Rudolf J. --

Today, I signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law.

This is a historic step -- the first of many as we work together to climb out of this crisis -- and I want to thank you for your resolve and your support.

You organized thousands of house meetings. You shared your ideas and personal stories. And you informed your friends and neighbors about the need for immediate action. You continue to be a powerful voice for change throughout the country.

The recovery plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs, provide tax cuts for working and middle-class families, and invest in health care and clean energy.

It's a bold plan to address a huge problem, and it will require my vigilance and yours to make sure it's done right.

I've assigned a team of managers to oversee the implementation of the recovery act. We are committed to making sure no dollar is wasted. But accountability begins with you.

That's why my administration has created Recovery.gov, a new website where citizens can track every dollar spent and every job created. We'll invite you and your neighbors to weigh in with comments and questions.

Our progress will also be measured by the tens of thousands of personal stories submitted by people who are struggling to make ends meet. If you haven't already, you can read stories from families all across the country:

http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories

Your stories are the heart of this recovery plan, and that's what I'll focus on every day as President.

With your continued support, we'll emerge a stronger and more prosperous nation.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

 

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. --

Opponents of health insurance reform have power. Some reap huge profits from the status quo. Others take large campaign contributions from those who profit.

So they'll do anything to keep the current system in place. When fact-based arguments don't work, they attack President Obama with outlandish lies about a government takeover and euthanizing the elderly. And once that doesn't work, they'll go even further.

We don't know what they'll do next. What we do know is that we'll have to be prepared for anything -- ready to set the record straight, ready to make sure the media and Congress see the overwhelming support for reform, and ready to pass real reform this year.

But we'll need the resources to do it -- to pay for rapid-response ads in key districts and states, organizers to put together large rallies and grassroots events throughout the country, and the best technology available to empower volunteers -- all at a moment's notice.
Can you chip in $25 or more to help us pass real reform, this year?




This was never going to be easy. As candidate Obama said just three days before the election: "Don't think for a moment that power will concede without a fight." Now, we're seeing how true that really is.

These same well-financed forces have killed reform in the past, and they're aiming to do it again.

But here's why this time can be different: There are folks like you, all around the country, who are ready to go toe-to-toe with the special interests, even when they're not fighting fair.

And we'll keep at it, because we know that the work we're doing together right now can make the lives of hundreds of millions better for decades to come.

But we need your help to keep it up. Can you donate $25 or more to beat the special interests?

https://donate.barackobama.com/power

There's too much at stake for any of us to sit this one out. Please chip in.

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

Rudolf J. --

At the beginning of August, President Obama wrote to the OFA community to challenge us to work hard, break through the noise and give the American people a voice in the fight for health insurance reform.

It wasn't easy: With Congress back home, special interests and partisan attack groups went into overdrive spreading lies, and the media seemed to broadcast any story of conflict or division they could find.

But you accepted the President's challenge -- and delivered.

See it for yourself: Check out the latest photos and stories from around the country.

Our strategy for the month was simple: engage the millions of individuals who know we need change to fight the lies and tell the truth, build support for reform, and ensure that support is highly visible while members of Congress are home gauging public opinion. We continued our methodical, battle-tested approach of volunteers reaching out online and offline in every part of the country. We offered the facts, answered questions and engaged those who were ready to get involved.

And the results were extraordinary. OFA supporters like you came together in an unprecedented way over the past four weeks -- and it couldn't have happened without the individual volunteers who make it all possible:

• Folks like Rebecca E. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who voted for the first time last year -- and collected more than 1,800 health care declarations this summer. Across the country, we've collected more than 1 million signatures in support of the President's core principles for health insurance reform.
• Supporters like Nita L. in Longmont, Colorado, who organized hundreds of supporters in her town to come with her to talk with their member of Congress about how much this fight means to them. They were among the more than 70,000 folks who showed up at 350 town halls -- where supporters of reform at times outnumbered opponents by 10-1 -- and volunteers who made 65,000 trips to local congressional offices.
• It's the people who made more than 100,000 calls to Congress to thank representatives fighting for change -- like Nancy T. in Hendersonville, North Carolina, who hosted a health care phone booth because, after her heart transplant, she knows that no American should have to choose between financial ruin and getting the care they need.
• It's the 1,500 supporters who filled a local recreation center in Kansas City, Missouri, at a town hall meeting with Senator Claire McCaskill, and the 2,500 people who jammed the streets to hear from Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio -- just two of the more than 4,000 events where folks gathered to show their support across all 50 states in August.

