It's only been about six weeks since President Obama addressed Congress, but much has happened in Tennessee since that time. Unlike other states (such as Virginia or Missouri), Tennessee never had much of a staff presence in the state in the 2008 campaign. Consequently, we're used to doing more with less.
That "can do" attitude has shown itself recently as thousands of Tennesseans called their members of Congress on October 20th. Perhaps the most important contacts were to our Senators, Republicans Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker. As Alexander and Corker continue to hit the President with multiple daily attacks in press releases, TV appearances, and op ed columns, OFA volunteers are standing up to the distortions and delays and calling for significant reform to be passed this fall.
Last night, a dozen team members from the Nashville area gathered to make plans for the next two weeks. We have made November 4th a target day for action and celebration, as we mark one year since President Obama was elected.
In order to help President Obama keep his promises, we need to keep our promises. We need to do our part to bring change to Washington by staying actively engaged, even on an "off year" without an election. And as we head into the gubernatorial campaigns for 2010, Tennesseans are looking for candidates with real solutions on our budget crisis, education, green energy technology, and healthcare reform.
Tennessee's governor, Phil Bredesen, has warned about creating "unfunded mandates" for states by passing healthcare reform that pushes the economic burden onto the states. As a member of the Democratic Governors Association's healthcare task force, Bredesen has repeatedly warned that the federal government should not mandate an expansion of Medicaid without including some kind of support for states already facing budget crises.
We have a lot of work to do in Tennessee, but together we can find solutions that create more jobs, lower the cost curve of our healthcare system, and help families to get relief on rising healthcare costs.
