Crossposted on Dailykos.
"Laws are like sausages." No one wants to see them being made--or so the saying goes. As we watch pundits and politicians zero in on health care reform, it's obvious, now, why.
Since President Clinton's attempt at health care reform, the opposition arguments haven't changed. Remember Bill Kristol's now-famous memo? Even today, some opponents of health care seem to be putting politics before policy and principle. And the worst part is that it's the only conversation we seem to be hearing.
In Washington and in the news, all we hear about is who's up, who's down, who's attacking who-it's disheartening, and a disservice to the millions of Americans who really need help. It's easy to forget what's at stake. That's why we're seeing an unprecedented effort to take the conversation out of Washington.
Since February of this year, SEIU has been organizing the broad-based Change That Works campaign around health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act in 22 states across the country. States like North Dakota, where nearly 20 full-time organizers are mobilizing teams of volunteers to plan events, host house parties, knock on doors, call their friends and neighbors, and write their elected officials to tell them why we need reform. And they're only getting started. Right now they're planning a GOTV-style escalation that will include public events, calls to congress, and canvasses during and after congressional recess to make sure the North Dakota congressional delegation knows about the widespread grassroots support for affordable healthcare reform. They aren't doing it alone, either; just in North Dakota, they're working with ND People, the Consumers Union, Working America, AFLCIO, Health Care for America Now, and Organizing for America (OFA).
Created as a successor organization to Obama for America (Barack Obama's presidential campaign), OFA is building support around the President's agenda and working to maintain the massive grassroots network that was organized during the campaign. Their focus now is on health care. In more than 40 states, all of which run unique campaigns, they're doing what they call "citizen contact"-making phone calls, knocking doors, and collecting declarations of support for the President's principles on health care. At the end of July they held a Health Care Week of Action, during which OFA supporters and volunteers participated in thousands of events in every state, including door-knocking, phone banking, and community gatherings. OFA too, plans to ramp up campaign operations during the recess, and like SEIU, they work with local organizations in all 50 states.
One of those organizations is TakeAction Minnesota, an alliance of individuals and more than 30 organizations, including the largest grassroots organizations in Minnesota, "united behind a vision of racial, social, and economic justice." Part of that vision is a commitment to health care reform. As a part of the Health Care for America Now (HCAN) campaign, TakeAction is organizing door knocks and phone banks to build support for reform, but they also have another, unique, focus-on July 24th they organized for more than 70 of their coalition members to descend on Washington, where they spent 2 days advocating to their congressional representatives for health care reform. And before the end of the month, they plan to organize a large community meeting between the Minnesota delegation and ordinary Minnesotans to discuss the need for reform.
The work these organizations are doing behind-the-scenes is the story you haven't been reading or hearing about on the news. But when we finally pass comprehensive health care reform, it will be the reason why. "Block by block, brick by brick," as President Obama might say-that's how laws are made.
Photo by Fossil Farms.
COMMENTS
Sen. Wellstone supported Single-payer. Why don't you?
Why is Wellstone Action supporting the insurance company protecting Obama plan, rather than the Conyers Bill HR 676? Senator Wellstone had sponsored Rep. conyers single-payer bill when he was in the Seante.
health care reform
Whether we like it or not, there is only one way to achieve health care for all while cutting costs, and that is a single-payer system. We must get the insurance companies completely out, because they are diametrically opposed to what health care must do in order to work. The purpose of insurance companies is to make a profit. That is not the purpose of medicine, which is to heal the sick and promote wellness. If insurance companies must continue to be involved, a law should be passed which forces everyone in that business to take the Hippocratic Oath, as doctors do.
We support change
Ian - thanks for your comment. Senator Wellstone was indeed a proponent of single-payer health care during his tenure in the United States Senate.
Wellstone Action is not an advocacy organization - we train people to organize for change. This article focuses on the grassroots efforts to pass health care reform broadly, not any particular proposal or position. We are not supporting any individual plan.
We encourage you (and others like you) to continue to build a movement for single-payer!
You wrote an excellent
You wrote an excellent article, I'm gonna tweet it right now.
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