What Cowardice Looks Like

From Healthcare-NOW! The Democratic Party's Platform Drafting Committee rejected "Medicare for All" by a 7-to-6 vote on Friday night. The vote is a slap in the face to the 81% of Democrats who support Medicare for All. Many believed that the Platform process would be a means of unifying the Clinton and Sanders campaigns by incorporating key Sanders proposals. The drafting committee was anything but: single-payer was one of dozens of amendments put forward by Committee members appointed by Bernie Sanders, only to be shot down by appointees of Hillary Clinton and Debbie Wasserman-Shultz. The committee also voted against supporting a federal $15 minimum wage, opposition to fracking, and even opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which both Clinton and Sanders agree on. You can watch the full debate and vote here, along with a scathing rebuke by Cornel West: Friday's meeting was just the first step in the process, and the Platform draft can receive further amendments from the full Platform Committee 2 weeks from now, which consists of delegates from around the country. Finally, the Platform can be amended on the Convention floor before being adopted by the full party. With a coalition of national allies and mounting grassroots pressure, we will drag the Democratic Party kicking and screaming into a commitment on healthcare justice! Benjamin Day Executive Director Healthcare-NOW!      Healthcare-NOW! is a grassroots organization that fights to end the health insurance crisis by educating and advocating for improved Medicare-for-all legislation, such as HR 676. You can unsubscribe from Healthcare-NOW!'s email list here. 9A Hamilton Place Boston, MA 02108 United States www.healthcare-now.org