There is a new site called stopbackingdown.com that has started a petition to be delivered to Democratic members of Congress, the text of which is below the fold.
Thus far the signers are not holding back in their comments. Would love to see names and comments from the DKos community added.
If you feel so inclined, please sign and pass along to your friends, family, listserves, etc. And please rec. this diary to raise awareness of the petition.
Here's the link:
http://www.stopbackingdown.com
Text of Petition:
Dear Democratic Majority:
In November 2008, American voters elected a new President and solid Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate. Democratic candidates at every level promised to institute healthcare reform that includes a robust public option. A public option offers all Americans more choice by allowing them to either keep their current private healthcare insurance or gain insurance through a government option.
According to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities, there are at least 46.4 million Americans without any healthcare coverage. This is unacceptable. Many of those with coverage have a hard time keeping their benefits due to exhorbinant costs. Many are underinsured.
Supporting a public option is the solution to affordability. However, we are seeing a concerted effort by some to elimintate the public option, including so-called "moderate" Democratic Senators. Additionally, Democrats, who hold the majority in the Congress, are being intimidated at public meetings, merely for supporting a public option. It is important that the average American voter let you know that the persons disrupting the townhalls do not represent the average American.
Without a public option, many Americans will not get the coverage that we deserve. As voters, we place trust in you to follow through on your campaign promises. We gave members of both branches of government a mandate to pass healthcare reform with a public option. Therefore, we demand that all 60 Democratic Senators follow the will of the electorate and support a public option. We demand that President Barack Obama uphold his campaign promise of pushing for a public option. We demand that members House of Representatives do the same.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned