TPMDC
MoveOn

MoveOn To Run Public Option Ad On 'Human Cost' Of Triggers

Brian Beutler | November 20, 2009, 12:47PM

Starting next week, the liberal group MoveOn will run a 30-second television ad in Maine and Arkansas highlighting what they describe as the "human cost" of delaying the public option.

"Our health care system is clearly in crisis," reads a statement from Ilyse Hogue, MoveOn's Director of Political Advocacy. "People are dying without care, yet some in Congress apparently think the status quo is acceptable--or would have us wait for things to get even worse before we can expect real reform."

The so-called 'trigger' is simply a ploy by those who oppose a public option to delay or kill this vital reform. This ad should serve as a clear signal to Senator Snowe, Senator Lincoln or anyone else consider the 'trigger' that half-measures are unacceptable. Americans need health care reform with a public option now."

The ad will run for one week, beginning Monday.

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Topics: Blanche Lincoln, Health Care, MoveOn, Olympia Snowe, Public Option, Senate, Trigger

AMA

MoveOn Pulls The Lever, Calls On AMA To Ditch The Chamber

Brian Beutler | November 13, 2009, 2:18PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

The liberal group MoveOn is exploiting an interesting opening to both support health care reform and weaken the Chamber of Commerce.

Citing the American Medical Association's endorsement of House health care legislation, and the Chamber of Commerce's unapologetic opposition to it, MoveOn is calling for the AMA and the Chamber to part ways.

MoveOn is calling on their doctors to sign a petition demanding that the AMA pull out.

"The American Medical Association has been running ads for months supporting President Obama's health care plan," reads a letter from MoveOn to supportive doctors.

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Topics: AMA, Chamber of Commerce, Health Care, MoveOn

Health Care

MoveOn Starts TV Campaign Against Democrats Who Opposed Health Care, Planning More

Christina Bellantoni | November 9, 2009, 5:19PM

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC)

MoveOn is targeting Blue Dog Democrats and one Republican who voted against the House health care bill Saturday night with tough TV ads suggesting they are supportive of a "broken" status quo.

The "first round" of 30-second ads go after Reps. Mike Ross (D-AR), Jason Altmire (D-PA), Glenn Nye (D-VA), Rick Boucher (D-VA), Larry Kissell (D-NC), Heath Shuler (D-NC) and Lee Terry (R-NE).

(For more on these Dems check out Eric's smart post on their districts.)

"The health care bill that passed the House this weekend was a historic opportunity to fix our broken health care system," said MoveOn executive director Justin Ruben.

"MoveOn members will make sure that Representatives who did the right thing know they can count on the support of their base, and that those who stuck with the insurance companies and voted for the status quo will face real political consequences," he added.

They also are planning thank-you events and print ad campaigns in the home districts of members who voted for the plan.

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Topics: Blue Dogs, Democrats, Health Care, House '10, MoveOn

MoveOn

MoveOn: We Have $3.5 Million Pledged For Primaries Against Dems Who Filibuster Health Care

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 2:15PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

MoveOn is serious about opposing Senate Democrats who join Republicans to block health care reform, announcing yesterday that they've built up over $3.5 million in pledges to fund primary challenges against any of them.

While no specific Senator is mentioned, it should be noted that Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), who is up for re-election in 2010 and is currently facing a tough race, could find herself becoming a top target of this push from the left.

MoveOn also has a petition that it is asking members to sign: "If ANY member of the Democratic Caucus joins a Republican filibuster of healthcare reform with a public option, the Caucus must immediately strip that Senator of all Committee Chairmanships."

The full e-mail from MoveOn is available after the jump.

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Topics: Blanche Lincoln, Health Care, Joe Lieberman, MoveOn

Health Care

Dean: Lieberman, Others Have 'Moral Obligation' To Block Filibuster

Christina Bellantoni | November 3, 2009, 11:59AM

Fmr. DNC Chair Howard Dean

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean told TPMDC he supports groups like MoveOn targeting his fellow Democrats on health care because they have a "moral obligation" to stand with Senate leadership on procedural votes.

"There is no moral obligation to support the leadership on an issue," Dean told TPMDC in a wide-ranging interview this morning.

"But you have a moral obligation to help the leader run the senate the way he thinks it needs to be run. What these liberal groups are doing is fine," he said.

Dean called out Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and said caucusing with a party and benefiting from committee assignments as a member of the party is dependent on supporting the party leadership.

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Topics: Harry Reid, Health Care, Howard Dean, MoveOn, Progressives, Public Option

Health Care

MoveOn Targeting Democrats Considering Health Care Filibuster

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2009, 11:35AM

As Christina mentioned yesterday, MoveOn is targeting the conservative Democrats in the Senate suggesting they may vote with Republicans to filibuster a health care bill.

Radio ads will run in Arkansas and Louisiana, directed at Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA). You can hear the Landrieu ad below.

Accompanying the radio spots will be a broader direct mail campaign aimed at Lincoln and Landrieu, but also at Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE), Kent Conrad (D-ND), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the only Republican on the list.

