Have you recovered from the Oscars? Happy with the winners? In addition to the glitz (and dramatized Nazi killing, bomb defusing, Avataring) on display last night, the world continues spinning. Here are a few nuggets:
Iraq: nearly two-thirds of all Iraqis voted in this weekend’s national elections, despite the threat – real and actual – of violence. Remarkable.
Health care: sounds like things are coming to a close on the details of the health care bill (more on that later). In the meantime, if you are in D.C. and want to get involved in some good old-fashioned protesting, tomorrow (Tuesday, March 9th) thousands of activists will hit the streets to protest big insurance and demand that Congress pass comprehensive health care reform now. March 9th is the day the health insurance lobby, America’s Health Insurance Plans, is holding a national conference at the Ritz Carlton Hotel to advance their agenda to defeat health care reform. Details on tomorrow’s protest are here: http://citizensposse.com/.
2010 elections: really interesting poll from our friends at NDN about the 2010 electorate and how Millennials are shaping it. Check it out here.
Financial reform: Are you one of the 2.5 million people who have already watched this? If not, check this out from Funny or Die:
The latest Rock the Vote video – as intended – has sparked heated debate and some welcomed engagement. But some of the comments posted on our blog and other sites seem to miss the point. Perhaps a little context would help… the video is satire!
It is meant to be a humorous way to cut through the noise at the end of the long slog on health care. It was, after all, written and produced by the talented team at Funny or Die. That should tell you something. It was meant to be a parody of the system, provocative, and, well, funny.
The barrage of health care ads on TV and radio and constant news coverage for nearly a year have created a bit of fatigue around an issue that is actually at the point where real participation from constituents matters. The issue of health care is one of the top issues for our members and for young people nationally. The issue is being decided right now, and whether you like the bill or not, it won’t get any better if we are sitting on the sidelines.
So, to spark conversation and get more young people to pay attention and speak out, we asked our friends at Funny or Die to make a video. They have a way of reaching those who are more likely to be surfing the web to find the latest humorous skits by SNL writers than to be tracking the health care debate on our website or CSPAN.com. We wanted to reach people . . . and have them reach right back. And, what can we say, “sex sells” – or in this case “no sex.”
The video updates the old “call your Congressman” adage in a funny, provocative, and attention-grabbing way. The video, which seems to have done its job of getting attention, then acts as a bridge to the sections of our website where you can get serious information on what is at stake, what is in the current bills, how the process works, and how to take real action.
We don’t want anyone to get “f**ked” by health care reform, so we have encouraged people to get educated and make their voice heard . . . any way they can. We want a health care plan that benefits young Americans by expanding coverage, eliminating discrimination for pre-existing conditions, and providing coverage that is affordable. That won’t happen unless young people are active and voicing their concerns, interests and needs to their members of Congress.
And if you don’t agree with the video’s suggestion of “holding out” for health care, well, lucky for you…it is the season of giving.
So, let the debate rage on, but lets also discuss how to improve the bill, what we want with health care reform, and how we are going to make our elected officials listen to us. We wish nothing more than to have young Americans pay attention to the critical decisions being made right now. And we wish you – all of you – a happy holiday.
In that spirit, I will end this post with another video for you:
