Barack Obama Supporters Group: Messages by BarackObama

Special interests and insurance companies are spreading outrageous lies and trying to scare seniors into opposing health reform that will help them -- just so they can protect their own profits.

However, seniors all over the country are working to set the record straight, so I wanted to make sure you knew how to help out.

Below is a list of reasons reform will help seniors. Many seniors have already emailed this list to their friends and family members, and have printed it out to hand around. Can you take a moment and do the same?

After you've sent the list to your friends, you can also follow this link to print out a fact sheet for seniors that you can give to friends and family:

view link

Thank you for your continued support, and for going the extra mile when it counts the most.

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Health insurance reform is good for seniors, because reform...

... will STRENGTHEN Medicare. Reform will improve Medicare's quality of care by cutting down on paperwork, focusing on wellness and prevention, and rewarding doctors for the care they provide instead of how many procedures they do. This all adds up to more choices and better care.

... will NOT cut Medicare benefits. President Obama has clearly said, "nobody is talking about cutting Medicare benefits." And AARP agrees that reform will simply eliminate billions in giveaways via the Medicare Advantage program that boost insurance company profits -- but don't help seniors.

... will SAVE seniors money. Reform will close the doughnut hole in Medicare Part D that's costing people so much money for prescription drugs, and eliminate co-pays for preventative care like cancer screenings and immunizations.

... will SAVE Medicare in the long run. If we do nothing, costs will keep rising and the Medicare trust fund will be at risk of going bust within a decade. Reform will save Medicare from bankruptcy and ensure seniors get the care they need for years to come.

... will HELP your loved ones. Reform will extend coverage for young people, stop insurance companies from charging women more or cutting care when you need it most. Reform will also make it illegal to deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

Find out how you can be a part of this historic moment. Text OPEN to 56333 for Inauguration news and updates throughout the weekend.



Sunday, January 18th

Watch the Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial this Sunday on HBO 2:30pm (live) and 7pm (encore).

Monday, January 19th

Answer the call to action and serve your community with the Renew America Together initiative:

view link or text SERVE to 56333

Tuesday, January 20th

Be sure to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States on Tuesday, January 20th at noon.

That evening, Host or Attend a Neighborhood Ball: view link

Thank you for your continued support.

Before his Election Night speech last night, Barack sent out this message to suppporters:

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

Today is Election Day. Polls are open across the country, and people are already making their voices heard for change.

Now it's your turn. Get out today and VOTE. You don't want to be the only one of your friends who didn't vote in this pivotal election.

Find or confirm your polling location now:

view link

Bring friends with you to the polls. Make sure everyone you know votes for Barack Obama and Joe Biden!

Martha @ Obama HQ

(If you have any questions or issues about voting, please call 877-874-6226)

Senator Obama delivered a major economic policy address to lay out his economic rescue plan for the middle class in Toledo, Ohio this afternoon.

He unveiled his Economic Rescue Plan for The Middle Class. This is a comprehensive four-part plan to deal with the immediate crisis that builds on proposals he has previously announced and includes several major new ideas.

We can’t wait to help workers and families and communities who are struggling right now – who don’t know if their job or their retirement will be there tomorrow; who don’t know if next week’s paycheck will cover this month’s bills.  We need to pass an economic rescue plan for the middle-class and we need to do it now.  Today I’m proposing a number of steps that we should take immediately to stabilize our financial system, provide relief to families and communities, and help struggling homeowners.  It’s a plan that begins with one word that’s on everyone’s mind, and it’s spelled J-O-B-S. 

We’ve already lost three-quarters of a million jobs this year, and some experts say that unemployment may rise to 8% by the end of next year.  We can’t wait until then to start creating new jobs.  That’s why I’m proposing to give our businesses a new American jobs tax credit for each new employee they hire here in the United States over the next two years. 

We will also save one million jobs by creating a Jobs and Growth Fund that will provide money to states and local communities so that they can move forward with projects to rebuild and repair our roads, our bridges, and our schools.  A lot of these projects and these jobs are at risk right now because of budget shortfalls, but this fund will make sure they continue. 

...At a time when the ups and downs of the stock market have rarely been so unpredictable and dramatic, we also need to give families and retirees more flexibility and security when it comes to their retirement savings.  ...Since so many Americans will be struggling to pay the bills over the next year, I propose that we allow every family to withdraw up to 15% from their IRA or 401(k) – up to a maximum of $10,000 – without any fine or penalty throughout 2009.  This will help families get through this crisis without being forced to make painful choices like selling their homes or not sending their kids to college.

...For those Americans in danger of losing their homes, today I’m also proposing a three-month moratorium on foreclosures.  If you are a bank or lender that is getting money from the rescue plan that passed Congress, and your customers are making a good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments and re-negotiate their mortgages, you will not be able to foreclose on their home for three months.  We need to give people the breathing room they need to get back on their feet. 

...It also means promoting a new ethic of responsibility.  Part of the reason this crisis occurred is that everyone was living beyond their means – from Wall Street to Washington to even some on Main Street.  CEOs got greedy. Politicians spent money they didn’t have.  Lenders tricked people into buying home they couldn’t afford and some folks knew they couldn’t afford them and bought them anyway. 

We’ve lived through an era of easy money, in which we were allowed and even encouraged to spend without limits; to borrow instead of save.

Now, I know that in an age of declining wages and skyrocketing costs, for many folks this was not a choice but a necessity.  People have been forced to turn to credit cards and home equity loans to keep up, just like our government has borrowed from China and other creditors to help pay its bills.

