August 7, 2009
Energy, Health Care, Obama, U.S. Law and Policy
No Comments
Dear MoveOn member,
It’s getting ugly out there.
All across the country, right-wing extremists are disrupting congressional town-hall meetings with venomous attacks on President Obama’s plans for health care and clean energy.
- Last night in Tampa, Florida, a town hall meeting erupted into violence, with the police being called to break up fist fights and shoving matches.1
- A Texas Democrat was shouted down by right-wing hecklers, many of whom admitted they didn’t even live in his district.2
- One North Carolina representative announced he wouldn’t be holding any town-hall meetings after his office began receiving death threats.3
- And in Maryland, protesters hung a Democratic congressman in effigy to oppose health-care reform.4
We’ve got a plan to fight back against these radical right-wingers. We’ve hired skilled grassroots organizers who are working with thousands of local volunteers to show Congress that ordinary Americans continue to support President Obama’s agenda for change. And we’re building new online tools to track events across the country and make sure MoveOn members turn out at each one.
But we need to scale up our efforts quickly to make sure this plan works. To really swing into action during this month’s congressional recess, we need to raise at least $250,000 immediately. Can you chip in $20 to support our work?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/august.html?id=16748-9659800-yeA0K3x&t=1
If the shouts of the right-wing mobs are the only voices our senators and representatives hear over the recess, we’ll have a hard time passing health care and clean energy legislation.
That’s why we’re launching our Heat Up Congress campaign so quickly to fight back, using new technology to implement rapid response town hall turnout, organizing personal phone calls from small business leaders and donors to their representatives, running new ads, and activating an energized network of on-the-ground organizers and volunteers.
This month could decide the future of health care and clean energy in America—and we’re already one week in. If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, now’s the time to get involved. Talk to your neighbors, go to a town hall meeting—and today, please chip in $20 to support our work:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/august.html?id=16748-9659800-yeA0K3x&t=2
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Matt, Nita, Kat and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “Tampa Town Hall On Health Care Reform Disrupted By Violence,” The Huffington Post, August 6, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51727&id=16748-9659800-yeA0K3x&t=3
2. “Local Fox Reporter Attends Town Hall And Finds ‘Some Attendees Admit They Don’t Live In The District,’” Think Progress, August 4, 2009
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/04/gene-green-townhall/
3. “Dem Congressman’s Office: His Life Has Been Threatened Over Health Care Bill,” Talking Points Memo, August 5, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51724&id=16748-9659800-yeA0K3x&t=4
4. “The Danger Over the Right’s Anger,” Politico, August 3, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51726&id=16748-9659800-yeA0K3x&t=5
Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
August 3, 2009
Politics, U.S. Law and Policy
No Comments
Dear MoveOn member,
Last week a special interest lobbying firm with ties to dirty energy companies1 was caught sending forged letters to a Democratic congressman’s office—urging him to oppose clean energy legislation.2
The letters claimed to be from a Hispanic non-profit called Creciendo Juntos and the local chapter of the NAACP. The only problem? Neither group had ever seen the letters, much less sent them.3
Faking letters from ethnic groups to oppose progressive legislation? It’s like Karl Rove is back running the show.
This incident could be just the tip of the iceberg—one small part of a coordinated campaign to undermine the president’s agenda. The House of Representatives has started to investigate how far this scam goes—but with allegations this serious, this is a federal criminal matter.4
Can you sign our petition asking the Department of Justice to investigate whether the lobbying firm committed fraud? Clicking here will add your name:
http://pol.moveon.org/roveisback/o.pl?id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=9
The petition reads:
A lobbying firm hired to fight against clean energy was caught sending forged letters from the NAACP and a Hispanic nonprofit to a Democratic congressman. Please conduct a thorough investigation into whether the firm, Bonner & Associates, committed fraud, and how often they’ve done this.
The thing is, this isn’t the first time this has happened.
The very same firm, Bonner & Associates, was caught in 2002 using an African American charity’s name to oppose legislation lowering drug prices—that time on behalf of their clients in the pharmaceutical industry.5
This time they are targeting freshman Democrat Tom Perriello, who has been a champion of clean energy jobs.
If we are going to get the change this country needs, we have to stop this kind of deceit on the part of special interests. Please sign the petition by clicking here:
http://pol.moveon.org/roveisback/o.pl?id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=10
Thanks for all you do,
–Justin, Ilya, Ilyse, Peter and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “The Case of the Forged Letters—a cap-and-trade mystery,” Reuters, July 31, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51703&id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=11
2. “Fake Out: Forged Letters Urged Congressman To Vote Against Climate Bill,” The Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51693&id=&t=6&id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=12
3. “Forged Letters to Congressman Anger Local Groups,” Charlottesville Daily Progress, July 31, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51695&id=&t=7&id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=13
4. “Congress To Probe Forged Climate Change Letters,” Talking Points Memo, July 31, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51697&id=&t=8&id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=14
5. “Community Leaders Decry Lobby Firm’s Fax,” The Baltimore Sun, March 9, 2002. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51696&id=&t=9&id=16707-9659800-7bxNMUx&t=15
Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
July 29, 2009
Health Care, Obama, Politics, U.S. Law and Policy
No Comments
Dear Friend,
If you’re like most Americans, there’s nothing more important to you about health care than peace of mind.
