There's been a lot of talk today about the Trigger.
First it's Mike Lux over at OpenLeft hearing that the White House is pushing progressive groups behind closed doors to support Republican Senator Olympia Snowe's Trigger Trap -- a trap to kill a public option. Then Sam Stein at Huffington Post reports it ain't true and has quotes to back it up. Meanwhile McJoan lays out even more quotes to back Lux's original story up.
It's hard to know who's right and who's wrong. But there is at least one significant action we can do right now to push back: Trigger This!
***UPDATE: Thanks for putting this on the rec list. We're now at $73,000! $74,000! $75,000! WE MADE IT!! When we reach $100,000, DFA and our partners at the Progressive Change Campaign Committee will be able to flood the airwaves with enough ads to hit critical mass. Can we get You did it, we got to $75k thanks to you! UPDATE***
This is a critical week for the public health insurance option, and our ad represents progressives putting tangible pressure on Sen. Snowe as she prepares to take key votes on the Senate Finance Committee.
The ad features Nancy Randolph from Maine. Before her first husband died of cancer, they thought they had great health insurance... until their insurance company denied him needed care. That drove them into bankruptcy.
Now, the senator who Nancy voted for -- Republican Olympia Snowe -- is standing with right-wing Republicans and insurance companies by calling for a Trigger Trap to kill a public option. As you can imagine, Nancy has something to say about that.
Check it out... then help put it on TV.
More ads are currently being prepared for other key Finance Committee members and let's not forget we're still hitting Sen. Chuck Grassley hard and have been for two weeks ...you know, I was just thinking, I wonder why Chuck hasn't said as much over the last two weeks... coincidence? I think not.
The truth is that ads like this scare the crap out of even the most 'secure' elected. Oh they might claim they don't. But they do. And the stakes are even higher for Sen. Snowe.
Mainers want a public option by 2 to 1. Break out the independents in that poll and support goes up to 3 to 1. And when you consider how hard Sen. Snowe has worked to create her "independent" image, you can imagine how deep an ad like this cuts against that frame.
None of this is possible without regular folks chipping in. Some have given $10 -- others $100. Working together we'll get to the $100,000 mark and ensure that Snowe knows that her constituents are seeing the ad over and over again.
If you have not yet donated, now's the time. We can't sit around and fret that the White House said this, or the White House said that. It's up to us put the pressure on and keep it on. That's why I'm asking you to help Trigger This!