America And Obama

Today, President Obama sent out a message to supporters asking them to get involved in the fight for health insurance reform this month:

This is the moment our movement was built for.

For one month, the fight for health insurance reform leaves the backrooms of Washington, D.C., and returns to communities across America. Throughout August, members of Congress are back home, where the hands they shake and the voices they hear will not belong to lobbyists, but to people like you.

Home is where we’re strongest. We didn’t win last year’s election together at a committee hearing in D.C. We won it on the doorsteps and the phone lines, at the softball games and the town meetings, and in every part of this great country where people gather to talk about what matters most. And if you’re willing to step up once again, that’s exactly where we’re going to win this historic campaign for the guaranteed, affordable health insurance that every American deserves.

There are those who profit from the status quo, or see this debate as a political game, and they will stop at nothing to block reform. They are filling the airwaves and the internet with outrageous falsehoods to scare people into opposing change. And some people, not surprisingly, are getting pretty nervous. So we’ve got to get out there, fight lies with truth, and set the record straight.

That’s why Organizing for America is putting together thousands of events this month where you can reach out to neighbors, show your support, and make certain your members of Congress know that you’re counting on them to act.

But these canvasses, town halls, and gatherings only make a difference if you turn up to knock on doors, share your views, and show your support. So here’s what I need from you:

Can you commit to join at least one event in your community this month?

In politics, there’s a rule that says when you ask people to get involved, always tell them it’ll be easy. Well, let’s be honest here: Passing comprehensive health insurance reform will not be easy. Every President since Harry Truman has talked about it, and the most powerful and experienced lobbyists in Washington stand in the way.

But every day we don’t act, Americans watch their premiums rise three times faster than wages, small businesses and families are pushed towards bankruptcy, and 14,000 people lose their coverage entirely. The cost of inaction is simply too much for the people of this nation to bear.

So yes, fixing this crisis will not be easy. Our opponents will attack us every day for daring to try. It will require time, and hard work, and there will be days when we don’t know if we have anything more to give. But there comes a moment when we all have to choose between doing what’s easy, and doing what’s right.

This is one of those times. And moments like this are what this movement was built for. So, are you ready?

Please commit now to taking at least one action in your community this month to build support for health insurance reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/CommitAugust

Let’s seize this moment and win this historic victory for our economy, our health and our families.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

From OFA Director Mitch Stewart:

Members of Congress have been home for just a few days, and they’re already facing increased pressure from insurance companies, special interests, and partisan attack organizations that are spending millions to block health insurance reform.

These groups are using scare tactics and spreading smears about the President’s plan for reform, trying to incite constituents into lashing out at their representatives and disrupting their events.

The goal of these disruptions is for a few people to get a lot of media attention and hijack the entire public discourse. If they succeed, all Americans — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — will continue to struggle under the broken status quo.

It’s up to us to show Congress that those loudly opposing reform are a tiny minority being stirred up by special interests, and that a huge majority strongly supports enacting real health insurance reform in 2009.

Can you call your representative’s local office in your state? Let the person who answers know that you’re a constituent. Then tell them: "Please fight for real health insurance reform in 2009."

Calling should only take a few minutes, but it’s a huge help. These local offices serve as the main connection between a member of Congress and voters in the district. And with representatives home on recess, the staff there are in daily contact with your member, keeping them updated on how many calls they receive that are for or against reform.

Once you’ve called, please be sure to report your results. Knowing how many calls are coming in from all around the country will help us better plan our campaign — and help us show that the American people overwhelmingly want health insurance reform this year.

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Moments ago, the Senate voted 68-31 to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Shortly after the vote, President Obama made the following statement:

I am pleased and deeply gratified that the Senate has voted to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor as our nation’s 111th Supreme Court justice.

I want to thank the Senate Judiciary Committee, particularly its Chairman, Senator Leahy — as well as its Ranking Member, Senator Sessions — for giving Judge Sotomayor a thorough and civil hearing.  And I thank them for doing so in a timely manner so that she can be fully prepared to take her seat when the Court’s work begins this September.

The members of our Supreme Court are granted life tenure and are charged with the vital and difficult task of applying principles set forth at our founding to the questions and controversies of our time.  Over the past 10 weeks, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate have assessed Judge Sotomayor’s fitness for this work.  They’ve scrutinized her record as a prosecutor, as a litigator, and as a judge.  They’ve gauged her respect for the proper role of each branch of our government, her commitment to faithfully apply the law to the facts at hand, and her determination to protect our core constitutional rights and freedoms.

And with this historic vote, the Senate has affirmed that Judge Sotomayor has the intellect, the temperament, the history, the integrity and the independence of mind to ably serve on our nation’s highest court.

This is a role that the Senate has played for more than two centuries, helping to ensure that "equal justice under the law" is not merely a phrase inscribed above our courthouse door, but a description of what happens every single day inside the courtroom.  It’s a promise that, whether you’re a mighty corporation or an ordinary American, you will receive a full and fair hearing.  And in the end, the outcome of your case will be determined by nothing more or less than the strength of your argument and the dictates of the law.

These core American ideals — justice, equality, and opportunity — are the very ideals that have made Judge Sotomayor’s own uniquely American journey possible.  They’re ideals she’s fought for throughout her career, and the ideals the Senate has upheld today in breaking yet another barrier and moving us yet another step closer to a more perfect union.

