Dear Mr. Obama:
My boyfriend, roommate and I about threw household items at the TV when we heard you diminish the chance of you and the Dems championing the public option. You have made the argument that Medicare and the VA are government run and successful (but in need of some reform to control costs). If those are so good, then we should pass the public option, forcing the hands of the Blue Dogs and ignoring the GOP who won't go along with anything anyway. I left the GOP b/c I was sick of their "rich-only" policies and their corporate welfare over the welfare-of-the-people policies, their preferential treatment of large corporations over small businesses and LLCs, and because of the Religious Right's take over. I'm an active DEM, but always embarrassed that we have no testicular fortitude as a party. You are a weak president who is not using the bully pulpit, you and your aides seem (forgive me if I'm wrong) to have assumed that your charisma would carry the argument. It's time to force blue dogs: if you don't agree with this public plan, then you won't get squat for your states. All concessions in the other parts of the reform plan that were to bring GOP and the Blue Dogs along should be stripped if there is no public option. We may lose our majority (we'll lose seats anyway) in 2010 if we pass the public option. But in the long run it will be a GOOD bill that we can point back to as we are now pointing to Medicare's success. If we DON'T pass this bill with the public option, then it will be a bad one, and the GOP will later point to it as a failed big government Democratic-crafted bill. Health care costs will continue to rise and the GOP will then go after Medicare b/c it will be insolvent. Mr. Obama, it's time you fire your aides (if they'll let you see this) or start being the boss, one or the other. My family in TN is sick over this, my boyfriend, roomie and I are NOT insurable. No one in my family is! We couldn't afford coverage even with our incomes b/c of our health, even if the health insurance companies were forced to cover us. The premiums would be horrible! Please, pass REAL health care reform. First FISA, then your horrible anti-gay letters regarding DOMA (yes, I'm aware of the latest brief, but what's done is done), no movement on Don't Ask Don't Tell, and now no public option because we don't want to lose our majority? So what if we have a majority and we don't use it? Health care for all is a MORAL issue. Right now DEMS are weak, adn we DESERVE to lose seats! I'm close to despair. This letter is being shared on blogs and facebook.
