Let's face it. If health care reform doesn't happen, those of us who haven't given everything in this fight will have no one but ourselves to blame.
With that in mind, here are some things we can do. I'm willing to bet that there are at least a couple that you aren't doing yet, but that you can do without any great hardship. If you've got enough time to be reading this diary, you've got enough time to do something in this list.
So let's get to work.
- Call! Especially your representative, but especially all of the offices listed in slinkerwink's diaries, the latest of which is here . Ain't nobody gonna listen if you don't speak up.
Let them know you want real health reform with at least a strong public option, and that they had better not think about coming home until it's done.
Still have a few minutes and/or seconds left? Great! First, some old-media options:
- Send letters to the editor. Put your representative or senator on notice, and help create a public record of the public support for a public option. Here's a helpful tool.
- Fax your representative, senators, president, and Congressional leaders. Don't have a fax machine? No problem! There are plenty of online services that allow you to send a fax for a very reasonable cost. For example, there is PamFax, http://www.pamfax.biz/... , which takes Skype credit (easy to purchase). If you have time, legibly hand-written faxes are said to have the most impact. Scan, send, repeat.
- You can also fax Congress for FREE using http://1payer.net/... . The faxes available there tend strongly towards single-payer, but you can edit them to reflect your specific concerns.
- Hand-deliver a letter to your representative's local office. Unless you live in a big rural district, or overseas, it's probably not very far out of your way. More effort, bigger impact.
And the new media:
- Twitter: Blech. I hate Twitter. It stands for all things ephemeral and lame in today's society. But it is one hell of an echo chamber. Plus the media is obsessed with it, which gives us an indirect route to the newsroom. Even if we never crack Trending Topics, posting with a hashtag like #publicoption adds to a stream of information that hundreds if not thousands of people are monitoring.
So, see a relevant story? Tweet it! Notice an insightful tweet? Retweet it! Have some thoughts of your own? Tweet them! And make sure to include those hashtags. Useful tags:
#healthreform #hcr #publicoption #healthcare #p2 [1]
If you mention someone like #MaxBaucus or the #BlueCrossDogs, hashtag them too. We need to shine a bright, sunshiney light on these critters.
Follow these people, and retweet pretty much anything they say:
Not on Twitter? Very sensible of you. Now join. You'll survive.
- Facebook: Whatever charm Facebook had vanished sometime around when the eleventy-billionth inane "quiz" was posted. But almost every Congresscritter has a Facebook page, and that means that they have a public wall where you can leave a public statement of your support for the public option. Typing name+"Facebook" into Google will generally turn them up.
Obviously it's most important to target your own representative/senators, but it's worth targeting any representative in a position of power, whether that power is legitimate or contrived. For example, right now Blue Cross Dog obstructionist Baron Hill's (IN-08) wall is running about 9:1 against health reform, and I don't think they're all his constituents: http://www.facebook.com/... I think we can change that ratio a bit. (Yes, you will need to become a "Fan" of Baron Hill. There are worse hardships.)
The more unambiguously the voice of the public is heard, the harder it is for these people to pose as anything but the money-grubbing opportunists they are.
- Digg, Reddit, Buzz et al.: That healthcare-related link you just posted/emailed/commented/tweeted? Make sure you also post it to the link-sharing website of your preference. If it's on there already, vote it up. This a) reaches new eyeballs, and b) keeps the drums beating.
- Online petitions: No, they don't mean much, but they do help to create a public record of public pressure, and keep the drums beating. So sign up already:
- DailyKos: Yes, even here at the Big Orange Pootie Palace, your recs, tips and comments can have an impact. If we're going to have a chance, we need the attention of the community focused -- as much it ever can be -- on this issue, so that as many people as possible are spurred to call and do all of these other things. We are the focus we've been waiting for. Rec those action diaries!
In general:
- Stay informed, stay connected, online and off. If you see a lie, swat it down. If you don't know how to swat it down, or if you think it might be true, you can bring it to an open thread or an action diary. Someone will know.
The zombie lies will always be with us, but the less space we give them, the less power they have. Keep an eye on FactCheck.org and Snopes.com. Also, make sure you're on the mailing lists for DFA, OFA, HCAN and HealthJustice, so that you can help to spread the word on the latest developments.
Oh, and:
- Donate. I believe it was Confucius who said, "Golden coins speak, but the excrement of a bull lies silent." [2] Seldom have those words been more timely. Nobody likes the role money plays in our politics. However, without a little grease, the wheels just don't turn.
Money spent for health care reform is less a donation than an investment in a healthier, wealthier future for all of us. As with all investments, there is an element of risk -- in this case, the risk that America will not get the reform it needs. Fortunately, there's a great way to reduce that risk: donate more.
Here are some causes that I have been fortunate enough to be able to give some money to. Please suggest more:
Keep the drums beating for health care reform! It is, truly, the least that we can do. Do it for the Americans who are dying every week because they don't have access to the healthcare they need. Do it for Ann Dunham, the mother of our President, who was tortured on her deathbed by these ghouls, and for the millions of others who have endured the same or worse.
Do it for you, your family, your neighbors.
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[1] I guess it stands for "public option too" or something.
[2] No, it wasn't. Pity, though. It might have been Mocius, or perhaps another member of his school, such as Larius or Curlicus. [3]
[3] Actually, that was hilarious. What can I say? You just don't appreciate sophisticated humor.