All of these signatures, calls, office drop-bys, conversations, gatherings, and town hall meetings, all of the late nights, homemade signs, long hours in the sun, and tireless volunteers who make it happen -- totaling more than 1.5 million people who've taken part in this campaign for real reform -- it all adds up to one incredible movement for change.
Check out the latest photos and stories from the field to see this movement in action:

As Congress returns to D.C. and we roll up our sleeves for the final push toward reform, we know the hardest work may yet lie ahead. The special interests and those in Congress who have pledged to oppose the President no matter what will stoop even lower in the weeks ahead.

But you should never doubt that we face the coming challenges together, as part of something far larger than any of us alone -- and far stronger than the old broken politics that have preserved the status quo for long enough.

Our strategy is working. We are going to win this thing. Americans will finally get the health insurance reform we all need.

Thank you for making it possible,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

 

The President's Plan for Health Reform "It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance to those who don't. And it will lower the cost of health care for our families, our businesses, and our government." - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
If You Have Health Insurance, the President's Plan: Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age. Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most. Caps out-of-pocket expenses so people don't go broke when they get sick. Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money. Protects Medicare for seniors. Eliminates the "donut-hole" gap in coverage for prescription drugs.	If You Don't Have Insurance, the President's Plan: Creates a new insurance marketplace - the Exchange - that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices. Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance. Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees. Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can't find affordable coverage with a real choice. Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national "high risk" pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.	For All Americans, the President's Plan: Won't add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront. Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized. Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality. Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system. Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine. Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.

Rudolf J. -- The fight to fix America's healthcare system is here. Monday, President Obama laid out his roadmap by announcing three principles for healthcare reform and calling on Congress to act this year. Hundreds of thousands of us joined that call online. Then -- yesterday morning -- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi responded, pledging to bring real healthcare reform to a vote by July 31st! Special interest lobbyists and partisan ideologues will now go into overdrive, spreading distortions and twisting arms in D.C. to water down the final plan -- or stop it entirely. They did it before, and they're betting they can do it again. But they're forgetting something: you. (....) With your support, we can train volunteers, hire organizers, place ads, hold local educational events, bring constituent voices straight to Congress, and make sure your real life stories are heard louder than the lobbyists' spin. But executing this plan will require a lot of resources, and with just 78 days or less before the first crucial vote, we can't wait another minute to begin. Last November, Americans sent a strong message that we are ready to take the serious steps we need for change. Obama laid out those steps on health care this week with his three core principles: reduce costs, guarantee choice, and ensure every American has quality, affordable health care. But special interests will spend millions making sure politicians and the Washington establishment forget that message. They'll say reforming health care is too difficult and too costly. And they'll say it's too much change all at one time. They'll say it simply can't be done. But we know the answer to that: yes we can. For every distortion they put on the airwaves, we must immediately broadcast the facts. For every deceptive pamphlet they send in the mail, we must have a volunteer going door to door, ready to have a real conversation and break through the spin. For every lobbyist cutting deals in the back rooms of DC, we need a thousand calls, letters, stories, and visits from regular Americans who will settle for nothing less than the real healthcare reform this country needs. This challenge is what Organizing for America was designed for. Together, we can transform the way change is made in this country -- but we can't wait another day to begin. Your contribution to our healthcare campaign is the vital first step that will enable us to hire the staff, open the local offices, train the volunteers, design and place the ads, and put all the other pieces in place we need to execute this urgent plan. Please chip in $25 today: (....) America has been wrestling with our spiraling healthcare crisis for a long time. But with your help, this time will be different. This time, the people will be heard. And when the dust settles before the end of this year, every American will finally have the quality, affordable health care we need and deserve. Thanks for making it possible, Mitch Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America   (edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

 

Rudolf J. --

I am proud to announce my nominee for the next Justice of the United States Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

This decision affects us all -- and so it must involve us all. I've recorded a special message to personally introduce Judge Sotomayor and explain why I'm so confident she will make an excellent Justice.

Please watch the video, and then pass this note on to friends and family to include them in this historic moment.

Judge Sotomayor has lived the America Dream. Born and raised in a South Bronx housing project, she distinguished herself in academia and then as a hard-charging New York District Attorney.

Judge Sotomayor has gone on to earn bipartisan acclaim as one of America's finest legal minds. As a Supreme Court Justice, she would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any Justice in 100 years. Judge Sotomayor would show fidelity to our Constitution and draw on a common-sense understanding of how the law affects our day-to-day lives.

