By GottaLaff
MoveOn nailed him, right down to the whiny voice and wrinkled sock face:
The video is part of a fundraising drive intended to defeat Lieberman's reelection campaign in 2012.
The group announced today that it has raised $1 million since Thursday.
By GottaLaff
Now MoveOn.org has come aboard:
President Obama is fighting back against FOX. The White House communications director said FOX is a “wing of the Republican Party…let’s not pretend they’re a news network.”
To draw attention to its biased coverage, President Obama will not appear on FOX for the rest of this year. Can you sign this petition asking Democrats to support President Obama’s stance by staying off FOX as long as he does?
A compiled petition with your individual comment will be presented to Democratic senators and representatives.
Seems the White House involvement has everyone all wee-wee'd up and ready to go!
By GottaLaff
This video speaks for itself. Powerful stuff.
MoveOn.org members and R.E.M. speak out for health care reform. We need a public option now.
By GottaLaff
I get e-mails:
Can you call Rep. Stark right away? Ask him to sign on to the Progressive Caucus letter to commit to only voting for health care reform with a strong public option when it comes to the House floor.
Representative Pete Stark
Phone: 202-225-5065
Report your call
Dear MoveOn member,Yesterday a small group of conservative Democrats who have been holding up health care reform cut a deal on the bill.
The good news: the deal allows a key vote to move forward. The bad news: it weakens the public health insurance option.
Now key progressives in Congress are fighting back for the public option. The Progressive Caucus is organizing representatives to sign a letter saying they'll only vote for real health care reform—with a strong public health insurance option—when legislation hits the House floor for a final vote.1
But this letter will only be as powerful as the number of representatives who sign on.
Can you call your representative, Pete Stark, right away? Ask him to sign on to the Progressive Caucus letter to commit to only voting for health care reform with a strong public option when it comes to the House floor.
Here's where to call:
Representative Pete Stark
Phone: 202-225-5065Then click here to let us know how the call went:
We've seen real momentum toward health care reform this year. Two other key House committees have already passed strong legislation, and poll after poll shows that the majority of Americans want reform. Make no mistake: we're closer to winning real reform than we've ever been.
But to make sure it happens, Congress needs to hear from you and the millions of others who support a real public health insurance option. The public option is the key to helping lower skyrocketing health care costs and expanding coverage to more Americans, and your voice is the key to making sure we get it this year.
Can you call Rep. Stark right away?
Here's where to call:
Representative Pete Stark
Phone: 202-225-5065The click the link below and let us know how it went:
Thanks for all you do.
–Nita, Ilya, Michael, Kat and the rest of the team
By GottaLaff
Suh-weet:
This one needs to get around.New ad showing the need for Obama's public health care option.
"It's just gonna force insurance companies to lower their rates!" And then even Rushpublics will be able to extend their life expectancy! What a disaster! Ga-a-a-ak!
Directed by Evan Benard for The Institute
Written by Laura Dawn & Daron Murphy
Produced by Sam Penfield for The Institute & Laura Dawn for MoveOn.org
Music: The Gowanus Sound Initiative
H/t: Dr. President
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.
By GottaLaff
I just got an e-mail from MoveOn.org, and this is what it said:
Want to see what change looks like? Real change?
Well, here it is. Last week, President Obama unveiled his budget—his blueprint for America—and it's ambitious, amazing, and unapologetically progressive. [...]
The plan:
- Makes a $634 billion down payment on fixing health care that will go a long way toward paying for a more efficient, more affordable health care system that covers every single American.3
- Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won't go up one dime.4
- Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced.5
- Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities.6
- Reverses growing income inequality. The plan lets the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire and focuses on strengthening the middle class.7
- Closes multi-billion-dollar tax loopholes for big oil companies.
- Increases grants to help families pay for college—the largest increase ever.9
- Halves the deficit by 2013. President Obama inherited a legacy of huge deficits and an economy in shambles, but his plan brings the deficit under control as soon as the economy begins to recover.10
- Dramatically increases funding for the SEC and the CFTC—the agencies that police Wall Street.11
- Tells it straight. For years, budgets have used accounting tricks to hide the real costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts, and too many other programs. Obama's budget gets rid of the smokescreens and lays out what America's priorities are, what they cost, and how we're going to pay for them.12
- Stops unnecessary government subsidies to big banks, health insurance companies and big agribusinesses.13,14,15
- Expands access to early childhood education and improves schools by investing in programs that make sure every child has a qualified, strong teacher.16
- Negotiates for better prescription drug prices using Medicaid's tremendous bargaining power.17
- Expands access to family planning for low-income women.18
- Caps the pollution that causes global warming, and makes polluters pay to support clean energy innovation.19
This is the change we voted for. President Obama has done his part, now we need to do ours.