Given the status quo, that’s understandable. The current system often denies insurance due to pre-existing conditions, charges steep out-of-pocket fees – and sometimes isn’t there at all if you become seriously ill.
It’s time to fix our unsustainable insurance system and create a new foundation for health care security. That means guaranteeing your health care security and stability with eight basic consumer protections:
- No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
- No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
- No cost-sharing for preventive care
- No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
- No gender discrimination
- No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
- Extended coverage for young adults
- Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid
Learn more about these consumer protections at Whitehouse.gov.
Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo. But we know the cost of doing nothing is too high. Health care costs will double over the next decade, millions more will become uninsured, and state and local governments will go bankrupt.
It’s time to act and reform health insurance, drive down costs and guarantee the health care security and stability of every American family. You can help by putting these core principles of reform in the hands of your friends, your family, and the rest of your social network.
Thank you,
Barack Obama
July 14, 2009
Politics, U.S. Law and Policy
No Comments
Dear MoveOn member,
Well, now we know why Sarah Palin is quitting as governor of Alaska.
In an op-ed in today’s Washington Post, she announced her new focus: killing our chance to build a clean energy economy, starting with the energy bill currently in Congress.1
Her op-ed is a marvel of misinformation and outright lies. Just like conservatives in Congress, Palin is trotting out the “energy taxes” scare tactic, and arguing instead for more drilling and more dirty coal. This bill already has too many giveaways to Big Coal and Big Oil, but that’s still not enough for Palin.2
As ridiculous as Sarah Palin’s lies are, they’re getting attention, and they’re a real threat to clean energy. If we can raise enough money today, we’ll run a rapid response ad to counter these lies and stop Palin’s attack. Can you donate $20?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/palin_energy.html?id=16575-9659800-UVWlgtx&t=3
This is the same Sarah Palin who doesn’t believe climate change is caused by humans.3 The same Sarah Palin who is obsessed with drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And the same Sarah Palin who’s looking for controversial issues to launch a 2012 presidential bid.
Now she’s positioning herself as the face of the conservative attack against clean energy, against the Clean Air Act—even against the creation of millions of new jobs in solar and wind.4
But wind and solar create more than twice as many jobs as coal and oil.5 Clean energy is the only way to make America’s economy competitive in the 21st century.
The truth is we need a stronger energy bill in the Senate to combat our economic and climate crisis, but Sarah Palin’s lies could sink our hopes for a clean energy economy. Chip in $20 to fight back against Palin’s false claims:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/palin_energy.html?id=16575-9659800-UVWlgtx&t=4
Thank you for all you do.
–Anna, Eli, Noah, Carrie and the rest of the team
Source:
1. “The ‘Cap And Tax’ Dead End,” The Washington Post, July 14, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51618&id=16575-9659800-UVWlgtx&t=5
2. “With Something for Everyone, Climate Bill Passed,” The New York Times, June 30, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/us/politics/01climate.html
3. “Palin: Global Warming Not Man-Made,” ABC News, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51619&id=16575-9659800-UVWlgtx&t=6
4. Memo on Clean Air Act authority, Pawa Law, July 2, 2009 [PDF]
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51620&id=16575-9659800-UVWlgtx&t=7
5. “Green Recovery: A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy,” Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, September 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51621&id=16575-9659800-UVWlgtx&t=8
July 1, 2009
Finance
No Comments
The reports are damning.
For the first time, Bank of America workers are speaking out about how the bank’s practices hurt costumers and employees.
According to the Associated Press, Bank of America “encouraged” its employees to “burden consumers with debt and enroll them in high-fee programs.” Fed up with these unsavory practices, Bank of America workers are speaking out. But they need our help to do so.
Sign our petition in support of protections for bank employees. We’ll deliver your petition directly to Members of Congress working on financial reform.
Click here: http://action.seiu.org/bankworkers
What kind of pressure to sell products are employees under at banks like Bank of America? Here’s what one former Bank of America employee said:
“From sun up until sun down, six days a week, I was under constant pressure to push products that were usually bad for consumers and were–in my opinion–unethical,” said Gabby Ornelas, a former Bank of America Personal Banker from the Washington, DC area.
This is the other, hidden side of the financial crisis: bank employees had no choice but to push products that ended up hurting their customers.
Congress will soon debate financial reforms to protect consumers - we need to make sure that those reforms also protect employees that sell the banks’ products. In addition to giving bank workers a voice at work with legislation like the Employee Free Choice Act, new financial reforms need to protect both consumers from bad products, and employees who blow the whistle on bad practices at banks.
Sign our petition to Congress to protect bank workers. We’ll make sure it’s delivered to the very people who can help fix this broken system:
Click here: http://action.seiu.org/bankworkers
Bank workers say they are routinely encouraged to push products on consumers that maximize fees, raise interest rates, and max out credit cards in order to meet ludicrously high sales goals. Worse, employees report they’re told to target students, the elderly, and non-English speakers who are the most at-risk to end up paying huge fees.
Here’s what the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday about what Bank of America workers are saying:
The former workers said they were going public to lay out what they saw as a little-known side of BofA’s business model: encouraging working-class customers to sign up for high-interest-rate credit and cash advance services and structuring an array of check and debit card services to maximize overdraft fees and other charges.
Sign our petition to Congress to protect bank workers. Click here: http://action.seiu.org/bankworkers
Thanks for all you do to help bank workers, and workers everywhere.
In solidarity,
Michael Whitney
SEIU.org
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