peace: [mpen-dayton] FW: "#KeepAdamHome: Don't deport Adam Crapser!" & "Traitors" & "Tell the Supreme Court: Obamacare helped me or someone I know?" & "Taking on Mayor 1%" and more

FYI. Best, Munsup

P.S. "He who dares not offend cannot be honest" - Thomas Paine
P.P.S. Please reply back to me with ‘unsubscribe’ on the subject line if you no longer want to receive my e-Newsletters. The convenient link to unsubscribe is no longer available due to security reasons.

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· FW: #KeepAdamHome: Don't deport Adam Crapser!

· FW: This domestic violence survivor is facing deportation.

· FW: Single biggest problem and the most powerful cure:

· FW: ICH: Did 47 U.S. Senators Just Commit Treason?

· FW: Part II: "Iran Responds to GOP Letter" | The Iran Primer

· FW: "Traitors"

· FW: Your senator is one of the #47Traitors. Tell them to take it back.

· FW: PETITION: We The People To File Charges Against 47 U.S. Senators for Treason

· FW: Tell Republicans: Show some damn respect! (for the Office of the Presidency)

· FW: Letter to the NCORE Community

· FW: Tell the Supreme Court: Obamacare helped me or someone I know

· FW: Sign the People's Brief to help protect Obamacare

· FW: Here's what you can to do stand up for Chicago teachers

· FW: Taking on Mayor 1%

· FW: What’s Up Doc? Updates from physician advocates

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From: PaKou, Samala, Juliet, & Cayden, The 18MR Team, 18MillionRising.org
Subject: #KeepAdamHome: Don't deport Adam Crapser!

In 1979, Adam Crapser arrived in the United States as a Korean adoptee. Accompanied by his older sister, Adam’s life in this country quickly became a nightmare.

Now nearly 30 years later, the US government could choose to send Adam back to Korea – a land totally unfamiliar to him.¹ Act now to keep this from happening.

First adopted by the Wright family in Michigan, Adam found himself the victim of physical abuse. In 1986 and without completing Adam’s naturalization papers, the Wrights relinquished their parental rights to county services in an effort to “rehome” the adopted siblings. As wards of the state, the county separated Adam from his sister and sent him to live in a group home.

One year into life in the group home, Adam was adopted by Thomas and Dolly-Jean Crapser in Oregon who – along with their biological children – subjected Adam to unspeakable physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and torture. Four long years later, the Crapsers were arrested, charged, and plead guilty to multiple counts of child abuse, child sex abuse, and child rape.²

No doubt, Adam Crapser is a survivor. And like many survivors of abuse and violence, he bears the life-long marks of trauma. Despite this, Adam is building a life as a married father of three children, with a fourth due this spring. Now, he’s focused on living a healthy, productive life in the country he calls home.

But the federal government isn’t so quick to let Adam call America his home. In January, the Department of Homeland Security slapped him with deportation papers. Just a few short weeks from now, Adam will begin the proceedings that will determine whether or not he’ll continue building a life with his family in the only country he’s ever known as home, or if he’ll be deported to Korea – a land to which he has no connection.

With Adam’s hearing bearing down on April 2nd, there is a way to bring the threat of deportation to a full-stop.

Raphael Sanchez, the person at the helm of the Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), has the power to completely end these legal proceedings against Adam. The OCC is the office that prosecutes immigrants before the Immigration Court. In an act of prosecutorial discretion, Sanchez could call for administrative closure – essentially walking away from the case and having it closed by the court. Once this happens, Adam can renew his green card indefinitely.

Even more, legislative efforts are underway to grant retroactive citizenship to all international adoptees whose naturalizations were not originally covered by the Child Citizenship Act (CCA) of 2000. An amendment to the CCA would allow Adam to stay home with his family and finally receive the citizenship that was promised to him – but this can only happen if he isn’t deported.³Adam’s children need him. His wife needs him. This country is his home, and he should not be deported because his abusive adoptive parents failed to complete his naturalization paperwork.

Demand that Raphael Sanchez #KeepAdamHome by enacting administrative closure on Adam Crapser’s deportation case.

1) Pending Deportation of Korean American Adoptee Highlights Major Loophole in Immigration Law Reappropriate, 3/3/2015

2) Couple Charged With Child Abuse The Seattle Times, 9/18/1991

3) A Push to Protect Adult Adoptees from Deportation NBC Asian America, 3/12/2015

P.S. After you’ve signed the petition, will you take a second to share it with others? Thanks!

From: tbacane
Subject: FW: This domestic violence survivor is facing deportation.
This is another case of the 'Injustice' within our justice system. This mother and child should not be separated, and the abused mother certainly should not be jailed for taking steps to protect herself and her child. I have sent a copy of this email to President Obama in the hope that he or his assistants can intervene and stop this injustice. I encourage all of you to call your representatives in Congress, your local news media, the Korean Women's Association and anyone else you can think of to help stop this injustice. The abusive spouse should be the one going to jail.
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From: PaKou, Juliet, Samala, & Cayden; The 18MR Team, 18MillionRising.org
Subject: This domestic violence survivor is facing deportation.

A mother’s life hangs in the balance. And her daughter is on the line with her.

In 2009, Nan-Hui Jo fled her abusive partner in the United States, and took her daughter, Vitz Da, back to her home country of South Korea. When she returned in 2014 to find a school for Vitz (who is a US citizen), she was immediately arrested and her child was taken from her and placed in the custody of the child’s father – the very same man who originally (and admittedly) assaulted Nan-Hui and Vitz.

And now this week, in a sick twist of legal injustice, Nan-Hui was found guilty of child abduction.¹ She could be permanently separated from 6-year old Vitz as soon as she’s sentenced.

Raise your voice today to demand a full-stop to Nan-Hui’s unfair deportation.

“We are extremely disappointed in the verdict,” said Hyejin Shim of Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (KACEDA). “As advocates for survivors of domestic violence, we believe that this case should not have even been prosecuted. We continue to be inspired by Nan-Hui Jo’s strength throughout this time and will be continuing the fight to ensure she is reunited with her daughter.”

Join us to #StandWithNanHui today.

Time is of the essence – and we must act NOW. Once sentencing takes place, both Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could choose to make quick work of deporting Nan-Hui. And when this happens, Nan-Hui’s abusive ex-partner will likely gain full custody of Vitz.²No one who risks everything to escape their abuser should be subjected to even more abuse at the hands of the government.

Demand that CBP and ICE drop Nan-Hui’s deportation case immediately.

[1] Domestic Violence Survivor Found Guilty Of Child Abduction For Fleeing With Daughter, May Be Deported ThinkProgress, 3/3/2015
[2] We Stand With Nan-Hui KACEDA 2/23/2015

From: Overturning Citizens United --- Michael Keegan; President, People for the American Way
Subject: Single biggest problem and the most powerful cure:

Big money polluting our elections is perhaps the single biggest problem our democracy faces.

Your activism and your support, for the movement to overturn decisions like Citizens United and get the money out, are the cure.

Will you chip in to support PFAW’s ongoing campaign to restore Government By the People with a much-needed donation now?

We’re exactly 3 weeks away from the anniversary of the McCutcheon decision, which distorted the First Amendment in the same vein as Citizens United to demolish important individual contribution limits in elections. As we near that important date…

We’re mobilizing activists and lobbying the White House in support of an executive order that would require disclosure of all political spending by corporations with government contracts.
We’re working with allies to organize grassroots events around the country.
We’re organizing in 5 key states with the goal of increasing the number (currently at 16) of states officially calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment overturning decisions like Citizens United and McCutcheon.

PFAW and our other movement allies in these states are also pushing for statewide disclosure measures to increase transparency in election spending and fair elections legislation to empower small donors against the deep pockets of the ultrawealthy. We could add more target states later this year depending on opportunities and the support we receive from members like you.

As we work towards these important benchmarks and make progress at the national, state and even local level against big money in politics, you know the powerful interests we’re up against are spending more and more in every election to drown out the voice of the voter.

The only thing going that’s going to stop the trend and save our democracy is a massive grassroots movement powered by people just like you.

Will you chip in to fight the influence of big money in elections now?

Thank you for your commitment to the movement to restore Government By the PEOPLE and for your steadfast support.

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: FW: ICH: Did 47 U.S. Senators Just Commit Treason ?

Did 47 U.S. Senators Just Commit Treason By Attempting to Sabotage Iran Deal? By David Knowles
"Republicans are undermining our commander-in-chief while empowering the ayatollahs,"
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41194.htm

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: FW: Part II: "Iran Responds to GOP Letter" | The Iran Primer

http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2015/mar/09/part-ii-iran-responds-gop-letter#.VP4PZl6XZ6c.facebook

From: tbacane
Subject: FW: "Traitors"

Yes, those 47 GOP Senators who sent that letter to Iran are TRAITORS, for attempting to undermine the foreign policy of our country in addition to disrespecting the office of the President of the United States of America!! They must be held accountable by all Americans no matter what political party they subscribe to. Those Republicans who did not engage in writing that letter should denounce the treasonous action of the 47 or be considered in support of their actions. The treason committed by the 47 must continually be pointed out to the American people from now until the election and beyond! WAKE UP AMERICANS!!! - tbacane
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In an unprecedented move, 47 Republican senators have sent a warning letter directly to Iranian leaders, threatening to blow up any diplomatic deal negotiated by President Obama.¹

This is disrespectful, dangerous, and reckless. We have to hold them accountable, from now until Election Day 2016. And make sure not a single Democrat joins them in blowing up the president's diplomatic efforts and putting us on a path to war.

We're producing a TV ad immediately to call out this outrageous act—and that's just the beginning. Please click here—right now—and make the most generous monthly contribution you can to help us hold these 47 Republicans accountable from now until Election Day 2016.

(We know this issue will come up again and again—but with your help, we'll do whatever it takes to hold Republicans accountable and make sure no Democrat joins them in undermining the president and risking a war.)

"Traitors" is how the front page of yesterday's New York Daily News described the 47 Republican senators who wrote to Iran's leaders in an effort to undermine President Obama and sabotage his diplomatic efforts to prevent yet another unnecessary war.²

And it isn't just the Daily News. Media outlets across the country are—for good reason—slamming Republican war hawks for this shocking and dangerous attempt to sabotage diplomacy and disrespect the president.

As Vox.com puts it, "The mere act of senators contacting the leaders of a foreign nation to undermine and contradict their own president is an enormous breach of protocol. But this went much further: Republicans are telling Iran, and, by extension the world, that the American president no longer has the power to conduct foreign policy, and that foreign leaders should assume Congress could revoke American pledges at any moment."³

Our small staff has already been mobilizing public support for diplomacy via petitions, member phone calls, op-eds, and more. This shocking move by Senate Republicans means we have to do even more. We're putting together a TV ad now to call out this disloyal behavior—but we need to know that we'll have the resources to go big.

Can you make a generous monthly contribution to ensure Republicans pay a steep political price? This is a moment to dig deep—because the more we can count on each month, the bigger we can go.

As you probably remember, Republicans invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come to Washington and undermine the president last week. But this letter is arguably even worse: they are degrading our president in front of the whole world. And sending a message that the President of the United States—whoever she or he is—has no credibility.

In the days following Netanyahu's speech, we've raised over $100,000 for our work on Iran. But we didn't plan on having to respond to this.

The radical right has gone too far too fast—and it's clear they won't stop. Now, we've reached a make-it-or-break-it moment for the future of diplomacy and for peace in the Middle East.

So I hate to ask so strongly, but this is too important not to be direct: We need your monthly donation to get the president's back now, and keep America off a path to war—it's a long-term effort, and we can't do it without your ongoing support.

Sources:

1. "Irate Democrats Denounce G.O.P on Iran Letter," The New York Times, March 10, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303420&id=109634-1195276-mqEPpLx&t=1

2. "Letter by Republican Senators to Iran is 'unusual' and 'dangerous,' Obama, Biden and other Democrats say," New York Daily News, March 9, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303425&id=109634-1195276-mqEPpLx&t=2

3. "Republicans are crossing a dangerous new line: sabotaging US foreign policy," Vox.com, March 9, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303421&id=109634-1195276-mqEPpLx&t=3

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or

From: Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos
Subject: Your senator is one of the #47Traitors. Tell them to take it back.

Sign and send the petition: The president negotiates foreign policy. Recant your signature from Tom Cotton’s outrageous and unprecedented letter to Iran.

Right-wing super hawk Sen. Tom Cotton made international headlines this week when he organized 46 of his Republican colleagues to write an open letter to Iran in an effort to undermine President Obama’s nuclear negotiations.

The letter signed by 47 GOP senators—including your GOP senator—has sparked one of the biggest backlashes against Republicans in recent memory and has trended on social media as #47traitors.

Let’s keep the pressure on these 47 senators.

Sign and send the petition to your senator now.

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: PETITION: We The People To File Charges Against 47 U.S. Senators for Treason

PETITION: We The People To File Charges
Against 47 U.S. Senators for Treason

veteranstoday.com/2015/03/10/petition-treason/
Posted by Veterans Today on March 10, 2015

Yesterday forty-seven United States Senators committed treason when they decided to violate the Logan Act, a 1799 law which forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments

The debate over a possible nuclear deal with Iran has reached a new level in Washington, after a group of Republican senators signed an open letter to Tehran warning that any potential deal with President Obama could be scrapped.

For the first time in American diplomatic history, one political party is devising its own foreign policy with its own entreaties to foreign governments.

Not content with having Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address Congress and the American people and tell them the President’s approach to Iran is wrong, Republican senators yesterday sent an “open letter” to Iran’s leaders advising them that President Obama doesn’t have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them.

The letter warned Tehran that any nuclear deal needs congressional approval in order to last beyond Obama’s term and that without that step Iran will be left a “mere executive agreement” between Obama and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Republicans are not only making common cause with hardliners in Iran, they’re also undermining our President’s capacity to deal with foreign governments and compromising his authority as Commander-in-Chief. In so doing, they’re jeopardizing the safety and security of the United States.

“In my forty-five years of political involvement, I don’t remember any act by a major party that comes as close as the Republicans’ recent actions to what might be called treason” says Robert Reich, Former Member of President Clinton Cabinet and Professor at UC Berkeley.

THE LETTER

There’s a charming naiveté to the open letter [PDF] by 47 Republican senators that condescendingly seeks to explain features of the U.S. constitutional system to Iran’s leaders that they otherwise “may not fully understand.”

The missive warns that, with respect to “your nuclear negotiations with our government … any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress” could be revoked by the next president “with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”

WE THE PEOPLE PETITION and STATEMENT

We petition the Obama Administration to:

File charges against the 47 U.S. Senators in violation of The Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement.

On March 9th, 2015, forty-seven United States Senators committed a treasonous offense when they decided to violate the Logan Act, a 1799 law which forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. Violation of the Logan Act is a felony, punishable under federal law with imprisonment of up to three years.

At a time when the United States government is attempting to reach a potential nuclear agreement with the Iranian government, 47 Senators saw fit to instead issue a condescending letter to the Iranian government stating that any agreement brokered by our President would not be upheld once the president leaves office.

This is a clear violation of federal law. In attempting to undermine our own nation, these 47 senators have committed treason.

From: Ben Betz; Online Engagement Director, People For the American Way
Subject: Tell Republicans: Show some damn respect! (for the Office of the Presidency)

Please sign on to this.

"Congressional Republicans: Your attempts to usurp and undermine the administration's foreign policy engagements amount to sabotage and show a profound and shocking disreprect for the Office of the Presidency. You're out of line. Show some damn respect!"

We get it already. Republicans don’t like President Obama. Never have, never will. And hey, they don’t have to -- that’s their prerogative.

But they DO have to show adequate respect for the Office of the Presidency and the Executive Branch’s authority to, among other things, conduct American foreign policy.

Congressional Republicans are showing profound disrespect for the president’s office in their attempts to sabotage the U.S.’s delicate foreign affairs engagements.

