Progressives Take Action Aimed at Obama

Yesterday, news broke that President Obama will make a big speech to Congress next Wednesday on health care.

And according to reports, "although House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance option, Obama has no plans to insist on it himself."

In response, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee got a truly depressing email from Christian S., one of our members in Texas:

"Your recent health care ads are great, they hit home. But Obama has decided to drop the public option and for breaking his campaign promise I am dropping out of political activism for the time being."

This fight is absolutely not over, but Christian's feelings are real. If Obama doesn't stand firm on the public option, millions of people will lose hope.

So today, the PCCC is launching a petition to President Obama signed by those who volunteered, staffed, voted for, or donated to Obama's campaign in 2008, asking him to please stand firm on the public option.

If that's you, can you sign this petition today? Click here.

Then, please think hard about others you know who worked for change last year -- and forward them the petition.

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."

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.

Can you sign this petition to President Obama today? Click here.

Then, please forward this to others. Again, we have until Wednesday, September 9. Let's do it.

Follow Adam Green on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Adamgreenonline

Comments

[olderdem]

I support a strong public option and believe reform without it would be meaningless, and too expensive for the country and individuals.

However, what about this compromise. Include a public option in the reform, available for all, but allow each state to opt out, if they so choose. I believe we would find out pretty quickly how much support really exists for the public option.

[Rastaman1967]

If the president fails us this early, then he would have killed this awesome movement that got him elected. He also would prove Hillary right that he hi only good for giving great speeches. The idea that he would back away from the public option, which he knows is the right thing to do is disgusting to me.

If he does not commit to the public option, then we can all make the assumption that he caved in to the Insurance companies who contributed huge sums to his campaign as well as the right. If he does not commit to the Public Option, this will make him look weak and incapable of leading or making tough decision.

I say no Public Option, no more contributions or support for Mr. Obama.

[reyespd]

I agree. We need not give up on Obama. But the Right is getting most of the attention in the media. They don't want a bureaucrat between them and their doctor. Not only do I not want a profit driven Health Insurance Company between me and my doctor. I don't want a profit driven Health Insurance Company between me and my elected officials. When do we go after the profit driven Health Insurance Companies directly, for all the misery, hardship and devastation to families that they create?

[Macdaddy10]

Forget Obama and the right, try going Green. The other two parties have let us down time after time.

[Macdaddy10]

Well Obama does give it good lip service while he stuffs his pockets full of cash and turns a blind eye on things. No better than the right on health care when your a paid puppet of the lobbyist.

[jemborg]

Wow! I'm a freedom loving Aussie and I find this paranoia over decent pubic health care amazing.

We've had it for almost 30 years.

I've expounded on this in many of Huffo's threads but let me simply say... America you deserve better, do not believe the Conservative lies.

NB: It took two goes in my country to get universal Medicare established. The Conservatives got rid of it when they got voted back in. The Labor Party re-established it at the next election after that. And although they have undermined it every time they got back into power the Conservatives don't dare try to get rid of it again. What I am getting at here is you have to push HARD for it- it's NOT going to happen through bi-partisanship.

PS: I just found out my wife is pregnant a week ago :) , two days after we went and had the first ultrasound, all at no cost. We have complete confidence in our system.

[cyndeewi]

Wait until you hear him speak. We cannot give up on him. Please! everyone else has done that. Do you know that if we give up then there is no one left. Please don't let the repubs win. Please!

[december30]

I do not intend to ever give up on President Obama.

[nilotic]

I don't share your blind support. That's like something a bushbot would say about Bush.

[Beegood]

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

-Bible (NewTestament)
Revelation 3:15^16.

[Greg2000]

The WH won't listen because they've never been in favor of a public option in the first place. If they wanted to push for a public option, they should have had single payer advocates on the table to represent the other "extreme”, which never happened. They completely ignored them while health-care executives were eating cakes in the white house. This is not by accident you have so many unnamed sources, all from the WH, dripping those sound bites against the public option. Every salesman or negotiator will agree on the fact that no one should start a negotiation with a YES to your antagonist. The president was all about a so-called middle of the road solution while the left was completely absent. It's more than riveting to see the AFL-CIO is pushing back threatening to campaign against any democrats who want to pass a bill without a public option (Look at Bennett in Colorado). It can be a one-term mandate for the president if he thinks he can take the left for granted. How about a more forceful challenger from the left? Remember Jimmy Carter against the late Teddy Kennedy. We should be loyal to a cause not to a man or a group of people.

[imademocrat]

"i'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington­...I'm asking you to believe in yours." These words of Barack Obama grace the page of Organizing for America. It is evident that President Obama has forgotten his promise to bring real change, and has decided to bring whatever teeny, tiny change the republicans will allow. But, since he asked each of us to believe in ourselves, I will sign petitions, donate time, and donate money to defeat any health care plan proposed by President Obama or any other democrat that does not contain a public option.