Update [2009-8-20 16:43:43 by hekebolos]: the New York Times has written about our public-option fundraiser!
They thought you would back down.
They thought that with enough of a goody-bag, and enough smaller concessions here and there, that you would be satisfied with their version of incrementalism. But the slough of anonymous advisers didn't understand how much you agree with the good Dr. Dean: without a public option, reform is meaningless.
But you know what? 3,500 contributors and $220,000 later, I think they might finally get it.
But we're just getting started. The momentum is barely getting started--and we've been joined by two allies that you'd never expect to be working hand-in-hand!
But we still need your help! If you're a state or local blogger, keep reading for instructions on how to make your voice heard.
First--MoveOn.org has thrown down! They've sent an email to their list linking straight to the ActBlue page. I quote in part:
Dear MoveOn member,
The public health insurance option is the heart of health care reform and right now it's under serious attack.
Even some members of the administration are pushing President Obama to give in to conservatives and drop it: one senior White House adviser told The Washington Post, "I don't understand how [the public option] has become the measure of whether what we achieve is health-care reform."1
This unnamed source apparently doesn't understand that the public option is the key to lowering health care costs and expanding coverage.
But there is a group of progressives in Washington who DO understand. Sixty House Democrats have signed a written pledge to not vote for health care reform unless it includes a robust public option.2 That's more than enough to block a bill without the public option.
These representatives are already facing pressure to back down, but if we stand strong with them, we'll send a clear signal that the heart of reform can't be compromised away. Can you make a contribution to the progressives in Congress who are standing tall for the public option? Clicking the link below will take you to ActBlue, where you can donate.
http://www.moveon.org/...
Awesome stuff from MoveOn! But you wanna know who else is laying it on the line for the public option? He doesn't normally get a lot of love around here, but it's none other than former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe! Terry has pledged to do a live fundraising event and send out a broadcast email for the first Congresscritter from Virginia to take the pledge and commit to the public option! I mean, seriously: how cool is that? As NotLarrySabato in Virginia reports:
Terry McAuliffe thinks it is time to "insist" on the public option. We couldn't agree more. Terry's agreed to host a fundraiser with Virginia and national bloggers who are insisting on a public option for the first Virginia Congressman who will take our pledge! This will be an awesome event to highlight and honor any Virginia Congressman who shows leadership on this issue. If you would like to be a part of the host committee for this event, shoot me an email at notlarrysabato@hotmail.com. Lowell and I are already on board, and I'm sure there will be many others!
That's just some of the major action that's going on. But we still need your help, because you guys are the driving force! Members in Congress listen the most to their local constituents, which is why it's especially important that local and state blogs promote the page to their communities.
If you're interested in taking action, sign up at FireDogLake's campaign silo so you can be sure to stay abreast of all the action that's happening with the public option at the state level. We've already seen great support at the state level from local blogs in quite a few states, and we want to make sure that your state or locality is getting the message across that there's no substitute for the public option.
And here's another way you can show that your state is kicking ass and taking names: use a refcode to link to the ActBlue page. Normally, when you write the HTML to link to an ActBlue page, you'd just use the hyperlink. But ActBlue allows you to use trackers--called "refcodes"--to enable you to get credit for anyone who donates through a link you post. And it's really easy to do: when you create your link, just add ?refcode=[whatever you want your refcode to be] to the end. So, for instance, I'm using ?refcode=hekebolos to track donations through this diary--you can click here and look at the NavBar to see what it's supposed to look like.
So what's the idea here? Use a refcode with the two-letter abbreviation for your state! If you're a Texas blogger, link to the page with ?refcode=TX. California? refcode=CA. Live in a swamp? refcode=NJ. You get the idea. We want to have a little bit of a friendly competition to see which states are kicking the most ass for the public option. Let's do this!
UPDATE: The ActBlue page now stands at over $230,000 and over 3,700 contributors. Unbelievable. And leave a tip for ActBlue, dammit. This wouldn't be possible without them.
UPDATE 2: From jsamuel in the comments: Sam Stein at HuffPo reports 77% public support for the public option. No wonder there's so much energy.
UPDATE SOME MORE: Over $250K raised on the page. Over 4,000 donors. And show Blue Jersey and my friend clammyc some love for showing the way on the state action (I know, Calitics and BOR, I love you too).