Pamlico County Democrats

On Saturday, as Washington was blanketed with snow, President Obama spoke to members of the Democratic Party at the 2010 Winter Meeting. In a fiery speech, the President reiterated his fierce commitment to fighting for health insurance reform:

"The easiest thing to do right now would be to just say, oh, [passing health reform] is too hard, let's just re-group and lick our wounds, try to hang on. We've had a long and difficult debate on health care. And there are some, maybe even the majority in this town, who say perhaps it's time to walk away. But...if we walk away, we know what will happen. We know that premiums and out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket this decade and the decade after that and decade after that, just as they did in the past decade. More small businesses will be priced out of coverage. More big businesses will be unable to compete internationally. More workers will take home less pay and fewer raises. We know that millions more Americans will lose their coverage. We know that our deficits will inexorably continue to grow because health care costs are the single biggest driver.

So just in case there's any confusion out there, let me be clear: I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform. I'm not going to walk away from the American people. I'm not going to walk away on this challenge."

He then spoke about the need to continue working to change the culture and politics of Washington, in order to address the challenges that the country faces:

"We knew this stuff was tough. But we stepped up because we decided we were going to take the responsibility of changing it. And it may not be easy, but change is coming. Look, I believe so strongly, I believe so strongly if we're going to deal with the great challenges of our time, if we're going to secure a better future, just as past generations did for us, then we're going to have to change the prevailing politics in this town, and it's not going to be easy. We're going to have to care less about scoring points and more about solving problems that are holding us back. At this defining moment, that's never been more important."

And he closed by talking about moving forward together:

"After all the promises we've made, this is our best chance to deliver the change that the American people need. And if we do that, if we speak to the hopes of the American people instead of their fears, if we inspire them instead of divide them, if we respond to their challenges with the same sense of urgency they feel in their own lives, we're not just going to win elections, elections will take care of themselves. We will once again be the party that turns around the economy and moves this country forward and secures the American dream for another generation."

You can watch the full video below:

Yesterday, President Obama invited Democratic and Republican leaders to a bipartisan, televised health reform summit to review the best ideas from both parties in order to move forward with passing reform. He challenged Republicans in particular to put their ideas on the table, in order to systematically examine the proposals and come up with a path forward.

The New York Times reported:

President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse.

Mr. Obama made the announcement in an interview on CBS during the Super Bowl pre-game show, capitalizing on a vast television audience. He set out a plan that would put Republicans on the spot to offer their own ideas on health care and show whether both sides are willing to work together.

During the interview, President Obama reiterated his commitment to passing reform and explained how this summit will help get there:

"I want to ask [Republicans] to put their ideas on the table, and then after the recess, which will be a few weeks away, I want to come back and have a large meeting, the Republicans and Democrats, to go through systematically all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward.

...I want to look at the Republican ideas that are out there, and I want to be very specific. How do you guys want to lower costs? How do you guys intend to reform the insurance markets so people with preexisting conditions, for example, can get health care? How do you want to make sure that the 30 million people who don't have health insurance can get it? What are your ideas specifically?

If we can go step by step through a series of these issues and arrive at some agreements, then procedurally, there's no reason why we can't do it a lot faster than the process took last year."

The bipartisan meeting is currently scheduled to take place on Thursday, February 25th.

From OFA Director Mitch Stewart:

An alarming new study shows that health care costs increased last year at the fastest rate in more than a half century.

Health care spending rose to an estimated $2.5 trillion in 2009, or $8,047 per person -- and is now projected to nearly double by 2019. If we don't act, this growing burden will mean more lost jobs, more families pushed into bankruptcy, and more crushing debt for our nation.

The conclusion is clear: This isn't a problem we can kick down the road for another decade -- or even another year. We need to pass health reform now.

We're incredibly close. But too many in Washington are now saying that we should delay or give up on reform entirely. So we need to make it crystal clear that Americans understand the stakes for our economy and our lives, and that we want action.

Can you write a letter to the editor of your local paper right now?

In just five minutes of your time, you can tell thousands of readers about this new report on spiraling costs, and why abandoning reform is just not an option.

You can also help by posting this note on Facebook, letting your friends know about the new costs study and asking them to join you in writing a letter to a local paper.

President Obama and many allies in Congress are working hard to finish the job -- but we can't rest until it's done. Your note will help break through the Washington spin and show members of Congress and the media what local voters really believe. Click here to get started.

It's clear that we're in the fight of our lives to pass real reform. But after a century of trying, the finish line is finally in sight. As President Obama reminded us all in his State of the Union address, we're fighting for our families and our country -- and we don't quit.

Thanks for making it possible,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

President Obama is scheduled to address the Democratic Party this morning at the Party's 2010 Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. You can watch live online starting at 10:30 A.M. Eastern time.

You can also follow live updates from the meeting, and see highlights from yesterday's events, on the DemocratsDotOrg twitter feed.

Here's the full video of tonight's event with President Obama:

From OFA Director Mitch Stewart:

Today, at 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time, Organizing for America is hosting a "Conversation with the President" -- and you won't want to miss it.

President Obama will talk about fighting for change in 2010, and then answer questions from grassroots supporters like you.

You can watch a webcast of the event starting at 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time.

President Obama will review our many accomplishments this past year and address the tough fights ahead of us -- including the 2010 elections, fighting to strengthen the middle class, and finishing the job on health reform.

