Who supports Third Way? Not the public.

by: AdamGreen

Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 09:04

Emails and calls have been rolling into the Third Way offices ever since word leaked that they plan to undermine President Obama's #1 domestic priority -- a public health care option that 73% of voters support.

I also know for a fact that some big funders are not happy with Third Way. It turns out that Third Way President Jon Cowan hiring two insurance-industry hacks to write his health care policy while claiming to run a progressive think tank is not a good thing...who could have guessed?

And every day, more people are joining the DEFUND THIRD WAY campaign that will launch if Third Way follows through on their leaked plan.

Let's keep the pressure up by emailing them...but with a twist. Let's pose the obvious question: Who supports Third Way?

On the policy front, who do they think supports undermining the Obama public option? And financially, who supports Third Way? Since their motives are so obviously in doubt, let's challenge them to make details about their funders public.

Specifically, let's dare Third Way to state publicly, "No insurance interests fund our organization" and to release a breakdown of what type of groups or individuals do.

Email them today:

Jonathan Cowan, President (photo)
Matt Bennett, VP for Public Affairs
Jim Kessler, VP for Policy
David Kendall, Senior Fellow for Health Policy
Anne Kim, Economic Program Director

jcowan@thirdway.org, mbennett@thirdway.org, jkessler@thirdway.org, dkendall@thirdway.org, akim@thirdway.org

Or, drop them a line and say hello: 202-775-3768

I can tell you who does NOT support Third Way...the public.

Comments have been rolling in from Texas, Georgia, Utah, Nebraska, California, Wisconsin, Vermont, Colorado, and the list goes on and on. Their message to Third Way: Don't you dare undermine the public option. Or we will work to defund you.

Here is just a sampling of folks who joined the DEFUND THIRD WAY campaign...

"I will use all my business and personal connections to defund your group if you continue against a public option for health care." -- Mongshang Lin, MN

"Don't even think about it." -- Chris Harris, KS

"If you undermine a comprehensive competitive public health care option in any way, we will act to defund you." -- Martha Campbell, WA

"This approach ignores the clear intent of the 2008 election." -- Stephen Brown, CA

"There is already a 'third way' solution to the healthcare crisis. It is called a 'public plan,' which COMPETES with private plans. The 'public plan' option is a compromise between market/profit based medicine and a single-payer/government funded system." -- Anthony Pepitone, TX

"My concern is for those who cannot afford insurance, not the viability of the private insurance sector." -- Mark Stimson, IA

"Go away, astroturf shills." -- Dave Katz, VT

"I will go to the wall against anyone who tries to disable the public option and that means my time and my money.  And I will be ferocious about it.  It is time to fix this, and I will not stand for triangulating, moderation or temporary measures." -- Paul DeFalla, CA

"I will fight to remove any elected official who follows this plan to kill a public option or even neutralize it." -- Jeanette Walker, TX

"A public option is the bare minimum feature of any 'meaningful' reform.  3rd way proposes at best to freeze us in the current untenable situation." -- Douglas  Wesselmann, NE 

"Third Way is IN the way!" -- Walker Burkhardt, GA

Click here to add your voice to the DEFUND THIRD WAY campaign.