Obama group targets Fla. to push health care reform
by Michael C. Bender | July 17th, 2009The grass-roots effort that helped launch President Obama into the White House is now working to deliver one of his campaign promises: health care reform.
But first it might have to convince other Democrats.
The volunteers, now known as Organizing for America, are once again targeting Florida as a battleground. The group has held several meetings hoping to persuade neighbors to call their congressmen and urge their support for healthcare changes.
Among other events, the group is planning canvassing efforts starting this weekend in locations including Lake Worth, Lantana and Boca Raton.
But the reform plans that have emerged have divided Washington.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has become a key figure. Nelson’s support will be critical as a portion of the Senate bill will pass through the chamber’s Finance Committee, of which he is a member.
Nelson has expressed reservations about the estimated cost of the plan, which ranges between $615 billion and $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Democrats are also divided on creating a “public” health plan that would compete with private insurers.
The liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org held a health-care demonstration outside Nelson’s West Palm Beach office last week. Obama has criticized similar tactics, saying liberal groups shouldn’t spend money on ads targeting Democrats.
But two groups that ultimately answer to Obama — Organizing for America (formerly known as Obama for America) and the Democratic National Committee — have put Florida, and by extension Nelson, in the cross hairs.
On Wednesday, the DNC released a TV ad called “It’s Time” that urges Congress to approve health care reform.
This story appeared on page 2A of the July 17 Palm Beach Post.
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July 17th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Centrist Democrats in the House are going to kill this BAD bill. It will raise taxes too much & kill jobs!
July 20th, 2009 at 7:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is being forced to acknowledge the wide gap between its once-upbeat predictions about the economy and today’s bleak landscape.
The administration’s annual midsummer budget update is sure to show higher deficits and unemployment and slower growth than projected in President Barack Obama’s budget in February and update in May, and that could complicate his efforts to get his signature health care and global-warming proposals through Congress.
The release of the update – usually scheduled for mid-July – has been put off until the middle of next month, giving rise to speculation the White House is delaying the bad news at least until Congress leaves town on its August 7 summer recess.
July 20th, 2009 at 7:35 am
ACORN is working our tax dollars again. They will get dead people to sign up to support this socialist package of crap.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:04 pm
With the public’s trust in his handling of health care tanking (50%-44% of Americans disapprove), the White House has launched a new phase of its strategy designed to pass Obamacare: all Obama, all the time. As part of that effort, Obama hosted a conference call with leftist bloggers urging them to pressure Congress to pass his health plan as soon as possible.
During the call, a blogger from Maine said he kept running into an Investors Business Daily article that claimed Section 102 of the House health legislation would outlaw private insurance. He asked: “Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?” President Obama replied: “You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about.” (quote begins at 17:10)
This is a truly disturbing admission by the President, especially considering that later in the call, Obama promises yet again: “If you have health insurance, and you like it, and you have a doctor that you like, then you can keep it. Period.” How can Obama keep making this promise if he is not familiar with the health legislation that is being written in Congress? Details matter.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:32 pm
The Mayo Clinic on Monday issued a startling rebuke to the Obama administration coming down strongly against the healthcare reform proposal offered by House Democrats last week.
In a statement posted at the Clinic’s Health Policy Blog, one of the most respected medical institutions in the nation said: “[T]he proposed legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher-quality, more affordable health care for patients. In fact, it will do the opposite.”