November 12, 2009 Edition

Honoring Our Veterans

Thanking Those Who Serve and Have Served.

After a Veterans Day breakfast in the East Room of the

White House, President Obama and the First Lady

joined Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden for a Veterans

Day Service at Arlington National Cemetery. The

President took part in the wreath-laying ceremony at

the Tomb of the Unknowns, before speaking to a crowd

gathered at the Memorial Amphitheater. Here’s an

excerpt from his remarks:

“Ninety-one years ago today, the battlefields of

Europe fell quiet as World War I came to a

close. But we don't mark this day each year as

a celebration of victory, as proud of that

victory as we are. We mark this day as a celebration of those who made victory possible. It's a day we

keep in our minds the brave men and women of this young nation -- generations of them -- who above all

else believed in and fought for a set of ideals. Because they did, our country still stands; our founding

principles still shine; nations around the world that once knew nothing but fear now know the blessings of

freedom.

“That is why we fight -- in hopes of a day when we no longer need to. And that is why we gather at these

solemn remembrances and reminders of war -- to recommit ourselves to the hard work of peace.

A Memorial Service in Fort Hood. On Tuesday, President Obama traveled to Fort Hood, TX to lead a memorial

service for the 13 victims of the incomprehensible tragedy there last week. President Obama mentioned each victim

by name, describing them and their families in personal terms. Here’s an excerpt:

“Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo spoke little English when he came to America as a teenager. But he put

himself through college, earned a PhD, and was helping combat units cope with the stress of deployment.

He's survived by his wife, sons and step-daughters.

“Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow joined the Army right after high school, married his high school sweetheart,

and had served as a light wheeled mechanic and satellite communications operator. He was known as an

optimist, a mentor, and a loving husband and loving father…

“It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know -- no

faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. For

what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice -- in this world, and the next…

“Long after they are laid to rest -- when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today’s

servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown -- it will be said that this generation

believed under the most trying of tests; believed in perseverance -- not just when it was easy, but when it

was hard; that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values

that live in the hearts of all free peoples…

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Happening this week

Health Insurance Reform Passes the House. In a historic vote last Saturday night, the House of Representatives

passed (220-215) its version of health reform legislation – the Affordable Health Care for America Act – a landmark

bill that will ensure every American has access to quality, affordable, stable and secure health care coverage. The Act

would crack down on some of the insurance industry’s worst practices, extend coverage to 36 million Americans and

cut the deficit by $104 billion over ten years. Groups representing doctors and farmers, seniors, consumers, and

cancer patients endorsed the bill. It passed the House with only one Republican vote.

CBO Score of the Senate Bill Expected Before the End of the

Week. As soon as the CBO releases its score of the Senate’s final health

reform bill (which blends elements from the Senate’s HELP and Finance

Committees) Senator Harry Reid is expected to bring it to the floor for

debate. The Senate could vote on a “motion to proceed” next week. On

Tuesday, former president Bill Clinton spoke at a luncheon for Senate

Democrats where he urged them to resolve their differences and pass an

overhaul as soon as possible. After the meeting, Clinton told reporters:

"It's not important to be perfect here. It's important to act, to move, to

start the ball rolling. There will be amendments to this effort, whatever

they pass, next year and the year after and the year after, and there

should be. It's a big, complicated, organic thing. But the worst thing to do

is nothing."

President Obama Traveling to Asia. President Obama will travel to Asia this week for meetings in Japan, China

Singapore and Korea. During meetings with the prime ministers of Japan and Singapore, the presidents of Russia,

Indonesia, China and South Korea, discussions are expected to include the global economic recovery agenda, on-

going operations in Afghanistan, our efforts to stop nuclear proliferation and the United States’ commitment to clean

energy and climate change. This is President Obama’s first trip to Asia (it also marks the first time in history that an

American president will meet with the 10 ASEAN countries).

December Jobs Summit at the White House . President Obama announced plans Thursday to host a “Forum for

Jobs and Economic Growth” at the White House. The Forum will convene business executives, economists, financial

experts and union leaders who will examine initiatives to accelerate job creation. Since the beginning of the

recession, we’ve lost more than 7 million jobs. The Administration has acted boldly to stabilize the financial system,

stem the foreclosure crisis and stimulate our economy; but despite the fact that the economy grew for the first time

in a year last quarter, economic growth has not yet resulted in job creation (jobs are historically a lagging economic

indicator). "We all know there are limits to what government can and should do even during such difficult times,"

President Obama said. "But we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible step that we can to

encourage and accelerate job creation in this country."

Organizing for America

THANK YOU! After the historic vote on Saturday, Organizing for

America is hosting “thank you” events across the country to thank

representatives for supporting health insurance reform. A few

stories from around the country:

Portland, ME . Portland Press Herald : About three

dozen supporters greeted [U.S. Rep. Chellie] Pingree as

she arrived at the Portland International Jetport from

Washington on Sunday morning. They carried flowers,

balloons, homemade cookies and signs praising her for

her vote. "I just wanted to thank Chellie Pingree for

stepping up and doing the right thing," said Maurie Hill,

a 63-year-old retired nurse from Standish. Pingree said

that although the House bill is not perfect, its passage

helps move the ball forward. Her advice to her Senate

colleagues? "Get voting!" she said. "It's not easy. We've

been working on this for 10 months."

