SEATTLE (FNS)--Longtime activist Geov Parrish unexpectedly revealed to the crowd gathered to celebrate his 50th birthday Friday evening his impending plans to end his decades-long career as a public issues advocate in exchange for new opportunities in the field of corporate communications management and image development.
The announcement appeared to be even more shocking to the glitterati gathered for Parrish's 50th birthday extravaganza at Seattle's tony Rainier Club than the fact that the event was sponsored by longtime Parrish nemesis Frank Blethen, publisher of the "Seattle Times" and a frequent target of Parrish's acerbic criticism regarding the state of corporatocracy and its negative impact upon the state of the Nation.
A new commercial venture and three new business relationships were unveiled: a corporate communications consultancy, tentatively to be named "I Am The State!", is to be opened in the next few weeks, after suitable office space is located, with the United States Chamber of Commerce and The Seattle Times Company as the first two business associates; additionally, Parrish will be joining the Board of Directors of the Strangelove Foundation, an organization devoted to maintaining the purity and essence of our precious bodily fluids.
Around the United States, peace groups are engaged in effective campaigns against proposed new military installations, local funding of weapons companies, and the routine destruction of the environment and of workers' health by such companies. Activists are building better media outlets, educating young people, educating old people, keeping military testing and recruiting out of schools, and discouraging the Army from building real-weapon video arcades in shopping malls. But when it comes to stopping our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, our citizens are less clear how to go about it.
With a vote looming on Saturday night, the whip in the House for the health care bill remains very close. According to the whip count at The Hill, 43 Democrats are no, leaning no, or undecided. With 258 House Democrats, if every Republican votes "no" then 41 Democratic defections will defeat the bill.
One new "no" vote that just appeared, and is not on the list at The Hill, is freshmen Democrat Larry Kissell. This is noteworthy, given that in 2006 and 2008, Larry Kissell raised $485,795 on Act Blue. Some of that was raised directly by the campaign, but most of it came in through blog-organized fundraising pages.
Larry Kissell is a terrible fundraiser, and has always struggled with it. His Republican challenger already has more cash on hand than he does, which is a real rarity for Democratic incumbents. It might be a nice bit of pressure tomorrow to call his campaign office tomorrow, letting him know that a vote against the health care bill will not only slow donations, but will result in thousands of people asking for refunds.
If you happen to have given money to Larry Kissell in the past, go ahead and contact his campaign office tonight, letting him know how you feel about his opposition to health care reform with a public option. The number is 1-877-428-4048, and the email is info@larrykissell.com.
This week, Training Tuesday will focus on another very important constituency: volunteers. As an organizer, building a strong volunteer base is your most important responsibility. The quality and quantity of the effort you get from your volunteers can make or break a campaign. They not only are giving you work for free (but don't tell them this!! See 'seizing an opportunity' below) but they are your direct representative to your most important constituency: voters. So their work is not only necessary, it must be done to a high standard and you must take it upon yourself to insure they are up to the task. From the Democracy for America (DFA) training manual:
You are a leader. Your job is to get your staff and volunteers to follow you. You set the tone. An energetic and enthusiastic leader will beget a focused and motivated volunteer base."
Our videos today will cover some of the basics of recruiting volunteers and building a lasting network. The DFA is truly an authority on this subject, so without further ado...
It calls for actions in the near future to get single payer healthcare in Pennsylvania.
I riffed on the idea via a comment entitled "Trick or Treat or PENNSYLVANIA SINGLE PAYER", wherein I called for parents to get their kids to carry around healthcare flyers (including from the PDA), and distribute them.
This week, we have a few clips from another session at Democracy For America (DFA) Campaign Academy's 'Grassroots Campaign Training' held September 26th and 27th at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA. This session, called 'Your Field Plan: Vote Goals, Targeting, and Field Strategy', explains how a campaign can best prepare their own operation for electoral success by creating a specific and detailed field plan.
It was a long hot August for those who would like to see health care reform, as rabid "Town Hall" protesters proffered visions of public options that would lead to death panels and socialism and government tax collectors with special alien mind control powers that would use sex education and child indoctrination and black helicopters as the means for gay people to impose their dangerous agenda on the innocent, God-fearing citizens of someplace in Mississippi that I'm not likely to ever visit.
Part of the reason that opposition was so rabid was because health care interests were spending millions upon millions of dollars doing...well, doing whatever the opposite of giving a distemper shot to the angry mob might be, anyway.
