People across New Mexico are becoming angry, frustrated, and desperate. They are writing, calling and emailing their Senators and Congressmen, and receiving form letters and broken promises in return. 

“They are not listening!” the people shout

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid both said they would vote on health care before the August break. Out here in Hobbs we use old-fashioned calendars, but even ours show that August came and went…without a vote. When the Speaker of the House is wrong on a prediction, it is very embarrassing to the system, which is why it rarely happens. It only happens when they cannot muscle representatives into line. It only happens when you—the voters—are causing more worry and misery for your representative than the party leadership. It only happens when you’re being heard.

So, know that when the vote was not held in July as predicted, it was because you were making enough of a racket to scare the politicians more than their leaders could scare them. This is incredible the power of public opinion.

The vote did not occur in July.

The vote did not occur in September.

The vote did not occur in October.

They were listening.

Incumbents carefully watch polls to gauge their chances are of being re-elected…or of being defeated. When the vote did occur in November, almost overnight the polls showed the popularity of the Healthcare bill fell below 30 percent. Again, they are listening.  So the day after the house vote, the Senate began to clear their throat, shuffle their feet and declare things like “public option may need serious review” or more bluntly, “the House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate.”

So, just keep the noise going out here in the streets of America. Washington is listening.