Christian leaders to Congress: Ignore misinformation on abortion, pass health reform

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

The other day on the Rachel Maddow Show, Nancy Pelosi made a point of telling Rachel that health care reform was not just about abortion, it was about saving lives, money, and providing care to millions.

She repeated the positives of the plan and steered Rachel away from concentrating too hard on something that shouldn't be an issue (mainly because Bart Stupak is spreading misinformation; abortion will not be being funded by the government).

Pelosi is one of the few that has insisted on clarifying and laying out the benefits of the bill. Anthony Weiner is another. Their consistent message of what health care reform offers, rather than getting sidetracked by GOP talking points, is something that's been sorely missing over the past year.

Meanwhile, a group of "pro-life" Christian leaders has come out in support of the plan. They're darn pretty clear, too.

Think Progress takes it from there:

Underscoring this point, this week, a group of 25 “pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders” sent a letter to Congress urging them to look past the misinformation on abortion and pass health care reform. From their letter:

As Christians committed to a consistent ethic of life, and deeply concerned with the health and well-being of all people, we want to see health care reform enacted. [...]

We are writing because of our concern about the lack of clear and accurate information regarding abortion provisions in the health care reform bill passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009.

Reforming our health care system is necessarily complex, and the provisions related to abortion, or any other issue, require careful examination of the facts as they exist in the legislative language. We believe that the provisions below provide extensive evidence that longstanding restrictions on federal funding of abortion have been maintained. Furthermore, this bill provides new and important supports for vulnerable pregnant women.

The Catholic Health Association also sent a letter (see image above) to Congress urging passage of the Senate bill. They pointed out that millions of Americans would benefit.

Imagine that.

Doug Hoffman mounts another bid in NY-23

By GottaLaff

If at first you don't succeed...

The certified public accountant from Lake Placid, New York announced that he's making a second bid for Congress. His first run, as a Conservative Party candidate in a three way race, helped spark a bitter divide within the GOP and was one reason Democrat Bill Owen won a district his party hadn't controlled in over a century.

So he used to be a Divider. Now, he wants to be a Uniter.

That's right, now he says he wants to unify the party, get 'em all together-- Republican, Conservative and Independence Parties-- and bundle 'em up to beat the Evil Pelosi Party.

Maybe he'll enlist Barbie McLipSchmutz to campaign for him. That should clinch it.

Besides, who could resist a face like this:

Special to TPC: Infiltrating the Tea Baggers' Big Event

By GottaLaff

CORRECTION: I misunderstood my source. She was on a one-to-one call with someone, NOT the conference call.

There was some question about the reference to the Heritage Foundation's involvement, and this explains it. They were not mentioned, from what I've learned, on the conference call. They were mentioned as advisers on the private call that I refer to below.

Original post:

Earlier today, I posted this:

Ooo, watch out D.C., the Tea Tantrumers are a-comin' for ya!

(Click on image to enlarge)

I have more details since I posted that earlier today... from a concerned source who infiltrated by signing up for the Big March:

My source registered and then received the following e-mail (in part):

All,

Please try and make this call tonight for our project "Take the Town Halls to Washington", which launches this Tuesday.

Please do not post this call in information anywhere publicly -- on a blog for instance. Also, please do not share the call in number without touching base with me. The trolls on the Left on Twitter and elsewhere are actively trying to infiltrate this call.

But oops, guess what? My source got on the call, the very call that was all about what the Tea Tantrumers are planning.

According to what she learned on the call, they are being "advised" by the Heritage Foundation:

Heritage has since continued to have a significant influence in U.S. public policy making, and is widely considered to be one of the most influential research organizations in the United States, especially during the Republican administration of President George W. Bush.^[2]

One of the most influential, biggest conservative think tanks is "advising" them. How grassrootsy of them.

And here's what happened next:

A woman on the call told her that "we" are to fly into DC, where "we" will have "war rooms" out in Chantilly. From there "we" will go into DC, call on Congress, meet with Congress members, with a list of questions "supplied" by the Heritage Foundation (remember, they are the ones who are "advising").

There will be groups of 4 or 5 going to see each elected official, and the meetings will be video taped. The video tapes will then be used to "inform" people, get the truth out, and stop health care reform from going through before Congress goes on break.

Yes, that's right, they will be using those videos to "get the truth out". And by truth, they mean their version of events, I'm sure. Maybe it's the same kind of truth James O'Keefe wanted to get out. If so, it will be the edited truth.

But what if Congress doesn't allow video taping?" Good question.

The woman told her that they would then announce that Congress would only agree to "off the record" meetings and would reveal which congressmen were unwilling to be recorded.

If only the Tea Tantrumers would consider applying for positions at CSPAN. Congress has no objection to CSPAN cameras. They're very orderly and respectful.

And they don't wear funny hats.

The woman also said "the people at the Heritage Foundation have read the entire bill. We want comments on the record from Senators, as this will affect Medicare & Medicaid."

At that point my source made an excuse to get off phone, because, as she told me, she could not hold her tongue any longer had she stayed on. Her head was exploding, as yours probably are now. She was feeling very uneasy about all of this.

And so she asked that I expose their plan. Nothing like a little fresh air and sunshine to disinfect.

Bayhing the GOP a gift

By GottaLaff

Thanks, Ev, you're a real giver:

"If I could create one job in the private sector by helping to grow a business, that would be one more than Congress has created in the last six months."
-- Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), in an interview with CBS News, giving one more gift to Republicans.

See? Now that he's out, he can do the damage he's always dreamed of. Quite a step up.

Two nuggets

By GottaLaff

Greg Sargent has two nuggets that caught my eye today:

[T]he White House has now released the most detailed chronology yet of the handling of the Christmas bomb plotter. Key takeaway: He was Mirandized nine hours after capture — and after FBI concluded he’d stopped talking.

How about that? Nine hours.

Then there's this little White House promise:

A key concession from Dan Pfeiffer: The White House shouldn’t have stood back and let Congress set the agenda. Vows it won’t happen again.

Gee, ya think?

Good vow. You know why? Because if it happens again, bye bye 2012, bye bye agenda, bye bye Democrats.

Openly gay Providence, Rhode Island Mayor to run for Patrick Kennedy's seat

By GottaLaff

I'm Laffy and I approve this announcement:

Providence, R.I. Mayor David Cicilline, who is openly gay, announced today he will be a candidate for Congress. [...]

Cicilline will face state Democratic Party Chair William Lynch, who also announced his candidacy, and could face a number of other contenders. [...]

He was easily reelected in 2006 amid national media attention for his work turning around the fortunes of Providence, which was once beset by high crime rates and corruption.

H/t: Chris Geidner

Scozzafava Drops Out of NY-23 Race

By GottaLaff

Sarah Palin steps in to endorse a conservative rival, others pile on, and Scozzafava says buh-bye:

Dede Scozzafava (R) announced "that she is suspending her campaign for the 23rd Congressional District and releasing all her supporters," the Watertown Daily Times reports. [...]

A new Siena poll this morning found the race too close to call between Owens at 36% and Hoffman at 35% with Scozzafava falling way back to 20%.

A Public Policy Polling survey still in the field also had Scozzafava trailing the pack at just 17%.

It's a Rushpublic district, and until Scozzafava dropped out, there was a chance that Owens could pull off a win. Now? Not so much.

Additionally, it will be interesting to watch the Conservapubs continue to cause a split in the Rushpublic party. Popcorn, anyone?

Robert Wexler leaving Congress

By GottaLaff

UPDATE via Marc Ambinder: Wexler, D-Fl, will be head of the Institute for Middle East Peace. No administration job.

I really like Robert Wexler and will miss him. Where's he off to?

Sun-Sentinel report, in full:

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, who represents Broward and Palm Beach counties, plans to resign from Congress.

