18 Responses to One Day. 100,000 Calls. Spread the Word.

1. Knoxville October 20th, 2009 at 10:28 am «

   The website in the link above makes it very easy to call, providing all three numbers for you to call your representatives in the House and Senate and giving you an example of what to say.

   I, of course, modified the message, leaving out President Obama’s name and emphasizing that real health care reform must include a public health insurance option.

   And then, in my typical fashion, I left Organizing for America and Presdient Obama the following note in the little ‘feedback’ window that they provide:

   I have already written to all three of my representatives and, as I live in TN-2, knew what their answers would be in advance. Still I called today, asked if they supported real health care reform, which must include a public health insurance option like the one that appears in the Kennedy-Dodd HELP Committee bill, and strongly made the arguments for why a public health insurance option is necessary if we are to have real health care reform. Now, I also want President Obama to know that I’m not happy that he is not doing more to publicly shame the Blue Dog, so-called Democratic, Senators who are threatening the majority of the United States Senate, the 52 or more members of the Democratic caucus who do support a public health insurance option, by threatening to join with Senate Republicans if they, this handful of Senators, don’t get what they want. If President Obama allows this to happen, he will be granting this small group of immoral Senators who call themselves Democrats, though they are not, a de facto veto power in the United States Senate, which is what they will have if he allows them to succeed in using the threat of joining with Republicans to block cloture as leverage to get what they want. He will be allowing them to have the power to reduce one bill after another to worthless garbage as they force the Democratic Party time and time again to betray its core principles. And, if he allows this to happen, President Obama will end up facing Republican majorities in both the House and Senate following the 2010 election. Please tell President Obama that real health care reform must include a public health insurance option like the one that appears in the Kennedy-Dodd HELP Committee bill, or it is not real health care reform at all. Thank you. Sincerely, Brc
2. cbl October 20th, 2009 at 10:43 am «

   hey Knox,

   I am curious as to the script OFA is suggesting for this specific event – what is it they are asking folks to say ?

   fyi – I call every day. time is about the only thing I have to give
• Knoxville October 20th, 2009 at 10:52 am «

  There’s a brief explanation first, then this:

  Example Script for Your Calls:

  Hello, my name is __________ and I’m a constituent calling from __________ (city or town).

  I’m calling to let you know that I support President Obama’s plan for health insurance reform and that I’m counting on Congress to deliver on reform.

  If you’re already working to pass President Obama’s plan, thank you.

  Does Sen. / Rep.__________ support President Obama’s health reform plan?

  Again, I modified it a bit to emphasize the necessity of having a public health insurance option.

  Their site really does make it easy.
• Jason Rosenbaum October 20th, 2009 at 10:57 am «

  And, Obama’s plan, as linked on OFA’s site, includes a public option…
• Knoxville October 20th, 2009 at 11:02 am «

  I saw that, too. In the middle column re affordability, right? Still, when I called Alexander, Corker and Duncan, I left Obama’s name out of it and stressed the importance of a public health insurance option in creating the kind of competition that will force private insurers to take notice.

  Do we need triggers? No. We’ve already seen again and again and again that private insurers can’t be trusted.
• selise October 20th, 2009 at 2:45 pm «

  linkie please? (direct to “obama’s plan”). thanks.
• Casual Observer October 20th, 2009 at 2:50 pm «

  Selise, here:

  Center column.

  •Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.
• Casual Observer October 20th, 2009 at 2:52 pm «

  I guess this could be called “description of Obama’s plan”, rather than the actual plan itself, but never the less it is what you get when you hit the link “Obama’s Plan”.
• selise October 20th, 2009 at 2:57 pm «

  good enough for me, thanks!

  the plan includes the individual mandate even though candidate obama campaigned against it. i’m surprised that so many people are ok with that. maybe i’ve been wrong about how unpopular a mandate for individuals would be.
• dakine01 October 20th, 2009 at 3:06 pm «

  I’m not a fan of the mandates but understand the need, especially if there is a good Public Option. The insurance companies are going to be required to pick up all the high cost folks (one hopes) so they will need to be able to spread the cost.

