Last night I watched Critical Condition on Bill Moyers Journal.
It was a grim and tragic wake up call. I urge you to spend some time looking at this horrific portrayal of our healthcare system.
It reminded me again, who we're fighting for, and why we must spare nothing in this most righteous fight of our lives. But even more sobering, it made me realize in the most profound terms, that this is a fight that we cannot lose.
For if we lose healthcare, we lose America. This is the enormity of the stakes.
We are fighting for the very soul of our country and sometimes in the pleas to you to sign petitions and donate money, we lose sight of what this battle is all about.
So once again, on behalf of Americans who are hurting, in many cases dying and need healthcare, I ask you to step up and help. Help until it hurts.
As of late last night we had over 25,000 signatures. We've raised our threshold to 40,000. Can you help us get to 40,000 by the end of the weekend?
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AND FORWARD TO EVERY LAST HUMAN BEING YOU KNOW AND URGE THEM TO SIGN.
OUR HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- We've drawn a verifiable line in the sand (see Speaker Pelosi's statement below). After your hard work since June, 65 progressives signed a letter saying they'd vote against anything but a strong public option in the House bill and in the final conference bill. That was a big deal, THIS IS WHY SPEAKER PELOSI IS HOLDING FIRM.
- As of Saturday morning, we've raised over $350,000 and counting for the progressive members of Congress who have stated they will not vote for any bill without a public option.
We must continue to reward good behavior. HERE IS A LINK TO THE ACT BLUE CONTRIBUTION PAGE, we want to thank all these good progressives who are drawing a line in the sand for the public option.
- We are making ourselves heard at Congressional Town Halls across the country. Next week, I'm attending four--two in New Jersey, one in Connecticut, and one in Long Island. How many will you be attending?
PLEASE USE THE FDL ACTION EVENT TRACKER AND FIND TOWN HALLS NEAR YOU.
THE BIRTHERS HAVE TARGETED FRANK PALLONE:
This is where I'll be on Monday and Tuesday, to stand with Frank Pallone against what I fear will be a well organized lunatic birther onslaught. If you require any more convincing about why you must attend town halls, you won't after you watch this.
The Monmouth County, N.J., Republican Party is running this ad listing details for Rep. Frank Pallone's (D-N.J.) town hall meeting on Monday and Tuesday.
- Harry Reid is under enormous pressure to rein in obstructionists like Max Baucus and other centrist "Democrats".
- The media has recognized, we mean business--so has Rahm Emanuel and the White House. This is extremely important.
The New York Times
The Wall Street Journal
CBS News
Roll Call
The Washington Post
- Please add other accomplishments, I'm doing the best I can thinking of everything.
QUESTIONS YOU'VE ASKED:
- Many of you have asked "when are we going to target the Senate"? Great question, here's the answer. Our Senate strategy is what we're doing in the House. That is, and now is as good a time as ever to reiterate that our critical firewall to hold the line on the public option is in the House.
Every time you hear Speaker Pelosi say something like, "I can't pass a bill in the House that doesn't have a public option", she's saying that because of our work. She knows the progressive have drawn a very firm line in the sand. Our enormous job is to make these progressives hold firm right through the House/Senate Conference.
- At this very moment, strategy for the weeks ahead is being formulated. We have a lengthy daily conference call, and we'll be rolling out some big initiatives next week. Please stay tuned, and understand, things happen, and are planned in a quite precise manner.
We must quickly respond to the lies, distortions, wobbly Democrats, White House statements, leadership capitulation, as it comes to our attention. We're being bombarded, literally by the hour, with new issues, which need to be evaluated and then acted on--all this takes time and there are millions of moving parts which make the response complex.
NEXT WEEK:
- TOWN HALLS, TOWN HALLS, TOWN HALLS. USE THE FDL ACTION EVENT TRACKER TO FIND ONES NEAR YOU.
- Please join us at FDL on Monday, August 24th at 1PM eastern to participate in a Q & A with Richard Trumka of the AFL CIO.
- PLEASE CONTINUE GETTING THE PETITION SIGNED AND FORWARD TO EVERY LAST HUMAN BEING YOU KNOW AND URGE THEM TO SIGN.
We must have many more signatures on the Stay Firm on Your pledge for the Public Option Petition. We are at 25,000 plus signatures. We need you help in getting this number much, much higher.
- As I said earlier, events are unfolding at lightening speed, and like any battle commanders, we're only as effective as the troops--you. So rest assured, you will be called on repeatedly to mobilize and push the message, and push back far and wide. You hold the key, as I think you fully recognize.
And if you already have some sort of junk insurance and you need further reason to work like your life depends on it, (because it does), keep this in mind, Health Insurance Premiums May Double by 2020
In Massachusetts which mandates its residents buy for-profit junk insurance and there is no public option competitor, the insurance industry is sucking blood from the people. A new report from the Commonwealth Fund shows Massachusetts has the highest premiums in the country. This is why a public option is absolutely non-negotiable!
God help us, and God help our nation, if we fail.
AND, AS ALWAYS, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WORK
PLEASE DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN. WE REALLY NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND YOU HAVE BEEN AMAZING.
THERE ARE 22,OOO LOBBYISTS IN WASHINGTON DC.
Please help us continue this fight for the American people and against the FAKE PROTESTORS, THE MOB VIOLENCE, the insurance industry lobby and its August campaign of fear.
Lobbyists and wealthy Republican donors are spending $1.4 million a day to insure that healthcare reform dies. We are beginning to win this battle--literally see daylight, where before there was darkness, thanks to your generosity.
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