Like so many other aspects of this nation, I’m filled with pride in this achievement and great confidence that Judge Sotomayor will make an outstanding Supreme Court justice.  This is a wonderful day for Judge Sotomayor and her family, but I also think it’s a wonderful day for America.  

Thank you to everyone who made phone calls to your representatives, wrote letters, and displayed your support for Justice Sotomayor.  

From WhiteHouse.gov:

If you’ve been following the health insurance reform debate, you probably have a number of questions about how health insurance reform will help you and improve the quality of care you receive. With all the talk about health insurance reform, it can be difficult to sort out fact from fiction.

 

We want to be sure you have the facts and answer your questions. Today, I’ll be moderating a webcast with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and other top HHS officials where we’ll discuss how health insurance reform will benefit all Americans and take on some of the myths you may have heard. The webcast will begin at 1:00 PM EDT and you can watch it at www.healthreform.gov. You can also watch and discuss using the White House Facebook application.

 

During the webcast, we’ll be answering your questions. Questions can be emailed to hhsstudio@hhs.gov or submitted via Twitter by using the hashtag #HCRQ.

The President dispells some of the outlandish rumors being promoted by those who are defending the status quo:

Earlier today, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the newest Justice of the Supreme Court. Shortly thereafter, Vice President Joe Biden sent out the following message to supporters who called, wrote letters, and displayed their support for Judge Sotomayor:

Congratulations.

Just moments ago, Judge Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Our highest court and the nation it serves will benefit for years to come from Judge Sotomayor’s brilliance, wide-ranging legal experience, fair-mindedness, and commonsense understanding of how the law touches our daily lives. President Obama picked the right person for the job, and you stood up for her from the very beginning.

You helped make today an historic one for the court and for our country.

Thank you,

Vice President Joe Biden

From OFA Director Mitch Stewart:

All throughout August, our members of Congress are back in town. Insurance companies and partisan attack groups are stirring up fear with false rumors about the President’s plan, and it’s extremely important that folks like you speak up now.

So we’ve cooked up an easy, powerful way for you to make a big impression: Office Visits for Health Reform.

All this week, OFA members like you will be stopping by local congressional offices to show our support for insurance reform. You can have a quick conversation with the local staff, tell your personal story, or even just drop off a customized flyer and say that reform matters to you.

We’ll provide everything you need: the address, phone number, and open hours for the office, information about how the health care crisis affects your state for you to drop off (with the option of adding your personal story), and a step-by-step guide for your visit.

Click here to find your representatives’ local offices.

As you’ve probably seen in the news, special interest attack groups are stirring up partisan mobs with lies about health reform, and it’s getting ugly. Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy, and receiving death threats. We can’t let extremists hijack this debate, or confuse Congress about where the people stand.

Office Visits for Health Reform are our chance to show that the vast majority of American voters know that the cost of inaction is too high to bear, and strongly support passing health reform in 2009.

Don’t worry if you’ve never done anything like this before. The congressional staff is there to listen, and your opinion as a constituent matters a lot. And if you bring a friend, you’ll have more fun and make an even greater impact.

Click here 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.

Earlier this week, the President wrote that "this is the moment our movement was built for" and asked us all to commit to join at least one event this month. This is the way to answer that call, and rise to the challenge of this moment together.

Thank you for going the extra mile when it matters the most,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Yesterday, the White House unveiled a new website designed to debunks some common myths surrounding health insurance reform and provide real information on what reform will mean for families and businesses. From WhiteHouse.gov:

If you’ve tuned into the news in the past few days, it’s clear that the debate about health insurance reform has heated up as Senators and Representatives return to their home states and districts. A troubling trend has also emerged: as more people become engaged in the issue, defenders of the status quo have responded by muddying the waters with more wild rumors and scare tactics.

It’s time for a reality check.

… The first set of videos addresses a wide scope of topics and debunks some of those common myths:

• CEA Chair Christina Romer details how health insurance reform will impact small businesses.

• Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes tackles a nasty rumor about euthanasia and clearly describes how reform helps families.

• Matt Flavin, the White House’s Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, clears the air about Veteran’s benefits.

• Kavita Patel, M.D., a doctor serving in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement, explains that health care rationing is happening right now and how reform gives control back to patients and doctors.

• Robert Kocher, M.D., a doctor serving on the National Economic Council, debunks the myth that health insurance reform will be financed by cutting Medicare benefits.

• In a video first released last week, Linda Douglass from the White House Health Reform Office addresses fears about the end of our private insurance system and reiterates that if you like your current plan you can keep it.

There is also a handy FAQ about health insurance reform.

Moving forward, we’ll use this platform to provide you with the latest "Reality Checks" and tools to combat misinformation.

We also want to hear from you.  If you have questions about health insurance reform or suggestions on what topics we should address next, please let us know.

The road ahead will surely reveal more aggressive efforts from defenders of the status quo to confuse and scare Americans with half-truths and outright lies. We’re all too familiar with the time-tested tactics that opponents of reform have used for decades to prevent the meaningful change our health insurance system needs.

President Obama is in New Hampshire today, where he will hold a town hall meeting on health insurance reform. The event is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM Eastern, and you can listen to a live audio feed from the town hall below:

UPDATED: The event has ended, but we’ll have more coverage of today’s tow hall shortly.

Photo: President Barack Obama arrives at a town hall meeting at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, N.H., to speak about health care reform.