  I was fortunate when I had a diseased gallbladder that needed removal at age 30, that I was in the Air Force and had all costs covered. Had a been your standard late 20s’early 30s “I’m Invincible!”, I would have been screwed. I most likely would not have had the appropriate coverage, for after all, “I was healthy and only in my 20s when it isn’t needed.”
• selise October 20th, 2009 at 5:23 pm «

  there is no good public option in any of the bills congress is considering.

  see this post from digby on the issue of mandates and cost:

  http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/light-dawns-by-digby-light-dawns-by.html
• cbl October 20th, 2009 at 11:25 am «

  thanks.

  just wanted to see what they were “suggesting”. what kind of PO is of course the question. the villagers are out doing themselves today with the ‘all kinds of options’ meme.

  and I really like that so many of the critters who have been allowed to hide to date will be getting bombarded with calls today
3. thebagofhealthandpolitics October 20th, 2009 at 11:05 am «

   The way this works is that nobody is following their script. They know it too. They know the people they’re going to get to call are going to say “please support the public option.” And they’re probably going to double their original goal. For a while there, it was 1,000 calls a minute.
4. cbl October 20th, 2009 at 2:40 pm «

   Knoxville,

   as of 4:30 cst – 180,000 calls – new goal is 200,000.

   a Hill staffer:

   “We’re getting completely crushed with calls, jamming our phone lines from the moment we opened.”

   good.
• Knoxville October 20th, 2009 at 4:09 pm «

  Outstanding! Looks like we’re all right in the mainstream with this issue. It’s always a good thing when so many Americans can see what’s right and will take action together to do it! *g*

  The same thing happened a little over a week ago with a PCCC/Bold Progressives petition. The raised the goal from 20,000 signatures, to 30,000, to 50,000, to 75,000 until they had over 80,000 signatures. At their website, there’s a video showing them meeting with Alan Grayson and others as they were on their way to deliver the petition with all the signatures to Reid.

  Btw, the point was to make the calls today, but I really don’t see any reason not to call again tomorrow. I will! Leen will, too. Let’s get this done.
5. Leen October 20th, 2009 at 3:17 pm «

   thanks will call again tomorrow
6. annieooo October 20th, 2009 at 8:25 pm «

   I’m not certain what we will get if callers are saying to support the Obama Plan. Please read from huffington post this article:

   Congress “Getting Completely Crushed” With Over 100,000 Calls For Obama’s Healthcare Reform

   Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-teo/ofa-healthcare-phonebank_b_327418.html

   “Several aides said the callers seemed less informed about the issue than typical advocates, indicating that Obama is reaching a wide variety of voters who do not typically engage in the political process. Almost all of them called on the senators to support the President’s health care plan. Several aides noted with irony that the president doesn’t have a specific plan that he has endorsed – to the great frustration, in fact, of many Democrats.”

   Perhaps some people need to be more clear and concise with the message?
• Knoxville October 20th, 2009 at 8:50 pm «

  Several aides said the callers seemed less informed about the issue than typical advocates, indicating that Obama is reaching a wide variety of voters who do not typically engage in the political process.

  That’s a great thing! The point is that people are coming out who don’t usually participate in this way and are showing that they’re with the Democratic leadership, even if some Democratic leaders seem inexplicably confused about who they are right now.

  What’s important is that callers show that they’re motivated and that they want real health care reform, not that they prove to aides that they know the difference between Rockefeller’s “robust” public option and Schumer’s “level playing field” public option.

  The article at HuffPost emphasizes the positive impact that was made by having phones on Capitol Hill ring off the hook today!

  Still, you’re right that we shouldn’t just say that we support the President’s plan.

  I put some of what I said when I called today and what I wrote to OFA in comment 1 above.

  I modified the message, leaving out President Obama’s name and emphasizing that real health care reform must include a public health insurance option.

  and

  I asked if they supported real health care reform, which must include a public health insurance option like the one that appears in the Kennedy-Dodd HELP Committee bill, and strongly made the arguments for why a public health insurance option is necessary if we are to have real health care reform.

  Callers should emphasize the importance of a public health insurance option!