But we now know how dangerous that can be.  Once we get past the present emergency, which requires immediate new investments, we have to break that cycle of debt. Our long-term future requires that we do what’s necessary to scale down our deficits, grow wages and encourage personal savings again.

It’s a serious challenge.  But we can do it if we act now, and if we act as one nation.  We can bring a new era of responsibility and accountability to Wall Street and to Washington.  We can put in place common-sense regulations to prevent a crisis like this from ever happening again.  We can make investments in the technology and innovation that will restore prosperity and lead to new jobs and a new economy for the 21st century.  We can restore a sense of fairness and balance that will give ever American a fair shot at the American dream.  And above all, we can restore confidence – confidence in America, confidence in our economy, and confidence in ourselves.

Read Barack's full remarks, as prepared for delivery...

Obama's plan includes four new major ideas about job creation, relief to families, relief to homeowners and responding to the financial crisis:

Job Creation: A New American Jobs Tax Credit. Obama is calling for a temporary tax credit for firms that create new jobs in the United States over the next two years.

Relief to Families: Penalty-Free Withdrawals from IRAs and 401(k)s in 2008 and 2009. Obama is calling for new legislation to allow families to withdraw 15% of their retirement savings – up to a maximum of $10,000 – without facing a tax-penalty this year (including retroactively) and next year.  

Relief to Homeowners: 90 day foreclosure moratorium for homeowners that are acting in good faith. Financial institutions that participate in the Treasury’s financial rescue plan should be required to adhere to a homeowners code of conduct, including a 90-day foreclosure moratorium for any homeowners living in their homes that are making good faith efforts pay their mortgages.

Responding to the Financial Crisis: A Lending Facility to Address the Credit Crisis for States and Localities. Obama is calling on the Federal Reserve and the Treasury to work to establish a facility to lend to state and municipal governments, similar to the steps the Fed recently took to provide liquidity to the commercial paper market.

Obama’s plan also calls for temporarily eliminating taxes on unemployment insurance benefits; keeping all options on the table to help our automakers weather the financial crisis; having the Fed and Treasury prepare for guaranteeing a broader range of liabilities of the banking system; and instructing Treasury to help unfreeze markets for individual mortgages, student loans, car loans, loans for multi-family dwellings and credit card loans.

Read Obama's full Economic Rescue Plan.

Friend --

Turning everyone's passion and enthusiasm into votes is the only way we'll bring about the change we all want. But knowing when, where, and how to vote hasn't always been easy -- until now.


We've created a new online tool -- VoteforChange -- that will give you customized answers to all of your voting questions, personalized just for you. Try it now:


Vote for Change


Need to find out how to register to vote? Not sure if you're already registered? Just enter some basic information and get instant answers.


Need to find out your Election Day polling location, absentee voting information, or other registration requirements? Or perhaps you want to find out if your state allows early voting or vote by mail. We've got it all covered.


Once you get the information you need, pass it on to all of your friends with our easy-to-use sharing feature. We all know people who’d like to vote but just don’t have the information. With VoteforChange.com, they’ll have no excuses.


Making sure that everyone's voice is heard in the political process is what this movement for change is all about. Make sure you and everyone you know isn't left out:


Vote for Change


Thanks,


Martha @ Obama HQ

Today, the thoughts and prayers of all Americans are with those in the path of Hurricane Gustav -- and many of you are asking what you can do to help.

We do not yet know what the impact of Hurricane Gustav will be, and we hope with all our hearts that the damage will not be as great as it was three years ago.

But we know there will be damage, and there is something you can do right now.

Your financial support will strengthen organizations like the American Red Cross that are evacuating Gulf Coast residents and planning to help communities get back on their feet.

Make a donation to support the American Red Cross today.

At times like this, it is our compassion and resilience that define who we are as a nation.

Please give whatever you can afford, even $10, to make sure the American Red Cross has the resources to help those in the path of this storm:

view link

Thank you for your generosity, and I hope you will join Michelle and me in praying for the safety of those in the path of the storm and the first responders who are doing all they can to ensure the safety of their communities.

Barack

On a cloudless August night in Denver, before a united party and thousands of grassroots supporters from all across America, Senator Obama accepted the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

Obama made the case for why America cannot afford four more years of the same failed policies and laid out his vision to bring about fundamental change at home and abroad. He reminded us of the extraordinary promise of America at its best and challenged us to continue to fight for that promise, to march ahead, to not turn back...

That promise is our greatest inheritance.  It’s a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours – a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could’ve heard many things.  They could’ve heard words of anger and discord.  They could’ve been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead – people of every creed and color, from every walk of life – is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked.  That together, our dreams can be one.

“We cannot walk alone,” the preacher cried.  “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.  We cannot turn back.”

America, we cannot turn back.  Not with so much work to be done.  Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for.  Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save.  Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend.  America, we cannot turn back.  We cannot walk alone.  At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future.  Let us keep that promise – that American promise – and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

To all of our supporters, from those who have been with this remarkable campaign from the beginning to those of you who are just joining this movement for change: if you agree that we cannot turn back now -- that this is our moment to seize -- please make a donation today.

Continue reading for the full remarks as prepared for delivery...

Joe Biden formally accepted the nomination for Vice President for the Democratic Party last night. Joe came onto the stage after a moving introduction by his son Beau. And with his family in the audience, including his mom who taught him that "you are defined by your sense of honor, and you are redeemed by your loyalty," he gave a rousing acceptance speech.

Watch Joe accept the vice presidential nomination below.