He plans to announce his plans at a news conference Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Boca Raton.,

A Democratic source with knowledge of Wexler's plans said he is likely to take a public policy job that deals with the Middle East.

Wexler, a senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, has long been involved in issues involving Israel and Turkey.

More hints:

"The White House is keeping a tight lid on this one, but it's definitely not USAID," one well placed congressional source said.

And this:

The Washington Independent is also hearing buzz about the ambassadorship to Israel.

Who will end up replacing him? Go here for the names of a few likely candidates.

Sigh. He was always someone who I listened to when the cameras aimed his way. I'm sure wherever he finally ends up, he'll make us proud.

Open Letter to Congress

By GottaLaff

A Facebook friend of mine wrote this and asked me to share. I am more than happy to oblige:

You were elected to serve the people. I warn you all, if you fail to pass the public option, you will see a Republican supermajority get elected in 2010 quicker than your head can spin. If you continue to act like Republicans, we will put the Republicans back in power just to spite you. You were not elected to act like Republicans and serve the special interests and lobbyists. You were elected to serve the people. You have 55 votes for the Public Option. Make it happen or you will all be ousted in 2010 quicker than you say the word "politics."

You were not elected to create a Democratic Supermajority, you were elected to create change and restore prosperity and restore the American dream. And I will hold your feet to the fire.

Instead of passing a decent stimulus bill, you watered it down and passed a crap piece of legislation that is useful only for printing on toilet paper and wiping my butt with. Health care reform is too important to be ****ed up. And reform is not possible if there is no competition in the health care industry.

Failure to pass a public option, and real reform, will result in the full wrath of the progressive and moderate wings of the American public to come down on your heads. YOU WORK FOR US, AND YOUWILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!

Signed,
Angry American

This letter is directed toward:

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT):
511 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-2602
Phone: (202) 224-2651
http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/ema...cfm?subj=issue

Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)
513 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2441
http://carper.senate.gov/contact/

Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)
530 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3403
Phone: (202) 224-2043
https://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
355 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4843
http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Health Care Watch-- New Coalition of the Corrupt & Spineless: The List. Call them

By GottaLaff

UPDATE: I'm bumping this up and will continue to do so. It's that important:

Thank you Bob Cesca, for this list. Want to make a difference? Here's how:

The New Coalition of the Corrupt & Spineless:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
Email

Harry Reid (D-NV) (just because)
Phone: 202-224-3542
Fax: 202-224-7327
Email

Max Baucus (D-MT)
Phone: 202-224-2651
Fax: 202-224-0515
Email

Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (supports public option, but needs reinforcements)
Phone: (202) 224-5521
Email

Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) (supports public option, but needs reinforcements)
Phone: (202) 224-4843
Fax: (202) 228-1371
Email

Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Phone: (202)224-5824
Fax: (202) 224-9735
Email

Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Phone: (202) 224-2043
Fax: (202) 224-7776
Email

Joe Lieberman (I-Douchebaggia)
Phone: (202) 224-4041
Fax: (202) 224-9750
Email

Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Phone: (202) 224-5623
Fax: (202) 228-1377
Email

Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Phone: (202) 224-6551
Fax: 202-228-0012
Email

Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183
Email

Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (supports the public option, but needs reinforcements)
Phone: (202) 224-6542
Fax: (202) 228-3027
Email

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954
Email

Tom Carper (D-DE)
Phone: (202) 224-2441
Fax: (202) 228-2190
Email

Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Phone: 202-224-3441
Fax: 202-228-0514
Email

Mark Warner (D-VA)
Phone: 202-224-2023
Fax: 202-224-6295
Email

Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Phone: (202) 224-2353
Fax: (202) 228-0908
Email

Call them, email them, and don't stop. Keep pushing for a public option. Public option. Public option. Public option. Public option. Now go push.

