OFA Director Mitch Stewart just sent out the following email:
Despite increasingly desperate attacks from the insurance lobby, the Senate Finance Committee took the historic step of voting reform legislation out of committee with bipartisan support. They're the final committee to do so -- and the negotiations over the final bill will now move to the full House and Senate.Soon, every senator and representative must decide where they stand. Lobbyists will be racing to each office, trying every trick in the book to derail the President's plan. In fact, just this week, the insurance lobby released a self-serving report falsely claiming that reform would increase costs. Journalists called it "deceptive" and said "something doesn't smell right here." A prominent M.I.T. economist described the study as "deeply flawed."It's a blatant scare tactic designed to frighten voters and bully Congress -- and it's just the beginning. We need to speak out right away to show Congress that their constituents are watching closely, and we're counting on them to say "no" to the lobbyists and "yes" to reform.Send a message urging Congress to stand with voters, not D.C. lobbyists, and pass real reform. It's becoming clear that the insurance companies will do whatever it takes to stop progress: The New York Times is reporting that special interests are spending $1.4 million every day to kill reform -- and even commissioned their own slanted analysis of the Finance Committee's legislation in an effort to defeat it. But today, after widespread criticism, the company that produced the report issued a statement saying that it analyzed only part of the bill because that's exactly what the insurance industry paid them to do!And we just got word that insurance companies are spending $1 million on a misleading ad to scare seniors out of supporting reform. The ad falsely declares that reform will cause cuts in Medicare, even though reform is crucial to ensuring the long-term survival of the program and preserving the care that millions of seniors depend on.Now that all five congressional committees have passed reform legislation, we're sure to see attacks that are even more extreme. It's up to us to make sure that ordinary Americans continue to be heard louder than the Washington lobbyists. Please send a message to Congress today:http://my.barackobama.com/Fight_BackThe next few weeks are absolutely crucial to our success -- we'll be organizing events, running ads, and doing everything possible to make sure Congress passes real reform. But right now, the most important thing we can do is make our voices heard immediately. Please speak out now. Thanks,MitchMitch StewartDirectorOrganizing for America
Despite increasingly desperate attacks from the insurance lobby, the Senate Finance Committee took the historic step of voting reform legislation out of committee with bipartisan support. They're the final committee to do so -- and the negotiations over the final bill will now move to the full House and Senate.Soon, every senator and representative must decide where they stand. Lobbyists will be racing to each office, trying every trick in the book to derail the President's plan. In fact, just this week, the insurance lobby released a self-serving report falsely claiming that reform would increase costs. Journalists called it "deceptive" and said "something doesn't smell right here." A prominent M.I.T. economist described the study as "deeply flawed."It's a blatant scare tactic designed to frighten voters and bully Congress -- and it's just the beginning. We need to speak out right away to show Congress that their constituents are watching closely, and we're counting on them to say "no" to the lobbyists and "yes" to reform.Send a message urging Congress to stand with voters, not D.C. lobbyists, and pass real reform.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Word-from-the-White-House-President-Obama-Welcomes-Doctors-from-Around-the-Country/
It's no secret that institutions of all stripes focus their communications on certain messages day to day. We thought it would all be a little more open and transparent if we went ahead and published what our focus will be for the day, along with any related articles, reports or documents.
