You may remember during the election that comedian Sarah Silverman organized The Great Schlep, an effort to combat the right wing propaganda that was scaring older Jewish people about Barak Obama (this propaganda may be where the ridiculous "he's not a citizen" stuff originated, and there were a lot of other ugly things being sent to older Jews in emails). She encouraged young Jews to head down to Florida to "get Nanna and Pappa to vote for Obama." 24,000 young Jewish kids responded and headed out to visit their grandparents in Florida and all over the country, armed with the facts. There even was a website all about it.
So Why Not a Schlep for Health Care Reform?
OK, the original Schlep was organized because of political issues that were specifically Jewish, and Sarah may not necessarily be the right person to organize Schlep II, but isn't something similar what we really need right now? Think of it: a Schlep campaign, complete with website and sign ups, by some high-profile, preferably very cool person, to encourage young people, while summer vacation is still here, to go visit their grannies and grandpas in order to reassure them that, no, there are not going to be any "death panels," nobody is planning to pull the plug on them, and that their Medicare will be safe and unchanged under reform. Or, just to encourage kids to make a phone call (a virtual Schlep) to reassure their family members.
Employing family members to combat the propaganda may be the best way to get past the non-stop anti-reform nonsense that shows up on the news and in email boxes every day. This could be one way to bypass all the misinformation and lies with the truth. It worked to help get Obama elected, why not health care reform?
Who would be a good person to carry the ball on this? Some young, high-profile, pro-reform person...
I'm not going to be able to respond right away to anyone who might reply here until later, as I'm already late in getting to my tasks for the day. This idea just seemed to me to represent a lightbulb moment...but who knows, maybe it only seems like a good idea because I had insomnia last night. Heh. Anyway, I thought I'd throw the idea out there in the hope that someone might find it worthwhile and want to run with it. I'll be back in a few hours to see what people think...
UPDATE: It turns out that Upper West wrote an excellent diary based on the Schlep idea a couple of weeks ago. I urge everyone to read it; it's got some great info and is far more detailed than my own diary. I'm leaving this up anyway just as a reminder to folks to call their older relatives to make sure they aren't being scared by the right wing opponents of health care reform - make sure they know the truth! - and in the hopes that the American equivalent of Bono might read it and organize a Schlep.