I don't think it is productive to attack motive. We are focused on working very hard to get a strong public option passed.
The president does not seem to be very pro-active, although he claims that health care is his first priority. Do you find his attitude and strategy surprising?
We saw former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton be completely pro-active, drawing up their own bill, and trying to push it through Congress, but those efforts failed. Obama is trying a different approach, working with Congress and letting them work out the legislation, and hoping that combined effort will get quality health care reform passed. Our job as activists is not to sit back and kvetch and second guess; it is to organize, organize, and organize to build he pressure for change. The pressure for change always comes from below.
Some reports indicate that the public option, a poor stand-in for single payer which may or may not be better than nothing,has been weakened or even deleted from pending legislation. Our elected officials clearly are listening more to the health industry lobbyists than to the voters in their districts. So, what can Americans do about it?
The good thing right now is that there are still no final bills on either side of Congress, so there is still plenty of time to make sure we don't end up with a watered-down public option, or worse yet, no public option at all. What people can do is call their representatives right now and tell them they demand a public option, and inform their friends and family to do the same. This is a fight we cannot afford to lose! The more we focus on getting people involved, the more effective we will be.
Do you feel that passing something, even with a watered down public option or none at all, is truly better than nothing?
No, I don't agree with that at all. There are special times for particular issues, and this is the perfect time for health care reform. The time for change and action is now, and it is our responsibility as American citizens to demand that we have comprehensive health care reform. We cannot afford to settle for watered-down plans or lack of a public option. We need comprehensive health care reform now!
Do you have any links for our readers?
I'd like to invite them to check out our health care reform campaign, Sick for Profit at http://sickforprofit.com, where they can see the drastic contrast between the rich lifestyles of Health Insurance CEOs, and how their companies and this flawed system are failing to care for their policyholders. We also invite them to share their own stories about being mistreated by their health care providers.
Thank you very much for talking with us, Robert. Good luck with your campaign for real heath care reform!
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Postscript:
I asked how Brave New Films measures the impact of Sick for Profit. Communications Director, Martha de Hoyos provided this snapshot:
YouTube one-week total views: 108,162 views and 1,500 comments.
Article about Sick for Profit video made front page of Huffington Post with over 1350 comments.
Monday, August 10th (single day): 15,419 visitors to the Sick for Profit site.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