Lincoln, Landrieu, and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) will also be faced with polling data showing that the public option is popular among their constituents, who do not want to see them obstructing the passage of a reform bill.

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Topics: Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, Democrats, Evan Bayh, Filibuster, Health Care, Kent Conrad, Mary Landrieu, MoveOn, Olympia Snowe, Public Option, Republicans, Senate

Health Care

Change Of Tune: Leadership, Progressives, Advocacy Groups Jump On The Opt-Out Train

Christina Bellantoni | October 27, 2009, 8:48AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's big public option opt-out reveal yesterday, the major players are looking pretty unified.

Check out all the reactions we posted at TPMLiveWire yesterday and see what they have in common, as Senate leadership, progressives and advocacy groups appear to be rallying behind the new strategy.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) was singing a different tune, reminding everyone in a statement that "I included a public option in the health reform blueprint I released nearly one year ago."

MoveOn, which was asking members to pressure Obama last week, is now shifting gears to make sure the Democratic Party gets in line and votes to block a filibuster.

Health Care for America Now was championing Reid for "standing up" and doing the right thing, collecting more than 20,000 signatures on a thank-you petition to the leader.

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Topics: Barack Obama, Democrats, Harry Reid, Health Care, Jim Clyburn, MSNBC, Max Baucus, MoveOn, Progressives, Public Option, Republicans, Senate, Sherrod Brown

Public Option

MoveOn Email: Call Obama And Demand Public Option

Rachel Slajda | October 23, 2009, 5:22PM

President Barack Obama

MoveOn.org blasted an email to its members today, urging them to call the White House immediately and demand a strong public option.

"Tell President Obama to stand with Senate Democrats and the American public to ensure the Senate bill includes a strong public health insurance option--not Senator Snowe's 'trigger,'" the email reads.

As TPMDC has reported today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been pushing for a strong public option in the Senate version of the health care reform bill. But the White House has apparently been pushing back in favor for a trigger option, preferred by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

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Topics: Barack Obama, MoveOn, Olympia Snowe, Public Option

Health Care

MoveOn Enlists Ex-Insurance Exec To Push Public Option

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 13, 2009, 2:02PM

MoveOn.org is out with a new TV ad calling on Congress to include a public option in any health care reform bill it sends to President Obama for signature. The twist is that the man making the pitch is a former health insurance executive, Wendell Potter.

Potter, in the ad: "Don't believe the insurance companies' spin, trust me, I used to write it."

The ad comes just a day after the health insurance industry issued a report attacking the reform bill expected to pass the Senate Finance Commitee this afternoon. See the MoveOn spot here.

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Topics: Health Care, MoveOn, Public Option

Barack Obama

White House Playing Its Cards on Afghan Policy Review Very Close to the Vest

Christina Bellantoni | October 6, 2009, 1:17PM

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, President Barack Obama

Even close Obama aides say they don't know when the President will be making the decision about whether to accept the McChrystal troop surge recommendation, and are pushing back on reports suggesting it would be late October or early November.

Today's White House meeting with 30 members of Congress is designed to open the floor for questions, a White House aide said. Congressional leaders from both parties will be at the table in the State Dining Room, along with lawmakers who control the Pentagon's purse strings and defense, intelligence and foreign policy on the hill. They range on the ideological spectrum from progressive Reps. David Obey (D-WI) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI).

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Topics: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Jim Jones, John McCain, MoveOn, Pete Hoekstra, Robert Gates, Stanley McChrystal

Public Option

Progressive Groups Petition Obama to Demand Public Option in Health Care Speech

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 2:49PM

Many liberals may be readying themselves for the worst. But MoveOn and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee are filling the political space between now and President Obama's big Wednesday health care speech by pressuring him to support or demand a public option.

Both groups have blasted out petitions to their hundreds of thousands of members in the hope that a major public showing in support of the public option will convince Obama that there will be a political price to pay for abandoning it.

The MoveON petition reads: "President Obama, we're counting on you to fight for bold change on health care--including a strong public health insurance option. It's the key to breaking the stranglehold that private insurers have over our health care system."

While PCCC's is a bit bolder. "We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in."

You can read each group's letter to its members below the fold.

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Topics: Barack Obama, Health Care, MoveOn, Public Option

MoveOn

New Corzine Ad Stars Obama

Eric Kleefeld | August 3, 2009, 6:03PM

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) has this new TV ad, featuring a rousing endorsement from President Obama at a rally from a couple weeks ago:

Corzine has been trailing his Republican opponent, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, in all the polls. But Corzine is clearly aiming to tap into this state's fundamentally Democratic leanings, and to leverage Obama's popularity towards getting his positive pitch across.

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Topics: MoveOn, NJ-GOV

Health Care

New Move-On Ad Hits Republican Anti-Reform Efforts

Brian Beutler | July 27, 2009, 2:55PM

MoveOn is up with a new week-long ad in DC and on national cable hitting Republicans for attempting to kill health care reform for political game.

