Dear Montgomery, 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. Can you chip in $3? Yes, I can contribute $3. With your help, well expose these legal threats for the sham that they are, and leverage them to put even more pressure on Jindal and other right-wing governors who are refusing to accept federal funding for Medicaid—which is pure politics at its worst. Under Obamacare, 100% of the costs of Medicaid expansion are covered by the federal government for three full years—and then 90% forever after that. Theres no reason for any governor to say no—except for naked partisanship. Now that we know this campaign is getting under Republicans skin, the way to win this is to go all-in—by vigorously defending MoveOn against any potential lawsuit, doubling down on our campaigning, putting up more billboards, running more ads, getting more press, and doing what it takes to make our voices heard. In fact, this threat of legal action could be a golden opportunity: It could earn a ton of press for Medicaid expansion and shine a spotlight nationally on the real human costs of Republican extremism. That strategys going to cost money. But the cost of legal fees and ads could pale in comparison to the free publicity for Medicaid expansion from a baseless lawsuit. Are you in? Yes, I can contribute $3. If Republicans think they can shut up MoveOn members with baseless lawsuits—theyre dead wrong. MoveOn wont quit campaigning until we expose the full truth about the despicable human cost of refusing to expand Medicaid and all 50 states expand Medicaid. But we do need your help to defend ourselves—and keep our campaigning going. Thanks for all you do. –Victoria, Bobby, Matt P., Rosy, and the rest of the team
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 04:43:18 +0000
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