Join us this Saturday, March 6th, to support Democratic candidate, NY Assemblymember Jose Peralta, an active reformer of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and staunch supporter of marriage equality. We think he’ll be a great addition to the NY Senate.

Click here to join Saturday’s canvass!

ACT NOW began calling for the resignation of Monserrate in October, after he was convicted of assault of his girlfriend, and we also supported his expulsion by 53-8 vote of his Senate colleagues. It was an extreme measure, but we felt it was warranted and that we must send a message that abuse of women is not acceptable, and certainly not by an elected official.

However, Hiram Monserrate has announced he is running to reclaim his seat and he could win on name recognition alone, because many of his constituents do not know of his recent troubles. So, join us on Saturday and make sure Queens voters know the facts and choose a Senator they can be proud of!

Click here to join Saturday’s canvass!

Click here to read more on the race

We will be meeting at Union Square at 9:30 AM, in front of the George Washington Statue (across from Whole Foods), and driving to Queens where we will first attend a rally with NY Senator Charles Schumer and then go door-to-door talking to Queens voters.

Please RSVP with your full information below, so that we have a head-count for Saturday and can send you more details.

Note: If you would like to meet us in Queens, please RSVP below and we will coordinate with you. Even a couple hours of your time will be put to good use.

In the past, ACT NOW has stayed out of primaries. But many of our most active volunteers have expressed a strong interest in getting involved in this race. What’s your opinion? Should we get involved?

Here are some links to the websites for declared candidates, Kirsten Gillibrand and Jonathan Tasini.  As for Harold Ford, Jr., he has yet to declare and therefore has no official campaign website, but you can learn more about him here.

Note: Please give your answers in the comments section below.

What is your opinion of, and interest in working on, a primary race to fill Hillary Clinton’s vacated Senate seat?

1) If Harold Ford, Jr. declares, I will support him. I will/will not work on the race.

2)  I support incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand.  I will/will not work on the race.

3) I support declared Democratic challenger, Jonathan Tasini.  I will/will not work on the race.

4) I do not want to get involved in primaries.

5) Other. (Your comments welcome!)

Note: Please enter your answers in the comments section below.

To reach this goal, our ACTivists have piled into buses bound for Pennsylvania,  trains bound for Connecticut, and more trains to Queens, Westchester County, and Long Island. Along the way, we learn about the turf we’ll be covering, the voters we’ll meet, and the issues most important to them — all so we can hit the ground running and reach as many people as possible.

And it works! On the national level, our 1,000-plus active volunteers have played a role in sweeping Democratic victories in the House and Senate and - our shining achievement — the election of Barack Obama, whose campaign was built on just the type of direct voter contact methods we believe in.

On the state level, we have won three seats as part of our ongoing “Seize the Senate” campaign, finally bringing an end to 40 years of Republican rule in the New York State Senate. We still have much work to do to reform our dysfunctional government in Albany, but we’ve finally crossed the first hurdle and we’re ready for the road ahead.

The year 2010 will be full of more opportunities and we are currently in talks with our progressive allies and leadership to plan our upcoming campaigns. We also want to hear from you, our ACTivists, because your involvement is the heart and soul of any winning strategy. So click below and let us know!

Click Here to Help Plan 2010!

We know that this year has had its disappointments, particularly on the marriage equality and health care fronts, but we urge you to keep your chins up, ACTivists. If you’re tempted to quit, just sit back and remember how far we’ve come in a short time together. Remember that, just a few years ago, the national agenda included a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, privatize social security, and deny the scientific reality of climate change. It’s due to all your hard work that the world’s a little brighter, even if it’s not quite perfect. Yet.

And please fill out the RSVP form below if you’re looking forward to strategizing, so we can keep you in the loop!

We’ve made some tough choices, too. At times, we have supported Democrats who did not reflect all our progressive values, but who could win their districts. We have also steered clear of primaries, preserving our unity as Democrats at all costs. And we’ve won.

But victory has been bittersweet. These last months, we have watched as our newly Democratic New York State Senate voted down marriage equality and as the Senate health care bill was watered down to a mere shadow of what we had hoped for. And this in the face of our thousands of calls to legislators, expressing our support of these progressive reforms.

It’s enough to get us down, but not enough to put us out. Because you know what?  We are progressives at heart and we’re not quitting until we translate our hard-won electoral victories into the real-world change we know our country needs. It’s no longer just about getting Democrats in office. It’s about getting the right Democrats elected and pressing them to stand up for what we believe in.

The year 2010 will be full of opportunities on this new front and we are currently in talks with our progressive allies and leadership to plan our campaigns. We are also planning our Strategy Session for the new year, to discuss all of this with you.  If we’re going to realize our dreams of a more progressive future, we need our ACTivists with us, making decisions and envisioning the future of our work. See you there?

Click here if the answer is yes!

