Message From Joe Biden:
We've got a fight on our hands. Powerful insurance companies are pulling out
all the stops to defeat the President's plan for health reform. They're
spending seven million bucks a week on lobbyists, blanketing the country with
deceptive TV ads, and just funded two high-profile "reports" to distort what
reform would mean for you.
I know their game. I was in the Senate the last time health reform came around,
and I saw the special interests savage our efforts. Frankly, under the old
rules of Washington they were nearly impossible to beat. But now, thanks to
you, the rules are changing. All the lies, scare tactics and lobbyist
shake-downs in the world are no match for the incredible work of Organizing for
America supporters like you. That's exactly what frightens them so much -- and
it's what Barack and I are counting on.
After decades of false starts, we're now just a short time from finally passing
real reform. Every member of Congress will soon have to cast their vote. As
real change draws near, you can bet the insurance companies will hold nothing
back. That means OFA will need the extra resources to beat back whatever attack
they can dream up next. Here's the bottom line: it's not time to let up -- it's
time to double down.
When I talk about you changing the rules in Washington, here's what I mean:
This week, crucial negotiations on Capitol Hill are shaping a comprehensive
reform proposal. At the same time, the insurance companies' phony reports are
grabbing headlines and their lobbyists are twisting arms. But your work is
keeping them from setting us back.
On Tuesday, OFA supporters around the country organized more than 1,000 local
outreach events and generated an astounding 330,000 calls to Congress from
constituents telling their representatives that "it's time to deliver." From my
years in Congress and my conversations with Senate colleagues this week, I can
tell you with confidence that your message broke through and you helped keep us
on track.
If this fight were only about guaranteeing the choice of secure, quality,
affordable care for every American, it would be worth everything we could throw
at it. But as Barack reminded us this week, this fight for change is now about
something even bigger: a test of whether or not "we as a nation are capable of
tackling our toughest challenges, if we can serve the national interest despite
the unrelenting efforts of the special interests; if we can still do big things
in America."
I believe we can. And Barack believes we can. But what really matters is
whether you believe we can. If you do, now is the moment to make it happen.
