Dear Senator Feinstein and Boxer,
After seeing President Obama perform very impressively in his town halls this week, i felt the Democrats were regaining the initiative on health care reform. Thus I was disturbed this morning to read that the public option component of health care reform might be off the table. I can't fathom why the Democrats would do this when it is such a key to true reform. The idea of substituting an "exchange" is ludicrous. It will not accomplish the type of reform that is needed and that is to give the private health insurers some much needed competition. And if the reason we are thinking of jettisoning the public option is to achieve bi-partisanship, that is a mirage. The Republican's will not support any type of reform no matter what scraps of support they throw out in public. They sense the opportunity to sink the Obama presidency and will go all out to once again defeat reform just as they did in 1993.
Even though I fought hard for the President in 2008, I am willing to go the extra mile for health care reform also, which is why I am writing you, and also walking through my neigborhood to solicit views on health care reform. I hope you will support the President fully in fighting for the public option and not caving in to the Republicans. After all it was we who won the election in November 2008, not them and elections have consequences.
I know I am speaking for millions of other American's who want our President to succeed on the most important issue facing us today. When I saw the thousands of people lining up this week in Los Angeles to receive free medical care I was hearbroken to realize that America is the only industrialized country in the world that would have to resort to this type of care usually provided in third world countries. Our country is better than that and we need you to fight for us in passing significant health care reform this year with a public option.