Connecticut Office:
One Constitution Plaza, 7th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
(800) 225-5605 (inside Connecticut)
(860) 549-8463 (out-of-state)

Washington Office:
706 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4041

After you’ve contacted your friends and family in Connecticut, use the form below to tell us about it!

We’ve got more phone banks and actions for health care reform in the works, and lots of plans for targeting Lieberman specifically in the coming months, so please stay tuned for more. In the meantime, thanks for all your hard work!

ACT NOW is one of New York’s largest grassroots mobilization organizations and we’ve been talking to people — many of them your constituents — about serious health care reform.

Doctors and other medical professionals, business owners, and patients of every age and condition agree that the system no longer works and must be reformed. Because the health care industry approaches 20% of our economy, its collapse would dramatically impact every American. That collapse is preventable.

We are aware that you have expressed reservations about strong reform. But we urge you to consider the consequences of enacting a program that pretends to alter the status quo but disappoints millions who desperately need access to quality, affordable health care.

A strong public option is crucial to keeping insurance companies honest and the costs of coverage low. It is not “a government takeover” of health care. Your constituents — along with large majorities of all Americans — agree!

The packet of letters we deliver today represents a variety of your constituents — the insured, the underinsured, and the uninsured; young and old; singles and heads of households; small business owners and union workers. It is a true cross section of people whose needs are real and immediate. As you will see, one writer did not have health insurance for 18 years, another is without it today, and several worry about preexisting conditions.

We will continue to communicate directly with your constituents about your position on this critical issue. We hope that we can let them know soon that you firmly and unequivocally support a public option, along with other needed reforms.

We would be pleased to speak with you or your staff if you would like to discuss this issue with us further. We can be reached at 212-714-7125 or info@actnowny.org.

Sincerely,

The Board of ACT NOW

Margot Albert, Chris Asta, Rachel Burd, Keith Powers, Heather Roberson, Rebecca Schrag, Andrew Solomon, and Andrew Weinstein

Click here to find and contact your Congressperson.

If you are Uninsured…

I’m one of the 46 million Americans in this country without insurance. It’s too expensive to buy and my employer doesn’t provide it. I support health insurance reform with a strong public option that creates more affordable choices, so people like me don’t have to live with the risk of being one accident or illness away from financial disaster.

Please pass health insurance reform this year!

If you Have Insurance… I have health insurance through my employer. And like hundreds of millions of other Americans, the cost of my coverage has risen quite a lot in recent years.

I support health care reform with a strong public option, because it will help rein in my costs and make my coverage more stable and secure.  Right now, if I lost my job, I’d lose my coverage. That’s not a risk I want to take.

We need a plan that will make it illegal for insurance companies to cancel or limit my coverage if I get sick, will cap out-of-pocket expenses, and will require plans to cover preventive care. I’m calling on you, my representative, to vote in favor of health insurance reform this year.

If you are a Senior/Medicare Recipient…

I am a senior and a Medicare beneficiary. There are many rumors circulating about what health insurance reform means for people like me. I won’t be goaded into believing that the government is plotting “death panels” or that reform will hurt my benefits. Besides, I want to live in a country that I am proud of, that provides health insurance to all its people.

Please pass real health insurance with a strong public option this year!

Small Business Owner

I am a small business owner. I thinks it’s important to provide employees with good benefits - including health insurance. But every year, the costs have gone up while coverage has decreased. We need real health reform with a strong public option to lend entrepreneurs a hand. We need to be able to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices through the health insurance exchange.

I want to give my employees insurance because it’s the right thing to do and it’s a way for me to compete for talent in a very tough market. Please pass real health insurance reform this year!

Moral Character

I understand the economic arguments for health insurance reform and I know it’s important to the overall health of our nation. But more than that, it’s the right thing to do. How is it that in the United States - the richest country on the planet - 46 million Americans go without insurance and 14,000 more lose their insurance every single day? We need real health reform with a strong public option to put patient care ahead of insurance company profits. It would end unscrupulous insurance industry practices like denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition or canceling coverage you get sick. Americans shouldn’t have to go broke just because they get sick.

Please pass health care reform with a strong public option this year!

Young People

I’m (19-29).  People in my generation are less likely to have health insurance than any other demographic group in America.  Some of us are covered by our parents, but many of us get kicked off our parents’ plans once we turn 19. Lots of people I know work for small businesses, who either don’t provide health benefits or offer plans with huge deductibles and high premiums. And almost no one I know can afford to buy insurance on the private market - it’s just too expensive.

I want real health insurance reform with a strong public option, because it’s going to make insurance companies cover basic preventive care and put a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. It’s also going to allow people my age to stay on our parents’ plans until we’re 26, which will provide more stability. Please pass health insurance reform this year.

Note: The RSVP form below will NOT link to your Representative. Please use the links above to contact your Senator and Congressperson.