Supporting Article: "Poll: Doctors Among Public Option's Biggest Fans," NPR, 9/15/09
Related Event: "President Obama Speaks to Doctors from Across the Country," Live-streamed at WhiteHouse.gov at 11:10
On Friday, Dr. Alice Chen sent out a special message to fellow OFA supporters:
My name is Alice Chen. I'm an OFA supporter, and a physician practicing internal medicine in Los Angeles.I'm following the health reform debate pretty closely -- you probably are too. And as I see opponents of reform trying to water down or derail the President's plan, I know it's our urgent responsibility to speak out.That's why millions of my fellow doctors and nurses, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, and groups like the one I work with called Doctors for America are all fighting so hard for reform right now: talking to our patients, holding grassroots events -- and a few are even filming an ad with OFA.Health professionals are doing what we can, but this is something we need to do together. Your voice, your opinion, and your story can help influence the debate at this crucial moment. Can you take 5 minutes to write a letter to the editor of your local paper in support of President Obama's Plan for health reform?OFA has an online tool that makes it really easy. They'll provide background info on the President's plan that you can combine with your personal story about reform, and you can even submit your letter online to newspapers near you.You don't have to be a doctor or an expert to write an effective letter -- you just have to have an opinion or a personal story to share. And these letters are short, usually just a paragraph or two, but they can have a huge impact because it shows your representatives and the media what local folks are thinking in the most public way possible.I know that one of the most important things I can do for the health of my patients is to stand up for the reform all Americans need. That's why I and my fellow doctors are working so hard to spread the word, and that's why I'm asking you to join me by writing a letter today.http://my.barackobama.com/writeThank you,Dr. Alice ChenP.S. -- I want to share a story with you about why I'm so passionate about reform: Two years ago, I took care of a businessman in Los Angeles. He had Crohn's disease, and his health and nutrition had been getting worse for over a year. He was seeing doctors at one of our private hospitals, but he lost his insurance, so he couldn't see his doctors anymore. Buying private insurance was impossible - no amount of money could have convinced an insurance company to cover him. He tried the county hospital ER, but the wait was 24 hours. He thought maybe he could manage.A few months later, when he could barely walk from his bed to the door, he tried the ER again. By then, he had kwashiorkor (the kind of malnutrition that famine-stricken African children get) as a complication of his gut disorder. Every organ system was failing. I remember that even in the hospital, he tried to keep up his work via his Blackberry. We tried to help him, but he rapidly deteriorated and died just six days after admission.I was devastated and talked to many colleagues about what I could have done differently to save my patient. He should have been living his life and being a productive member of society today, but he's dead. We could have saved him if he had been able to come for care sooner -- instead of being deterred by his lack of insurance. Ultimately, I recognize that he died because the system failed him. In our great country, that is unacceptable.That's a big reason why I keep fighting for reform. I hope that this week, you can share your own view and your story in your letter to the editor. Over the past week, OFA has been organizing events for health insurance reform with doctors and nurses across the country. At a “Roundtable” event in Gainesville, FL, Dr. Rob Hatch said the health care status quo is unsustainable and unacceptable. Here’s his quote from an article in the Gainesville Sun:"It's just inexcusable. It's absolutely inexcusable and we need to do something about it. One reason our health care is so bad is that we have so many uninsured people," Hatch said.In Albany, Georgia, about half a dozen doctors are planning to make 40,000 calls for health insurance reform. They’re talking to locals about what reform will mean for them, answering questions, debunking rumors and asking them to call on their senators and representatives to support President Obama’s plan. Here’s an excerpt from the piece on WALB News:"I was calling to discuss health care reform with you," said Dr. Tania Smith, of Prestige Pediatrics.Public opinion over health care reform remains divided and now these south Georgia health care professionals are weighing in. They joined forces with Organizing for America to push reform now."Right now people are looking for answers, they're looking for the truth about health care reform and doctors are a great place to start," said Ken King, Organizing for America.Pediatrician Tania Smith is on the front line of this debate. While critics worry the President's plan may take decisions away from doctors, she feels insurance companies are already doing that. "As the system is going now we have a lot of people who are medically ignorant making decisions and denying claims and making insurance populations where you don't have any wellness visits included in your plan," said Smith.
My name is Alice Chen. I'm an OFA supporter, and a physician practicing internal medicine in Los Angeles.I'm following the health reform debate pretty closely -- you probably are too. And as I see opponents of reform trying to water down or derail the President's plan, I know it's our urgent responsibility to speak out.That's why millions of my fellow doctors and nurses, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, and groups like the one I work with called Doctors for America are all fighting so hard for reform right now: talking to our patients, holding grassroots events -- and a few are even filming an ad with OFA.Health professionals are doing what we can, but this is something we need to do together. Your voice, your opinion, and your story can help influence the debate at this crucial moment. Can you take 5 minutes to write a letter to the editor of your local paper in support of President Obama's Plan for health reform?
