Archive for May, 2010:
Why Do YOU Stand with Elena Kagan?
In order to show the strong grassroots momentum for President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, we want to hear why you support Elena Kagan.
We've set up a website where you can share a photo showing why you stand with Kagan -- and we'll share the best submissions widely to highlight the excitement. Click here to submit your photo.
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Health Reform: ‘A graduation gift to young adults’
This week the New York Times published an article highlighting the substantial benefits that the Affordable Care Act will have—and is already beginning to have—for young adults. Traditionally, young adults comprise the age group that is most likely to be uninsured—a full one-third of all uninsured Americans are 19 to 29.
But by 2014, most young adults will have access to coverage, and many will now have access this year, thanks to earlier-than-expected coverage promises secured from insurance companies by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.
The Buy cheap Cialis Online >New York Times explained:
Beginning in late September, health insurers will be required to cover children on family health plans through age 25, and many companies are making the change now so new college graduates do not face gaps in coverage.
In the past, three-quarters of adult children who were insured under their parents’ employers’ plans either lost their insurance or had to switch policies when they graduated from college, with some going uninsured for two years or more….
As a Commonwealth Fund health policy expert told the Times, health reform can be seen as “a graduation gift to young adults.”
Additionally, the Times reported:
According to a report last week from the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that focuses on health policy, most of the 13.7 million young adults who are uninsured could gain coverage when the act goes into full force in 2014—either through public programs like Medicaid or by buying private policies on competitive insurance exchanges established by the law.
Live at 1:20 p.m. ET: President Obama Talks Jobs in California
UPDATE: The event has now ended.
This afternoon President Obama will be in Fremont, California, touring Solyndra Inc., a solar-panel manufacturing facility. He will later deliver remarks on jobs and the economy to Solyndra employees. You can listen live here or from the White House’s website at 1:20 p.m. ET:
Thanks in part to a loan guarantee from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, Solyndra Inc. is building a commercial-scale manufacturing plant for solar photovoltaic panels—one of the biggest Recovery Act–funded projects as measured by jobs. Plant construction has created more than 3,000 jobs, and the company expects as many as 1,000 new long-term positions once construction is finished. And job creation isn’t limited to Fremont, California. The White House notes that the benefits are being felt across the country.
The project is creating jobs around the country. Construction materials for the facility itself are being manufactured by workers in Arkansas, Washington, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and 18 other states. The advanced manufacturing equipment is being made by workers in Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, and eight other states. The raw materials to run the facility will come from 15 states, including Wisconsin, Ohio, and Kentucky. When the first solar panels are shipped in late 2010, they will be delivered by freight companies and installed by even more new workers.
Learn more about Solyndra Inc. and the government’s investment in clean energy.
Vote 2010 Kick-off: “We are still fired up and totally ready to go”
For more than three years, Sarah and her family have been on a mission.
It started in 2007 with their work to elect Barack Obama as President. Sarah, her husband Kelvin, and their 13-year-old son Kel traveled from their home in Kansas City, Missouri, to four states during the campaign. They knocked on doors, made phone calls, and talked to voters about the change they believed was possible.
Their Provigil online No prescription work didn’t stop after victory on Election Day. As a medical-center social worker whose husband is a physician, Sarah was one of the millions of OFA supporters who helped bring about historic health care reform.
And now, Sarah and her family are turning their attention to 2010 to help elect representatives who support President Obama to continue the progress they and many others have worked so hard to make.
During the upcoming June 5 weekend, Sarah is joining folks around the country and hosting a 2010 Kick-off Canvass to talk to first-time 2008 voters to ensure they get to the polls this year.
Whether you’re a veteran canvasser or first-timer yourself, this is a great chance to step up and get involved by hosting an event—and OFA will provide all the materials and support you’ll need. Sign up today to host a 2010 Kick-off Canvass event in your area.
For Sarah, June’s kick-off canvass event comes three years after one of the first events she organized, the 2007 Walk for Change. The Walk for Change was the Obama campaign’s initial distributed national event, which got thousands of folks into the streets and helped to lay the foundation for one of the strongest grassroots campaigns in history.
