Dear MoveOn member,
Imagine waking up just a few days from now, turning on the news, and feeling like you've been punched in the gut.
Imagine finding out that, in the dead of night, 50 Republicans (with help from Mike Pence) flipped just three Senate votes and passed the Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill—a bill that would take away health care from tens of millions of Americans, drive up insurance premiums, slash Medicaid funding by hundreds of billions of dollars, and eviscerate protections for pre-existing conditions.
That's a terrible thing to imagine—but could come true in just a matter of days.
Now imagine the alternative: The resistance—that includes you, Eddie—mounts an all-hands-on-deck, 72-hour push to stop Trumpcare ... And together, we win!
Imagine tens of millions of Americans—including those actively fighting cancer or dealing with debilitating chronic conditions—celebrating getting to keep their health coverage. The resistance, once again, showed that we are powerful. Energized, we've set the stage to win a clean Dream Act, block the worst elements of Trump's "Robin Hood in reverse" tax plan, and build the groundwork and infrastructure that progressives need to take back power in 2018 and 2020, as well as setting the stage for a more proactive debate on truly expanding access to health care as a human right.
Republicans have never been this close to passing Trumpcare—to stop them, we need three Republicans to commit to voting against it, and that hasn't happened yet. Though momentum seems to be on our side, with Senator John McCain announcing his apparent opposition to the bill on Friday, this is still WAY too close for comfort. We have just days before a key procedural deadline to ensure we defeat this terrible bill, and a vote is expected as early as Wednesday.
What our future will look like is up to us—and how well we organize. Which is why I'm writing you to ask:
The latest version of Trumpcare is really bad—it's the worst one so far. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said that the bill is even "more radical" than the previous versions of Trumpcare.1 Insurance companies have come out against it, as has a national organization of Medicaid program directors, with includes members from the reddest of red states.2,3
In short: The Graham-Cassidy bill is pretty much the worst piece of legislation that I've ever seen. And the polling shows that the bill is as unpopular as it deserves to be. Just 24% of Americans support the latest version of Trumpcare, while the Affordable Care Act is supported by 54%.4
I could give you reason after reason why this latest version of Trumpcare shouldn't be considered. (Is tens of millions of Americans losing their health care reason enough? How about taking away protections for pre-existing conditions?)
Senator Chuck Grassley recently said, "Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign."5 Republicans believe that they must pass this bill because they promised their most hard-right supporters that they would—no matter how deadly it is. The only way to stop them is to make them realize that their constituents will hold them accountable if they follow through. We have to get Republicans to see that the political price is just too high.
And that's where MoveOn's all-hands-on-deck push comes in. With your help, MoveOn will reach every possible constituent of on-the-fence senators, make sure that senators' phones ring off the hook, ensure that protests happen at senators' offices, and that hard-hitting ads run during the crucial last 72 hours.
I know that a lot has been asked of you in recent months. But the moment we're in requires sustained effort from all of us. If you're frustrated, you're not the only one—believe me, I'm frustrated, too. And so is former President Barack Obama. He recently said that it's "frustrating to have to mobilize every couple of months to keep our leaders from inflicting real human suffering on our constituents."6
But consider how well our mobilization is working so far. We're successful because we don't give up.
Sustained mobilization during dark political times is the only way that permanent progress will be won, so I hope that you'll join me in this huge push for our collective values.
Thanks—so much—for all you do.
–Robert Reich
Sources:
1. "I've covered the GOP repeal plans since day one. Graham-Cassidy is the most radical." Vox, September 20, 2017
https://act.moveon.org/go/15979?t=5&akid=190329%2E10220574%2EhGMiyB
2. "Medicaid directors issue warning on new ObamaCare repeal bill," The Hill, September 17, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/16256?t=7&akid=190329%2E10220574%2EhGMiyB
3. "Top doctor, hospital, and insurance groups release joint statement urging the Senate to reject Graham-Cassidy bill," Business Insider, September 23, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/16257?t=9&akid=190329%2E10220574%2EhGMiyB
4. "Poll: only 24% of Americans approve of Graham-Cassidy," Vox, September 22, 2017
https://act.moveon.org/go/15980?t=11&akid=190329%2E10220574%2EhGMiyB
5. "The one major reason Graham-Cassidy could pass," CNN, September 21, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/16258?t=13&akid=190329%2E10220574%2EhGMiyB
6. "Obama: It's 'Frustrating' To Have To Convince Lawmakers Not To Inflict 'Real Human Suffering,'" The Huffington Post, September 20, 2017
http://act.moveon.org/go/16259?t=15&akid=190329%2E10220574%2EhGMiyB
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