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Las Vegas, NV. KVBC-TV: Congresswoman Shelley Berkley received a warm welcome when she arrived at

McCarran International Airport Sunday afternoon. She cast one of the 220 “yes” votes on the House floor

Saturday night, helping to pass President Obama’s health care reform bill. “It’s up there at the same level as

Social Security, Medicare, the civil rights legislation," she says. The bill would create a public option and

extend coverage to an estimated 96 percent of Americans, including many of the 460,000 Nevadans

currently uninsured… “People lose health insurance, don’t have coverage every day. That’s the biggest

concern for Nevadans,” says Jennifer Lopez, State Director for Organizing for America. “This bill will help

many, many people.”

Charleston, WV. Metro News: A coalition that pushed for health care reform is saying 'Thank You' to Third

District Congressman Nick Rahall for voting for the U.S House of Representatives health care reform bill last

weekend. The West Virginia AFL-CIO, West Virginia Education Association, West Virginians for Affordable

Health Care, WV-Citizen Action Group, West Virginia Nurses Association and Organizing for America

recognized Rahall Tuesday night at the West Virginia Health Right Building in Charleston. "We worked very

closely with them over a number of years to provide an affordable, accessible, high quality health care for

our people," says Congressman Rahall.

MUST READ: Great Piece on OFA. In a must-read piece from

Talking Points Memo – “Inside DNC’s Organizing for America”-

Christina Belantoni writes: "Nine months ago when the

Democrats who ran Barack Obama’s campaign created

Organizing for America, no one was sure exactly how it would

work or whether it was possible to harness the enthusiasm for

the new president and translate it into action. But nearing the

anniversary of Obama's election, OFA has strengthened into a

(smaller) mirror of the campaign, with volunteers in every single

Congressional district and staff on the ground in every state but

Oklahoma. They also are growing the Obama donor base. TPMDC

has learned that 24.7 percent of the donations made online to

OFA are new donors - people who didn't give during the

campaign. That's a pretty striking figure give that a record 3

million people donated during 2007 and 2008. Organizationally,

the boots-on-the-ground, Washington outsider vibe has translated into real results as well." The TPM piece was

followed up by a piece in ABC’s The Note, and a segment on ABC’s Top Line. Read the full transcript of Belantoni’s

interview with OFA Director Mitch Stewart and Deputy Director Jeremy Bird here. Spread the word!

Holding the GOP Accountable

32 Republicans Will Pay for Voting Against Their Districts on Health Reform. Thirty-two members of the

House, who represent districts President Obama won in 2008, voted against health insurance reform last weekend.

OFA supporters and volunteers are holding Republicans accountable for voting against the views of their constituents

and making sure these Republicans know there will be a political price to pay for standing with insurance companies

to right reform. Immediately following the vote, OFA asked constituents in these 32 districts to write letters to their

local papers and call their representatives offices. On Thursday, volunteers began scheduling visits to members’

offices to express their support for reform in person.

Here’s an excerpt from Mitch Stewart’s email to OFA supporters and volunteers in the 32 districts:

A little over a year ago, the congressional district you live in voted to send Barack Obama to the White

House and Rep . Dent to Congress. The message was clear: Rep. Dent's constituents want change, and

expect Rep. Dent to work with President Obama and reach across the aisle to help deliver it.

Last weekend, Rep. Dent was called upon to do just that, in the historic vote on health reform. The vote

offered a clear choice: Support a bill which draws upon ideas from both parties to guarantee 's district

residents secure, affordable health coverage without adding a cent to the deficit, or stand with the

insurance companies and right wing pundits to put politics above doing the right thing and stand in the way

of history. Unfortunately, Rep. made the wrong choice.

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Insurance company lobbyists are constantly visiting congressional offices in Washington, and Rep. may be

starting to forget the voters back home. There's one last upcoming vote in the House of Representatives

before health reform can become law, so there's still time to remind Rep. what your district wants by

arranging a visit o f your own.

Call ‘Em Out: House GOP. At 11:15 pm last Saturday

night the House pass hist oric health reform legislation. What

did Congressional Republicans do to promote honest and

rigorous debate? Not much. For the 12-hours leading up to

the vote, GOP members stood at the podium spouting lie

after lie in a last ditch effort to kill reform. This week we are

calling them out. Our video takes on the outrageous lies

during the House debate – that reform would result in a

government takeover, add to the deficit, hurt small

businesses, kick people off their insurance and cut Medicare

- and debunks each one. Watch it here.

Key Issues in the News & Background

Talking Points: House Votes to Pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act

-

Saturday night, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make the

promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people a reality.