We caught up with Sarah to hear more about her upcoming event:
“We’re hosting our “Reach Out and Touch Voters for 2010 Victory!” canvass because this is the most effective way to reach voters who understand, from their daily experience, the need for reform—health care, financial, education, energy, immigration, equal rights, and the environment. We’re focusing on getting out the vote among 2008’s first-time voters—people who became engaged in the electoral process for the first time because of the leadership of Barack Obama.
“We’ll talk to voters face-to-face, to help them understand that their votes in 2010 are essential for continuing the historic change that has been accomplished over the past year and a half. We will provide the facts about what has actually been achieved and about what we need to do as we go forward, keeping people energized by the truth about our President’s extraordinary ability to lead and our ability to influence elections and public policy.
“We are planning to meet at our house and then canvass in areas where the turnout is likely to need a little extra “umphh!” As in the very first canvass we ever sponsored, the June 2007 “Hyde Park Walk for HOPE, ACTION, CHANGE!” we’ll show a quick video and have a couple of people tell their stories, then do some brief training on canvassing 101, then head out to hit the doors. And as we come up on the third anniversary of our Walk for Change in 2007, we are still fired up and totally ready to go!”
Hosting a canvass is fun and straightforward—and we know that talking to voters through face-to-face conversations is how we won in 2008 and how we’ll do it again this year. Join Sarah and supporters across the country by signing up to host a 2010 Kick-off Canvass on June 5.
Wall Street Reform Explained
The Washington Post put together an infographic that clearly explains the highlights of the Wall Street reform bill and some of the problems it aims to address.
President Obama Urges Republicans to Work with Him on Immigration Reform
President Obama this afternoon met with the Senate Republican Conference to discuss efforts on energy legislation and Order Generic Accutane Online without Prescription comprehensive immigration reform. During the meeting, the President noted that many Republicans have previously supported fixing our broken immigration system, and urged them to get on board with today's efforts.
As President Obama made clear earlier this month, passing immigration reform to increase security and impose accountability will require support from both Republicans and Democrats:
“I don't expect to get every Republican vote, but I need some help in order to get it done. And there have been people who have expressed an interest. But if they're willing to come forward and get a working group and get this moving, I’m actually confident that we can get it done. And the American people are going to prefer that the federal government takes responsibility and does what it’s supposed to do.”
Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
With the support of the Obama Administration, Congress is now poised to vote on legislation repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that has prevented gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. Since 1993, more than 10,000 service members have been discharged from the armed forces because of their sexual orientation.
Last night lawmakers and the Defense Department came to an agreement on moving forward, and White House Budget Director Peter Orszag made it clear that the administration is behind the compromise.
Buy Cialis >The Los Angeles Times reported that the House could take up repeal as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act as early as Thursday:
President Obama reached a deal with key Democrats on Monday that could repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy governing gays and lesbians in the military — assuming Congress signs on.
The proposal would let lawmakers vote now to repeal the law and allow people who are openly gay to serve, once the president and top military leaders certify that the repeal wouldn't threaten the military's "readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention," according to documents the sponsors sent to the administration.
The White House replied that the proposal "meets the concerns" raised by the Pentagon and that the Obama administration supported it....
Obama has long pledged to do away with the ban on openly gay service members. Several military leaders, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, have said they agree with ending the ban. But legislation had been elusive until now.
The lead sponsors of the repeal measure, Rep. Patrick J. Murphy (D-Pa.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), pledged to work on both sides of the aisle to pass the proposal.
"It is our firm belief that it is time to repeal this discriminatory policy that not only dishonors those who are willing to give their lives in service to their country but also prevents capable men and women with vital skills from serving in the armed forces at a time when our nation is fighting two wars," Murphy and Lieberman said in a statement late Monday.
In a letter to the White House, Murphy, Lieberman and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, outlined their plan to repeal the policy pending certification of readiness by the president and top military officials.
White House Budget Director Peter R. Orszag replied in writing that, although it would be "ideal" if Congress waited for the Pentagon readiness review before taking action, the administration found the plan acceptable.
The proposal "recognizes the critical need to allow our military and their families the full opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process," Orszag wrote. "The administration therefore supports the proposed amendment."
If approved, repeal would take effect after the Pentagon finishes a study about its impact on troops and readiness, which is due to Congress on December 1st.