First, led by John Boehner, they went around President Obama to allow Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to use America’s Congress as a political backdrop for his case against the U.S. administration’s diplomatic efforts with Iran. Now, 47 Republican senators have sent an open letter to Iran trying to poison diplomatic talks by warning that any deal struck with the U.S. would likely have an expiration date of when this president leaves office.

Enough already. Don’t mince the words that come to mind when all of us read or hear about this news.

SIGN THE PETITION (w/ 1 click): Tell Republicans to have some damn respect for the Office of the Presidency>>

From BloombergView:

Organized by freshman Senator Tom Cotton [of Arkansas] and signed by the chamber's entire party leadership as well as potential 2016 presidential contenders Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, the letter is meant not just to discourage the Iranian regime from signing a deal but also to pressure the White House into giving Congress some authority over the process.
"It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system … Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement," the senators wrote. "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time."

Could you imagine if 47 Democratic senators had pulled this kind of stunt under President Bush? Republicans, Fox News and the entire right-wing movement would have led a nationwide freak out beyond imagination.

The New York Daily News already labeled the 47 GOP senators who signed the letter "traitors" on its front page.

Add your name now to this petition at http://www.pfaw.org/ShowSomeRespect.

From: NCORE - The National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education
Subject: Letter to the NCORE Community

The staff of the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE), at the University of Oklahoma (OU), was deeply saddened and outraged to learn of a video circulated on social media featuring members of a local chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity at OU participating in a racist and abhorrent chant. This has happened in our home community and we feel a special responsibility to support the university in addressing this issue. The NCORE conference is organized out of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies (SWCHRS), a department housed in the University of Oklahoma Outreach in Norman.

Incidences such as these shock the senses, demanding a quick and decisive action to hold responsible parties accountable. We were heartened to see both from our university administration and from SAE's national office an immediate response to this incident. We feel secure in our administration pursuing all legal avenues in response to this incident. While we are heartened by the vigor and decisiveness of this response-signaling that we live in a time where overt racism is no longer tolerated-we understand that racism cannot be uprooted with swift action and a sense of urgency alone.

This incident underscores the growing imperative to provide authentically inclusive campus climates and to empower communities with tools and opportunities to develop relationships across difference. NCORE will provide a program at our upcoming conference in Washington, DC to examine this and other incidences such as these occurring on campuses across our country with alarming regularity. We invite our community at NCORE to engage with us as we address these issues systemically and seek systemic solutions.

As this situation unfolds, the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies will continue to work with students, faculty, administrators, and staff on our campus to productively engage in anti-racist and inclusion work.

On March 9, 2015, the Center held an open forum three-hour intergroup dialogue on the meaning of race which had been previously scheduled earlier in the semester. The ten person team of intergroup dialogue facilitators from the Norman Police, OU faculty and staff, and a local high school had participated in a five week Intergroup Dialogue Program taught by the SWCHRS. This was their graduation facilitation.

As we approach NCORE in May in Washington, DC, we go with a deepened sense for how important it is that these issues are addressed and for the profound impact these incidences have on our communities.

With respect and gratitude for our communities,

The NCORE Staff

To view the original letter on the website, please click here

From: MARGARET PETERS
Subject: Tell the Supreme Court: Obamacare helped me or someone I know

Hi, I signed a petition to Justices of the Supreme Court which says: “I am one of millions of Americans who has either benefited directly from Obamacare, or I have a friend or loved one who has. As you consider the arguments in King vs. Burwell, please recognize the massive positive impact Obamacare is having, including over 20 million people who now have access to affordable healthcare.” Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-the-supreme-court-2?source=s.em.mt&r_by=315978

From: Nina Perez
Subject: Sign the People's Brief to help protect Obamacare

Health care is a human right.

For years, MoveOn members have organized to push for comprehensive health care reform. We've organized thousands of house parties, vigils and rallies, signed millions of petitions, and made over 100,000 phone calls from our homes and offices. But now, the health care reform we fought so hard to achieve is under attack again from over-zealous activists intent on dismantling this law that has already helped so many Americans. That's why we're standing with our allies at MomsRising to defend Obamacare one more time. Will you join us?