Sources:1. "Climate of Change," The New York Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/opinion/27krugman.html? em 2. "Obama Calls His Budget Sweeping, Needed Change," The New York Times, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51201&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=2 3. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=3 4. "Obama Expects Fight Over $3.55 Trillion Budget Plan," Bloomberg News, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51203&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=4 5. "Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=5 6. "The Economic Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan," The New York Times, March 1, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/weekinreview/01glanz. html 7. "Tax Cuts," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-tax. html 8. "Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=6 9. "Student Loans," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu. html 10. "Obama unveils budget blueprint," CNN, February 26, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/26/budget/ 11. "Obama budget would boost SEC, CFTC, FBI," Reuters, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51205&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=7 12. "Obama's budget," Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51206&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=8 13. "Student Loans," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu. html 14. "Health Insurance Stocks Dive on Medicare Advantage Cuts," The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51207&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=9 15. "Agriculture," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-agri. html 16. "Investing Wisely in Our Children," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51208&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=10 17. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=11 18. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=12 19. "Setting 'Green' Goals," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51209&id=15687-5387478- 9IBP5xx&t=13
Heh.
A truly clever MoveOn gimmick allows Obama supporters to customize the video above to nudge friends to vote.
By GottaLaff
I got this e-mail just now:
Dear MoveOn member,I thought you might be interested. This is what we're up against. At least MoveOn is trying to do something about it.On Saturday, the Associated Press (whose articles are published in thousands of newspapers nationwide) wrote a story about Barack Obama's vice presidential pick that sounded more like right-wing FOX than an unbiased news organization. Under the headline "Biden pick shows lack of confidence," the AP wrote:
The candidate of change went with the status quo. In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness—inexperience in office and on foreign policy...He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate—the ultimate insider...The Biden selection is the next logistical step in an Obama campaign that has become more negative..."1 (Emphasis added)
This isn't an isolated incident for the AP reporter who wrote this story, Ron Fournier—who was recently appointed as the AP's Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief. A recent study by media watchdog group Media Matters found that Fournier's presidential coverage has consistently smeared Democrats and favored John McCain.2
The AP is accountable to the local papers that print their articles. Can you write a letter to the papers in your area today? Tell them to contact the national AP to let them know that local readers' trust of the AP will be gone if Ron Fournier continues his biased reporting that smears Democrats and favors McCain.
Click here to submit a letter quickly and easily (we've included some points to help you with your letter):
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4087&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=1 A congressional investigation recently uncovered an email Fournier sent to Karl Rove in 2004, telling him to "Keep up the fight."3 Plus, it was recently revealed that Fournier talked to top McCain campaign operatives in 2007 about being a senior McCain political adviser!4 Given all this, Fournier has an obligation to the public to show that his journalism will not be skewed toward McCain.
But during the 2008 primary, Fournier wrote what amounted to a bunch of smear jobs on Barack Obama and the Clintons. Here are some of the "fair and balanced" pieces he wrote:Headline: "Sen. Hillary Clinton an Artful Dodger" Excerpt: "Slick Hillary? Former President Clinton earned the nickname 'Slick Willy' for his mastery in the political arts of ducking and dodging...His wife may not be as smooth, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is doing a passable impression of the ever-parsing former president."5
Headline: "Obama walks arrogance line" Excerpt: "There's a line smart politicians don't cross—somewhere between "I'm qualified to be president" and "I'm born to be president." Wherever it lies, Barack Obama better watch his step. He's bordering on arrogance."6
Headline: "Clinton's Politics of Pity" Excerpt: "Poor Hillary. After trying to save her sinking candidacy with awkward turns of flattery and sarcasm, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton resorted to a new tactic in Tuesday night's debate: self-pity."7
Meanwhile, Media Matters could only find one negative piece Fournier wrote about Republicans during the entire primary—and that was trashing Mitt Romney for beating John McCain in Michigan!8
Can you write a letter to the papers in your area? Tell them to contact the national AP to let them know that local readers' trust of the 160-year-old AP will be gone if Ron Fournier continues his biased reporting that smears Democrats and favors McCain.You can submit a letter quickly and easily by using this link:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4087&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=2 Thanks for all you do to hold the media accountable.
–Adam G., Noah, Nita, Justin, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Analysis: Biden pick shows lack of confidence," Associated Press, August 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4083&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=3 2. "The AP has a Ron Fournier problem," Media Matters, July 22, 2008
http://mediamatters.org/columns/200807220006 3. "Fournier to Rove: 'Keep Up the Fight," TPM, July 14, 2008
4. "One of Fournier's job options: McCain," Politico.com, July 30, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4002&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=4
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4001&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=5 5. "Sen. Hillary Clinton an Artful Dodger," Associated Press, June 20, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4006&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=6 6. "Obama walks arrogance line," Associated Press, March 17, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=4007&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=7 7. "AP Opinion: Clinton's politics of pity," Associated Press, February 27, 2008
8. "Analysis: Mitt won, authenticity lost," Associated Press, January 15, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=
http://www.katu.com/news/16028377.html 4004&id=13571-5387478-2ECX8xx& t=8
By GottaLaff
Comedy Central has chosen the above ad by MoveOn.Org to run for a week:
Humor is always a great vehicle for communication and for creating a bond. I know that to be true, because I teach comedy. Making people laugh also makes people listen. If I can get talkative hormonal teens with permanently affixed iPods and cell phones to listen, MoveOn should be able to reach a few young voters with a funny 30 second ad. Funny works.For the first time, Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and “The Colbert Report” will be broadcasting a political advertisement, one promoting Senator Barack Obama.
