Get it to the President

Robert Bruce -- Congress is expected to cast its final votes on historic Wall Street reform as soon as today. So much has happened in the past year that it's easy to forget how much OFA supporters have done to get to this point. In key districts around the country, we organized to win a 223-202 vote in the House last December. OFA supporters poured in nearly tens of thousands of calls to Capitol Hill offices the day before last month's vote to get it through the Senate. This is your bill -- the strongest and boldest overhaul of the financial system since the aftermath of the Great Depression. It's the change we fought the big banks to make -- and we've almost won. What happens before these final votes will determine if this once-in-a-generation legislation makes it to the President's desk. That's up to us. We need to make sure the champions in Congress who've worked with the President to pass this bill know we're supporting them -- and that those in opposition hear our call for reform. Tell your representatives you strongly support Wall Street reform -- and that they'll have your thanks if they do the same. Reform will increase security for all Americans by forcing credit card, mortgage companies, and predatory lenders to play by the rules instead of exploiting consumers with hidden fees and pages of fine print. It establishes a new, independent agency -- the Consumer Financial Protection Agency -- whose sole job is to protect consumers. And it ensures American taxpayers will never again be asked to bail out the big banks that are "too big to fail." But these changes will only happen if the President can sign it into law. We all need to get the bill to him. Write a letter to your members of Congress now: http://my.barackobama.com/WSRFinalPush Thanks, Yohannes Yohannes Abraham Political Director Organizing for America

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Should we add your name in support of Wall St. reform?

Robert Bruce -- After more than seven months of work and a prolonged effort by Organizing for America supporters, House and Senate leaders just agreed on a final Wall Street reform bill. They're moving fast toward final votes. This is the final hurdle to enacting the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression -- and delivering another historic accomplishment for the American people. These votes in the House and Senate will come down to the wire. Lobbyists for the big banks will be knocking down the doors on Capitol Hill this week, so we're going all-in over the next few days to fight back -- and that starts with a massive public display of support for the bill. Many in Congress are fighting hard alongside President Obama for Wall Street reform -- they need to hear our support. Others are standing with the special interests -- and it's even more important that they hear from us too. Add your name now to the growing list of OFA supporters who are standing with the President on Wall Street reform. Reform doesn't just help create a more stable economy, it greatly improves the daily lives of all American families. Here are five of the most important benefits of the bill: 1) Reform forces credit card and mortgage companies to play by the rules. No more hidden fees or pages of fine print. 2) Families who are hoping to buy a home or pay for college are put on a level playing field with lenders. Reform ensures they'll get the information they need presented clearly and concisely so they can make good decisions. The same goes for small businesses and community banks who play fair and deserve to see their businesses grow. 3) The legislation cracks down on predatory lenders looking to mislead people into taking on irresponsible debt. 4) Wall Street reform establishes an independent agency -- the Consumer Financial Protection Agency -- whose sole job is to protect consumers and enforce the new consumer financial protections, which would be the strongest ever enacted. 5) Finally, American taxpayers will never again be asked to bail out the big banks that are "too big to fail." Let's be absolutely clear about this, no matter what our opponents in Congress say. But these changes will only happen if the President can sign it into law. We need to get the bill to him. Stand with the President in support of this crucial reform: http://my.barackobama.com/WSRFinalSignOn Thank you, Mitch Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America

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Video: Message for OFA from the President

Robert Bruce -- President Obama recorded a message for OFA supporters to update us on the crisis in the Gulf and ask us to stand with him to build a new foundation for energy in this country. See the message: http://my.barackobama.com/CleanEnergyUpdate Thanks, Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America

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Apologize to BP?

Robert Bruce -- When BP CEO Tony Hayward testified before Congress this morning, many expected to hear him apologize for the disaster his company has caused. Instead, GOP Congressman Joe Barton was the one saying he was sorry -- to BP. In his opening statement, Barton, the top Republican on the committee overseeing the oil spill and its aftermath, delivered a personal apology to the oil giant. He said the $20 billion fund that President Obama directed BP to establish to provide relief to the victims of the oil disaster was a "tragedy in the first proportion." Other Republicans are echoing his call. Sen. John Cornyn said he "shares" Barton's concern. Rep. Michele Bachmann said that BP shouldn't agree to be "fleeced." Rush Limbaugh called it a "bailout." The Republican Study Committee, with its 114 members in the House, called it a "shakedown." Let's be clear. This fund is a major victory for the people of the Gulf. It's a key step toward making them whole again. BP has a responsibility to those whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the disaster. And BP oil executives don't deserve an apology -- the people of the Gulf do. Stand with us to show that the American people support holding BP accountable -- and we won't apologize for doing so. Rep. Barton and Republicans like him don't understand that the real tragedy is what's happening to the people in the Gulf Coast. They're the ones who deserve his apology -- not BP. But big oil knows exactly who its allies are. And if Republicans win control of the House, Rep. Barton could be chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- overseeing regulation of the oil and gas industry. Notably, companies like Halliburton -- the folks responsible for cementing the Deepwater Horizon rig -- are directing their political committees to deliver thousands of dollars to GOP candidates this cycle. Barton himself has received more than $100,000 from the oil and gas industry this election cycle. Barton should apologize to the people of the Gulf and he should step down as the highest-ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Adding your name to our open letter is one of the best ways you can show him and other Republicans that they weren't elected to defend big oil. Sign the open letter today: http://my.barackobama.com/NoApologies Thanks, David Plouffe

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Robert Bruce, will you stand with the President?