Perhaps just as interesting, though, is this note from the accompanying press statement.

The ad kicks off a month of field campaigning and advertising in districts and states over the August Congressional recess. MoveOn will air ads in both Republican and Democratic districts while lawmakers are home, reminding them of the urgency of addressing our nation's health care crisis and the political and economic cost of inaction. The ads will be accompanied by a month-long grassroots offensive where MoveOn members will lobby their representatives and Senators and educate their communities about the urgency of passing strong health care reform, including a real public health insurance option.

Who said anything about summer doldrums?

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Topics: Health Care, MoveOn

MoveOn

Hagan Comes Out In Support Of Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 9:05AM

As I reported yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee unveiled its plan for a public health insurance option after a weeks-long delay, and leaders announced that it had the support of every Democrat on the panel...including Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC).

Last night, Hagan made it official in a joint statement with committee members. "My colleagues and I on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have been working on a plan to reform the health care system in this country," Hagan said. "We have crafted a plan that will stabilize health care costs and includes a Community Health Insurance Option, which I support."

This clears the path for the legislation to be moved out of committee. Until now, her objections to the public option were blocking it. That raised the ire of liberal groups like MoveOn, which targeted her directly. Now, everyone's friends again. "MoveOn commends Senator Hagan for deciding to support the health care reform bill that the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released today, which includes a national public health insurance option," MoveOn Executive Director Justin Ruben said in a statement.

A public health insurance option will lower the cost of insurance and medical care for everyone, and put an end to many of the predatory practices of private insurers. This measure is the heart of health care reform and is supported by MoveOn's five million members as well as the majority of the American people. With the support of legislators like Senator Hagan, we can come closer to our goal of making quality health insurance accessible and affordable for everyone.

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Topics: Health Care, Kay Hagan, MoveOn, Senate HELP Committee

Health Care

MoveOn Targets Landrieu For Ties To Insurance Industry, Opposition Of Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 10:49AM

The groups MoveOn, Democracy for America, and Change Congress are out with a new ad in Louisiana targeting Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for her opposition to a public option.

MoveOn hasn't shied away from criticizing Democrats who are trying to kill the public option. In the last couple weeks, the group has loudly criticized Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kay Hagan (D-CA) for their positions on the public option, and their lukewarm attitude to health care reform more generally.

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Topics: Dianne Feinstein, Health Care, Kay Hagan, Mary Landrieu, MoveOn

Health Care

MoveOn To Target Hagan For Opposing The Public Option

Brian Beutler | June 26, 2009, 1:03PM

Just in from MoveOn: ""Given recent comments showing that Senator Hagan is not supporting the public health insurance option, MoveOn.org will be making clear that our 115,000 members in North Carolina--many of whom volunteered for or donated to her campaign last year--believe the public option is the heart of true health care reform. We'll run ads in North Carolina and D.C. asking that she advocate for the public option and support the President in truly solving the nation's health care crisis."

The group did much the same earlier this week to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) who has expressed doubts about the feasibility of both the public option and reform in general. The difference--or one of the differences--is that Hagan owes much of her electoral success to grassroots Democrats.

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Topics: Health Care, MoveOn

Health Care

MoveOn's Feinstein Ad: " News flash Senator: We don't expect you to lead just on the easy issues."

Brian Beutler | June 25, 2009, 9:36AM

As I noted on Tuesday, MoveOn.org is pointing its cannons at Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) for remarks she made over the weekend, calling the prospects for a broad health care overhaul into doubt. Now the group is airing a television ad in California criticizing her statements and calling on her to stop "dragging her heels" on the issue.

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Topics: Dianne Feinstein, Health Care, MoveOn

Health Care

MoveOn Targets Democrat Feinstein In California

Brian Beutler | June 23, 2009, 6:39PM

As I noted earlier, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) appeared on CNN over the weekend and tried to pour some cold water on the idea that a systemic health care overhaul is in the country's future. In response, MoveOn is pouring some cold water on Feinstein.

The group is calling on its California members to pressure the senior Democrat to get on board with the President's agenda, and threatening to run an ad singling her out.

A slightly abbreviated version of the letter appears below the fold.

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Topics: Dianne Feinstein, Health Care, MoveOn

MoveOn

New MoveOn Radio Ad Campaign Targets Snowe, Conservative Democrats

Brian Beutler | May 29, 2009, 1:01PM

With new legislation to overhaul America's health care system pending from two Senate committees, the liberal group MoveOn will radio ads starting this weekend in Delaware, Florida, North Dakota, Maine, Washington, and Oregon urging senators from those states to support a public insurance option when the reform debate begins in earnest.

"Now is the time that every Senator needs to get off the sidelines and let the America know where they stand: With President Obama and the American public who overwhelmingly want a high-quality public health insurance option or with the HMOs and insurance giants who are fighting real reform," said Nita Chaudhary, National Campaign and Organizing Director for MoveOn.org. "Accomplishing real reform is too important to let a few senators stand in the way of what needs to be done. MoveOn's 5 million members are mobilized and energized for the debate this summer."