So wouldn't it be great if all the CEOs of all those health care interests were to gather at one time and place so you could, shall we say, gently express your own thoughts regarding the issues of reform and public options?
By an amazing coincidence, that's exactly what's going to happen Thursday in Washington, DC, as the Patient Centered Primary Care Cooperative (PCPCC) holds its Annual Summit.
Follow along, and I'll tell you everything you need to know.
Matt Blizek, of Democracy for America (DFA), was kind enough to allow Sum of Change to bring a camera to the recent DFA Campaign Academy in Gettysburg, PA. The Campaign Academy was founded in 2004, and serves to "focus, network, and train grassroots activists in the skills and strategies to take back our country," We will be bringing you highlights from different panels for the next several Tuesdays, but for this first Training Tuesday we have something special. This is the only training session that we will be airing in full. We will still bring you highlights from many other trainings, but if you would like to see more of them in full, you will have to attend a DFA Campaign Academy.
After the shadowy Bush years, the emergence of reasonable policy can be a little surprising. Immigration law has suffered from a lack of planning and is often influenced by fear rooted in the Sept. 11 attacks. But the national dialogue on immigration has begun to grow healthier. Activists, immigration advocacy groups and Latino and Asian American communities dug in and are working toward reform. Right wing and anti-immigration voices have less sway. This week we see two tangible and positive developments on this front: An announcement from the White House regarding detention policy reform and a letter against aggressive enforcement sent to the White House from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
On Wednesday, Open Left launched a petition (the petition link is now inactive) urging Harry Reid to keep the public option in the health care bill that goes to the Senate floor. As I reported yesterday, we gathered 15,688 signatures in 24 hours. On Monday, CREDO Action will deliver the signatures to Harry Reid.
Yesterday morning, just after midnight, the Republican National Committee launched their "Stop The Side Show" petition. More than 24 hours later, they only have 11,776 signatures-barely two-thirds of what you guys did. You single-handedly bested the RNC!
That's pretty cool, although I have heard a rumor that some of the people signing the RNC petition have actually claimed 2,000,000 signatures. They even have photos of those two million people to prove it.
Yesterday, we launched Open Left Action with a petition to Harry Reid to keep the public option in the Senate version of the health care bill when it is brought to the floor. I didn't know what would happen when we launched this new endeavor, but what did happen blew me away: in less than one day, 15,688 of you signed the petition. On Monday, CREDO action will deliver the petition to Harry Reid.
Now, 15,688 may not seem like a huge amount compared to what some online communities out there can accomplish, but I am thrilled with this in our first effort. Nearly 20% of you who took part in one of our previous actions signed this petition on the first ask. Thank you so, so much!
This is just the beginning. Our community is growing, and so are our capabilities. What would you like to see Open Left Action do in the future? Continuing the public option campaign is a must, but there are other campaigns besides health care--not to mention a future of action after health care. There are also other actions we can take besides the petitions and whip counts we have focused on over the summer. I have always thought that this community has a wealth of knowledge and insight, and I would love to hear your thoughts on moving forward.
Right now, our health care fight continues. Howard Dean and Democracy for America have launched the next step in the public option campaign--America can't wait. Based on research that you guys have been instrumental in providing, we can now show that there are majorities in favor of a public option in both branches of Congress, and the procedural options to use those majorities. And so, as Howard Dean wrote today, it is time to demand that Democratic leaders pass the public option and stop waiting. Go take part--we are entering a new phase of the fight.
Finally, one of the activists in our community who signed the petition yesterday put together a cool music video in favor of progressive health care reform. Like the progressive netroots in general, it is both DIY, and a demonstration of the creative energy we all have together.
(By "Democratize", I want to communicate "participate in an authentic democracy")
This following is a copy of an email I sent to Nancy Bordier this morning. (With minor edits.) Nancy is thinking of writing a "Progressive Voter's Party-Building Manual" The idea I present is basically to provide motivation for moving to vote-bloc technology, which would be simple enough to target young people.
In case you were wondering why single-payer hasn't passed into law, I wanted to let you know that I am the reason. Even though I support single-payer health care, I have not spent much time on Open Left advocating for it. As such, single-payer has not passed because of me.
Here is what could have happened:
Progressive blogs and email organizations advocate for single payer all the time every day;
This advocacy leads to millions of progressive activists attending rallies and contacting members of Congress on behalf of single-payer;
Members of Congress are so scared of these activists, they pass single-payer into law.
