Group Organizing Obama Workers For Ad Targeting President

Many progressives have expressed frustration with President Obama's refusal to commit to a government-run health insurance plan. If the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has their way, the president will soon hear from them directly.

The PCCC is fundraising to put out an ad featuring former Obama campaign workers, volunteers, voters, donors and staffers telling the president to insist on a public option in health care reform.

The group is circulating a petition among Obama supporters who are disappointed by recent news out of the White House.

The petition says: "We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in."

The group has also set up an ActBlue page showing the amount donated so far, and what more money could do: "$20,000 can make a splash in a DC publication, $40,000 could buy cable news in DC, $100,000 could buy a New York Times ad."

Founder Adam Green wrote in a blog post on The Huffington Post:

We'll make sure the White House gets our message. In addition to delivering the signatures and personal notes from the petition page, we're planning an ad featuring the voices of those who sign.

Obama's speech "is still being debated in the West Wing," reports Politico. That means there's still time -- we have one week to persuade Obama to do the right thing.

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Comments

[Ugonna]

I hope he directs his speech to the Independents and the Democrats. Forgets the Repubs.

[robbyJ]

Public option or boot. Tax the upper 5% who have 80% of the money. Pointless to let them drive 10 cars and own 5 houses, if people are dieing in the same country.

Before you start flaming me, turn off Fox and get your own opinions.

[pfrogger]

the public option be coming. no stopping it now.
Reconciliation. Strong public option, strip Repub amendments, remove mandates.
That's why the insurance shills/trolls are getting crazier. It's unstoppable.

anyone who can and wants to employ action instead of just rhetoric, be at AMERICANS UNITED FOR HEALTH CARE & INSURANCE REFORM RALLY & March in Washington , D.C. Sept. 13, 2009.
http://americansunitedhcr.wordpress.com/

how FDR rolled - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/opinion/03smith.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1252008229-iHieNzQgN025iNwGFLvoDg

[Peter Noble 2]

Yes indeed my hats off to all those who believed in the Audacity of Hope and are now willing to hold his feet to the fire. Obama has been utterly devoid of courage and has betrayed all of you and all of us who voted for him.
I am ashamed to have voted for him. Without you and without us he is a one term president and the worst ever. Simply he lied to us. He told us he'd fight for change: he has simply given in before the first shots were fired.

[butterfly218]

Obama has done a lot in less than a year . Those who started with him will stay with him. In his second term he will bring to us every thing we want from him. Oh ye of little faith . Bush had loyalist what are you ? Can you find your way back to the rebug page. YES WE CAN , YES WE CAN , YES WE CAN , YES WE CAN and Yes we will stand by Obama . Stay tuned and you will see Obama power . He had to say something to get the people riled up about health care . Trust him as you did when you voted for him .

[JonnyTruant]

What are you talking about. The man has been insanely busy. He's put a lot of pressure on Congress to get this done. They're the ones who have to draft and pass this thing. He does need to put more into it, but I think he's a more savvy player than you're giving him credit for.

No great chess player brings his queen out early in the game. You save the heavy for the right moment. The Republicans have already brought their pieces into play and we know their game. During the next month, we'll see who takes whose king.

[Arrecho]

Subject: Tell Obama: We're Counting on You

Hi,

President Obama will give a major speech next week laying out what he thinks needs to be in the health care bill.

This is a critical crossroads. The president needs to hear that Americans are counting on him to stand up to the status quo and fight for real reform with a strong public health insurance option.

I just signed a petition telling President Obama I'm counting on him to fight hard for a bold health care reform bill. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/hcobama

[LarksTongue]

I told him that last November. How many times must I prove my 'love?'

I fought the smears during the campaign. I fought the myths (lies) after the election. I shared my health care story on the OFA Health Care Action Center. I contacted my Congressman, Senators and wrote letters to the editor.

And after all this, we find that true health care reform is threatened by who? Blue Dog 'Democrats.'

The President knows where is base stands. The question is: do the Blue Dogs?

[M1]

Awesome! Just Awesome!

[Lauren SoFlo]

I'm seeing a lot of anti-Blue Dog, anti-moderate rhetoric on the boards and people who think attacking our own will somehow get the support for our causes that is needed. Blue Dogs come from conservative districts and represent the views of their districts. Having a majority in congress is EVERYTHING. Having a Dem elected instead of a Republican means keeping a majority and about chairmanship and the setting of agendas. Without a majority, a party won't get any of its agenda through congress. We need a big tent to allow many points of views to have a place in the party. Not everyone, nor every progressive, is ready to overthrow the entire health care system and go to single payer yet, nor does everyone think this form of a public option is even going to work, but just because someone is more conservative on some issues (but will support progressives on others) doesn't mean I want them out of my tent. Think big picture and long term strategy. Have a goal of educating the public, changing public opinion and building popular support for progressive issues rather than the lazy thing of attacking elected officials who reflect the view of their constituency. To get a Blue Dog to act more progressively, work on getting their constutuency to be more progressive, but don't think for a minute that you do any good by just bringing down someone in your own party and handing a victory to the other side.

[LarksTongue]

Yeah, that worked REAL well in the Clinton years. We ended up with NAFTA, GATT, and the 'end of welfare as we know it.' Oh, and NO health care reform.

Sorry, if the Democratic Party doesn't support my issues I won't vote for them.

[Hoogey]

And DOMA, yeah Clinton really 'saw the light'.

