Our phone calls are working. Our e-mails are working. Our faxes are working. Our ads are working against Democrats who would've voted against the public option, like Kay Hagan, if others from our progressive groups hadn't worked to pressure her into supporting the public option in the HELP bill so it gets voted out of committee. Grassroots pressure at the local AND the national level works.
And that's why the White House wants our grassroots pressure to stop against Blue Dog Democrats like Mary Landrieu in Louisiana. They don't care if conservative Democrats attack the public option and refuse to support it. They're more concerned with the power of incumbency than whether these conservative Democrats care about Americans and hold true to Democratic values.
The White House and President Obama is WRONG on this issue. It won't be REAL health reform without a strong, robust public Medicare-like option that is open to ALL Americans. We should hold our elected officials accountable on this issue, whether they're a liberal or a conservative Democrat. If our elected officials won't support a majority of Americans on this issue, then we shouldn't support them when it comes to re-election time. This is the time when we need our progressive advocacy organizations the most to go to bat for us on this issue.
Jane Hamsher explains the risks that these progressive advocacy organizations face when they challenge conservative Democrats that are supported by the White House, regardless of whether that conservative Democrat actually has the interests of Americans at heart:
But there is no question that these hard-hitting campaigns representing breast cancer survivors and others have been successful, and they have been instrumental in backing Ben Nelson and Kay Hagan off their opposition to a public plan. The memberships of these organizations are in clear support of their efforts, and with 76% of the country in support of a public plan, one of the few who seem to be upset with what's happening is the President.
Will these groups risk getting kicked off the 8:45 call, left out of Unity 09, disciplined in front of Common Purpose, and having their names expunged from the White House cocktail party list? As I wrote on April 8:
There's a big problem right now with the traditional liberal interest groups sitting on the sidelines around major issues because they don't want to buck the White House for fear of getting cut out of the dialogue, or having their funding slashed. Someone picks up a phone, calls a big donor, and the next thing you know...the money is gone.
This is the moment when the liberal interest groups must to decide: are they going to represent the interests of their members and keep going, or are they going to play the access game and bow to Obama's wishes?
Here's more from the Washington Post story:
President Obama, strategizing yesterday with congressional leaders about health-care reform, complained that liberal advocacy groups ought to drop their attacks on Democratic lawmakers and devote their energy to promoting passage of comprehensive legislation.
In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform.
Right now, we really need you to CALL the White House and tell them that the conservative Democrats must UPHOLD the majority view of Americans who need a strong, robust Medicare-like public option, and not to attack our progressive groups when their pressure is working on bringing these conservative Democrats in line with a strong public option!
CALL The White House at 202-456-1111 andE-MAIL THEM!
And please tell Moveon.org not to cave in to the White House on running their ads against Senators like Mary Landrieu who has been opposed to the public option! We need them to keep on advocating for the needs of Americans on the public option. You know our grassroots pressure is working when Senators complain about being held accountable--it's because their poll numbers are dropping in their districts, and they're worried about re-election, as they should be.
Please sign this petition to Moveon.org and ask them to keep on fighting Blue Dog Democrats like Mary Landrieu. They can't drop their ads at this point when it's working the most.
Remember, when we progressives speak up and hold the line on what's important to us, then we get heard loud and clear over the cries of the conservative Democrats, and makes our leaders listen to us instead of to these Blue Dog Democrats.
Please RECOMMEND this diary so we can help support our allies when they need our support against these conservative Democrats!