Robert Bruce -- Tonight, in his very first speech from the Oval Office, President Obama addressed the nation on the BP oil spill and the crisis in the Gulf Coast. Millions of Americans heard him lay out the path forward: Tens of thousands will continue to work around the clock to stop the oil spill and prevent further damage. The Obama administration will ensure that BP is held accountable, covering the costs of the clean-up and paying its debts to the people whose lives have been upended by the disaster. The Gulf Coast will be repaired and restored for the people who call it home and whose livelihoods depend on it. But, as the President said tonight, this is just the beginning -- we need to ensure that a disaster like this never happens again. The President presented a vision of a future where we as a nation are not held hostage by our dependence on fossil fuels -- and a plan for an economy that invests in energy generated right here and creates jobs for millions of Americans in the process. Under his leadership, some of this is beginning to take shape -- clean energy is starting to put people back to work across the country, building more efficient cars and trucks, repurposing old factories to manufacture wind turbines, and investing in research that will discover new energy technologies. Critics will say that a real transition to clean energy is a challenge that can't be met. But the President made it clear tonight that he will not back down -- even if the path forward is not easy. And, as this movement has shown time and again, neither will we. Washington has put this off for far too long -- now we must act. If you haven't already, please stand with the President for a clean-energy future. http://my.barackobama.com/CleanEnergyFuture Thank you, Mitch Mitch Stewart Director Organizing for America

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Robert Bruce, will you stand with me?

Robert Bruce -- The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast is the worst environmental disaster of its kind in our nation's history. I am returning to the region today to review our efforts and meet with families and business owners affected by the catastrophe. We are working to hold BP accountable for the damage to the lands and the livelihoods of the Gulf Coast, and we are taking strong precautions to make certain a spill like this never happens again. But our work will not end with this crisis. That's one of the reasons why last week I invited lawmakers from both parties to join me at the White House to discuss what it will take to move forward on legislation to promote a new economy powered by green jobs, combat climate change, and end our dependence on foreign oil. Today, we consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil, but have less than two percent of the world's oil reserves. Beyond the risks inherent in drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, our dependence on oil means that we will continue to send billions of dollars of our hard-earned wealth to other countries every month -- including many in dangerous and unstable regions. In other words, our continued dependence on fossil fuels will jeopardize our national security. It will smother our planet. And it will continue to put our economy and our environment at risk. We cannot delay any longer, and that is why I am asking for your help. Please stand with me today in backing clean energy. Adding your name will help Organizing for America create a powerful, public display of support for making this change happen. The time has come, once and for all, for this nation to fully embrace a new future. That means continuing our unprecedented effort to make everything -- from our homes and businesses to our cars and trucks -- more energy-efficient. It means rolling back billions of dollars of tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development. Many businesses support this agenda because shifting to clean energy creates opportunities for entrepreneurship. This is how we will reinvent our economy -- and create new companies and new jobs all across the country. There will be transition costs and a time of adjustment. But if we refuse to heed the warnings from the disaster in the Gulf -- we will have missed our best chance to seize the clean-energy future we know America needs to thrive in the years and decades to come. The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate -- a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans -- that would achieve the same goal. But this is an issue that Washington has long ignored in favor of protecting the status quo. So I'm asking for your help today to show that the American people are ready for a clean-energy future. Please add your name to mine: http://my.barackobama.com/CleanEnergy Thank you, President Barack Obama

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The Gulf Coast

Robert Bruce -- Yesterday, I visited Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana -- one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle's Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners. Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his oyster bed has likely been destroyed by the spill. Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he's earned his living during shrimping season -- working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year-round. But today, the waters where he has worked are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope that he will be able to return to the life he built. Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It has upended whole communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they have lost. It is about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same. These people work hard. They meet their responsibilities. But now because of a manmade catastrophe -- one that is not their fault and beyond their control -- their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It is brutally unfair. And what I told these men and women is that I will stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are again made whole. That is why, from the beginning, we have worked to deploy every tool at our disposal to respond to this crisis. Today, there are more than 20,000 people working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. I have authorized 17,500 National Guard troops to participate in the response. More than 1,900 vessels are aiding in the containment and cleanup effort. We have convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the world. This is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country. We have also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and this week, the federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In addition, after an emergency safety review, we are putting in place aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I have appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill. If laws are inadequate, they will be changed. If oversight was lacking, it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken, those responsible will be brought to justice. These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. The people of this region have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe them is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience they have shown. That is our mission. And it is one we will fulfill. Thank you, President Barack Obama

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