VIDEO- Rep. Meek: Members of Congress tell health insurers, "We have your back"

By GottaLaff

Nothing you don't already know, but Rep. Meek confirms a few things, and it ain't pretty:

In an interview with ThinkProgress yesterday, Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL) — who is now running for Senate — warned that special interests’ influence over Congress has impeded efforts at health care reform.

Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

I have a very caring, impassioned Twitter pal, one who I've actually had the pleasure to spend some time with. He wanted to share his feelings about recent events, and I am more than happy to oblige:

Special Comment

As a 72 year old, white American I’m appalled by what is going on in the Congress and in the radio and TV media. In Nov. 2008 this country elected an African-American President. For me it was a very proud moment in this country’s history and many Americans had the same feeling.

Since being inducted into office, President Obama has had little or no cooperation from the Republican Party and the conservative electronic media. The Republican Party has become the party of NO!!

Republicans fought him on the Stimulus Plan which the President lessened to get bipartisanship. Now they are fighting him on the Health Care Package, with a public option. The Republicans and some Blue Dog Democrats are more interested in satisfying the insurance and drug companies then the needs of the American public who favor Health Care reform with a Public option.

The object of the GOP is to torpedo every proposed Plan by Obama they can so they can gain control of congress.

In all my years I haven’t seen such hate and the spread of fear since the Civil Rights movement congress.

During the Sotomayor hearings the Republican senators repeatedly asked her about a statement she made regarding the judgment a Latino women might have when deciding a case. Their repeated questions and statements about her remark showed their racist tendencies

During the hearing, Pat Buchanan on the Rachel Maddow show spewed one of the most racist and hateful comments I’ve ever heard made by a TV commentator. To say that the white man built this country and were the only ones who fought in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and on the beaches of Normandy, then Pat needs a history lesson because he seems to have forgotten that the blacks, Asians and many other minorities help build this great nation and fought in its wars.

I was shocked that no action was taken against Buchanan; and I was equally surprised that you didn’t hear a word from the black leadership or for that matter from any news commentator other than Rachel the following day.

Then you have members of Congress and conservative media doubting Obama’s legitimacy of being a natural born citizen of this country, while they have been given proof that he was born in Hawaii. Even after a resolution was passed unanimously in the House of Representatives that he was born in Hawaii, some congressmen and conservative media who still question his legitimacy.

But the worst of all was when a supposedly news commentator Glenn Beck called President Obama a “racist”, while other conservative radio commentators intimated as much. Mr. Beck owes the President an apology. While we have free speech in this country, when one makes inflammatory remarks that go beyond the pale some action should be taken by CNN. There hasn’t been a word from the black leadership so far. The only purpose of these actions and remarks is to stir and rile their conservative base.

It is it any wonder why the Department of Homeland Security in anticipation issued a statement to expect a rise in racial tension and violence? The conservative politicians and media are the first to disavow any responsibility that their remarks may have influenced the actions taken by any of their followers.

It is time for moderate Republicans to speak up and say to their party members and to the conservative media that what they are doing doesn’t help make this country better or move it in a better direction. It is time for them to remember the oath they took when sworn in, to support and defend the Constitution. The time has come for them to put country first and not the party.

Great rant. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Obama win rate with Congress: 95%-- Most successful in 50 + years

By GottaLaff

And we have a winnahhhh!

As his presidency approaches the half-year mark, Barack Obama is on pace to be the most successful Oval Office occupant in more than half a century when measured by his ability to get Congress to vote his way — even though he shows signs of carefully picking his fights on Capitol Hill. [...]

So far, Obama has taken clear positions on relatively few floor votes — 26 in the House and 37 in the Senate, including 20 votes to confirm his nominees. Still, his success score of 95.2 percent, if it continues for the rest of the year, would be the highest for any president since Congressional Quarterly began this measurement in 1953. That’s true not only for the first year of a presidency, but also for any year. [...]

Senate Republicans have so far supported Obama 56 percent of the time. That’s the second-highest Senate GOP support score for any Democratic president — just shy of the 60 percent they gave Clinton in 1997.

