Guaranteed Healthcare

By Donna Smith

PORTLAND, Maine -- She's a nurse's daughter and mother of a state legislator.  Chellie Pingree is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st Congressional District.  Today the nurses of the Maine State Nurses Association, the National Nurses Organizing Committee and the California Nurses Association brought their healthcare report card bus to the town square for a rally with Chellie.

Chellie talked about HR676 and single payer healthcare with those assembled and expressed her desire to get going on her work to help fix this broken system.  The bus, the nurses and Chellie attracted print, radio and television press from the area just as Chellie prepares for her last weekend of campaigning before the Nov 4 election.

Tomorrow, I'll feature a wrap up of some of the less serious moments this week as we prepare for our final four days on the road.  We'll leave Maine for New Jersey and then arrive in Washington, DC, on Sunday.  Energy out in the communities we have visited is high surrounding this election, and we are thrilled to be visiting the communities where our endorsed candidates -- our 2008 healthcare heroes -- are running fantastic campaigns and standing firm on single payer.