A nomination for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land is one of the most important decisions a President can make. And the discussions that follow will be among the most important we have as a nation. You can begin the conversation today by watching this special message and then passing it on:

http://my.barackobama.com/SupremeCourt

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Rudolf --

I have some exciting news to share about the future of this grassroots movement.

I recorded a personal message for you. Please take a minute to watch the video:

What you built can't stop now. Together with our partners at the Democratic National Committee and its new chairman, Governor Tim Kaine, this movement will continue organizing and bringing new people into the political process.

The challenges facing our country are too great, and our journey to change America is just beginning.

I look forward to working side-by-side with you in the months and years ahead.

Thanks,

Barack

 

(edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. -- Congress is preparing to vote on a final Economic Recovery bill. President Obama is urging action in Washington because families across the country need help right now. In the past week, thousands of you came together at house meetings to talk about how the economic crisis is affecting your communities. And thousands more shared your personal stories on our website. Your voices were heard. Help is on the way. Take a few minutes and read some of the stories your fellow Americans shared. These stories are the face of the economic crisis, and they will be the focus of our recovery. Here are a few excerpts from the tens of thousands of stories people like you shared: "As of a week ago, our family has joined the ranks of the unemployed and thus uninsured. We have two children, a 6 year old and a 10 month old. With my part time jobs and unemployment, we should be able to keep the roof over our heads, at least one car in the driveway and food in our stomachs for a few months. The state of our health insurance is what truly scares us." Nichole H., Columbus, OH "I live in a small rural community in central Minnesota and have run my own small business for 32 years here. These last 8 years have been a slow steady decline economically. This has caused me to continually find ways to tighten my budget. Our small towns are really struggling with infrastructure and loss of businesses to attract and hold workers in their communities." Judy T., Motley, MN "I am a teacher in Florida where we are 50th in the country in spending per student. I feel this generation of students is being cheated out of a quality education. I'm fortunate that I have a job. But our education system is failing our children. There are so many areas of education that are suffering because of massive budget cuts. The bottom line is: as the United States of America we can do better for our children." Betty Jo A., Deltona, FL Read more from Nichole, Judy, Betty Jo, and others who shared their economic crisis stories: http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories Ordinary people are telling the real story of the struggles and pressures families are facing right now. They drive home the importance of this recovery plan and the need to put it into action immediately. The President's economic recovery plan is an important first step in getting our country back on track. But recovering from this downturn will require the faith, confidence, and hard work of all Americans. Thank you for staying involved during this critical time for our country, David David Plouffe Campaign Manager Obama for America   (edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

We knew healthcare reform would face fierce opposition -- and it's begun. As we speak, the same people behind the notorious "swiftboat" ads of 2004 are already pumping millions of dollars into deceptive television ads. Their plan is simple: torpedo healthcare reform before it sees the light of day by scaring the public and distorting the President's approach. We need the resources to take them head on with an urgent, grassroots campaign to pass real healthcare reform in 2009. When the swiftboaters flood the airwaves with distortions, we'll flood the streets with volunteers armed with facts. When they send lobbyists to tell Congress to back down, we'll send millions of calls, letters, and stories from real Americans asking them to stand up. Can you donate $25 or more by midnight Sunday to fight back against these phony attacks and take our message of reform to the American people? The swiftboaters are once again trying to sell the American people short. As during the election, we deserve a serious conversation -- not fear-mongering and deceit. You and I see the importance of healthcare reform every day. We can't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to face one of America's greatest challenges head on. Passing real healthcare reform will be the toughest, most important challenge we've faced together since electing Barack Obama President. But it's also a big reason we fought so hard to get here. I know that by working together, and speaking with one, determined voice, we can prevail over the cynics and defenders of the status quo. America's families are counting on us to do just that. Please donate $25 or more to defend healthcare reform today: https://donate.barackobama.com/defendhealthcare Thank you, David Plouffe     (edited by Rudolf J. Osler; die Linx sind teilweise nicht mehr aktuell)

Rudolf J. --

On Wednesday night President Obama delivered a passionate address on health reform to Congress and all Americans, then immediately wrote to you to ask for your help in making reform a reality.

Your response was astounding: In less than 48 hours, more than 450,000 of you signed messages urging Congress to pass the President's plan -- and even chipped in more than $1 million to power our campaign for change.

Now, President Obama has recorded a message just for OFA supporters about what comes next. Please watch the video, and, if you haven't already, add your name in support of the President's plan.

http://my.barackobama.com/ReformVideo1

 

Thanks,

Mitch