| Last night's Netroots 'N Boots fundraiser here in Austin featured a cover charge that will help change America. Before attendees could enter the party, they had to call their Congressperson in favor of health care reform. Partygoers gamely lined up, dialed their Representative's office, and voiced their support for President Obama's plan. By the end of the night, partygoers made 135 phone calls in support of reform!
  
Folks came to the party from across Texas, and called just about every member of our Congressional delegation. A significant number of calls were made into Michael McCaul's 10th District. One constituent specifically asked why McCaul held no town halls in Austin throughout the district working period--likely because he knows his constituents support reform, and he doesn't want to hear it. Yet residents of TX-10 still made their voices heard, calling until his office voice mail box was full. McCaul is facing a strong challenge in Jack McDonald, a self-made, hard-working entrepreneur, who actually wants working families to have access to the care they need.
Thanks to the national crowd gathered for the DNC fall meeting this weekend, calls also went out to Representatives from Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, and North Carolina. People told personal stories about their lack of insurance, and voiced support for President Obama's plan, as detailed to the nation in his address on Wednesday.
Spirits were high even when it started to rain, as calls continued to pour in to answering machines across the Hill. Congressional staffers and SDEC members, Railroad Commissioner candidate Jeff Weems, campaign staff for both Bill White and John Sharp, dozens of UDems and Young Democrats, bloggers from Pandagon and Texas Kaos, everyone lined up to call for health care reform. In a way, the phonebank demonstrated that no matter our role in Democratic Party politics, we're all in this fight together: every American will benefit from real health care reform.
The best part? Most folks, when asked to phone, said "I already called my Congressperson today!" Nevertheless, they whipped out their cell phones and made another call to ensure that Americans get the real reform we need.
So thanks to everyone who came out last night to help raise money for Netroots Nation, and thanks to everyone who called in support of reform. It was a really fun event! And while I hope we see more guerilla phonebanks like this in the future, I'm proud of the efforts of our Burnt Orange team to make this happen. Or as one fellow Austin blogger Tweeted, "Only in TX - Phonebanking @ a bar!"
  
If you haven't called yet, do it now! Click on over to our list of Texas Congressfolk and give 'em a ring. Tell them America needs real reform, and we can't wait any longer!
See all of the Live Tweeting of last night's #hcr phonebank on my Twitter account, KathTX. |
