Bulletin: Medicare for All in the Era of COVID-19

This week, we got a reminder of what it felt like to care about the Presidential race when Democratic nominee Joe Biden sat down for a long-awaited interview with activist Ady Barkan. “Do you see a future where health insurance is no longer tied to employment?” Barkan asked Biden on their video call, released Wednesday. “Will America ever have a single payer system where healthcare is guaranteed as a human right?”

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This week, we got a reminder of what it felt like to care about the Presidential race when Democratic nominee Joe Biden sat down for a long-awaited interview with activist Ady Barkan. “Do you see a future where health insurance is no longer tied to employment?” Barkan asked Biden on their video call, released Wednesday. “Will America ever have a single payer system where healthcare is guaranteed as a human right?”

“Healthcare guaranteed as a human right," said Biden, "but taking away the right to have a private plan if you want a private plan, I disagree with.” (Confusingly, Barkan, having built his entire public platform on support for Medicare for All, ends the interview by endorsing Biden, a candidate who, during a pandemic, promised he would veto Medicare for All if the bill ever reached his desk.)

Are we back to square one? Well, not exactly; public support for Medicare for All remains high, Medicare for All candidates are winning national, state, and local elections, and, a week from Sunday, Philly DSA and the National DSA Medicare for All Committee are hosting a Policy and Organizing Workshop to look at where we are and what comes next.

This Week in Unions

Are you a union worker affected by the coronavirus crisis? Are you organizing in your shop or workplace to demand higher safety and sanitation standards? PHLDSA’s Labor Commission is convening a series of calls where representatives from unions in the greater Philadelphia area are discussing and coordinating responses. Email Paul Prescod for more information.

  • On Monday, July 13 @3pm we'll be doing another virtual phone bank in support of Philly's sanitation workers. This time, we'll be calling Deputy Managing Director for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability Mike Carroll to make sure he knows that retaliation and intimidation against workers is not acceptable in our city. RSVP on Facebook here!
  • Related: sanitation workers are still fighting for PPE, hazard pay, and an end to retaliation. On Sunday, July 19 @5pm sanitation workers will be staging an action and will need supporters. Right now, the details are being kept under wraps; if you're interested in supporting, please reach out to Paul Prescod at [email protected].
  • Unions across the country, including SEIU and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, are staging an eight-minute walkout on July 20 for racial and economic justice. “If in fact we are going to take on police violence that kills,” the Rev. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, told the Associated Press, “then certainly we have to take on economic violence that also kills.”
  • Finally: Your Philadelphia Union kicked off their first match of the MLS COVID Cup this morning at 9:00 am against New York City FC, seeing out a dour 1-0 win over their Eastern Conference rivals, and playing in jerseys with the names of police brutality victims on the back. Our next game is supposed to be against Nashville SC, but nine of their players tested positive for coronavirus this week, so who knows what’ll happen. We told you this was a bad idea!

Events

POC Virtual Happy Hour
Friday, Jul 10 | 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Virtual

Virtual Home School: Is Neoliberalism Dead?
Tuesday, Jul 14 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Virtual

Women and Non-Binary Virtual Happy Hour
Tuesday, Jul 14 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Virtual

Medicare for All Policy & Organizing Workshop
Sunday, July 19 | 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm | Virtual

Marx Reading Group: Capital Vol. 1
Wednesday, Jul 22 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Virtual

Marxism and Politics Lecture Series: The Right to Strike
Thursday, Jul 23 | 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | Virtual

Virtual Home School: Crashing the Party
Tuesday, Jul 28 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Virtual

Branch Events & Committee Meetings

Steering Committee Meeting
Thursday, Jul 9 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Virtual

Stop the Norristown Sewer Sale!
Thursday through Monday, July 9 - 13 | 10 am - 6 pm | Dunkin Donuts | 1882 Markley St, Norristown, PA 19401

Water is a Human Right Rally
Saturday, July 11 | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Norristown Courthouse | 2 E Airy Street, Norristown PA 19401

Canvassing Committee Meeting
Tuesday, July 14 | 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm | Virtual

Delco DSA July Meeting
Wednesday, July 15 | 7:00 pm | Virtual

Policy Committee Meeting
Thursday, July 23 | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm | Virtual

Announcements

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Local Dues - support our campaign work and cover everyday operating costs like meeting space // Contribute to Philly DSA PAC - help fund our independent electoral campaigns // Accommodations, Accessibility, Childcare - let us know what you need to stay involved // Moved away from Philly? - update your address on the DSA national database.

Harassment and Grievance Process
In accordance with Article XIII of our Bylaws, a commission has been formed to receive, process, and review grievances for disciplinary action. To read more about the process or to file a grievance you can do so here.

 

Stay safe and wash your hands,

Philly DSA Bulletin Team

 

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