OFA has an online tool that makes it really easy. They'll provide background info on the President's plan that you can combine with your personal story about reform, and you can even submit your letter online to newspapers near you.You don't have to be a doctor or an expert to write an effective letter -- you just have to have an opinion or a personal story to share. And these letters are short, usually just a paragraph or two, but they can have a huge impact because it shows your representatives and the media what local folks are thinking in the most public way possible.I know that one of the most important things I can do for the health of my patients is to stand up for the reform all Americans need. That's why I and my fellow doctors are working so hard to spread the word, and that's why I'm asking you to join me by writing a letter today.http://my.barackobama.com/writeThank you,Dr. Alice ChenP.S. -- I want to share a story with you about why I'm so passionate about reform:
Two years ago, I took care of a businessman in Los Angeles. He had Crohn's disease, and his health and nutrition had been getting worse for over a year. He was seeing doctors at one of our private hospitals, but he lost his insurance, so he couldn't see his doctors anymore. Buying private insurance was impossible - no amount of money could have convinced an insurance company to cover him. He tried the county hospital ER, but the wait was 24 hours. He thought maybe he could manage.A few months later, when he could barely walk from his bed to the door, he tried the ER again. By then, he had kwashiorkor (the kind of malnutrition that famine-stricken African children get) as a complication of his gut disorder. Every organ system was failing. I remember that even in the hospital, he tried to keep up his work via his Blackberry. We tried to help him, but he rapidly deteriorated and died just six days after admission.I was devastated and talked to many colleagues about what I could have done differently to save my patient. He should have been living his life and being a productive member of society today, but he's dead. We could have saved him if he had been able to come for care sooner -- instead of being deterred by his lack of insurance. Ultimately, I recognize that he died because the system failed him. In our great country, that is unacceptable.
That's a big reason why I keep fighting for reform. I hope that this week, you can share your own view and your story in your letter to the editor.
Over the past week, OFA has been organizing events for health insurance reform with doctors and nurses across the country. At a “Roundtable” event in Gainesville, FL, Dr. Rob Hatch said the health care status quo is unsustainable and unacceptable. Here’s his quote from an article in the Gainesville Sun:
"It's just inexcusable. It's absolutely inexcusable and we need to do something about it. One reason our health care is so bad is that we have so many uninsured people," Hatch said.
In Albany, Georgia, about half a dozen doctors are planning to make 40,000 calls for health insurance reform. They’re talking to locals about what reform will mean for them, answering questions, debunking rumors and asking them to call on their senators and representatives to support President Obama’s plan. Here’s an excerpt from the piece on WALB News:
"I was calling to discuss health care reform with you," said Dr. Tania Smith, of Prestige Pediatrics.Public opinion over health care reform remains divided and now these south Georgia health care professionals are weighing in. They joined forces with Organizing for America to push reform now."Right now people are looking for answers, they're looking for the truth about health care reform and doctors are a great place to start," said Ken King, Organizing for America.Pediatrician Tania Smith is on the front line of this debate. While critics worry the President's plan may take decisions away from doctors, she feels insurance companies are already doing that. "As the system is going now we have a lot of people who are medically ignorant making decisions and denying claims and making insurance populations where you don't have any wellness visits included in your plan," said Smith.
Barack Obama is to deploy his renowned powers of persuasion and charm against the International Olympic Committee this week in an effort to win the 2016 summer games for his old hometown, Chicago.
Obama will become the first US president to lobby the IOC in person when he travels to its meeting in Copenhagen on Friday to try to ensure that Chicago, his hometown before he became president, walks away with the prize.
Ban Ki-moon to make keynote address at the opening of the Olympic Congress
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is very pleased to announce the presence of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, at the XIII Olympic Congress, which will open on 3 October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Mr Ban Ki-moon will open the IOC Congress with a keynote address to the Olympic family. For IOC President Jacques Rogge, the presence of Mr Ban in Copenhagen strengthens the partnership between the two organisations. “It’s a strong commitment to the recognition of the increasingly important role of sport in the implementation of internationally agreed development goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals. In the global community of the 21st century, the Olympic Movement is more accountable to the whole of society than ever before, and it must be sure of its place in all regions of the world. This is why the participation of the United Nations in its Congress, placed under the main theme of ‘the Olympic Movement in Society’, is invaluable.” The Congress will be held under the theme of “the Olympic Movement in Society”. Participants will discuss the current status of the Olympic Movement and projections into the future around five main themes: Theme 1 “The Athletes”, Theme 2 “The Olympic Games”, Theme 3 “The Structure of the Olympic Movement”, Theme 4 “Olympism and Youth” and Theme 5 “The Digital Revolution”.
