U.S. Chamber of Commerce vs. Obama

I just got this message from moveon.org. Given its implications, I thought it best to post it on my blog & give it whatever publicity I can:

Less than 48 hours ago, the biggest corporations in the country declared war on President Obama's agenda. The scale of the attack is mind-boggling.

The right-wing lobbyists at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will spend $100 million to defeat Obama's plans for health care and a clean energy economy. They call it their "most important project" in nearly 100 years.¹

Congress is voting on a crucial energy bill in less than two weeks, and you can count on a barrage of misleading TV ads and arm-twisting in Congress aimed at weakening the bill. We're countering with an emergency organizing drive to strengthen the energy bill—but we urgently need to raise the funds to power our organizing drive.

Can you chip in $35 to help fight back against the Chamber's campaign?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/10days.html?id=16382-655913-fxzHKfx&t=3

Your local Chamber of Commerce represents small businesses, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is different—it represents the interests of mega-corporations, especially Big Oil and Coal.

In the next ten days, we'll pull out all the stops to block the Chamber and strengthen the energy bill. And after the big vote, we'll keep going just as strong—demanding a public health insurance option in the health care bill, fighting for tough new rules to rein in the financial industry, and making sure Obama's progressive agenda gets enough grassroots support to succeed.

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, so we're pulling together our best online, grassroots, and legislative strategies to:

• Flood Capitol Hill with thousands of phone calls.
• Buy online ads targeted to get the attention of opinion-makers in key House districts.
• Bring together progressive members of Congress to speak out about the problems in the bill.
• Hand-deliver petitions to dozens of local congressional offices—and hold media events outside to highlight the voices of unemployed people calling for clean energy jobs.
• Hold face-to-face meetings with congressional staff in Washington and in communities across the country.
• Launch a new website, StrengthenIt.org, where we'll rally local environmental groups to the cause.
  

We're deciding this weekend on our final plan for pushing Congress before the vote—so we need to know what resources we have available. Can you chip in $35?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/10days.html?id=16382-655913-fxzHKfx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Anna, Wes, Noah, Nita and the rest of the team

P.S. If you're a member of your local Chamber of Commerce or run a small business, please sign our petition asking the U.S. Chamber to stop lobbying against Obama's clean energy jobs plan:

http://pol.moveon.org/chamber/?id=16382-655913-fxzHKfx&t=5

Source:
1. "Chamber defends free-market system," Politico, June 10, 2009
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23563.html

Health Care Bill This Friday?

Congress Committee to release health care bill this Friday?

Rumors are circulating that the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee (HELP) will release its bipartisan health care legislation this Friday. Will the legislation include the public option, a watered-down version of the public option, or no option at all?

Last week, Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, talked about creating a fallback public option that only would kick in several years down the road if insurance companies are not doing their part to bring down costs.

Can we count on an industry which has increased premiums more than 87% over six years? Highly unlikely.

For more on this topic, check out Tim Foley's great health care blog at Change.org. The public plan is in jeopardy. Please volunteer to lead a Public Option Postcard tabling event from May 30 to June 7th in your neighborhood.

*Media Coordinator Needed - Whatever time you can contribute is helpful. Please contact Naomi Rothwell, NYCforCHANGE Outreach Coordinator, if interested.