Tomorrow night: Watch Party near you

 

On Wednesday night, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, President Obama is delivering a major address on health insurance reform to a special joint session of Congress. It'll be a historic event -- and a turning point in our push for real reform. So we've organized special watch parties that night for all Organizing for America supporters, their friends, neighbors, and families -- and a local volunteer has decided to host one in your area. We'll gather together to hear directly from the President. And after the speech, everyone at these parties will be able to take part in an important conference call with former Obama for America campaign manager David Plouffe about the work we'll still need to do to help pass real reform this year. Will you come to a watch party during the President's address on Wednesday evening? This is a great opportunity to interact with other supporters who share your passion for reform at this critical moment. And it's an even better time to bring along that friend or co-worker who has had questions about reform or has heard a lot of the misinformation -- on Wednesday night, they'll be able to hear the facts straight from the President. With Congress back in session, we're ready to kick off the final sprint toward passing real reform. There's no better way to do it than coming together as a community. Hope you can make it. Find a watch party near you: http://my.barackobama.com/WatchParties Thanks, Jeremy Jeremy Bird Deputy Director Organizing for America P.S. -- If you can't find a party that works for you, just click below to host your own, then invite your friends and neighbors: http://my.barackobama.com/HostSept9

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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"Sanders Unfiltered: Afghanistan"

 

Issue September 04, 2009 - http://sanders.senate.gov Unfiltered: Afghanistan Senator Sanders is deeply concerned that we appear to be getting pulled into another quagmire from which we don't know how to exit – this time, in Afghanistan.  Without the kind of national debate this country needs, we are sending in more and more troops and spending more and more money on this war.  This is an issue about which we need a lot more clarity and a lot more debate.  Watch this week's "Senator Sanders Unfiltered" episode here.  Submit your own video query on any subject here.  Get a reminder about every Thursday's video on the Brave New Films' Twitter page or the senator's Facebook page. Watch this week's Unfiltered episode on Afghanistan. Watch for a new one every Thursday.  If you would like to send Senator Sanders a comment click here.

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The Divided We Fail August Recess Update

 

August Recess 2009 | CAMPAIGN UPDATE | Congress is just now wrapping up its August recess. Across the country, the debate on health care reform has reached a fever pitch. With your help, Divided We Fail has been working hard to make sure lawmakers don't forget what's at stake. Last month, thousands of Divided We Fail supporters sent a message to their senators and hundreds of activists have called the local offices of their representatives in Congress. As we look toward the next few months in Congress, it's our job to remind lawmakers that millions of Americans and businesses big and small are relying on both parties to work together to pass meaningful reform. | SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT | Even for most of us who are following this debate closely, it's getting hard to separate the myths from the facts about health care reform. That's why a recent AARP Bulletin took a look at some of the persistent myths about health care reform, how they arose, and what the three leading bills actually say about those issues. Set the record straight: read the article and then forward it along to your friends and family. | WORKING TOGETHER | Despite what you're hearing in the news, the reality is there is still broad agreement over most of the major components of reform. Take Divided We Fail, for example – a coalition that has united older Americans, labor interests and businesses big and small in the interest of reform. We're living proof that we can't let partisanship stand in the way of meaningful reform, and we're letting Congress know. Read the letter that Divided We Fail sent to Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee that lays out our shared health care reform principles. | WHAT DO YOU THINK? | Divided We Fail has been using Twitter over the past several months to keep the discussion going on health care reform. We've been following the latest news, sharing our favorite links, and keeping Divided We Fail followers in-the-know. Twitter is a great way to get concise updates throughout the month and participate in the ongoing, live debate. Check out Twitter now, and if you're on Twitter, follow us (and we'll follow you back)!   About Divided We Fail We are committed to protecting your privacy. We do not sell or rent your email address to any other party. See our privacy policy for additional information. AARP 601 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20049

 

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Health Care, Fiscal Wake-Up tour, and more updates

 

Friday, September 4 , 2009   Headlines - Audio: Senator Collins discusses health care reform - Video: Senator Collins takes part in  'Fiscal Wake-Up Tour' - Senator Collins attends Lincoln Pulp and Tissue's 5th Anniversary BBQ - $40 million for Evergreen Wind Power in Danforth - $100 million for Saco Defense project - Weekly Column- Border Matters: U.S. and Canada   Senator Collins discusses health care reform Senator Collins spoke with Ric Tyler and George Hale on WVOM last week about health care reform. Click below to listen.   Senator Collins takes part in 'Fiscal Wake-Up Tour'   Senator Collins participated in a Fiscal Wake-Up Tour event hosted by the Concord Coalition. Senator Collins, former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby, Stuart Butler of the Brookings Institution, and Will Marshall from the Progressive Policy Institute discussed present and future fiscal policy... Read more >>   Click below to watch video of the event       Lincoln Pulp and Tissue's 5th Anniversary BBQ Senator Collins met with employees and their families at Lincoln Pulp and Tissue's 5th anniversary barbeque. $40 million for Evergreen Wind Power in Danforth  U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $40,441,471 grant funding to Evergreen Wind Power in Danforth.   The funding is being distributed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and is part of $502 million in awards announced today intended to provide cash assistance to energy companies in place of earned tax credits.  According to the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Treasury, the new funding creates additional upfront capital, enabling companies to create jobs and begin construction on planned projects.   "Investment is critical if Maine is to become a leader in the development of wind power.  This funding will assist Evergreen Wind Power tap this potential and will help create good-paying, clean energy jobs in Maine," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement.   Read more >> Senator Collins announces $100 million for Saco Defense project Senator Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that the U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products with a contract valued at $100 million.  The indefinite quantity contract is for M2 flex machine guns that will be produced at its facility in Saco.   "The Army continues to look to Saco Defense for state-of-the-art quality equipment on which our service members rely.  I applaud the men and women of Saco Defense as they, once again, work to supply our troops with the very best arms and equipment," said Senator Collins.   The contract is estimated to be completed by April 2012.   Weekly Column- Border Matters: U.S. and Canada Weekly column by Senator Susan Collins   The United States and Canada have a long history of cooperation on matters ranging from defense and national security to environmental protection and trade.  This relationship is especially important in Maine, where our Atlantic Canada neighbors often are co-workers, colleagues, friends and family.   In most cases, the border we share is an avenue to friendship and commerce.  On occasion, unfortunately, it can be a barrier to understanding and progress.  It is essential that those barriers be removed whenever possible.   I recently met with President Obama's nominee to be our next ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, who currently serves as a Special Assistant to the President at the White House.  He is a lawyer with extensive experience in commercial, securities, insurance, and business law. I used our meeting as an opportunity to discuss several contentious issues with Canada that must be resolved.  Read more >>  Stay up to date with Senator Collins at Collins.Senate.Gov

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This mailing system may only be used for sending permission based email. If you did not give permission to receive emails from this sender, please notify us.  Print / PDF version | Read our Privacy Policy. Sen. Susan Collins - 413 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, 20510, United States

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The real story of August

 

At the beginning of August, President Obama wrote to the OFA community to challenge us to work hard, break through the noise and give the American people a voice in the fight for health insurance reform. It wasn't easy: With Congress back home, special interests and partisan attack groups went into overdrive spreading lies, and the media seemed to broadcast any story of conflict or division they could find. But you accepted the President's challenge -- and delivered. See it for yourself: Check out the latest photos and stories from around the country. Our strategy for the month was simple: engage the millions of individuals who know we need change to fight the lies and tell the truth, build support for reform, and ensure that support is highly visible while members of Congress are home gauging public opinion. We continued our methodical, battle-tested approach of volunteers reaching out online and offline in every part of the country. We offered the facts, answered questions and engaged those who were ready to get involved. And the results were extraordinary. OFA supporters like you came together in an unprecedented way over the past four weeks -- and it couldn't have happened without the individual volunteers who make it all possible: Folks like Rebecca E. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who voted for the first time last year -- and collected more than 1,800 health care declarations this summer. Across the country, we've collected more than 1 million signatures in support of the President's core principles for health insurance reform. Supporters like Nita L. in Longmont, Colorado, who organized hundreds of supporters in her town to come with her to talk with their member of Congress about how much this fight means to them. They were among the more than 70,000 folks who showed up at 350 town halls -- where supporters of reform at times outnumbered opponents by 10-1 -- and volunteers who made 65,000 trips to local congressional offices. It's the people who made more than 100,000 calls to Congress to thank representatives fighting for change -- like Nancy T. in Hendersonville, North Carolina, who hosted a health care phone booth because, after her heart transplant, she knows that no American should have to choose between financial ruin and getting the care they need. It's the 1,500 supporters who filled a local recreation center in Kansas City, Missouri, at a town hall meeting with Senator Claire McCaskill, and the 2,500 people who jammed the streets to hear from Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio -- just two of the more than 4,000 events where folks gathered to show their support across all 50 states in August. All of these signatures, calls, office drop-bys, conversations, gatherings, and town hall meetings, all of the late nights, homemade signs, long hours in the sun, and tireless volunteers who make it happen -- totaling more than 1.5 million people who've taken part in this campaign for real reform -- it all adds up to one incredible movement for change. Check out the latest photos and stories from the field to see this movement in action: http://my.barackobama.com/ontheground As Congress returns to D.C. and we roll up our sleeves for the final push toward reform, we know the hardest work may yet lie ahead. The special interests and those in Congress who have pledged to oppose the President no matter what will stoop even lower in the weeks ahead. But you should never doubt that we face the coming challenges together, as part of something far larger than any of us alone -- and far stronger than the old broken politics that have preserved the status quo for long enough. Our strategy is working. We are going to win this thing. Americans will finally get the health insurance reform we all need. Thank you for making it possible, Mitch Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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Jumpstart & Mary-Louise Parker Hit National Newsstands... Read All About It!

 

	Mary-Louise Parker said it best: "Nothing but good can come from teaching children to read." Jumpstart's Read for the Record spokesperson, and award winning actress, Mary-Louise Parker is featured in the Cause Celeb section of the September issue of InStyle magazine! As spokesperson, Parker encourages all Americans to pledge to read on October 8 as part of Jumpstart's Read for the Record. Your participation supports Jumpstart's year-round literacy program for children in low-income communities. There's never been a better time to get involved! InStyle was on hand as the Tony-, Emmy- and Golden Globe- winning actress visited a preschool classroom in a low-income community served by Jumpstart. There, she read Jumpstart's Read for the Record official Campaign book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar to eager ears, and filmed a public service announcement for the Campaign. Mary-Louise Parker spoke about why she cares so deeply about Jumpstart's cause: "Books allow you to relate to what you don't understand, which teaches you compassion," the actress told InStyle. "It's why I'm so passionate about the organization."
	Forward to a Friend   Jumpstart's Read for the Record 308 Congress St., 6th Floor Boston, MA 02210 617.542.5867 x200

ABOUT JUMPSTART  Since 1993, Jumpstart has been bringing at-risk preschool children and caring adults together in intensive, year-long relationships to build the vital literacy, social, and emotional skills children need to thrive. Jumpstart delivers a research-based, best practice curriculum to nearly 15,000 preschoolers in 76 communities in 20 states across America. Jumpstart is working toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.  For more information, visit http://www.jstart.org/.