Promises Kept

“Let’s be the generation that

makes future generations

proud of what we did here.”

– President Barack Obama –

From Vice President Joe Biden:

I believe in the power of public service because I've seen what it has done throughout our country's history to combat social and economic injustice. And I am proud to say it's a story that continues in the remarkable progress we've made in the past two years. To tell it, Organizing for America has written Promises Kept.

Take a look at the Promises Kept report of all the work we've done in two years—you can download a copy or have a few sent to you to share with friends.

There's a whole lot to be proud of.

Of course, the big ones come to mind first: historic health insurance reform, which is reining in the insurance companies and helping control the cost of care for millions of Americans; Wall Street reform, which put in place the toughest consumer protections ever; and the end of combat operations in Iraq, which brought more than 100,000 troops home.

And there is so much more you've helped achieve that is right now improving lives across the country:

• We passed the Recovery Act, which saved and created more than 3 million jobs, provided the largest middle-class tax cut in a generation, and made landmark investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and education.
• We made critical investments in General Motors and Chrysler, saving tens of thousands of jobs—and perhaps the companies—and spurring a rebirth of the American car industry.
• We wrote into law student loan reform and credit card reform, which ended the worst abuses of the banking industries and are making lending fair for American families.
• We put two new Supreme Court justices on the bench—Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who bring rich and diverse experience to the Court.
• We have begun to reset America's relationship with the international community, from the ratification of a new START nuclear arms treaty with Russia to tough new sanctions on Iran to strengthening our long-term partnership with a unified Iraq.
• And we finally repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which was the right thing to do—not only because it makes our military stronger at a time when it needs to be the strongest, but because we are seeking that military might with an abiding sense of justice.

Telling the story of the past two years will be critical to the fights ahead. And it's not just the story of this president or this White House—it's your story.

And it is literally proof that the organizing you do on the ground—the conversations you have with your friends and neighbors—is working.

Now, I'm not going to say the last two years were easy—and I won't tell you the fights ahead are going to get any easier.

But I didn't sign up for a cake walk. And I'm pretty sure you didn't either.

We're here to move our country forward. We're here to lay a new foundation for this country—for our economy, for our politics, and for our children's and grandchildren's futures.

And, as Barack says, what we will be able to accomplish together is in your hands.

It's how hard we all work, and how well we all tell this story.

Take a few minutes to read Promises Kept—and let's keep moving:

Thanks for everything,

Joe

Yikes -- What's Wrong with This Picture??

The political rhetoric this year reminds us of the following joke. How about you?


Did you hear the one about the old man who went to the doctor for his checkup and afterward the doctor came in with some bad news? The doctor said, "You have two serious problems. The first is you have cancer." The patient was surprised because he felt fine. The doctor next told the old man, "You have dementia." 
"Oh good," said the old man, "I thought you were going to tell me I have cancer." 


Doesn't this sound like today's Republicans who have conveniently forgotten how we got into this financial mess?!  

Why the Deficit is what it is

Figures from the Congressional Budget Office quoted in a New York Times article, "America's Sea of Red Ink was Years in the Making," by D. Leonhardt, have been converted to the chart at the beginning of these posts to graphically show where our current deficit has come from. It didn't just show up on Inauguration Day, January 2009!

Check out this clip from The Rachel Maddow Show, where Rachel explains why "not since FDR has a president done so much to transform this country."

http://my.barackobama.com/maddowclip-EMS

Sharing a Letter to Take Note of!

As Scott Walker prepares his taxpayer-funded campaign tour across Wisconsin, what is he leaving behind in Milwaukee? Years of mismanagement and neglect that have put some of the County’s most vulnerable people at risk.

News reports last week confirmed that under Scott Walker’s watch a pregnant patient was repeatedly sexually assaulted at Milwaukee County Behavioral Health. Now troubling stories are emerging that this may be institutional practice under Scott Walker.

Scott Walker’s hand-picked mental health executive said last week that the county intentionally houses female patients with men they know are dangerous "because the presence of women reduces the likelihood of the men being violent," according to news reports. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported yesterday that Scott Walker and his cronies consider this a reasonable “Trade Off.”

Scott Walker’s history of mismanagement and neglect goes back years. Under Scott Walker’s watch, assaults on staff jumped by 50 percent. One veteran nurse was battered in 2007, leaving the woman “with a concussion, bruises and memory lapses. Another nurse was choked. A third was punched in the eye.”

And in 2006 one patient starved to death and another was found starving and the state declared all patients were in immediate jeopardy, the highest alert possible after an inspection discovered 11 federal safety and health violations.

Scott Walker is blind to his own mismanagement and neglect. Fortunately, we are not. One year ago Scott Walker needed to be rescued by the state because his public assistance programs were denying basic food aid to struggling families during the national economic crisis.

Even in the midst of calls for an audit from state lawmakers, County Supervisors, and an investigation by an independent patient’s rights organization, Scott Walker somehow still claims that he “is in compliance with state and federal regulations.”

As someone who has spent years cleaning up after one of the worst county executives in Milwaukee history, I believe it’s time we Trade Off Scott Walker for someone who truly cares, not someone who cynically uses vulnerable female patients as pawns to distract violent male patients. It’s time we hold Scott Walker accountable for his history of failure.

Sincerely,

Rep. Tamara Grigsby

A good video from Organizing for America gives a quick explanation of how health reform will benefit your area and can be shared with friends and family.

Opponents of reform are already calling for its repeal -- and spreading outrageous lies about what it means for America.

We can't let them tear down public support for reform.

Share this link with everyone you know so they can get the truth about how many people in their state will benefit from reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/WhatItMeans

Natalie Foster
New Media Director
OFA