Insurance Coalition Bribes Internet Users To Oppose Health Bills

HuffingtonPost — Internet users looking for gift cards and other free merchandise are being steered to Web pages inviting them to send e-mails to Congress expressing their views on President Barack Obama's push to reshape the country's health system.

In one instance, people looking for rewards are taken to a Web page run by Get Health Reform Right, a coalition of 10 insurance industry groups that opposes Obama's health overhaul effort. That page lets opponents of the Democratic drive quickly generate a letter to their member of Congress expressing their view.

In another, those applying for gifts can end up on the Web page of the American Medical Association's Patients' Action Network, where they can express support to lawmakers for expanding health care coverage.

The ads could give the impression that someone has to send an e-mail to Congress to get free goods. But based on fine print appearing in the ads, it appears sending the e-mails is optional and would not affect whether people receive the gifts they are seeking.

The ads attracting letter writers with incentives, first reported by Gawker.com, were provided to a reporter by Dan Porter, CEO of OMGPOP, a company that runs a Web site that combines multiplayer Internet games with social networking.

The ads are aimed at people seeking a reward, such as a gift certificate to a retail chain, that they would receive after providing their e-mail addresses and other information. Such ads could also be aimed at people who play online games and would like to earn virtual currency they can use to purchase items they can use in games, Porter said.

After people provide information about themselves, they are taken to a series of Web sites that ask them questions. One of the pages asks people if they want to "tell Congress to get health reform right!" If they check "yes," they are taken to GetHealthReformRight.org, where they can quickly send a prewritten e-mail to their member of Congress expressing opposition to a government-run insurance plan. Another asks people to answer "yes" or "no" to the statement, "Now is the time to make your voice heard on health system reform."

Letter To The Editor From Alicia Bergfeld

Barbara Oldenburg, who has served on the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee as one of the two Senate District 8 Representatives for several years, has resigned effective January 1, 2010. (Dist. Map PDF) As specified in the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party, "When a vacancy occurs on the SDEC, the vacancy shall be filled by the majority vote of the members of the SDEC. The new member shall be an eligible person of the same sex and from the same senatorial district as the vacating member. The Senatorial District Committee of the affected district shall meet to nominate a person for such position." The following letter to the editor of the DBCC is from Alicia Bergfeld, who has announce her candidacy to fill Ms. Oldenburg's vacancy:

Letter To The Editor by Alicia Bergfeld My name is Alicia Bergfeld and I am running to be the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) member from Senate District 8. I will be the first to admit that I am not very well known in Collin County…yet. When I first heard about this vacancy, I was given a brief description of the SDEC and its responsibilities. I was interested immediately: A chance to be involved with the State Democratic Party? Sign me up, I thought. Conveniently, the SDEC was having a meeting in Austin five days later. I traveled to Austin to attend this meeting, and while there, I solidified my desire to join the SDEC. While in attendance at the SDEC General Meeting, I was struck by a very interesting visual. I was sitting in the back of the room facing the entire SDEC, and I noticed that my demographic, young and female, was not fully represented. Yet those like me are the future of the party, a party that is on the edge of real change. I am committed to engaging the younger generations and bringing them into the fold because whatever change is starting now, my generation will be the ones to continue the progress. I can bring new energy to the state party, and I can help move this party forward into its exciting future. The Democratic Party in Texas, and in Collin County in particular, is on the cusp of a really important breakthrough. It is truly a tangible feeling among many Democrats. The SDEC is such an important part of the momentum in the County and in the state as a whole. As a member, I would support the Democratic Party wholeheartedly. I would devote as much time (and more) as is necessary to propel Texas Democrats into the forefront. I want to support the Party from the inside. I want to serve Texas well by building the Democratic brand and putting Collin County on the map. I will b e there every step of the way to make sure our party continues to be the party of the people. I would like to think I have always been a Democrat. I always seemed to be aware of the needs of others and I would try to help in any way possible, even if that meant giving the shoes off my feet (literally). I grew up knowing that I could be anything that I wanted to be, yet at 12 years old, my father told me there were two things that I could never be: a method actor or a Republican. I did not pay much attention to this edict at the time, but as I attended high school and college, I realized that I could not be a Republican. I cared too much about the wellbeing of others. I would absolutely not pass their Reagan-esque litmus test, nor would I want to. And so I have made it my goal in life to help people and to make a difference in this world. I cannot think of a more appropriate avenue to accomplish this than to help crank the wheels inside the Texas Democratic Party. I may not have been born a Texan, but it is my chosen home. Help me make it the best home it can be.

Alicia Bergfeld currently resides in Plano, TX and works for a non-profit in Dallas that has served the community for nearly 35 years. Alicia earned a Masters of International Relations from Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland. She is an active member of the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County, as well as a dedicated volunteer for Planned Parenthood of North Texas. She is actively trying to establish a Young Democrats group in Collin County, and recently participated in the Campaign Training Series held at Collin College Frisco Campus.


Disclosures: The editor of this blog is an active member of the Democratic Campaign Development Coalition that sponsored a Democratic Campaign Training Education Series, which Ms. Bergfeld attended.

Tom Daley Endorses Linda Magid For SD 8 SDEC

Barbara Oldenburg, who has served on the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee as one of the two Senate District 8 Representatives for several years, has resigned effective January 1, 2010. (SD 8. Map PDF) The State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) is a special body created by the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) to effectively serve as the TDP governing body. As specified in the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party:

"When a vacancy occurs on the SDEC, the vacancy shall be filled by the majority vote of the members of the SDEC. The new member shall be an eligible person of the same sex and from the same senatorial district as the vacating member. The Senatorial District Committee of the affected district shall meet to nominate a person for such position."

