Public Option Fundraiser Nets $100k In 24 Hours

[freddie mertz]

Source: Huffington Post

Ryan Grim: A fundraiser launched by progressive bloggers as part of an increasingly aggressive response to White House backsliding on health care reform has out-raised any such effort in the past.

Donations in support of Democrats who back a public insurance option as part of health care reform have topped $100,000 from more than 1,500 donors in 24 hours and counting.

The most successful effort to date had been organized around the online community's opposition to retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that collaborated with the Bush administration to spy on Americans. The issue galvanized liberals, but community only raised about $350,000 over the course of a month, said Howie Klein, Blue America PAC's founder and treasurer.

The effort is being driven by FireDogLake.com and backed by blogs across the country. It was launched in reaction to the White House signaling over the weekend that it was backing off the public option as key to health care reform. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday that a public option was "not essential"; Obama himself called it a "sliver" of the total reform effort; spokesman Bill Burton, on Tuesday, called it "just a piece" of the overhaul.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/19/public-option-fundraiser_n_262955.html

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Seems a good thing, this.

[freddie mertz]

1. OOPS

Looks like a dupe!

Sorry.

[3waygeek]

2. For a fundraiser, that's pretty good..

however, it's what some of the top health insurance CEOs make in a day, or what health care lobbyists spend in 100 minutes to ensure that we don't get the reform we need.

That should give you some idea what we're up against. Having said that, we're doing remarkably well in spite of being so grossly outspent -- we get more bang for our bucks than they do.

[LaPera]

3. I was one of them...everyone should donate through FireDogLake.com - for Public Option!

[Iowa]

4. I agree in principle...

...but there should be a system in place to refund every dime to the donors if the public option fails. I say this for two reasons:

1) Most politicians, including most Dems, are liars and cons. Once they know the public option is going down, they'll free up some reps to support it - just to try and keep the base on-board. And many of the reps who pretend to be on our side will be in on it. They'll make a show of "trying". It's all theater. I wouldn't want one dime of my money going to some con-artist when there are so many other important causes that need my financial support.

2) Just casting a vote in support of a public option isn't nearly enough. We need to see solid evidence that they truly twisted arms to get it passed. There's a lot more to being a representative of the people than filling a chair and casting a vote, and they shouldn't get one dime unless a strong public option actually survives the process and is passed into law.

Politicians are masters at making it appear that they're helping us, when in reality they are actually screwing us. We allow ourselves to be abused by lying politicians, and there's really no system in place to analyze (from the inside) what they are really doing for us (or to us).

In view of all of this, I am reluctant to fork over money to politicians without requiring a lot more from them than this seems to be requiring. I've been burned by these bums too many times.

[Thickasabrick]

5. I did too! I feel they are my lobbyist...I don't mind paying for that nt