Watch Live: Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
UPDATED: The event has now ended.
At 4:00 p.m. ET, President Obama will Order Generic Cialis Online without Prescription host a reception at the White House to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Watch live here or at WhiteHouse.gov/live.
David Plouffe: “Host a 2010 Kick-off Canvass?”
David Plouffe sent the following message to OFA supporters:
We've got a big task ahead of us in this fall's elections.
We need to get as many of the 15 million first-time voters from 2008 back to the polls as possible.
Historical trends are against us this year, but, with your help, we can overcome them.
If we can increase the turnout levels of first-time voters by just 8% over previous trends, that would mean a shift of 2% in the final vote total -- more than enough to swing close races across the country and make sure we elect candidates committed to change.
And it all starts with our Vote 2010 Kick-off Canvasses the weekend of June 5th.
OFA supporters from Maine to Hawaii will go door-to-door, re-engaging first-time voters from 2008 in the fights ahead and asking them to commit to return to the polls in 2010.We know that starting early will help us build the connection we'll Buy Accutane need with these voters to get them to the polls in November.
Don't worry -- no prior experience hosting an event is required. We'll make sure you have all the materials you'll need for a successful event -- scripts, sign-in sheets, pledge cards, and much more.
And there will be a conference call for hosts nationwide to discuss events and ask any questions you might have.
We've accomplished so much thus far -- Wall Street reform just passed the Senate, historic health insurance reform is already helping millions across the country, and the Recovery Act brought the economy back from the brink.
But there is so much left to be done -- combating climate change, reforming our immigration and education systems, making sure Elena Kagan becomes our next Supreme Court Justice, and doing everything we can to create a more just and fair America.
And to do all that, we need to make sure that we have enough partners in elected office fighting alongside us for change.
So please help us -- sign up to host a Vote 2010 Kick-Off Canvass the weekend of June 5th:
http://my.barackobama.com/Vote2010Host
Thanks for all you do,
David Plouffe
‘A Major Shift in How Washington Operates’
In our day-to-day lives, we don't always step back and reflect on the larger significance of what the Obama Administration has accomplished in its first 16 months, and where those accomplishments stand in relation to our country's history.
In the New York Times, David Leonhardt attempts to place things in perspective, showing how the President's achievements so far—health reform, efforts to reform Wall Street and steps to build a new foundation for our economy—rival the progress made during other periods of dramatic change, from the New Deal following World War II to Lyndon Johnson's Great Society initiatives.
David Leonhardt writes:
With the Senate’s passage of financial regulation, Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity that rival any other since the New Deal in scope or ambition. Like the Reagan Revolution or Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, the new progressive period has the makings of a generational shift in how Washington operates.
First came a stimulus bill that, while aimed mainly at ending a deep recession, also set out to remake the nation’s educational system and vastly expand scientific research. Then President Obama signed a health care bill that was the biggest expansion of the safety net in 40 years. And now Congress is in the final stages of a bill that would tighten Wall Street’s rules and probably shrink its profit margins.
If there Buy cheap online Provigil is a theme to all this, it has been to try to lift economic growth while also reducing income inequality. Growth in the decade that just ended was the slowest in the post-World War II era, while inequality has been rising for most of the last 35 years.
Harvard political scientist Theda Skocpol explained that the Obama administration "could easily be one of the pivotal periods in domestic policy," though she added that it will depend in part on what happens in the next two elections.
The recent period surely will not match the impact of the New Deal. Nothing is likely to, notes David Kennedy,a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, because the New Deal created much of the modern American government. “These are not as dramatic as the foundational moments,” Mr. Kennedy said, “but they’re significant changes.”
Alan Brinkley, a historian of the Depression, added: “This is not the New Deal, but it’s a significant series of achievements. And given the difficulty of getting anything done under the gridlock of Congress, it’s pretty surprising.”
The last 16 months seem most similar in scope to three other periods in the last 80 years. After World War II, the federal government helped build the modern middle class with the G.I. Bill, housing subsidies, the highway system and incentives for employers to offer health insurance. The 1960s — mostly under Mr. Johnson, but also Richard Nixon — brought civil rights legislation, Medicare, Medicaid and environmental laws.
You can read the full article here.