I'm Nina Perez from MomsRising.org, and I started a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, which says:

Health care is a human right. That's why I'm signing this People's Brief to call on the opponents of the health care law to put the health of millions of Americans ahead of selfish political attacks on the Affordable Care Act.

Sign Nina's petition

The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing King v. Burwell, a case that threatens to eliminate financial assistance for health coverage in about 36 states as part of the Affordable Care Act.

If the court rules against the health care law, millions will be at risk of losing their health plans and costs would go up for all health insurance consumers. Yes, you read that right. Millions of people could lose their health coverage.

The Affordable Care Act is working, and it's already made a difference in millions of people's lives. More than 10 million people have health coverage now who didn't have it before.

Fight back by adding your name to the "People's Brief" and stand with the millions of Americans whose health care is in the hands of the Supreme Court justices!

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Nina Perez didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.

From: Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos
Subject: Here's what you can to do stand up for Chicago teachers

Rahm Emanuel has a big problem standing between him and re-election: Chuy Garcia.

Rahm has spent four years closing public schools and selling off Chicago to the highest bidder. He thought he could buy himself a second term in office, spending unprecedented sums on his re-election campaign. But despite all the money Rahm raised from his 1 percent friends, Chuy’s grassroots campaign still forced Rahm into a runoff election.

Can you join a special telephone town hall with Chuy this Monday, March 9, at 8 p.m. ET?

Yes, I’ll join the call.

I can’t join, but I’ll chip in $5 to help elect Chuy.

From: Ilya, Robert, Joan, Matt, and the rest of the team, MoveOn.org Political
Subject: Taking on Mayor 1%

Last week in Chicago, a grassroots candidate named Jesús "Chuy" García defied the odds (and millions of Wall Street dollars) by forcing Mayor Rahm Emanuel into the first runoff election in Chicago's history.

And then the nation took notice. Last week was full of headlines like:

"Rahm Emanuel besieged by the left" ¹
"Garcia vs. Emanuel could be proxy for fight within national party"²
"Progressives Celebrate Rahm Emanuel's Surprise Setback in Chicago"³

Here's how former White House aide Bill Curry put it in Salon:

A Garcia victory would be a historic watershed not just for Chicago or for Democrats but for all progressives. It wouldn't just frighten the Wall Street Dems who now reign over their national party. It would alter the terms of debate even beyond the party and prove, to cynics and to ourselves, that the power of ideas is still greater than the power of money and that grass-roots politics is not dead.⁴While many MoveOn members have already contributed time and money to this race, we know that many people are just now learning what's at stake in this election—so, together with our allies at the Working Families Party, we are hosting a national strategy call with Chuy García himself this Monday, March 9, at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT/6 MT/5 PT).

Will you join me on a national call this Monday to hear from progressive champion Chuy García about his exciting campaign to take down "Mayor 1%" Rahm Emanuel?

Yes, I'll be there.

I can't make it Monday, but I'll chip in to Chuy García's grassroots campaign.

MoveOn members in Chicago voted to make García our first endorsement of 2015, and have been working their hearts out for him ever since. Now the latest polls are showing the race to be neck and neck ahead of the runoff election just four weeks from now.⁵Emanuel fought against progressive policies for years in Congress (where he pushed through NAFTA)⁶ and at the White House (where he helped block a public option for health care).⁷And since becoming mayor of Chicago four years ago, he's infuriated Chicagoans by closing 49 public schools in low-income communities, privatizing public resources, and showering his biggest contributors with city contracts.⁸That's why Chicagoans have taken to calling him "Mayor 1%."

Meanwhile, Chuy García has been fighting for progressive values for more than 30 years in Chicago. He got his start in politics working for Chicago's last great progressive mayor, Harold Washington, in 1983. He's since served on the Chicago City Council, as a state senator, and as a Cook County commissioner. Throughout it all he's been a fighter for the middle class, immigrants, and Chicago's diverse neighborhoods.⁹

Now major media outlets are calling Chicago ground zero in a battle between the progressive and corporate wings of the Democratic Party.

If we can defeat Mayor Rahm Emanuel on April 7, it will send a message loud and clear to politicians everywhere that if you put corporations before people, you'll lose—it doesn't matter if you're running for mayor, Congress or for president.

