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We Were There: Convention Recap Days One and Two

Posted by: Julia Eisman on Sep 03, 2008

Lastweek, Families USA was in Denver,Colorado attending the DemocraticNational Convention, where the energy was a mile high and there was no shortageof events to keep us busy. Our mission: to encourage Convention-goers and partyleaders to put make health care the top domestic priority for the nextPresident and Congress.

We didn't leave a minute to spare. Our days startedbright and early at 7:00 amand ended around 9:00 pm. Each day began at the Delegate Breakfast meetings, an idealtime to talk with delegates one-on-one about health care. The timing couldn'thave been better given the release of the Census numbers lastTuesday showing that, even though the overall number of uninsured is down, it'snot because people are getting coverage through their employer. In fact, quitethe opposite: there is a continued erosion of employer-based coverage. In anutshell, the number of Americans in poverty rose, and as families moved intolower income brackets, they qualified for Federal programs like Medicaid andthe State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Weweren't the only ones to bring up the subject. Health care was among the topissues discussed throughout the week. On day one at the Hispanic Caucus,Senator Clinton made a passionate call for quality affordable health care forall during her speech, when shesaid that she "can't wait to watch Barack Obama sign a health careplan into law that covers every single American." After all, she herselfran on a platform "to create a health care system that is universal, highquality, and affordable so that parents no longer have to choose between carefor themselves or their children or be stuck in dead end jobs simply to keeptheir insurance." That same night, Michelle Obama emphasized Senator Obama'sdemand for affordable health care.

But the highlight of the night was when Senator Kennedy madea rousing call for reforming our health care system. This might not come as asurprise since he has championed many pieces of health care legislation, includingthe fight to overturn Bush's veto of SCHIP, and hisrecent successful leadership overriding Bush's veto of the Medicare doctorpayment fix. However, this night was different from most. After the Senator'srecent diagnosis with a brain tumor, his powerful and commanding voice echoedthroughout in the arena as he repeated two words over and over: health care.For Senator Kennedy, health care is a top priority and you can bet that comeJanuary, Senator Kennedy will lace up his boxing gloves and fight for everyuninsured and underinsured American, starting with the reauthorization of SCHIP. 

Read more about Senator Kennedy's speech and watch it here.