http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Weekly-Address-Progress-with-the-G20-in-Pittsburgh/
Recorded literally on his way back from the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, the President uses his Weekly Address to recap the progress made during the intensive discussions with world leaders. From an historic agreement to reform the global financial system, to groundbreaking commitments on reducing subsidies to fossil fuels worldwide, to unity in standing against threats to world peace -- engagement produced tangible results in several areas.
download .mp3 |download .mp4 (79 MB) | read the transcript
We need healthcare reform in order to prevent the continuing spread of the vicious infection of personal and corporate bankruptcies linked to radically escalating healthcare costs, which are coinciding with a worsening deterioration in quality of coverage and quality of care. We need reform to make healthcare coverage affordable, reasonable, and undeniable. We need reform to save tens of thousands of lives per year and establish a sustainable long-term economic path, to help protect the market system and make protecting and sustaining life more cost-effective, liberating people to live the lives they dream they can.
We are watching a massive, nationwide movement of propaganda and mobilization spread one after another wild fabrication and spur sometimes violent anger about the most promising healthcare reform proposals our nation has seen. It is intolerable to stand by and watch this campaign of malicious fear-mongering sow hate and anger and derail reform in order to serve the morally bankrupt political strategy of those who want to "kill reform" for their own electoral gain.
We need to organize not just at the local level, but we need to organize nationally, set a date for a massive demonstration of support in Washington, DC, and march on Washington. The demonstration should be set for early October and we need to spend big to get the message out and treat this cause like a second inauguration. We stood in the freezing cold to support Pres. Obama and his message of transformative change, and now we have to do the same, in the midst of this firestorm of distortions and tempers, to show the true grassroots movement demanding a response is pro-reform.
Let's get moving on setting the date for a march. We can launch a group on this website and use it to plan and to mobilize support.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/The-Presidents-Remarks-and-a-Letter-from-Ted/
I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.Add your voice: Ask your representatives to support my plan for real health reform in 2009.The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it.Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.Thank you,President Barack Obama
I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help.Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you.Add your voice: Ask your representatives to support my plan for real health reform in 2009.The heart of my plan is simple: bring stability and security to Americans who already have health insurance, guarantee affordable coverage for those who don't, and rein in the cost of health care.Tonight, I offered a specific plan for how to make it happen. I incorporated the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans to create a plan that's bold, practical, and represents the broad consensus of the American people.We've come closer to real health reform in the last few months than we have in the last 60 years. But those who profit from the status quo -- and those who put partisan advantage above all else -- will fight us every inch of the way.We do not seek that fight, but we will not shrink from it. The stakes are too high to let scare tactics cloud the debate, or to allow partisan bickering to block the path. Your voice, right now, is essential.See my full plan and call on your representatives to support it.
Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.Thank you,President Barack Obama
Minnesota's March for Healthcare - in conjuction with the nationwide movement of marches on Sunday, September 13 to demand real healthcare reform.
In cooperation with TakeActionMN
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 12 noon
Phillips Park
1530 E. Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN
Speakers:
Congressman Keith Ellison
John Marty, State Senator and Candidate for Governor
Reverend Grant Stevenson
Erin Murphy, State Representative
For more information visit www.march4healthcare.com
email: mnhealthcarereform@gmail.com
[This event is not sponsored or affiliated with Organizing for America. It is a truly grassroots action at its most powerful! and finest!]
Mitch Stewart, Director of Organizing for America, just sent out this e-mail:
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 5,000 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:http://my.barackobama.com/onthegroundAs 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,MitchMitch StewartDirectorOrganizing for America
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients/
Barack Obama will recognise the accomplishments of actors, activists, athletes and the world's foremost living theoretical physicist today when he awards the presidential medal of freedom to 16 people.
Among recipients of the United States' highest honour for a civilian will be Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge University physicist and mathematician known for his work on black holes; former Irish president and one-time UN human rights commissioner Mary Robinson, and retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Other recipients include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh, a leader in global anti-poverty efforts who pioneered providing "microloans" to provide credit to poor people who lack collateral.
Film star Sidney Poitier, civil rights leader the Rev Joseph Lowery and tennis legend Billie Jean King were also among those to receive the medal as well as Democratic senator Edward Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer, and Sandra Day O'Connor, former US supreme court justice.
