Well, here we are. It's time. It's time for The Healthcare Battle. I, like many of you, was very involved in the election fight in my community. So when I got the email about hosting a healthcare kickoff event in my community, it seemed like a natural place to start again.
Shortly thereafter, I got an email inviting me to a phone conference about the Health Care Reform effort. Organizing For America (OFA) is organizing a major health care reform grassroots movement. It's important enough to this administration that even the president himself called in to speak with us today.
Here's the report of what we talked about and some of my own two cents at the end.
- OFA is organizing the in same exact way they did during the campaign. My local central Florida area has staffers and volunteers. The health care kickoff events on June 6th can be organized in the same way as the early house meetings were. I have organized on in my community and so should you. Materials are provided to make the most of the meetings and make it easy to conduct one.
But OFA isn't leaving it there.
- OFA will be rolling out a nationwide day of Service focusing on Health and Health Care. They will be providing some ideas about events that we can hold in our communities. A community walking event, a healthy eating seminar, blood pressure and diabetes screenings and more.
But get this:
- OFA is reinstituting the call sheets and walk sheets that were used during the campaign to encourage organizers and volunteers to get people (LOTS of people) out to these day of Health events! WOW. THIS is what a grassroots movement looks like. No tea bags in sight.
When Obama said he was ready for the fight, he wasn't kidding.
THIS is what our president had to say about (among other things) health care reform way back in February 2009. (start at around 3:10)
2/28/09: Your Weekly Address from White House on Vimeo.
Transcript:
"I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries. I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:
"So am I."
So instead of holding wild and disorganized tea parties everywhere, OFA and the Obama Administration is organizing a quiet yet powerful door to door campaign to mobilize everyday Americans to get involved.
Our phone calls and local community activism is far more strong than lobbyist dollars because an electorate that is PAYING ATTENTION is the most dangerous impediment to re-election for do-nothing congressmen and senators.
So before we march into battle, let's assess our position. This time we have some major advantages over what happened in 1993.
1 . The economy sucks. There is no job security any more. Even for county and state workers, things are on shaky ground. That means that the largest block of insured Americans really aren't confident about whether they will have insurance next week, next month or next year, should they lose their jobs. This will help dilute the effect of propaganda and fear tactics that will be directed at them by opponents of health care reform.
- Big business (and small business) is desperate for cost-saving reforms. They recognize that the cost of providing insurance to employees (a must if you want to attract quality workers) is killing their ability to grow and be competitive and profitable. This is a major blow to the normal opposition coalition. We must take full advantage of it. (If you end up taking to a conservative, this is the tack to take with him/her).
- We have better and broader grassroots organization that ever. There are major political organizations and political heavy hitters who will be going to bat for real change. from Kerry to Kennedy (and others) in congress and the senate to groups like MoveOn, Health Care for America Now, and our Unions. it's literally the biggest and broadest coalition for reform I've ever seen. And when you add American businesses, it starts to look pretty diverse.
4. We have YOU.
Yup. It's time to dust off the canvassing shoes and get ready for some walking. It's time to order some extra minutes on that cell phone plan and get ready to start making some phone calls. It's time to skip the latte this week and send some dough to any of the people or groups we know will be standing for a strong public option in this fight. We have to let congress people know that they don't need the pharma or insurance lobby money to afford to run for reelection. We raised 750 MILLION dollars for Obama. A senate race is 10 million in a large expensive state. Congressional races run maybe 2 million in a large expensive state. If we're organized and thoughtful about how we do this, we can provide the financial foil needed to convince fence sitting congresspersons that the bribe isn't worth it. And simultaneously mobilize local communities to scare the bejeezus out of the "resistant" congress critters.
You see, we, for once, have a nationwide coalition of people in every county and in every state in America...left over from the election. Some of the callers today who called in with questions were from places like Alabama, Maine and North Carolina. Millions of people who got involved in the Obama campaign are being remobilized by OFA.
