senator Casey; State Treasurer Rob McCord (from Lower Merion); PA Attorney General candidate Kathleen Kane, SEIU VP of Health Care Kirk Adams, and US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Senator Casey focused on a clear and simple message about Medicare, “We will preserve the guaranteed Medicare benefit; they will end it…this will end Medicare as we know it.”

Tom Vilsack thanked Senator Casey for his work on the Agriculture Committee. He then spoke about how the Republicans will try to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The act has already helped 5 million seniors who no longer have to pay for the “donut hole” in their coverage; 3 million children who now get health insurance; 13 million people who have received rebates from their insurance companies; and 54 million who now get free preventive care. The republicans could get rid of all of this.

Vilsack also spoke of how the Farm Bill is held up now by the house republicans, who want to cut $134 Billion over 10 years from nutritional assistance, most notably for children. He also talked of Obamas improvements for rural farmers who are doing much better than one would expect given the drought.

The convention officially opens later today. The Pennsylvania delegation has great seats just above the floor. Keep your eyes out for us!

Labor Day at the Convention

Labor Day at the Convention

I remember going door to door in the snow and rain last winter, collecting signatures in order to get on the ballot as an Obama delegate. Now, I’m here as a delegate. It is a political wonks dream: to be able to represent your congressional district, and get to vote for the re-nomination of the president.

The Charlotte airport was full of helpful volunteers, and there was a buzz of energy and excitement in the arriving delegates. Near the convention center there are many events to attend. Last night we were at the Uptown Mint Museum for a reception held jointly by Illinois, Delaware, Hawaii, Ohio and PA. Entertainment was provided by music, dance, and cheerleading groups. The most fascinating museum exhibit was the enormous collection of pins and brooches worn by former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. One was “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” a shattered piece of ceiling glass on top of a brooch. A different exhibit was of a snake brooch she wore after Saddam Husseins’ poet in residence called her an “unparalleled serpent. A Secretary of State with both style and a sense of humor!

Today was Carolina Fest, a street fair filling the many blocks around the convention center. There were many booths of artwork, political memorabilia, and food. I walked with a young man who wants to get his picture taken with someone from every state in America, and the territories as well! He approached a man from Wisconsin, who turned out to be the Majority Leader of the State Senate, and was in the thick of the controversies in his state.

We were star-struck as we kept seeing famous faces. Jesse Jackson and DNC ChairDebbie Wasserman Shultz were in the convention center, followed by a coterie of press and amateur photographers. We got the chance to speak with Congressman John Lewis, icon of the civil rights movement. He is warm, approachable, and completely unpretentious. The PA reception tonight included many elected officials, including former Governor Rendell and Senator Casey. Montgomery County attendees included Commissioners Leslie Richards and Josh Shapiro, and State Senator Daylin Leach.

My favorite moment of the day was talking with two of Philadelphia’s finest in uniform on the street. Here we are in Charlotte, chatting about the Eagles and Phillies with two Philly police who are there to help out with security!

I have many pictures to share but will await the help of a young colleague to make sure I post them properly. They include pictures of the police, Jesse Jackson, John Lewis, and Debbie Wasserman Shultz, as well as this author dressed up in convention gear.

Stay tuned!

Ryans Folly

Ryans Folly

For a long time we could try to believe that Mitt Romney was only catering to the tea party, but not actually going to govern that way if elected. After all, he flipped, before he flopped, on a wide range of issues…healthcare, welfare, women’ rights etc.

We were wrong. 

Now, true believer or not, we know that in Paul Ryan he has chosen a doctrinaire right-winger who is an “inside the beltway” politician who got his budget bill passed, by his fellow Republicans.  He orchestrated a budget that works on disbanding all the great accomplishments of the New Deal and Great Society. His budget does this while building on the robber-baron wealth inequality that the Occupy movement has so effectively brought to our attention.  He also manages to add no foreign policy credentials to Romney, who has no philosophy except that of a rigid adherence to an outmoded view of American exceptionalism.

The vice presidency used to be seen as no more worthy or powerful than the proverbial “bucket of spit.” However, recent VPs have become genuine partners in leadership, and in some cases (Mr. Cheney) were virtually acting as the president. A Vice-President Ryan, with his years of contacts and knowledge of the legislative process, will be the point person in pushing to get the Romney-Ryan-Tea party agenda to become the law of the land. 

This is the wildest fantasy of the tea party, whose freshman legislators of 2010 had power only to be obstructionist, to say no, and to embarrass America, and her credit rating, through their creation of a debt-ceiling crisis. Now, they could have an administration that may have power to more actively harm the interests and aspirations of all but the top earners of the country. They will have more power to reduce Medicare to a voucher program, emasculate Medicaid, undo health care reform, further tax inequality, and force their will on social issues. They have a VP candidate who is anti-women’s health, anti abortion, and is pushing for mandatory ultrasounds for those considering abortion.

We now have a choice: to go “Forward,” as stated in the Obama campaign slogan, or to march promptly back to the 1950’s.  As for me, I’ve seen the 50s and I want to stay in this new millennium.