Health Reform Supporters Outnumber Opponents at Events Across the Country: "We are packing rooms with people ready to get involved."
Yesterday, hundreds of OFA volunteers and allies in North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Illinois rallied to make it clear to their members of Congress that constituents support health reform — and want their representatives to vote ‘yes’ on the President’s plan. In each state, supporters of reform chanted, marched, and held signs, vastly outnumbering opponents of reform.
And check out some of the news from the events in North Carolina and Michigan:
The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina):
Meanwhile, Organizing for America, an arm of the national Democratic Party, has been conducting phone banks, letter-writing campaigns and other efforts to convince Etheridge and other Democrats to support the president.
Their most recent project, called "The Final March for Reform," is designed to get members of Obama’s former campaign organization in North Carolina to volunteer for legislators who support health care.
So far, 284,605 volunteer hours have been pledged for U.S. House members from North Carolina who voted for health care.
The message seems clear: Help the president with health care, and we’ll watch your back at election time.
Lindsay Siler, state director of Organizing for America, said she thinks there has been a shift since the town hall meetings of last summer, which were dominated by opponents of the Democratic health care proposals.
She said now she sees little opposition as she travels the state.
"We are packing rooms with people ready to get involved."
North Carolina NBC 17 Raleigh:
The political push is on in Raleigh to sway Congressional votes on health care reform.
Ralliers both for and against the current proposal demonstrated outside U.S. Representative Bob Etheridge’s office Thursday afternoon.
Approximately 50 tea partiers organized by the group NC Freedom chanted: "Bob say no!", "Bob say no!"
Across Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, slightly more than 200 supporters of President Obama’s grassroots organization Organizing For America responded with: "Thank you Bob! , Thank you, Bob."
Congressman Bob Etheridge has voted in favor of reform, but the bill has changed during reconciliation.
Michigan WILX:
For the second time, hundreds of people gathered outside Congressman Mark Schauer’s Office, each with differing opinions.
There are those who say the current health care system is broken and needs to be fixed. The plan on the table is the way to go.
"This will expand access and introduce competition into the system," Erin Knott of Michigan Citizen Action said. "No longer will insurance companies be able to exclude people due to pre-existing conditions."
"Heath care decisions should be made by people and doctors, not by insurance companies," Aletheia Henry, the state director of Organizing for America, said.
Michigan Jackson Citizen Patriot:
Supporters of the plan moving through Congress led chants using megaphones, and others carried homemade signs or picked up professionally made signs on the sidewalk near Schauer’s office. Supporters were rallied by groups including Organizing for America, the Laborers’ International Union of North America and Health Care for America Now.
The crowd filled all four corners of the N. West Avenue and W. Ganson Street intersection, and passing drivers slowed down or honked.
This weekend, as the next step in the final march for health reform, OFA supporters are gathering at volunteer phone banks across the country. With a vote on health reform coming as soon as next week, they’ll be calling voters in critical districts, asking them to reach out to their representatives and express their strong support for reform. Click here to join an event near you.
