A letter to House members who voted 'No'

I saw that you joined the Republicans and voted against the House Health Care Reform bill. It was a close vote, 220-215, even though you Democrats have a comfortable majority of 258 votes out of 435 or about 80 votes.

You probably believe that your constituents are worried that the bill costs too much, that it will raise taxes, or that it changes our private medical insurance system too drastically.

I hope you don't believe the proven falsehoods that the bill will give health care to illegal immigrants or finance abortion on demand or create some kind of government "death panels" for senior citizens.

What is not a falsehood and is documented fact is the decline in private health care coverage for your constituents.

As people have lost their jobs, Families USA estimates that 4 million more working-age adults are now medically uninsured than in 2008.

The five states with the largest increases in unemployment - Oregon, Michigan, South Carolina, Nevada and North Carolina - have seen their uninsured numbers grow. From 2007 to 2009, for example, more people than ever in North Carolina - over 22 percent - lost their health care insurance. They now total about 1.8 million. Many are children.

I am sure you want to do something about these people as well as the millions more middle class constituents who are worried they may lose their current private insurance. These people vote.

I also suspect that in addition to your honest differences of opinion with the House bill, you are concerned about your re-election. Many of you, such as Rep. Larry Kissell, NC, who rode President Obama's coattails to victory, are in conservative districts.

Hence, you figure that a "no vote" will save you in 2010 from the Republicans and angry conservatives who are adamantly opposed to any kind of government health care. (Even those fact-averse irrationals who are on Medicare, a government health insurance program.) You may think the "no vote" makes political sense.

That's where you are wrong.

First, none of those conservatives and Republicans opposed to health care reform will vote for a Democrat in 2010.

None.

Second, a majority of Americans including formerly, safe Republican states such as Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana voted for change in 2008. They wanted change in the economy, change in the Iraq War, change in political stalemate, and change in health care. Major change.

If health care is defeated, voters - Republicans, Democrats and Independents - will blame Democrats who hold majorities in the Senate and House and occupy the White House.

Voters will blame you along with your Democratic colleagues who voted "yes." Many of them are in safer districts and may survive in 2010.

Who's going to vote for you?

Will Rogers said he didn't belong to any organized party; he was a Democrat. That's a joke.

Benjamin Franklin warned his fellow revolutionaries that if they didn't hang together, they would hang separately. That's not a joke.

cc: undecided Democratic Senators.