In the News: Organizing for America Health Reform Rallies and Phone Banks
In the final march for reform, OFA’s grassroots volunteers are showing support for health insurance reform through phone banks, letter writing, and rallies across the country. Here is some of the news:
Volunteers for President Barrack Obama’s Organizing for America campaign worked the phones Monday night and rallied support for healthcare reform. On the other side, the Tennessee Tea Party planned a Tuesday rally.
"We’re calling to see if you would call Congress Davis to ask him to support the healthcare reform plan," said volunteer Deanna Severance during a phone call.
"This is a huge week," said Davidson County leader for the Organizing for America campaign Julie Kornman.
President Obama said he hoped the U.S. House of Representatives can pass his healthcare reform bill by the end of this week.
"The White House is calling this the final push," said Kornman.
Several volunteers made phone calls Monday night trying to convince the people on the other end of the line to contact their local Congressman.
"We’re making what we call friendly calls, people who’ve either volunteered hours on-line, or have made some kind of commitment on-line to stand behind the President," said Kornman.
The local campaign leader said it is time for people who support healthcare reform to step up and speak up.
Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
After more than a year of debating President Obama’s health care plan, liberals and conservatives finally agree on something.
They need Rep. Jason Altmire’s vote.
Altmire, a centrist Democrat from McCandless, has become a focus of the competing national campaigns slugging it out for every last House vote. Whichever side has 216 by week’s end wins. Altmire says he hasn’t made up his mind.
Television ads from both sides will blanket Southwestern Pennsylvania this week: one from a coalition led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposing the plan, and another from the liberal group MoveOn.org supporting it. Dueling rallies are scheduled today at his Aliquippa office. One is organized by the Democratic group Organizing for America, and the other by a coalition of conservative opponents.
In Tarrant County, Republican Party Chair Stephanie Klick says they’re asking people to make "long distance" calls to the swing vote lawmakers – urging them to vote NO.
Klick: You know, most of our local officials are against this legislation. So we’re trying to influence the process by calling others that are still sitting on the fence.
Among them is Waco Democrat Chet Edwards. This week, the Republican National Congressional Committee is making automated calls in hopes of creating constituent pressure on lawmakers to defeat healthcare reform. Obama supporters with "Organizing for America" are doing the same on the other side of the debate.
Texas – Fort Worth Star Telegram:
Americans plan to make their voices heard this week about the proposed healthcare bill in Congress.
With votes expected later this week, North Texans are among those nationwide doing everything from going to members’ congressional offices to going to district offices to honking their horns in their communities.
…
Organizing for America, the follow-up to the grassroots Obama for America, asked people to show their support for the measure by sharing details of the proposal with friends and neighbors, calling or writing members of Congress and reaching out to others through volunteer phone banks. "With everything on the line, and so little time left, we have to bring our voice to Congress through every possible channel," according to the group.
