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The President stepped up his efforts to pass health care reform with a special event with the Organizing for America group on Thursday and stern words against those who have been spreading “outrageous myths”, such as the death panels and government takeover of health care, during the weekly address. He took the opportunity to remind Americans of the hurdles we overcame during the election, and slanderous attacks made against Presidents in the past.
“I am absolutely confident that we can get this done, but I want everybody to remember, this has never been easy — never been easy. When FDR proposed Social Security, all across what was I guess the equivalent of today’s Internet, right — (laughter) — all the newspapers and the radio shows and all that — he was accused of being a socialist. He was going to bring socialism to America. How dare he.
When JFK and then Lyndon Johnson proposed Medicare, everybody suggested, this is going to be a government takeover of health care; it’s going to destroy your relationship with your doctor. The same arguments that are being made now have been made every time we’ve tried to propose a significant change that ultimately made people more secure, improved our health care, improved our quality of life.”
He also continued to encourage advocates to attend health care rallies and townhalls, many of which were held over the weekend.
Courtesy WBNG
On Friday, Health Care For America Now, Citizen Action and others rallied at the federal building in Binghamton. They say a public health insurance option will be just that, an option. “I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there where people really think somehow the government’s taking over health care and the reality is it just becomes one option,” says Mary Clark from Citizen Action. They are holding a forum called Health Care Reform and You at the Tabernacle Methodist Church, Aug 27 at 6 pm.
AFSCME’s Highway To Health Care bus tour rolled through Indiana this weekend, with hundreds showing up at events in Evansville, Bloomington and Indianapolis.
Activists heard speeches by U.S. Rep. Andre Carso, State Rep. Bill Crawford and others. The bus heads on to Charlottesville VA, Delaware and Maine. Go to the web site and watch ads, download music and tour posters, read up on the latest events, and lots more.
On Sunday, more than 70 people gathered in holding signs that read, “Health Care for America Now!” and “Stop the fear, get the facts!” in Mizner Park in Boca Raton during a “Hands Across America for Public Health Insurance” event.
Events are scheduled thoughout August and into September, although supporters can you can visit barackobama.com and sign into the Neighbor to Neighbor campaign which functions similarly to the canvassing system used in November. It’s like the President said, “people trust you — your neighbors, your friends, fellow community members — they trust you. They know you. And if you are presenting the facts clearly and fairly, I’m absolutely confident that we’re going to win this debate.”