Kennedy will remain on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, following the death of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, but the senator's spokesman said his children will attend the ceremony and his daughter, Kara, will accept the award on his behalf.
Obama, awarding his first presidential medals, also will make posthumous awards to Jack Kemp of New York, the football quarterback-turned-politician who died in May, and gay rights activist and San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.
The White House has said the individuals were selected for their work as "agents of change".
US president Harry Truman established the medal of Freedom in 1945 to recognise civilians for their efforts during the second world war. John F Kennedy reinstated the medal in 1963 to honour distinguished service.
Other recipients are: Joe Medicine Crow, the last living Plains Indian war chief who fought in the second world war wearing war paint beneath his uniform. Chita Rivera, an actor, singer, dancer and winner of two Tony Awards for Broadway roles. Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G Komen for the Cure, a leading breast cancer grass-roots organisation. Dr Pedro Jose Greer Jr, assistant dean of academic affairs at Florida International University School of Medicine. Dr Janet Davison Rowley, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/12/medal-of-freedom-obama-list
Posted by Katherine Brandon
The President announced today the 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilan honor. The President praised the recipients for breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens: "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."The awards will be presented on August 12. Here is a little bit about this year’s recipients:
See the official release for a little more detail.
www.healthreform.gov
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.
August is a crucial time to show Congress where the people stand. 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.
Can you commit to attend at least one event in your communitythis month?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Spurring-Innovation-Creating-Jobs/
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2009 AT 9:54 AM
The Past and Future in Elkhart
Posted by Jason Djang
Driving down State Route 19 through the endless corn fields and silos, one might think that Elkhart County in Indiana is a purely agricultural community. But the landscape is dotted with numerous manufacturing plants--places that have made the region the "RV Capital of the World."The RV industry has been hit hard by the recession. As a result, the area has experienced a 10% increase in unemployment over the last year, the second highest jump in the country. But behind such figures are the lives of real people. We got to spend some time with people like Herman and Pam, faithful employees of Monaco Coachin, in advance of President Obama's announcement at their plant yesterday of billions of dollars in funds for advanced battery and electric drive projects. At its prime, Monaco employed some 1,200 staff; today, they're down to about 100, though the hope is these projects will help bring hundreds of jobs back to town. Herman and Pam told us the story of their embattled community, as they face this more than challenging economic climate together.
download .mp4 (159.8 MB) | read the transcript
The President spoke directly and personally to the audience in Elkhart County, Indiana today:"For as the world grows more competitive, we can't afford to run the race at half-strength or half-speed. If we hope to lead this century like we did the last century, we have to create the conditions and the opportunities for places like Elkhart to succeed. We have to harness the potential –- the innovative and creative spirit –- that's waiting to be awakened all across America." Continuing his effort to establish a 21st century clean energy economy, the President announced an unprecedented $2.4 billion investment in 48 new advanced battery and electric drive projects, funded through the Recovery Act. The projects were selected through a highly competitive process by the Department of Energy, and these innovative ideas will help propel America forward as we work to establish the next generation of advanced vehicles.
The $2.4 billion is the single largest investment ever in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric drive vehicles, and coupled with another $2.4 billion in cost share from the award winners, it will result in the creation of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs that are much needed in places like Elkhart. Places like Elkhart have been hit particularly hard as manufacturing jobs have disappeared, but this new investment provides $39 million for Navistar to create or save hundreds of jobs in Elkhart.
www.whitehouse.gov
From WhiteHouse.gov:
Every day, President Obama reads ten letters from the public in order to stay in tune with America's issues and concerns. "Letters to the President" is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the process of how those ten letters make it to the President's desk from among the tens of thousands of letters, faxes, and e-mails that flood the White House each day.
Joining the discussion at Whitehouse.gov/live
Posted by Nathan Sterken
The White House live stream broadcasts all kinds of White House events, from press conferences with the President to concerts in the East Room. As you may have seen, it’s also home to a new, interactive feature—Open for Questions. During what we call "Open for Questions" sessions, which are hosted about once a week, administration officials answer questions from the public in a live, online video chat. To participate in a future session, stay tuned to the White House blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed for announcements, and then head to the White House Live application on Facebook during the event to submit a question.