Sources:

1. "Rahm Emanuel besieged by the left," Politico, February 25, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303318&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=6

2. "Garcia vs. Emanuel could be proxy for fight within national party," Chicago Tribune, February 27, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303319&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=7

3. "Progressives Celebrate Rahm Emanuel's Surprise Setback in Chicago," Bloomberg, February 25, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303320&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=8

4. "Rahm Emanuel's moment of reckoning: How he ended up in a fight for his political life," Salon, March 1, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303321&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=9

5. "New poll: Emanuel, Garcia in 'dead heat' in mayoral runoff," Chicago Sun-Times, March 1, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303322&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=10

6. "How Will Rahm's Role in NAFTA Play in the Mayor's Race?" Chicago, October 15, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=302289&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=11

7. "Chief of Staff Draws Fire From Left as Obama Falters," The Wall Street Journal, January 26, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=302291&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=12

8. "Rahm Emanuel vs. Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia on the issues," MoveOn.org, February 21, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303323&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=13

9. "Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia's journey from a village in Mexico to the race against Mayor Emanuel," Chicago Reader, January 21, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303324&id=109450-1195276-66af9bx&t=14

From: Alice Chen MD, Doctors for America
Subject: What’s Up Doc? Updates from physician advocates

Doctors across the country are celebrating the 11.7 million newly and re-enrolled Americans who obtained coverage during 2015 Open Enrollment. Thanks to the ACA, the uninsured rate has dropped to the lowest on record and more Americans are getting the medical care they need. As physicians and medical students, we are committed to providing great care to our new patients. We are equally committed to closing the coverage gap for millions still without access to care because their state leaders have refused to expand Medicaid and to protecting the care of more than 8 million Americans whose coverage is threatened by the King v. Burwell case.

Read on to learn what physician advocates have been up to across the country. And, don’t miss our doctors featured on the front page of The New York Times!

WHAT’S UP DOC?
UPDATES FROM PHYSICIAN ADVOCATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

ENROLLMENT

With the help of physician advocates, 2015 Open Enrollment signups soared to nearly 12 million. Physicians with Doctors for America helped spread the get covered word from coast-to-coast through enrollment events, days of service, phone banks to the uninsured and a pocket card for providers. Doctors continue leading the way on enrollment education and advocacy because we know coverage is good medicine!

DFA Pocket Card

Third year medical student Aaron Silver and Dr. Ram Krishnamoorthi completed the second edition of the health insurance screening and education pocket card. The pocket card, which is available on our website, is meant to educate healthcare providers and encourage screening of patients for health coverage. Aaron also conducted a few educational discussions about the ACA with first and second year students at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

MLK Day of Service

Doctors came together on Martin Luther King Day of Service, Jan 19th, and MLK Day Weekend to help educate our communities about the importance of getting covered. In Ohio, Drs Don Nguyen, Matthew Noordsij- Jones and Kathy Lambes helped get a huge crowd of people enrolled at a MLK Day rally in Dayton.

National Youth Enrollment Day

As doctors and medical students, we know that health insurance can protect patients from big bills in case of an accident and keep them healthy all year-round. That’s why Doctors for America participated in a National Youth Enrollment Day Twitter chat to help young people learn about their options and sign up for health insurance. The chat generated almost 4 million Twitter impacts, with over 300 tweets. Check out the Storify of the questions and answers here.

Call for Coverage

Doctors for America members across the country helped spread the word about the final week of enrollment by picking up the phone or hosting phone banks to talk with consumers about where and how they can enroll. Eamon Duffy, a medical student at Yale School of Medicine who also serves as the Doctors for America Connecticut State Director, organized a phone bank to notify people about the deadline. His calls were some of the many that took place across the country!

Med Student Enrollment Outreach

Medical students were leading the way during 2015 Open Enrollment by helping to reach the uninsured at ACA enrollment and education events.

In Connecticut, Kyle Ragins, medical student at the Yale School of Medicine and a member of DFA’s Board, helped spread the get covered word at a student club fair at Norwalk Community College. At the event, Kyle met a student (pictured right) who recently lost his health insurance and was unaware of the options available to him or of the deadline.