Tony Fox, a spokesman for Comedy Central, said he did not know why the cable channel had not accepted political advocacy advertising before, but said of the decision to do so now: “Political advertising in an election year is good business.”
He also said that this particular spot, produced by members of MoveOn.org Political Action, the liberal action group, was humorous and would be a good fit with Comedy Central’s young, politically sophisticated audience. It is entitled “It Could Happen to You” and features Rider Strong, the former star of “Boy Meets World,” and Amber Benson of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
MoveOn will spend $150,000 to run it for one week on Comedy Central and MTV, which had not accepted political advertising for more than a decade but reversed that policy a month ago. [...]MoveOn said its commercial was “in part” a response to an anti-Obama commercial that ran last week on MTV by Let Freedom Ring, a conservative advocacy group. It said it also wants to try to increase turnout among young voters.
“It Could Happen to You” was selected by members of MoveOn.org in a contest for 30-second pro-Obama videos and was voted the funniest. The title refers to the possibility that voters could catch Mr. Obama’s message of hope, making fun of “hope” as if it were a contagious disease.
The spot is to run both nationally and on local cable in Washington, D.C., where political journalists are likely to see it and promote it for free.
By GottaLaff
Move on, MoveOn:
MoveOn.org announced today that it is dismantling its 527 group in response to Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy.
The MoveOn Voter Fund, which was able to take in unlimited donations, has been essentially dormant since 2004, when it brought in $20 million of the group’s $50 million-haul. MoveOn will rely instead on its political action committee, MoveOn Political Action which can take in up to $5,000 from an individual.
Mr. Obama, who announced yesterday that he would not take public financing for his general election campaign, has been critical of the influence of outside groups, especially the so-called 527 groups, seen by many as a soft-money loophole.
By GottaLaff
Here's the new MoveOn/American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees video to give you a break from all the dry numbers:
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?
6/15/08
--- Approve 29 --- Disapprove 68
a. Race of the candidate Important 23 Not Important 77
b. Age of the candidate Important 40 Not Important 60
Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of (NAME)?
Barack Obama 63
John McCain 56Obama McCain
a. is the stronger leader 46 46
b. would do more to bring
needed change to Washington 60 26
c. better represents your own
personal values 51 38
d. better understands the
problems of people like you 53 35
e. would do more to stand up to
lobbyists and special interest
groups 51 36
There is so much more.
By Paddy
Cliff made the SanFran Chronicle- go read it, but here's his bit-
While the national press has been slow to focus on the lobbyist story while zooming in on the ongoing Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton battle, that has changed in recent days. Outlets like the Washington Post and NBC News have published and aired stories on the lobbyist ties of McCain's aides and cited MoveOn's online "fire Black" campaign. Activists see it as a hopeful sign that the national press may end its comfy clinch with McCain. "Because the Democrats are still fighting the primary battle, a lot of us got tired of waiting around," said Cliff Schecter, author of "The Real McCain: Why Conservatives Don't Trust Him and Why Independents Shouldn't" - an attempt to debunk Arizona senator's media-burnished image as a "maverick."
Still, Schecter and others acknowledged that it is hard to change the media image of someone who has been in the public spotlight since he was a Vietnam POW 40 years ago.
We previously showed you the clip of the web ad. The national cable ad is similar. Here is part of the release which explains all:
New TV Ad Exposes McCain's Lobbyist Ties,
Calls For McCain to Fire Chief Advisor Charlie Black
A new national television ad calls on John McCain to fire his chief campaign advisor, lobbyist Charlie Black. The MoveOn.org Political Action ad, which will start running tomorrow, comes on the heels of five McCain staff resignations in the past two weeks due to past lobbying ties to foreign governments and interests, and conflicts of interest.
The television ad follows a similar Web video and will air nationally on cable. The ad is based on a video, viewable here: http://pol.moveon.org/charlieblack/video.html.
Charlie Black, one of John McCain's top advisers, ran the lobbying firm BKSH & Associates, which represented brutal dictators like Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in Angola. Black also profited off the war in Iraq by representing firms such as Blackwater and Iraqi fraudster Ahmed Chalabi. Working with Chalabi, Black's firm helped promote the lie, later repeated by the Bush Administration, that the Hussein regime possessed weapons of mass destruction.
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