By looking at the percentage of people from each state who tuned in, we can see that the popularity of Open for Questions and other White House events varies from state to state with each event. The map below, for example, shows this Wednesday’s Open for Questions session with the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors was most popular in the Midwest and Virginia:
The President’s primetime press conference in the midst of the H1N1 outbreak, though, was popular in California—home to the first confirmed case of H1N1:
And when President Obama weclomed Alison Krauss and Union Station, Brad Paisley, and Charley Pride to the White House, the event was most popular in Tennessee, the nation’s country music capital:
Stay tuned to the White House blog to hear about future Open for Questions sessions and other White House events. To participate in future Open for Questions segments, visit the White House Live application on Facebook.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Joining-the-discussion-at-Whitehousegov-live/
On Thursday, Sarah O. of Westerville, Ohio, went to Chicago to meet President Obama. Sarah is one of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers organizing for health insurance reform, and last week she was selected to meet the President in Chicago so that he could personally thank her for her work.
Photo by Steve Kagan
Sarah, a college journalism teacher and lifelong Ohio resident, volunteered to help elect President Obama last year. She shared a bit about her night in Chicago and why she’s working to make sure we pass health insurance reform now:
I'm Sarah, from Westerville, Ohio, and I just got back from the trip of a lifetime -- meeting President Obama in Chicago.It was an amazing night. After writing an essay about why I support health care reform, I was fortunate enough to be selected for a trip to Chicago, where President Obama thanked me for my work. But he also thanked all of you. He thanked us for knocking on doors, making phone calls, telling our health care stories, and digging deep to donate and make this all happen. Thanks to our work, we’re closer than we’ve ever been to making health insurance reform a reality.We all have incredibly personal reasons for fighting for health care reform, and this is mine: While I’ve had health insurance all of my life, others in my family haven’t been so lucky. My husband lost his job last fall along with thousands of other Americans, and his employer-paid health insurance went with it. Because he’d had a carcinoma removed a year earlier, when he tried to find private health insurance he was told if he were to develop more cancer in the future, it would not be covered. Fortunately, he now has a new job, but it pays less than half of what he was earning in his previous position and doesn't provide health care insurance to new hires.Wherever I go, everyone I meet has a health care story like mine about a family member, friend, or colleague. This is why we need reform, and this is why we need it right now, this year.The reason I volunteered in my small town to help elect President Obama was his message of hope. I am fighting for health care reform today as an extension of that hope. We did it before, so we can do it again -- and turn the change we worked so hard for last fall into real improvements in the lives of millions of Americans.We've come too far to stop now.Sarah O.
To all of you who have walked, called, worked and organized to make health insurance reform a reality over the past months, thank you. As the President explained, your work has brought us closer to real reform than we as a country have ever been -- but there's still much work left to do.
If you haven't already done so, now is the time to declare your support for health insurance reform.
http://www.healthreform.gov/
From the Washington Post:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision to postpone a final vote on President Obama's health care proposal until September sets up a one-month campaign sprint between supporters and opponents of the legislation that will span over Congress' August recess."With final votes now pushed back to at least September, this means every pro and con group is drawing up new media plans," said Larry McCarthy, a Republican media consultant who is doing work for the conservative Americans for Prosperity. "Two week media plans just extended to eight week media plans. Targets will expand -- not only national cable and swing Senators, but more congressional districts will be added."...The all-out ground and air war is broadly understood as a fight for the hearts and minds of the American public but is more rightly seen as a battle for the votes of the 100 members of the Senate. (These two strands are interrelated; public opinions does tend to sway political positioning -- particularly on issues as controversial as this health care plan.)The most important player in this fight -- aside from the president himself -- is Organizing for America, the group set up within the DNC to manage the massive 13-million person e-mail list built up during Obama's presidential campaign.OFA was created for just this sort of fight -- to bring the political power gathered during the campaign to bear on the legislative process. The group has been active for months in the health care fight but is expected to significantly ramp up its grassroots and advertising efforts over the next month, according to sources familiar with the plans.There will be "intensive OFA activity", promised one senior Administration official and, as if on cue, OFA sent out an e-mail appeal late Thursday night aimed at securing one million public supporters for health care reform before the end of next week....The fate of the health care bill hangs in the balance.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/White-House-Video-Going-Global/
White House Video -- Going Global
Posted by Katie Stanton
As noted in a recent TechPresident article, you can now see interesting statistics on where videos are most popular from various YouTube accounts, including the official White House channel on YouTube. For example, President Obama's video message to the Iranian people on the Nowruz holiday was our third most viewed video overall and our most viewed in Iran.