In New York, Mount Sinai students Andrea Jakubowski and Ann Crawford-Roberts, at the Icahn School of Medicine, gave a total of 24 presentations about the ACA and health insurance marketplace, with 330 in attendance, nearly two-thirds of whom were East Harlem residents. Students tabled at four community events, presented at 25 meetings and forums with city, state and national government representation at local health coalition meetings in East Harlem, and at Mount Sinai. Students also started an ACA and Healthcare Access working group with the East Harlem Community Health Committee, a large coalition of health and social service providers in the neighborhood, holding five sessions.

In Ohio, Anish Mehta, Karishma Habbu and Torrey Byrd, medical students at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, helped enroll the thousands of uninsured in Northeast Ohio. The team trained medical students, paired them up with local physicians and then sent them off to give healthcare presentations around the community about health insurance and enrollment.

MEDICAID EXPANSION

Indiana became the 28th state to expand Medicaid. Momentum is growing as GOP governors finally move to close the coverage gap in states across the country. Physicians are committed to fighting tirelessly to close the gap for the more than 4 million without access to care – 2 million of whom live in Florida and Texas alone.

In Florida, Dr. Suzie Prabhakaran organized statewide advocacy trainings and led an effort to collect 300 signatures from doctors across the state urging Senate President Andy Gardiner to champion Medicaid expansion during the legislative session. After receiving the letters of support, Sen. Gardiner kicked off the legislative session with a vocal and urgent call to expand access to care for nearly one million Floridians. With a bill now moving in the Florida Senate, physicians in the state remain hopeful 2015 will finally be the year to close the gap.

In Utah, with Dr. Scott Poppen at the helm, physicians testified at legislative hearings, engaged on social media, and attended rallies in support of Governor Gary Herbert's plan to expand Medicaid. Healthy Utah would provide access to medical care to 140,000 Utahns including some 70 to 80 thousand stuck in the Medicaid coverage gap. With the legislature still in session, the fate of Healthy Utah is still up in the air.

In Texas, Drs Robert Luedecke and Anna Tran launched a Texas Medicaid Task Force to fight to expand access to care for over one million people in the state with no health coverage. State leaders have thus far refused to close the gap, but the fiscal and human costs continue to grow – making expansion harder to ignore. To keep up the momentum, doctors are helping to organize a statewide coverage expansion advocacy rally this month in the state capitol.

KING V. BURWELL

Millions of Americans are at risk of losing their subsidies if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the Affordable Care Act in the King v. Burwell case. If subsidies are struck down it would spell disaster for our patients and an unraveling of the insurance marketplaces. That’s why physcians from across the country converged on the steps of the Court on the day of oral arguments to urge the justices not to take away care from millions of newly covered Americans. From the news coverage, it’s clear our call to put patients over politics was heard loud and clear.

Check out the highlights from our rally below. And, view pictures from our King v. Burwell album!

MSNBC featured Dr. Alice Chen leading the crowd at the rally in the opening of the Ed Show.

Did we mention The New York Times featured our docs and signs on their front page?! The story also features a video from the day with our very own medical student Henry Greyner talking about why this case is so important.

The Washington Post praised advocate’s organizing at the rally: “If good organization could win a legal debate, supporters of the Affordable Care Act would triumph at Wednesday’s Supreme Court arguments over the law known as Obamacare.”

Drs. Alice Chen, Manisha Sharma, Kevin Burns and Arthur Lavin completed over 31 interviews on Radio Row!

Dr. Kevin Burns and Dr. Devon Fagel were quoted in Modern Healthcare:

“The ACA is deeply embedded in the healthcare system. To suddenly remove such an enormous number of people and tax credits would undermine the insurance markets. That would reverberate across the system.” - Dr. Burns
“If this were to go away, there would be chaos in the medical system.”- Dr. Fagel

#DontTakeMyCare trended nationally on 3/4. #PatientsOverPolitics had 717K impacts and a reach of over 328K!

[Andrew Harnik/AP] [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] [Alex Wong/Getty Images]

For more pictures from the King v. Burwell rally check out our album!