MoveOn is being threatened with legal action by the state of Louisiana after we bought a billboard criticizing Governor Bobby Jindal for preventing 242,000 Louisianans from accessing Medicaid. In politics, a frivolous lawsuit or the threat of it—combined with a smart reaction—can be a golden opportunity. On the other hand, the wrong reaction can be disastrous. Thats why what we do now—which is dependent on you—is so important. Heres what happened: This week, MoveOn put up billboards in red states criticizing Tea Party governors for refusing federal funds to expand Medicaid. The billboards are working really well, and are getting a ton of press coverage. Now, the Republican lieutenant governor of Louisiana wants us to take down a billboard criticizing Governor Jindal—who has presidential ambitions—because its a takeoff on the states tourism slogan, Pick Your Passion. This is a blatant attack on free speech. A state government isnt entitled to use trademark law to censor citizens who want to criticize the state for its heartless and stupid policies. The good news is, legal action like this can be a dream when it comes to focusing press coverage on the need for Medicaid expansion. If we take this on from a position of strength, unapologetically doubling down on our Medicaid campaigning right now—while preparing to vigorously defend ourselves against a potential lawsuit—we can score a big win. On the other hand, if we let Louisiana Republicans bully us into silence, then we could face similar legal battles in every other state where we put up billboards. Were committed to standing up to bullies. But to do that, its crucial that we have the resources to take this on and win.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 15:11:28 +0000
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