Several hundred activists gathered at Columbus Circle Thursday night to start the battle to over-ride the veto by President Bush of the expanded State-Children's Health Insurance Program. The rally, one of 250 nationwide, was organized by Moveon.org-Political Action with significant help from SEIU Local 1199 and and Unite-Here. (You can see some photos of the rally here .)

NYS Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried told the crowd about how newly insured children he had met had averted life threatening medical problems because of the availability of health care. 1199 Organizer Andy King set the crowd chanting for health care and cheering his promise that the union would work with us until the veto is overturned.

I spoke less eloquently; reminded the people that each of us had to go to work to overturn the veto starting now. This is an issue in which both Republicans and Democrats oppose Mr. Bush's immoral veto. Unfortunately, two NYS Congress Members, Randy Kuhl and Thomas Reynolds picked loyalty to Mr. Bush over our children. Rep. Carilyn Maloney sent a statement read by NYS Democratic Committee member Trudy Mason. To read more about the campaign including a link to one of the Pro-S-CHIP commercials read PhillipAnderson's post at The Albany Project . For an indication of how isolated Bush's anti-S-CHIP loyalists have become see this Washington Post editorial in which Sen. Orrin Hatch, of all people takes on the Bush-clones. (For an interesting article about how the S-CHIP fight gives us a preview of the coming struggle for universal health coverage click here. At Daily Kos, DemFromCT posted Anti-Veto Pro-SCHIP editorials ; comments supplied dozens more.)
The crowd took thousands of leaflets to their homes, schools, churches and work places. The work has begun.

House Democrats announced that they plan to schedule a veto-override vote for October 18 according to Congressional Quarterly , so as to allow grass roots lobbyists like you and me to gather momentum. Are you ready to help?