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Dear MoveOn member,
The latest Senate health care bill has no public option. No expansion of Medicare. And it does too little to guarantee that uninsured Americans will actually be able to afford the coverage they'll be required to purchase.1
Former insurance executive Wendell Potter put it best: the bill is "a big bailout to the [health insurance] industry."2
But it's not too late to fix the bill. And as Joe Lieberman has shown, just one senator willing to stand in the way can force legislation to be changed dramatically.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a strong proponent of the public option, has already made clear that he's opposed to the legislation in its current form—and he could decide to block it until it's fixed.3
But there's enormous pressure from all sides to pass a bill quickly, no matter how weak it is. So we need to show leading public option supporters, like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, that we're counting on them to block this version of the bill—and we'll get their backs if they do.
Many senators pay close attention to what voters are saying on Facebook and Twitter. So can you send Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer a message on Facebook and Twitter urging them to block the Senate health care bill until it's fixed?
Facebook walls:
http://www.facebook.com/KirstenGillibrand?v=wall
http://www.facebook.com/chuckschumer?v=wall
Become a fan, then write something like this on their walls:
The Senate health care bill has turned into a massive gift to Big Insurance—and it needs to be stopped from passing until it's fixed. Will you commit to blocking the bill until it's strengthened, and work to make sure America gets real reform with a public option?
Twitter:
Follow @SenGillibrand, then tweet something like:
@SenGillibrand Pls oppose the latest Senate #hcr bill—it's a massive gift to Big Insurance. Fight for real health care w/ a public option!
(It's even better if you write your own words, and speak from the heart.)
Then, please let us know you did by clicking here:
Despite this latest setback, we can still win the health care fight. The House has already passed a strong health care bill with a real public option. It would cover millions of uninsured Americans, offer real competition to the insurance companies, and reduce costs in the long run.
MoveOn members overwhelmingly support the House bill. But it's clear from member feedback and surveys that the majority of MoveOn members oppose the Senate bill as it now stands.4
And recent polls show growing opposition among grassroots progressives generally—the very folks Democrats in Washington count on to volunteer and donate to their campaigns.5 One found that one-third of Democratic voters will be less likely to vote next year if Congress doesn't pass a public option.6
So to get real reform, we need to immediately send a powerful message to public option supporters in the Senate that we're counting on them to block this bill until it's fixed.
Can you send a message to Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer on Facebook and Twitter right now?
Then, please tell us you did by clicking here, so we can track the success of this campaign:
Thanks for all you do.
–Kat, Joan, Michael, Ilya, and the rest of the team
P.S. When you finish, please click below to become a fan of MoveOn on Facebook:
And click here to follow MoveOn on Twitter:
Sources: 1. "ANALYSIS: House Bill More Affordable Than Senate Legislation," Think Progress, October 30, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85097&id=18360-10220574-5ePD4Jx&t=6
"Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Health Care Reform Proposals," Kaiser Family Foundation, November 23, 2009
http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm
2. "Senate Bill a Big Win for Insurance Companies," Countdown with Keith Olbermann, December 16, 2009
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#34455097
3. "Sanders Could Still Vote No On Cloture," WhoRunsGov.com, December 17, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85817&id=18360-10220574-5ePD4Jx&t=7
4. MoveOn Members' Views on the Senate Health Care Bill
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85818&id=18360-10220574-5ePD4Jx&t=8
5. "Poll: Loss of Public Option Causes Big Increase in Opposition to Health Care Bill," Talking Points Memo, December 16, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85808&id=18360-10220574-5ePD4Jx&t=9
6. "Poll: One Third Of Dems Less Likely To Vote In 2010 If Public Option Dies," WhoRunsGov.com, December 14, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85816&id=18360-10220574-5ePD4Jx&t=10
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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on December 18, 2009. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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