Last week, Change Congress asked folks to chip in and help us air a TV ad in Louisiana featuring Karen Gadbois, a local New Orleans hero who called out Sen. Mary Landrieu for opposing a public health insurance option while taking millions from health and insurance interests.
We got this email from Karen and wanted to share it with you:
I went to the Farmer's Market today. Strangers approached me to shake my hand. Young mothers, older folks, black, white -- people from all walks of life.
They wanted to thank me for the recent commercial where I spoke out in favor of the public option and against special interests. I think together we gave many people a voice, and I can tell we're having an impact.
Thanks to all those who were part of this impact.
Landrieu's opposition to the public option and her millions in special-interest money had been flying completely under the radar. But in the last few weeks, she's been bombarded with online ads, TV ads, phone calls, and tons of national and local media stories. She now knows the public is watching.
We'll be keeping an eye on Landrieu's upcoming votes and statements, as will our partners at DFA and MoveOn. But in the meantime, it's time to start planning our next target -- can you help?
Below are some senators we're considering. Please share your thoughts.
Also, our first step with our new target will continue to be $10,000 in online ads -- if you could help us get a head start on fundraising, we'd be immensely appreciative.
Potential targets:
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA). He's taken over $2 million from health and insurance interests and opposes a public option. Last week, a constituent asked why he couldn't get insurance as good as the senator's. Grassley's response: If you want quality coverage, "go work for the federal government."
Sens. Olympia Snowe & Susan Collins (R-ME). They have taken over $2 million together from health and insurance interests (Collins a tad more), and they have opposed the public option so far. Snowe consistently has advocated a "trigger" proposal that the insurance industry wants.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). He's the chair of a key Senate committee on the health care reform issue and has taken $3.9 million from health and insurance interests. He'd hinted that he may support a public option, but when his committee's draft plan came out, the Washington Post's Ezra Klein reported, "There's no public plan mentioned anywhere in the document."
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND). He's taken $2.1 million from health and insurance interests and has offered one of the main proposals to dilute the public option -- a local "co-op" plan. Insurers would prefer this to a strong federally backed head-to-head competitor with private insurance.
Any of the above or none of the above. Do all of those sound like great targets? None of them? Let us know.
We'll ask our next target to choose between their special-interest contributors and the public. Any thoughts on who to target would be very helpful. And again, any help funding our next campaign is most appreciated.
Thanks to all those who are helping to Change Congress.