Tue, 06/03/2008 - 5:58am — DCblogger
Between now and June 19, regular single payer blogging will be suspended in favor of blogging the June 19 National Day of Action.
Supporters of HR 676 will be gathering in demonstrations across the county. The post is about the demonstration in front of the annual convention of America's Health Insurance Plans.
Demonstrators will gather at the Moscone West Convention Center on Thursday, June 19, at 12 noon. For complete information contact Bill Gallagher, bgallagher [ @ ] calnurses [.] org
Members of the mighty Corrent Building who participate are encouraged to take pics and share their stories!
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An SF readers going to the SF Single Payer demo?
If so, pictures, please! A report! A story!
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
A Thursday?
I understand why they picked the 19th, but I'm very disappointed they chose a Thursday. So many more people would be available to demonstrate and protest on a weekend or holiday. That's especially true since college kids and seniors tend to already have healthcare.
In the end, larger demonstrations would be more meaningful than the date, which is meaningless to most people.
convention
I suspect Thursday is the last day of the convention, so they want conventioneers to see the demo
I think it will be very effective, remember, these aren't politicians who are used to demos, these are insurance executives, so just a few hundred people will rattle them. If it is as much as a thousand it will be a real jolt, esp. if the other cities have a decent turn out.
I Guess I'm More Interested
in rattling politicians than insurance executives. Insurance executives are always going to fight single payer.
Don't get me wrong, I think demonstrations across the country related to healthcare is an excellent idea and this is a good thing to do. But I think healthcare is something that could bring out a lot of people and it would be great if the demonstrations were set up to do just that. We need something to jolt the Chuck Schumers and Jay Rockefellers of the world.
But the corporations have the real power
So I think it's right to begin to focus on them.
"When the people lead, the leaders will follow."
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
slight problem with that logic, i think
you're right that corporations have the real power, and i agree with dcb about the likely effects of demonstrations on executives' sensibilites... but isn't that what you do to get corporations to change their behavior? because supporting single payer basically means telling the insurance companies to go away and die. not that i've got a problem with that, or with the proposed demonstrations.
as Lambert says
this is classic direct action. Insurance cos have been hiding behind their PACS, sympathetic journalists, and politicians. Lets see how they like being directly confronted by those who have been hurt by their business practices. Undermining their sense of entitlement is a critical part of this battle.
Also, it is important to direct media attention on those directly responsible. I thought about posting links to San Francisco news publications, including local TV and radio, but decided against it.
Just a friendly "I can't go to the demo, so I look forward to your coverage" could very well make the difference. Nothing confrontational, send it to the assingment editor. If you live outside San Francisco don't bother, they want to know how to attract more readers, viewers, etc. they don't care what people on the east coast think.