KOSSACKS especially: we are the activist wing of the party. It's OUR responsibility to get those folks in our neighborhoods who aren't as politically involved as we are to GET involved.
Do you remember way back in October 2008? Do you remember knocking on doors and sitting outside the grocery store getting people registered to vote? Can you imagine that there was ANYONE in America NOT registered to vote? I know. It seems unbelievable that anyone wouldn't have been. But there were plenty. And YOU helped register them. Then you pushed them to fill out absentee ballots or go to do early voting. You called them, you visited them. You practically begged them...but sometime in between their registration and November 4, they cast their vote for Obama. And Obama won with over 70 million votes nationwide. A severe electoral pwning.
Those folks are still out there and they need us. We're the activists. The FireBox that gets things hot and boiling. They need health care reform but they don't read blogs or watch Rachel Maddow. They are regular people who don't do politics as a hobby and they won't be active unless we motivate them.
Let's not fool ourselves: the 200,000 or so unique visitors to this blog is an exceptional number. For a blog. For pushing policy in the middle of a shit storm of right wing propaganda? Not so much. We need the voices of 20, 30, 60 million regular Americans making calls, sending letters, visiting the congress person's local office, putting pressure on everyone imaginable if we are to make this work. the only way to get those numbers is your direct boots-on-the-ground involvement.
WE are the key to creating the level of activism necessary to make this work. Without our very active involvement, this is not going to happen.
Do you have 20 people on your block? How many people at work could you reach? At church or school? This is not a partisan issue. Just as many republican voters have been screwed by health insurers as democrats and indies. Political opponents in our communities don't have to like Obama or the overall Democratic platform to agree with us that we need affordable, accessible insurance for every American no matter where they work or what pre-existing conditions they have. There is common ground on this issue and logical arguments can be made....but only if we do it one-by-one and face to face, just like we had to do when we went canvassing in the Summer and Fall of 2009. During that time we spent valuable face time with potential voters debunking the rumors and bullshit (and propaganda) about Obama that was still milling around in the ether (and emails). We educated them about Obama and about policy points they didn't understand because they were busy listening to Limpballs or Faux "News". And you know what? It worked. I know you converted more than a few Hillary diehards and some middle-of-the-road Republicans to come on board for Obama and we can do it again now with this most important issue of our time.
So do something TODAY.
On June 6th, Organizing for America is planning nationwide organizing events. Go see if there's one already planned for your area and if not, please consider hosting one.
Come on. I know you just barely got rested up from that primary and general election. But we need you one "last" time (ok that's a lie. we'll need you again and again and again but....let's pretend this is the last time, ok?). We may not all agree on what system is best or achievable right now but I think we all agree that whatever is done, it must be done right. We can all agree that successful passage of a meaningful bill here would hold long term advantages for progressive policy. I think we can all agree that unless the joe-schmoes of the country get involved locally and get visible and vocal, legislators will not care about the 3,423rd email they get from you or me, those DFHs and agitators in their districts.
So, take a deep breath. I know the general was hard work. I was exhausted on November 5th. Were it not for my simultaneous elation, I would have been practically dead. I am really not "excited" about having to knock on doors again (especially here in Florida as we go into summer. Again. Note to Obama: I prefer activism between December and April. Thank you.) But this issue is one that is pivotal to our nation's survival and one that is necessary to get our country back on track. It's an issue that will have repercussions for our young people (think of the children!!!!) and for generations to come. I'm convinced that to Obama leaving a legacy of genuine health care reform is way more than a campaign promise. So I'm taking a deep, wistful breath. I'm moving forward with boldness. Won't you join me? Sign up to host or attend a health care organizing meeting. Go have some fun this weekend and get ready for the campaign. Again.
YES WE CAN
President Obama: "So am I."
Rec List? ZOMG Thanks! But please, please, get active in your community or just on your street. We must do this. One thing Obama said during the call (and I quote): "If we don't do this this year, it's npt going to get done." He is determined to get this done in 2009 and he needs every one of us to help him do it. Thanks again. Now, LETS DO THIS!