The President's speech to the Muslim World in Cairo was also widely viewed and was especially popular in the US, Egypt, Nigeria, and Tanzania (in addition to being our most-viewed live-stream broadcast, despite beginning around 6:00 AM EDT):
And not surprisingly, the President's speech in Ghana was most popular in Ghana, although you can see the pick-up in various countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa as well:
Lastly, when the President welcomed 2009 Major League Soccer Champions, the Columbus Crew, to the White House the majority of the video traffic came from .. Argentina!
To see these kinds of insights and trends, go to the official White House channel on YouTube, click on the video you are interested in, click "View comments, related videos, and more" and then click the "Statistics & Data" link."
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/ofhcfindevent?source=feature
Congress is moving rapidly toward finalizing health care reform legislation, with crucial votes expected in both the House and the Senate within days. With so much at stake -- and the D.C. lobbyists going into overdrive -- we have to take our grassroots campaign to the next level.
All this week, OFA volunteers like you will be knocking on doors, making calls to neighbors, and attending public events to build the local support for health care reform we need to pass a strong final bill. If you can spare an hour or two for health care reform, this is the week to do it.
We’ve hit the midway point in OFA’s Health Care Week of Action: a coordinated effort from Monday, July 20th to Monday, July 27th during which OFA’s supporters and volunteers are participating in thousands of events in all 50 states -- including door-to-door canvasses, phone banks, roundtables and community gatherings – to build grassroots support for reform and show their representatives that there is broad desire for Congress to take action on health care in their communities.
Over the last 10 days in Ohio, OFA has held over 150 neighbor-to-neighbor events. Elected officials including Mayor Rhine Mclin in Dayton and Mayor Jay Williams in Youngstown are working with OFA to urge Congress to pass health care reform this year.
In advance of the President’s visit to Shaker Heights, OH today (for a health care town hall), OFA held a press conference call yesterday. Ohio State Director Greg Schultz joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Christina Barke, a nurse at Lorain’s Community Health Partners Regional Medical Center, and Elizabeth Lessner, a small business owner in Columbus, to talk about the urgent need for reform and the grassroots effort underway to make it happen this year.
You can listen to the full audio here, and the Middletown Journal did a nice round up of the call. A few highlights below:
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH):
“If Americans like the plan they’re in, they can keep it. If they don’t like their plan, or if they’re uninsured or have inadequate insurance, they’ll have new choices including a public health insurance option that will compete on a level playing field with private plans and will keep those private insurers honest.”
Elizabeth Lessner, Small Business Owner and Resident of Columbus, OH:
“My problem right now is the increase in cost. I am just going through an insurance renewal now. My health insurance went up 40 percent. That’s something that, in these economic times, I can’t afford. I have to make some tough choices.”
Christina Barker, Community Health Partners Regional Medical Center in Lorain, OH:
“[Patients] can’t afford the medications we fix them. We get them on a medication regiment, they get home, they don’t have the means to provide for their medication - it’s food and their rent, or their medication. And what, in turn, happens to them is they end up back in the hospital very quickly. Probably within a day or two. Most of them are back in the same boat they were in a few days ago when we fixed them the last time.”
http://stories.barackobama.com/healthcare
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Weekly-Address-Health-Care-Reform-Cannot-Wait/
The President calls on Congress to seize this opportunity – one that may not come again for decades – and finally pass health care reform: "It’s about every family unable to keep up with soaring out of pocket costs and premiums rising three times faster than wages. Every worker afraid of losing health insurance if they lose their job, or change jobs. Everyone who’s worried that they may not be able to get insurance or change insurance if someone in their family has a pre-existing condition..."
Dear Congress,Americans want health care costs brought under control, unfair treatment of people with pre-existing health conditions to end, everyone to have access to high-quality, affordable health care.And we want it now. We – and the millions of Americans who want coverage they can afford, coverage they can get and they can keep – urge you to move quickly and to enact meaningful health care reform. Sincerely,Harry and Louise
http://www.harryandlouise.org/
