Wednesday October 7, 2009, 12:07 am
On Tuesday, a number of Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee joined all of the Republicans in voting down three public option amendments.

While the public option can still pass on the floor of the Senate, we won't win this fight if Democrats continue to give bipartisan cover to Republican obstructionism.

As the President of the United States, as a leader of the Democratic Party and as an individual elected by the votes of millions of Americans fundamentally dissatisfied with the status quo, President Obama has tremendous political power to influence Democratic Senators.

Tell President Obama to use that power to ensure that provisions for a public option are brought to the floor of the Senate and given an up-or-down vote.

Remember, President Obama says that he is in favor of a public option to keep insurance companies accountable. In addition, an overwhelming majority of Americans --including a plurality of Republicans according to a recent poll -- supports a public option.

Yet Republicans continue to treat health care reform as a political football and have said that they want reform efforts to fail in order to damage Obama politically. If that's not enough, their absurd and outrageous lies about death panels have demonstrated that Republicans aren't interested in a serious policy debate.

We know that Republicans will do anything it takes to defeat the public option, including using the filibuster in an attempt to prevent the full Senate from considering it. But Republicans lack the ability to sustain a filibuster in the Senate on their own. So any Democrat who joins a Republican filibuster of the public option would be validating and enabling bad faith Republican obstructionism. In doing so, any Democrat who joins a Republican filibuster on the public option will be working to ensure that no meaningful reform passes any time soon.

Add your name to our petition telling President Obama to use his power to ensure that provisions for a public option are brought to the floor of the Senate and given an up-or-down vote.

The petition reads:

President Obama,

We need you to lead the fight for the public option. Don't wait in the wings and allow the public option to go down in the Senate.

As the President of the United States, as a leader of the Democratic Party and as an individual elected by the votes of millions of Americans who are fundamentally dissatisfied with the status quo, you have at your disposal tremendous political power and moral authority.

Use that authority to ensure a public option is in the bill brought to the floor of the Senate and to ensure that bill is given an up-or-down vote.

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If YOU care about healthcare for all, will YOU sign the petition?

Wednesday October 7, 2009, 1:58 am
Happily signed, Grigori!
Thank you kindly! :-)

Wednesday October 7, 2009, 7:11 am
Signed. Thanks David.

Send an email quickly to your friends with our pre-filled letter. Just click on the button below to open an email to send to your friends, family, and colleagues:

Friday October 9, 2009, 12:07 am
Undermining the publics requests... is not the way to go.. they need to acknowledge their rights and take responsibility, deliver the goods that have been ordeed and give access to a more progressive health care policy for the people.. as people are the power at the end of the day

Friday October 9, 2009, 4:10 am
raising taxes through the roof to pay for it...even the dems know this is a bad bad idea..

Friday October 9, 2009, 12:39 pm
noted & signed

Friday October 9, 2009, 2:29 pm
If President Obama is defeated on the issue of a public option, the Republicans will hammer him with this and it will effect the outcome of the next election. I have signed the petition.

Friday October 9, 2009, 6:48 pm
Yanno, David....if I "note" your posts backwards they all start making sense to me! Might be a good thing! (maybe not...)

Friday October 9, 2009, 6:49 pm
I have signed Every petition on this subject, my FB profile page Status is a Vigil to give us the public option. I have vowed to keep my status this way until health care reform With a Robust public option is signed into LAW. So far it has been there since August or so...I post Everything to my FB page that is written about health care reform every day.

Friday October 9, 2009, 8:36 pm
Personally I don't think the President, or Congress can fix the health care system. They can't even control costs, and good medical care under Medicare, Medicaid, or for our Vets. This issue is to big to tackle in one Congress, and only Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA should be looked to be fixed. I see my son, his wife, and my grandchildren carrying the burden of outrageous debt, higher taxes, and who else know what. Most of the senator, and congressman/women may not be around to see this all take affect in 2013, and they won't lose any of their coverage. Obama may not get re-elected, and he too will not have to worry about medical coverage. So as far as I'm concerned they are taking on way to much in a short period of time, with out sufficient input from the American Public, and not even reading all that they have written, or not understanding it. If those that write it can't understand it all, how is the average American supposed too? Government is already too big, and we don't need to allow it to get bigger!

Saturday October 10, 2009, 7:09 am
Oh, I am so tired of hearing the tax and spending BS. The new war profiteering allotment is nearly the same price for one year as a public option for 10 years. So it all comes down to the same thing protect and ensure corporate profits, maintain tax levels for the rich 2% at 1/3 of what 98% of Americans pay by any and all means even the death of 44,000 Americans per year due to unafforable Heath care costs and 62% of all American personal bankrutcies are due to health care costs,even for the insured. Yes it makes perfect sense if you are a sociopathic paid corporate employee pimping the life blood of your constituents,literally, for the chance to get more of your campaign bills paid by corporations or election time help from their funded PACS or their secretly funded nonprofit astroturf groups.