Then, I'll ask the President some of the questions that OFA supporters like you submitted online.

I hope you can tune in at 5:45 Eastern.

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

From the Associated Press:

... President Barack Obama on Wednesday implored Democratic leaders to swing big, be honest with an angry public and expose any obstructionism by Republicans. "We still have to lead," Obama told Democratic senators in a pep talk that unfolded on live TV. Let policy be our politics, Obama told the senators, and make sure everyone knows about petty acts by the opposition.  Obama's mission is to stiffen the resolve of his own party as he pursues an agenda that is consistent -- creating jobs, overhauling health insurance, regulating Wall Street -- yet is also cast in more personal, real-life terms.

From Reuters:

... Senate Democrats will unveil tax credits and other proposals on Thursday that aim to bring down the nation's double-digit unemployment rate.

The package will include tax credits to spur hiring and equipment purchases, along with incentives for states to ramp up construction projects, an aide said on Wednesday.

It could also extend soon-to-expire programs that provide unemployment aid and healthcare subsidies for the jobless, the aide said on condition of anonymity.

With Friday's jobs report expected to show a rise in the unemployment rate to 10.1 percent, Democrats in Congress say job creation is their top priority this year.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Republicans are stepping up their campaign to win donations from Wall Street, trying to capitalize on an increasing sense of regret among executives at big financial institutions for backing Democrats in 2008.

In discussions with Wall Street executives, Republicans are striving to make the case that they are banks' best hope of preventing President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats from cracking down on Wall Street.

From the Los Angeles Times:

In a stark reminder of growing costs, the government has released a new estimate that healthcare spending grew to a record 17.3% of the U.S. economy last year, marking the largest one-year jump in its share of the economy since the government started keeping such records half a century ago.

The almost $2.5 trillion spent in 2009 was $134 billion more than the previous year, when healthcare consumed 16.2% of the gross domestic product, according to an annual report by independent actuaries at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, scheduled for release Thursday.

Following last week's question and answer session with House Republicans, this morning President Obama took questions from Democratic senators at their issues conference. Here are a few of the highlights:

President Obama on health reform:

You look at an issue right now like health care.  So many of us campaigned on the idea that we were going to change this health care system.  So many of us looked people in the eye who had been denied because of a preexisting condition, or just didn't have health insurance at all, or small business owners in our communities who told us that their premiums had gone up 25 percent or 30 percent.  And we said we were going to change it.

Well, here we are with a chance to change it.  And all of you put extraordinary work last year into making serious changes that would not only reform the insurance industry, not only cover 30 million Americans, but would also bend the cost curve, and save a trillion dollars on our deficits, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  There's a direct link between the work that you guys did on that and the reason that you got into public office in the first place.

And so as we think about moving forward, I hope we don't lose sight of why we're here.  We've got to finish the job on health care.

In response to a question from Senator Michael Bennett on what Democratic and Republican senators need to do differently to meet the challenges the country faces now:

The problem here you've got is an institution that increasingly is not adapted to the demands of a hugely competitive 21st century economy. I think the Senate in particular, the challenge that I gave to Republicans and I will continue to issue to Republicans is if you want to govern then you can't just say no.  It can't just be about scoring points.  There are multiple examples during the course of this year in which that's been the case.

Look, I mentioned the filibuster record.  We've had scores of pieces of legislation in which there was a filibuster, cloture had to be invoked, and then ended up passing 90 to 10, or 80 to 15.  And what that indicates is a degree to which we're just trying to gum up the works instead of getting business done.

That is an institutional problem. In the Senate, the filibuster only works if there is a genuine spirit of compromise and trying to solve problems, as opposed to just shutting the place down.  If it's just shutting the place down, then it's not going to work.

And in response to a question from Senator Blanche Lincoln on whether or not Democrats should moderate their positions to find common ground with Republicans:

I noticed yesterday ... there was some hearing about our proposal to provide additional financing to small businesses and tax credits to small businesses.  Some of our friends on the other side of the aisle said, "This won't help at all.  What you have to do is to make sure that we continue the tax breaks for wealthiest Americans.  That's really what's going to make a difference."

Well, if the agenda -- if the price of certainty is essentially for us to adopt the exact same proposals that were in place for eight years leading up to the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression -- we don't tinker with health care, let the insurance companies do what they want, we don't put in place any insurance reforms, we don't mess with the banks, let them keep on doing what they're doing now because we don't want to stir up Wall Street -- the result is going to be the same.

...Sometimes we get ideologically bogged down.  I just want to find out what works, and I know you do, too, and I know the people in Arkansas do, too.  But when you're talking to the folks in Arkansas you also have to remind them what works is not just going back and doing the same things that we were doing before.  And, yes, there's going to be some transition time.  If we have a serious financial regulatory reform package, will the banks squawk?  Yes.  Will they say this is the reason we're not lending?  Yes.  The problem is we know right now they're not lending, and paying out big bonuses.  And we know that the existing regulatory system doesn't work.

So we shouldn't be spooked by this notion that, well, is now the time to take seriously in an intelligent way, not in a knee-jerk way, the challenge of financial regulatory reform so that you don't have banks that are too big to fail and you're not putting taxpayers at risk and you're not putting the economy at risk -- now is the time to do it.