Holocaust Museum shooter had lawmaker's address

By GottaLaff

Still scoffing at that DHS report warning of right wing extremists, are ya, Rushpublics?

Capitol Police have notified a member of Congress whose office address was in the possession of a man charged with murdering a security guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Senate Sgt. at Arms Terry Gainer said there was no current threat to the lawmaker, who he declined to name, but that Capitol Police chief Phillip Morse was staying apprised of reports from federal and local law enforcement for possible developments in the case. [...]

In a notepad officials found in von Brunn’s car, von Brunn wrote that President Obama was “created by Jews” and stated his concern that he would have his weapons taken away, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. Disrict Court for the District of Columbia.

How logical that those who are so afraid of Big Bad Obama confiscating their weapons make sure to use them to kill people before Big Bad O can do take them away and hoard them for himself and his Jew masters.

The complaint, quoting von Brunn’s notebook, said, “You want my weapons - this is how you'll get them. The Holocaust is a lie. Obama was created by Jews. Obama does what his Jew owners tell him to do.”

And there you have it: Another compassionate conservative role model for our youth.

Fun Facts: Which Republican Congressman hosted "Teen Time"?

By GottaLaff

Did Joe Lieberman teach them the art of betrayal, too?

From the forthcoming CQ's Politics in America:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) taught Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in separate seminar classes at Yale University.

The first bill that Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) introduced was to name a federal building in Davenport after the man he defeated to win his House seat, Republican Jim Leach.

As a girl, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) slept above stacks of the Congressional Record. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., was a Maryland congressman and stored them under her bed in their Baltimore rowhouse.

Rep. Tom Petri's (R-WI) first job was hosting a radio show called Teen Time, a weekly program that made him the Badger State's youngest on-air personality.

Political science professor and now Rep. David E. Price (D-NC) helped judge Rep. Daniel Lipinski's (D-IL) doctoral thesis at Duke University.

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) was the original lead detective in the Green River serial killer task force. Almost 20 years later, as the King County sheriff, he announced the arrest of Gary Ridgway in 2001.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) took on organized crime as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. A bomb was once found under the hood of his car.

Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) is a former Black Panther who served six months in prison on a weapons charge.

See how much fun Fun Facts can be?

Dick Cheney, Patron Saint of Torture-Free

By GottaLaff

The Nation of Dick and the rest of BushCo committed war crimes in order to get the propaganda he wanted to invade Iraq. Yet...

Few in Congress or the mass media have pushed Cheney on this "great success." Fewer still have seen that that Bush and Cheney's illegal use of torture to sell their pre-emptive war in Iraq was probably their single greatest crime. Why the reluctance? Why do so many Americans refuse to see the obvious?

In large part because Congress, the corporate media, and even the general public were to some degree complicit in the crime. Whatever the CIA told Congressional leaders about waterboarding, sensory and sleep deprivation, stress positions, or sending captives to other counties for interrogation, only the mentally challenged had any excuse for not knowing from the public record at the time the rough outlines of how far Bush and Cheney had stepped beyond the law.[...]

...Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the others proudly told the world what they were doing. And, very much like the Good Germans of an earlier time, Congress and the media went along, as did most of the American public. Even worse, almost no one questioned the validity of all the so-called intelligence that the administration's methods produced. [...]

We now know from several sources that these selling points for invading Iraq came primarily from torturing al-Libi in Egypt. We also know from the recent report of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Bush administration pushed the torturers from the beginning to find such a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. That was one of the major purposes of the entire effort, as only those on the inside truly understood.

But, even before the invasion, anyone paying attention should have been able to see that the administration's "evidence" had to be tainted the moment Mr. Bush stepped beyond the Geneva Conventions and began "working the dark side."

Having failed to catch the crime at the time, many major media figures and members of Congress are understandably reluctant to accuse Bush and Cheney of criminal conduct and bring them to trial now. How much easier just to forget the whole sordid mess and get on with the nation's business. But, if Congress and the media do, they will fail again, as Mr. Cheney's spirited defense of torture and unlimited presidential power will come back to haunt us all in the secret memos of a new administration not so many years from now.