[Hope42]

I am IN a Blue Dog's district and I did NOT vote for him for him to vote with the Republicans on every issue; if I wanted that I could have voted for the Republican! I am fed up with the Blue Dogs!
We voted for CHANGE and we are getting PUNKED big time.
Believe me, the die hard tea baggers in our area did NOT VOTE for our Blue Dog Democrat...they voted for the Republican and would NEVER vote for a Democrat so why are these idiots siding with the insurance companies against the poor people in their districts and thinking they will get the tea baggers' votes??? The only reason I can figure is MONEY.
Fed up in the Appalachians Mountains in North Carolina.
Calling for a Progressive Democrat to run against Heath Shuler. (He lives in the C Street House...to add insult to injury.)

[ouroborous]

"Having a majority in congress is EVERYTHING."

NO.

NO.

NO.

If that majority refuses to act (either due to corporate lobbying or political cowardice is irrelevant), that majority is WORTHLESS.

It is better to LOSE the majority, and LOSE the presidency, in return for getting a core bloc that will actually ACT upon our beliefs and HONOR their campaign promises, than to have a phony majority of "blue dogs" and "centrists" and "conservadems" who will oppose any meaningful reform.

So NO. You are simply WRONG on that point.

[butterfly218]

Bravo, Bravo.

[bud812]

The blue dogs are spies,if they come from conservative districts why not run as republicans which they are?I see it as false advertising.

[middleoftheroad]

I agree. But you only gave power in the house to drive policy because the dems made the decision to run these people. Don't think a liberal progressive would win in these districts.

[Samalabear]

Once again, for your viewing pleasure. Anthony Weiner on Morning Joe, the long interview:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/464837/joe_scarborough_is_shocked_yet_awed_by_single_payer_logic

This is called passion for real reform. The guy's incredible.

[suzukimom]

Thanks for re-posting this. I am in love with Anthony Weiner because he is one of the few who is actually fighting for rational solutions to the problem we face.

[Temblor]

Anthony Weiner is the man and would have my vote for president in a heartbeat. I saw him on Maddow a few weeks back and was mesmerized

[tjfxh]

Change we the people can believe in, not in favor of corporate Amerika. Get money out of politics.

[ChelleAgain]

So, some people think we should air our differences under cover of darkness? I don't think people expressing their wants and needs, while still supporting the president overall, is this horrible thing. The repubs would be in better shape then and now if they hadn't closed ranks when Bush made pee-pee all over the things which most of us hold dear.

I think it would be a mistake to think people expressing to the president what they consider to be an important issue as being lost faith rather than an effort not to lose faith.

I'm a staunch supporter. Even if a public option doesn't happen, I will be a supporter. As late as last weekend I was volunteering for him. I almost went to Michele Bachman's Town Hall, but was afraid the crazy would leap off her and onto me. However, I spent over half a year of my life watching my mother die, I made sums out of pocket for her care that would have bankrupted a lot of people -- myself included not to long ago. The last lucid day of my mother's life was inauguration day.

[ChelleAgain]

(Continued)
It is a matter of conscience that I do what I can to make sure that people don't have any more stress than necessary while watching a loved one die.My vote -- while given for many reasons -- was a vote for compassion and for change. If the president doesn't deliver here, I will still be in his corner, but I will be greatly disappointed, and because I do support him I also support his constituents letting him no where they stand in a respectful manner.

The simple fact is that you can't tell other people what the make or break deal is for them -- what campaign promises can be broken and which can't. Some people don't have the luxury of watching this wrangling as a spectator sport that has no resonance in their lives. If this IS the issue that has most importance to them, if the reason the president received their vote was a belief in what he said on this issue, then they have a right to express that and try to send him that message in any way they think it'll best reach his ears/eyes.

[Sugar Lee]

Very well put. My Mom would have loved him. Glad your Mom got to see it. Mine is in such a deep Alzheimer's fog and yes, it is a fortune. I once thought we might see some progress if a famous republican got it and Reagan? Who is more famous, but they hid him away. You have to see it to believe how awful this disease is.
Thanks, ChelleAgain

[Greg2000]

Awesome!!!!!!

[IzzyCA]

I signed this petition. There are many more out there from numerous groups.
KEEP THE PUBLIC OPTION in health care reform.
Everyone around the country should be calling the White House. Spread the word to your friends.

The White House Comment Line number is 202-456-1111.

if you get a busy signal, keep trying. Thousands are calling!

email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

[DuPageDem]

Great idea. But I don't think asking progressives to hand over $100,000 to the NY Times will inspire them to open their checkbooks.

[ouroborous]

That's a good tactical point, but how else can we get our message out to more people? Sadly you have to pay to play in politics these days.

[SPQR1775]

National Mall damaged, didn't the GOP vote against funding its repairs? I say get up and MARCH, "BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE, ACT NOW!" I will be in DC 09-13-09, 500 thousand or more for Healthcare Reform, I know when the Pres give his speech on Wednesday he will use an Honest and Moral argument and the tides will CHANGE for HEALTHCARE REFORM. The fact is he should also invite Americans that have a hard time and get them from RED STATES like he did in January with the Education issue. YES, the GOP and their cabal of lobbyist and Corporate Industrialist have over played their hand too and it will ensure that we MARCH against any troop increase in Afghanistan and demand a sooner pullout from Iraq. YES, the fact of the matter is, the GOP argue against healthcare reform and doing more for Americans, it is morally wrong to spend American TAX dollars to take care of AFGHANISTAN when we have a nation on the brink at home. Take care of the HOMEFRONT, support healthcare, and increase the minimum wage to 10 dollars an hour immediately!

[Tony Morales]

GOOD!!!! I am with these people!!!