-

The Affordable Health Care for America Act provides stability and security for Americans who have insurance;

quality affordable options for those who don’t; and brings down the cost of health care for families, businesses,

and the government, while strengthening the financial health of Medicare.

-

The legislation is fully paid for and will bring down the long-term federal deficit.

-

The House of Representatives’ historic step brings us far closer to comprehensive health insurance reform than

ever before.

-

Now it’s time for the United States Senate to follow suit.

-

Thanks to the long hours and hard work the Senate has already invested, it too is close to passing health reform

legislation. The agreement between the House and Senate versions of reform is remarkable.

o

Like the House bill, the Senate legislation would provide unprecedented security and stability for Americans

with insurance. It would provide quality, affordable options for Americans without insurance. And it would

lower costs for families, businesses, and our government.

o

And like the House version, the Senate proposal is also fully paid for and would reduce our national deficit.

-

President Obama looks forward to signing reform into law by the end of this year.

Talking Points: Controlling Costs for Families, Small Businesses, and the Government

From the beginning of this process, President Obama has been clear that health insurance reform must not

only provide security and stability for Americans with insurance and affordable options for uninsured

Americans, it must also slow the unsustainable rise in costs that is burdening families, threatening

businesses’ viability, and exploding our national deficit.

Fortunately, the House and Senate versions of reform several measures in common that will reduce the

rapid growth in health care costs and provide Americans with higher quality care including:

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o

Changing the way our system handles hospitalizations, to prevent mistakes and unnecessary

readmissions.

o

Creating incentives in the way we pay for care to reward quality of care rather than just the

quantity of procedures.

o

Giving physicians incentives to collaborate in the coordination of patient care.

o

Investing in research into determining what works and what doesn’t in health care.

o

Reducing hospital-acquired infections and other avoidable conditions acquired at health care

facilities through rigorous reporting and transparency.

o

Putting prevention first, rewarding care that focuses on wellness and treating the whole patient in

an integrated and coordinated delivery system.

o

Tackling the insurance bureaucracy, streamlining the payment system to save time and money that

is currently spent processing claims and navigating the insurance system.

o

Establishing a health insurance exchange with a public insurance option, where individuals and

small businesses can buy lower-cost insurance that will spur competition and put downward

pressure on costs.

These measures add to the down payment we’ve already made through the Recovery Act, to: switch from

paper records to computerized records; strengthen preventive care; invest in patient-centered health

research; and build up the workforce of primary care providers.

Several ideas that would help reduce the growth in costs are still being considered as the legislative process

moves forward, including:

o

A fee on insurance companies offering high-premium plans. This fee would create a strong

incentive for more efficient plans that would help reduce the growth of premiums.

o

Establishing a Medicare commission. The commission would propose and submit proposals to

Congress suggesting how to extend the solvency of Medicare, slow Medicare cost growth, and

improve the quality of care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries.

Talking Points: Forum On Jobs And Economic Growth

Over the past ten months, the Obama Administration has taken several bold actions to end the recession. The

Administration and Democrats in Congress have worked to stabilize the financial system, revive lending to small

businesses and families, and prevent responsible homeowners from losing their homes.

The Recovery Act has cut taxes for middle class families, extended and increased unemployment insurance, and

created and saved more than a million jobs.

The economy is now growing again for the first time in more than a year (GDP was up 3.5 percent during the

third quarter) – and faster than at any time in two years. But even though the loss of jobs has slowed, the

progress made on economic growth has not yet led to job creation. This is not wholly unexpected.

As President Obama has said, hiring often lags behind economic growth – given the magnitude of the recession,

many employers are reluctant to hire. Small businesses and large firms are demanding more of employees,

increasing hours, and adding temporary workers – but most of these companies have been willing to take the

next step and hire again. This is one of the great challenges that remain in our economy – a challenge the

Administration is determined to meet.

President Obama and his economic team discuss options for job creation and continued economic growth every

single day. As part of the ongoing process and as we move toward finalizing plans in the near future, they will

continue to consult with experts in a broad range of fields.

Our economy didn’t get into this crisis overnight and we won’t solve it overnight. Since the beginning of the

recession our economy has lost more than 7 million jobs. The Administration is open to a range of ideas from

across the spectrum, as the President and his team determine what the next steps are to address this crisis.

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Just last week President Obama discussed options for long term job creation with members of the President’s

Economic Recovery Advisory Board. The Forum for Jobs and Economic Growth is another opportunity to open up

this discussion to some of the best and the brightest.

CEOs and small business owners, academics and financial experts, labor leaders and nonprofits will be invited to

the Forum at the White House to discuss the best options for put Americans back to work.

The President wants to make sure that we do not make rash decisions – even driven by the best of intentions –

particularly at a time when our resources are so limited. But President Obama and his economic team are open

to any demonstrably good ideas to supplement the steps the Administration has already taken to help our

economy grow and put America back to work.

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