It's a little difficult to maintain transparency in this atmosphere.

VIDEO-- Hillary Clinton: "I don't consider Cheney a reliable source." Oh, suh-nap!

By GottaLaff

Oh, suh-nap!



Hillary caused a little damage to the Nation of Dick. Looks like he just got owned by a giiiirl:

I am watching SOS Hillary Clinton's testimony to the House Foreign Affairs committee on CNN.com whereupon some Republican congressman (Dana Rohrabacher) asked about the wisdom in releasing the torture memos, and went on to quote Dick Cheney's statement to Fox News that torture works to keep us safe. He continued with Cheney's claim that there are memos that show that torture techniques work. Hillary abruptly cut the congressman saying acerbically:

"It won't surprise you that I don't consider Dick Cheney a particularly reliable source...I believe we ought to get to the bottom of this"

[...] It shut up the guy instantly.

Here are a couple of bonus quotes, this time regarding The Marxist Commie Handshake between President Obama and Hugo Chavez:

She just right now knocked away all that silly huffing and puffing about "handshake-gate." She described the book gift-giving incident as a case of Hugo Chavez camera hogging, including the way he deliberately positioned the book cover so that the title would catch the camera lens. She said:

I found it all amusing...President Obama was right; why should we be afraid of shaking somebody's hand...Iran is seeking influence in our hemisphere...we buy their (Venezuela) oil...let's see if we can turn some of this (animosity) around... [laughter]

To another "concerned Republican" about the Hugo Chavez handshake, she just said:

8 years of isolation hasn't worked. We've isolated him (Hugo Chavez), so he's gone elsewhere. He's a sociable guy, so he's found the sorts of friends we don't like. Eight years of isolation hasn't worked so let's try something else.

Hillary Clinton: Secretary of Snap.

Republican stalked by gossip site like he's a Hollywood starlet

Didn't see this one coming. He looks like just another overly polished Republican to me.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Having mastered the Hollywood gossip scene, celebrity site TMZ apparently has set its sights on a new conquest — Capitol Hill.

The site — owned by Time Warner, CNN’s parent company — has started accosting members of Congress, including Illinois Republican Rep. Aaron Schock, as they go about their work in Washington.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” Schock said of his first encounter with TMZ. “I was on my way to the floor for a vote, I’m talking to a constituent literally on my cell phone and there’s some guy with a handycam in street clothes walking next to me. And, so, I didn’t know what to expect.”

(snip)

The young Republican was recently voted the hottest freshman in the current Congress by readers of the Huffington Post, a liberal Web site, and he has already received a fair amount of personal attention from President Obama — though it was not enough to convince Shock to support Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package.

Democrats Likely to Bypass Senate GOP on Health Care

Yes, yes, yes. As the saying goes, it's majority not super majority rules!

Congressional Democrats are likely to use a parliamentary procedure to win passage this year of a national health-insurance program, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"For Congress to pass such a monumental program using a special maneuver would be unusual. But the tactic -- allowing legislation to pass the Senate with 51 votes rather than the 60 need to overcome a possible filibuster -- has been used by Republican and Democratic administrations to secure major initiatives, from Bill Clinton's tax increases in 1993 to George W. Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003."

VIDEO: MoveOn moves on

By GottaLaff

MoveOn is making changes:

It has nothing to "move on" from anymore. So the organization is shifting gears to more of a legislative agenda.

It will still be involved in politics, group officials say, particularly when a member of Congress doesn't vote the way it wants or if the group feels an elected official is out of touch with his or her constituents.

One issue MoveOn says it has gotten consensus on among its members is health care. As part of its focus on trying to get health-care reform passed, it is going up with a new ad, “They See Money," which "takes on the health insurance industry for their opposition to the public health insurance plan...," per a release.