The path was pretty straightforward. It is common knowledge that there is an unstoppable corps of left-wing activists who can force Congress into passing left-wing legislation. However, in order to mobilize that corps, bloggers need to advocate for positions that corps likes. Once they do, the left-wing activist corps will spring into gear and get the job done. But they won't do it until bloggers advocate for it.
I first noticed this when I appeared on Hardball criticizing President-elect Obama for loading his cabinet with moderates. The marches on Washington, D.C. that resulted my appearance left him no option but to appoint real progressives from there on out. I could have done the same thing for single-payer, but I didn't. Here is what I did instead:
I convinced the tens of millions of progressive activists who are familiar with the work of Jacob Hacker that, while Congress was not going to pass single-payer, Democrats could pass a public option that would cover 130 million Americans. Like most public option advocates, I wrote about that all the time during 2007 and 2008, just around the same time that Hacker was becoming a household name.
While I was unable to voice my opposition to Hacker's proposal at the time due to his overwhelming popularity among progressive activists, I was engaged in behind the scenes maneuvering with the chairs of the relevant House and Senate committees to introduce legislation with a much weaker public option. Since I can't stomach 130 million people being covered by the public option, I instead successfully persuaded the committee chairs to introduce legislation that would only cover around 10 million Americans. It was necessary for me to do this behind the scenes, because otherwise the Hacker legions would know that I was using them.
By lying to the Hacker legions like this, I was able to harness some of their activism on behalf of the weaker public option. Unfortunately, most of these activists saw through the lie and as a result we were out organized in town halls in August anyway. Foiled again!
At its core, the fight over a public option is not just about health care, but about who runs our country: the American people or powerful corporate lobbies. It has been easy to tell who has been charge for quite a while, but as David wrote this morning, with this fight we are on the verge of changing the power dynamic in D.C.
With 45 Senators on the record supporting a public option, we are close to winning this fight. I sound like a broken record by now, but if Progressives in the House can keep any bill without a public option from passing that chamber, and if 50 Senators are on record supporting a public option, then the easiest path for the leadership to pass health care reform is to force a strong public option through reconciliation. Getting five more Senators on the record supporting a public option brings us to that important tipping point.
The campaign to reach 50 ramps up today. You can participate by sending a fax to each of these five Senators, asking them five specific questions on where they stand on a public option. It is quick, it is easy, it is supported by a range of other actions, and it is important
We can win this, changing not only health care, but the whole country in the process. Please, no matter where you are and what time you are reading this, send out faxes to these five Senators now.
Despite near implications to the contrary, a public health insurance option is not dead yet. In fact, through the tens of thousands of emails you sent on the Stand with Dr. Dean campaign, HCAN, DFA and Open Left now have 43 Senators on record in favor of the public option, and 18 are either "maybes" or "unknowns."
Public Option Support Breakdown Yes-43; Maybe-16; Unknown-2; No-2
Among the twenty Senators who are still left to target (only 63 total Senators are even potentially reachable on this issue), they break down into the following groups:
Conservadems (11): Evan Bayh (IN), Mark Begich (AK), Tom Carper (DE), Herb Kohl (WI), Mary Landrieu (LA), Joe Lieberman (CT), Blanche Lincoln (AR), Ben Nelson (NE), Bill Nelson (FL), Mark Pryor (AR), Mark Warner (VA). Overall, eleven of the fifteen Senate "conservadems" are either on the fence, or publicly opposed.
Other Democrats (6): Max Baucus (MT), Robert Byrd (WV), Kent Conrad (NF), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Jon Tester (MT), and Ron Wyden (OR).
Republicans (3): Susan Collins (ME), Johnny Isakson (GA), and Olympia Snowe (ME).
With 43 supporters of the public option, we only need seven of these twenty Senators to flip in order to pass the public option through reconciliation. Even amid the din of right-wing astroturf protesters and a media giddy at the prospect of health care reform failure, meaningful health care reform is very doable in 2009.
Overall, there are 63 potential supporters of meaningful health care reform. Produced through your over 20,000 emails, a complete breakdown of what all 63 have said about the public option can be found in the extended entry.
The White House apparently doesn't like progressive groups spending resources against Democratic members of Congress on health care. This is pretty confusing, given that President Obama's political operation appears to be doing exactly the same thing.
Like most people reading this blog, today I received a message from Organizing for America urging me to call my Representative:
Your representative, Chaka Fattah, has been fighting hard for real health insurance reform. Can you call the local office in Philadelphia? Let the person who answers know that you're a constituent. Then tell them: "Thanks for working to enact real health insurance reform this year. Voters like me support your efforts."
This is a direct call to contact Democratic members of Congress. About the only difference I can tell between this call to action and the calls to action from other progressive groups is that it urges me to be nice to Representative Fattah. However, yesterday OFA urged me to visit Senator Specter's office, and left it open as to whether or not I should be nice and thank him (emphasis mine):
Click below to sign up for an Office Visit for Health Reform:
Wherever you live, these visits matter: Many representatives are pushing hard toward reform, and they are taking a lot of heat from special interests. They deserve our thanks and need our support to continue the fight. But those who are still putting insurance companies and partisan point-scoring ahead of their constituents must know that voters are watching -- and that we expect better.
So, OFA is not only urging me to contact Democratic members of Congress, but it leaving it open-ended as to whether or not I should thank them or telling them I expect more. Given that they explicitly told me to thank Representative Fattah, I wonder if there is an implied subtext here.
It is also curious that the email from Sunday specifically urged me to contact Senator Specter, rather than Senator Casey. While it is possible this was purely random, and some Pennsylvania members of OFA were asked to contact Senator Casey, it is also possible that OFA is specifically targeting Specter because he is viewed as a more difficult swing vote than Senator Casey.
Exactly how OFA's activities differ from other groups spending liberal dollars to target Democratic Senators on health care reform is a pretty fine line. Like other progressive organizations, OFA is running ads in Democratic districts. Like other progressive organizations, OFA is urging their volunteers to contact specific Democrats. Like other progressive organizations, OFA is telling its volunteers to thank some members of Congress, and tell other members of Congress to do more. The only difference is that OFA isn't always making it clear which members of Congress need to be thanked, and which members of Congress need to be told to do more.
It is hard to even classify this as a meaningful difference, given that it would be politically dangerous for the White House to specifically say which Democrats need to be told to do more. Such specific targeting of Democrats from OFA would reveal more about the ongoing negotiations than the White House would like, and would also create a process story about the White House specifically targeting one or more Democratic members of Congress. Leaving it open-ended is as far as OFA can go without causing problems for the Obama administration.
I guess the bottom line from the White House it that is pretty f*cking stupid for progressive groups to be spending resources against fellow Democrats, unless those groups leave it open-ended as to whether those ads are meant to pressure or thank the Democrat in question. Because that is a huge difference.
The health care reform debate is heating-up in DC, and it's become overwhelmingly clear the special interests are taking over the conversation AND the process. The reports that there has been $1.4 million dollars per DAY spent by the private health industry on 350 lobbyists who are former members of Congress (and staffers) to swarm their former colleagues. Bill Moyers' interview of Wendell Potter (former CEO of both CIGNA & Humana) was very revealing as to how monstrous the campaign against reform truly is too. At first the AMA had rejected President Obama's health care reform proposal; so when the AMA's announced they now approve of the reform (bill H.R. 3200 the "America's Affordable Health Choices Act"), I couldn't help but think that THEY are winning the battle for OUR health care reform! Indeed, if you read into the bill it looks more like "The Aetna/Pfizer Preservation Act" - just as the tobacco legislation was essentially be "The Phillip Morris Monopoly Act." What I find strange is that while you'd think these two industries have nothing to do with each other, you'd be wrong.
I've also heard the more progressive members of Congress (Senator Sanders & Rep Kucinich) practically begging Americans to get more involved by contacting Congress and by getting out in the streets amongst other things. In this interview with Rep Dingell, I was surprised to hear his unequivocal support of Single Payer followed by his statement that Congress doesn't have the votes for it, because they are hearing equally from proponents as they are from anti-reform constituents. This tells me the private insurers' PR team has been equally successful in mobilizing the public to contact Congress on their behalf. I've felt this same nearly desperate desire within me to see an en masse action from pro-reform advocates too; but I've been quite frustrated because of the shoddy or otherwise absent leadership out there. We need the kind of leadership that's required to bring the People's Voice into the media, and most importantly, to DC!
Don't get me wrong, I'm also feeling like there is a giant monster working against us in DC, and I'll admit it is daunting - to say the least. As a Single Payer advocate, I feel even more at odds with the process too, and to speak those words in DC seem to be almost forbidden. But instead of allowing this monster make me believe this it is a futile fight, it pushes me the opposite direction. I truly believe we need to fight for health care reform like we are fighting for our very lives! The truth is, we are doing exactly that; and there is no such thing as an appropriate excuse for apathy when it comes to this issue as far as I'm concerned. As Senator Sanders often says, "Despair is not an option!" I also expected the barrage of lobbyists long before they came though too, and so I started to take a serious look at the different ways to go about combating it a few weeks ago.