The following letter was release by Tom Daley, 2008 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, supporting Linda Magid's candidacy to fill Ms. Oldenburg's SD 8 Democratic Executive Committee vacancy. Ms. Magid served as Mr. Daley's campaign manager during his 2008 run for the Texas 3rd Congressional District Seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Daley's letter:

By Tom Daley 2008 Democratic candidate U.S. House of Representatives, TX 3th Congressional District January 4, 2010 I am writing regarding the now-vacant position on the State Democratic Executive Committee that Barb Oldenburg so capably filled. It is important that battlegrounds such as SD-8 be represented by active and committed Democrats who have the time and energy to represent our area in SDEC proceedings. When I ran for US Congress in 2008, I soon found myself in need of a campaign manager. That presented me with two challenges: First, I wasn’t sure what a campaign manager should be doing. Second, I didn’t know where to find one. What I did know was that I needed an energetic person who was willing to take on an ill-defined job, for less than minimal pay, and work extensively with a candidate who was not very experienced. Fortunately, I didn’t look long. Linda Magid met my wife at a TDWCC meeting. Linda told Ava that she heard I was running for Congress and that she wanted to be part of the fight to bring energetic, effective representation to the Third Congressional District of Texas. Linda quickly identified what needed to be done, worked tirelessly to set measurable goals and helped me focus on meeting those goals. She worked hard to do whatever task needed doing, whenever it needed doing, and helped keep our campaign on track. She didn’t just execute—she was also an important source of ideas and never let her enthusiasm be overcome by the challenges of the day. Democrats in Texas are nearing a tipping point. We are poised to become the majority party and thereby bring good governance to the people of the state of Texas. But this won’t happen by fiat, luck, or wishful thinking. It will happen because we continue to work together doing the right things the right way. I believe Linda Magid is the perfect person to represent us on the SDEC. Her combination of drive, organizational skills, and willingness to roll up her sleeves and do the hard work required to help us be all that we imagine we can be is exactly what we need today. Please share my endorsement of Linda Magid with those who will vote in the election. Wishing us all success in 2010, Tom Daley, Attorney at Law

Letter To The Editor From Linda Magid

Barbara Oldenburg, who has served on the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee as one of the two Senate District 8 Representatives for several years, has resigned effective January 1, 2010. (Dist. Map PDF) As specified in the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party, "When a vacancy occurs on the SDEC, the vacancy shall be filled by the majority vote of the members of the SDEC. The new member shall be an eligible person of the same sex and from the same senatorial district as the vacating member. The Senatorial District Committee of the affected district shall meet to nominate a person for such position." The following letter to the editor of the DBCC is from Linda Magid, who has announce her candidacy to fill Ms. Oldenburg's vacancy:

Letter To The Editor by Linda Magid The State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) is a special body created by the Texas Democratic Party (TDP) and effectively serves as the TDP governing body. The State Democratic Executive Committee's mission is to: "Carry on the activities of the Party between State Conventions in compliance with the law and with the directives of the Convention." The SDEC is composed of elected TDP officers, one female and one male representative from each of the 31 Senate Districts currently defined in Texas. Rather than voting during a Texas Democratic State Convention, as normally happens, SD8 precinct chairs in Dallas and Collin County will vote for one precinct chair each to serve on a committee that will then recommend one person to the SDEC to fill the vacancy left by Ms. Oldenburg's resignation. With the current vacancy of the Senate District 8 female SDEC member, I am asking SD-8 Precinct Chairs in Collin County to support my candidacy for this position. As Campaign Manager for Tom Daley, the Democratic Congressional Candidate running against Sam Johnson in 2008, I understand the challenges we Democrats face in Collin County. I am by no means deterred by those challenges; in fact, I am only bolstered by them, ready to take on more responsibility and leadership to elect Democrats to county and state office. I see this SDEC position as not just an opportunity to participate in the TDP leadership but as an opening for bringing knowledge, ideas and experience from around the state to our work here. Our Collin County Democratic Party Chair, Shawn Stevens, has shared that the State Party sees Collin County as an important ingredient in winning in 2010. I want to work with Shawn to remind the State Party of our growing numbers, our needs and our determination. Three months after I moved to Texas in 2007, I joined the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County and almost immediately joined the Board of Directors as Events Chair. I successfully organized (with the North Dallas Texas Democratic Women) bringing Arianna Huffington to Collin County, a speaking engagement the Dallas Morning News said would be a flop. The event raised $2000 for each women's group. When the Primary Caucus came, I had the privilege of running Precint 135's caucus and was elected a Delegate to our County Convention and served on the Resolutions Committee. By the State Convention, I was already Tom Daley's Campaign Manager and was elected as an alternate delegate to the State convention. Once the election was over, I was elected Vice Chair to the Democratic Campaign Development Coalition (DCDC), a group committed to creating a pipeline of Democratic leadership in Collin County. Shortly after that I was promoted to Chair, which I serve as today. When the former Collin County Democratic Party Chair stepped down, the DCDC organized a successful County Chair Candidate Forum, providing a platform for Precinct Chairs to hear what the three candidates had to offer. Recently, the DCDC organized a seven session campaign training program to jump start possible candidates and campaign workers. Out of 44 unique attendees, we have 3 new Precinct Chairs and 4 new candidates for 2010, with more people considering a run in 2012. I believe my experience, my effort and my passion are evidence that I will fulfill this SDEC position with the County in mind. I want us to win. I want you, the precinct chairs, to win. Vote for me, and I promise to do all I can to make that happen.

Disclosures: Ms. Magid is a guest author for this blog. The editor of this blog is an active member of the Democratic Campaign Development Coalition, which Ms. Magid chairs.