Every time I'd seen notices for a rally or some other type of gathering for health care I thought, "Definitely needs to be done, but that's ONLY in DC; and it won't be big enough or strong enough to get the attention it needs and deserves." I believe rallies can be a powerful means of activism, but in order to be truly effective I think there must be enough "noise" that the media simply cannot ignore it. That's why I was looking for a nationwide rally, in every major city on the same day for example. When I began to explore which organization might actually to take on such a task, it became clear to me there are just as many positions being taken by the numerous organizations as there are policies being proposed in DC. My point being, that even the advocates for reform are too divided amongst themselves to come together for something as important as health care reform. Yet, in spite of this policy division, they can ALL agree there's a serious problem that needs to be resolved. In a way, it's the specific policy of the pro-reform organizations that is driving their actions; and they are fractured in the same way the lobbyists are who are fighting each other in DC to have their own interests be met!
Now again, I can also understand the impassioned desire to "stick to our guns" when it comes to the specific policy we each stand behind, because the clock is running out on us to get it done (perhaps we have a little more time than expected). On the other hand, I think we all know that the true power lies in the numbers. I think the timeliness of this issue means we are essentially dependent upon our ability to utilize any and all means that are already at hand, and will bring as many of us together as we possibly can.
As we all know, the internet has proven to be an incredibly valuable tool for activism, especially when it takes nationwide unity to get something accomplished; precisely by utilizing the power in numbers. I've witnessed some significant progress being made via the internet on the health care issue, and I would say they are by far the most promising and effective movements. There have been calls to actions such as faxing, calling or emailing our representatives on a particular day or week for example.
In my state of California, I have seen these measures prove to be effective in pushing our reps to take a policy stance one way or another. Even Senator Baucus admitted he had caught hell from his constituents for not allowing a Single Payer advocate join the private insurers at his committee's hearing on reform; and when they had showed up anyway to state their objection, he had them arrested for disrupting the hearing! Senator Baucus' constituency had made it clear to him it was unacceptable to eliminate Single Payer from the discussion, and he said he was wrong for doing it. As a result of constituent feedback, he had invited those very same people he'd arrested previously, to sit before his committee to speak. I'm not going to suggest this means Senator Baucus is going to start acting on The People's behalf, because I simply don't believe it to be the case at all. However, this incident did tell me We the People can certainly influence the direction of the discussions taking place on health care reform, and maybe we can even influence the results too - that is, IF we are actually heard!
Consider the kind of press coverage a successful live event can attract, and then add to it the power and effectiveness of the internet. This would be ideal, wouldn't it? It became increasingly obvious to me the problem was that We the People didn't really have the kind of leadership we can ALL depend upon, nobody we can trust to simply carry our voices to DC and be heard. Nor do we have a coalition of pro-reform organizations, all willing to pull together for the sake of being included in the debate on health care reform. Or do we?
Well, I believe we do indeed have a leader who took the initiative to bring the Voice of the People directly to DC! He's also utilizing the power of the internet - AND other devices of modern technology - in order to bring all Americans together, precisely for the purpose of fighting the special interests in DC so we can demand real reform. Not only has it proven to gather Americans from all perspectives together who believe strong reform is needed, but it has begun to snowball in the press and is beginning to attract DC's attention as well!
All thanks to Dr. Ogan Gurel for his recognition that all we needed was this type of leadership, and for taking the "Walk for Healthcare" - a 700 mile walk (~24 miles per day) from Chicago to DC in 30 days, and he just left Pittsburgh. The doctor (who prefers to just go by Ogan) had also been looking for an effective means of becoming active in the reform debate, but also found a lack of the kind of leadership needed to compete with what he had seen as a special interests' takeover of the debate. Ogan knew somebody had to do it, so he did! Ogan isn't taking sides with any particular policy either, because he believes the one thing we can all agree on is the dire need for strong health care reform. He is collecting the health care stories from every American that wants to share them along the way, and he is taking them straight to Congress to be heard. There are very few people that haven't fully embraced this opportunity to have their tragic stories told too; whatever their opinion on reform policy, the expression for serious reform as a necessity has been absolutely unanimous. I think my favorite picture Ogan that took of a sign a supporter had put on the roadside inviting him to stop in for a glass of lemonade, says a lot about our desire to be heard and our appreciation for Ogan's willingness to make it happen.
Clearly Ogan understands the importance and power of "feet on the ground" activism, and he has combined the Walk with an incredibly wide variety of technological features designed for us all to take the journey with him. No matter what your internet-poison is, he's got your dose!
And it gets even BETTER... Throughout each day Ogan's GPS tracking reveals exactly where he is, while the pictures that accompany the updates shows the things he sees, and the people he meets with too! On the website, in what he calls "dispatches" he also tells the stories that he has been given full permission to share. All these things combined really do give you the sense of taking the journey with Ogan.
Of course, these web pages are also used to organize gatherings along the way, and recently there was a call to action for supporters to contact their members of Congress to encourage them to meet with Ogan during the week after he arrives in DC, on the 26th. He already has some appointments set, but there really needs to be as many of them as possible taking the time to listen to what Americans have to say about their health care needs.
Because Ogan took the initiative on his own and (I believe) due to his not endorsing any particular policy on reform; all the costs have come out of his own pocket and logistics have been tricky at times. There are a couple other volunteers besides me, who have arranged some free hotel stays, supporters have made donations, and some people he has met have been generous with their hospitality as well. However, there is a bit of uncertainty from day to day with various details, and he's about to enter into the Appellations - a very remote area, and especially unfit for somebody on foot! Just to give you a little idea of what this Walk for Healthcare entails, here are a few things that happen daily: Morning prep includes treatment for his blistered feet, a "courier" drives him to the next hotel to drop off his bag and then to the point where he stopped the night before, walking along the Lincoln Hwy (HWY 30) means there may not even be shoulder-space to walk on, he meets with about a dozen people throughout the day, speaks with reporters from both newspapers & local news stations, occasionally attends events too, and all ending with a ride back to the hotel or host-home where he uploads the day's news and then to sleep.
We are more optimistic than we had been about his being able to gain the extra support he will need while traveling this next treacherous bit of his journey, because of a rather interesting development of late that was a result of this well-interconnected movement. The night Ogan left Pittsburgh there had not been a ride arranged back to his next resting stop. So Ogan Twittered that since this was the case, he had decided to tread on into the night onto to his next stop. One of his followers had seen the post, and drove out to the highway where Ogan was to give him a ride to his next destination! It's clear that this could not have happened without the ability to share it so readily with the entire group of Walk for Healthcare supporters.
I believe that by the time Ogan arrives in DC on the 26th, considering the amount of press and steady increase of supporters this brilliantly orchestrated movement has already had; The Hill will not be able to ignore the Voice of the People.
I've finally found a health care reform movement that incorporates all the elements of activism that I know actually work, and I hope everybody reading will join in support of it too. This really is where the tech-rubber meets the activism-road.
And I dare say, I believe, "It's just what the doctor ordered!"
Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin today. There is every reason to expect she will sail through. However, there is still a great Sotomayor-related campaign we support to make Republicans pay a heavy political price for the racially charged attacks many of their most prominent pundits and elected officials have been using against her.
Back in late May, I suggested that we find a way to run anti-Republican, Sotomayor related ad sin key congressional districts with high percentages of Latino voters. Specifically, the idea was to run ads on Spanish language media repeating the racially charged attacks some conservatives and Republicans were making on Sotomayor. The ads would ask local Republican candidates and elected officials to denounce those attacks, but really the idea is to further exacerbate Republican problems among Latino voters.
Today, two emerging progressive netroots organizations, Presente and the PCCC, have turned this idea into reality by producing the following ad:
Now, we need to get this ad on the air. You can donate to that effort here. The ActBlue page also allows you to donate to Alan Grayson, a strong progressive from a swing district in Florida where nearly 15% of all voters are Puerto Rican. Grayson also has a deep connection with Open Left, as he now employs our co-founder, Matt Stoller.
1. Do you support a public healthcare option as part of reform? Yes.
2. Do you support a public healthcare option that is ready on day one? He supports a public option that will be available immediately.
3. Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to our government? Sen. Kerry supports a robust public plan, that like Medicare, would be
available to everyone from coast-to-coast.
4. Do you support a public healthcare option that has the clout to establish rates with providers and big drug companies? Sen. Kerry believes a public plan will meaningfully transform our delivery system through its lower administrative expenses and bargaining power. These efficiencies will provide affordable coverage to those enrolled in the public plan and due to increased competition could lower costs in the private insurance market.
That brings us to 40 Senators in support of a public option. Only ten more to go.
