Bill Moyers Just Asked the President to let Josh Marshall Write his Health Care Speech!!!
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2009/09/bill_moyers_on_obamas_moment.html#c259311
Moyers briefly explained who Josh Marshall is, and what TPM is, and identified him as a journalist and an historian, and "not a politician." Moyers said Marshall has a clear and simple message on the question people should be asked about health care reform: " Would you like the option, the voluntary option, of buying into Medicare before you're sixty-five?"
Updated in the morning:
I know many of you have blogged exactly this message; congratulations to Josh and to all of you. If there is any other teevee journalist who can touch Bill Moyers, I don't know who it is.
And Josh; write the speech; we'll get it around, even if the President doesn't end up using it! Your Reader-bloggers will help. And we can send this clip to the White House, and ask that the President see it. We can post the clip at other sites, many of you must have accounts at other sites, yes?
Is not that delightful? how wonderful.
Thank you Wendy
September 5, 2009 1:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Welcome; it is great.
September 5, 2009 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yee ha!
September 5, 2009 1:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank goodness - now, it begins....
I dare to have the 'audacity of hope'!
Wendy, greatly appreciate (my PBS is down!)
REC'D!
September 5, 2009 1:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Woohoo, Josh! Thanks, Wendy, it was fun seeing that TPM masthead on the show! Would never have seen it if you hadn't brought it to our attention!
September 5, 2009 1:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
darn! missed bill moyers 'cause i was on the road. knew he would have something to say this week, but didn't know it was going to be so rad.
i hope josh has a red phone somewhere.
September 5, 2009 2:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
SPQR don't lose heart. You can see Bill Moyers shows on the web!
Woo bloody Hoo Josh, and thank you Wendy! Tivo is wonderful except for making me lackadaisical about watching broadcasts in real time. I can save lots of Moyer though! (Watching this week's show tomorrow.)
See, I love Bill Moyers and I love TPM.
September 5, 2009 2:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
And you can get the shows in iTunes. I have lots of them on my laptop.
September 5, 2009 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes.
I want to buy into medicare. Please let me.
Please. I will give you money. lots.
September 5, 2009 4:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have watched Bill Moyers' coverage of the health care issue with intense frustration. He really has nailed the issue, and one cannot walk away from these televised programs without passionately aspiring to universal health care. The frustration comes in the apparent lack of distribution of these programs and its message to the American people and their Reps in Congress.
Moyers may wish for Josh to write the speech. But it is my wish that Moyers take over the task of creating the overall message and the "sales" campaign for the Obama Administration.
Please, President Obama. A little less triangulation and bi-partisanship concerns and process. How about trying to tap into the passion of this pursuit instead? It's a cause we can win, if only we seize the debate away from the fear-mongers and profiteers and liars who have driven the discussion thus far. Inspire us to greatness, and let us see if we are up to the challenge.
September 5, 2009 12:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm glad you posted this, Wendy. We all may quibble over comments and ratings and other silly stuff here at TPM Cafe, but let's face it, Josh is terrific and the site a godsend in getting a progressive take on politics and the news out there. I'm really glad Bill Moyers, one of my other favorites, recognized Josh for his work.
Let's hope Obama reads TPM too!
September 5, 2009 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
To you and sleepingjesus:
What if we all send the video clip to the White House, explain that it's a message to the President from Bill Moyers that we endorse, and we want him to see it? I just sent it to the White House, and am trying to get an account (so far unsuccessfully) at firedoglake, they are good little organizers) and make an attempt at making Moyers voice Big? Moyers has his own problems with Media, even PBS.
Not to mention that Josh gives us this venue to honk about our issues and beliefs and all!
September 5, 2009 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your suggestion is about the equivalent of sending the White House a newspaper clipping with the note "what he said".
Instead, I would suggest you simply contact the White House directly with the message that you wish to state (e.g. "Mr. President: I am 35 years old. Why can't the public option for Healthcare be simply that I am allowed into the Medicare program?" or something like that).
And do it by FAX, not email.
September 5, 2009 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
We all email and phone and fax; i'd just like to have him hear it straight from Moyers' mouth, too. He was very compelling. I thought if we flood the email sheets with it, someone might take note of it; otherwise, you're just a checkmark on a list.
September 5, 2009 2:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wendy, I agree. I posted below and I should have put it here. Thanks for this post. Rec'd.
September 5, 2009 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for posting this Wendy, I just sent a copy of the clip to the White House.
September 5, 2009 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow! Big Kudos from a truth GIANT! Congrats Josh!
September 5, 2009 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks Wendy and kudos to JM for all of his work these past years. It's a simple question everyone can understand.
September 5, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you very, very much Wendy!
I missed Moyers last night but this was certainly one of his best commentaries and wouldn't it be nice if our President were actually listening? Sadly, he isn't. But that doesn't mean we can't try to force him to pay attention to common sense and to what is right and, surprisingly enough, what his supporters are crying out for.
Good catch!
September 5, 2009 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
My husband caught it, and I had to get out of bed to listen and post; the kudos go to him! Welcome!
September 5, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama, himself, might not be listening or reading, Oleeb, but you know he has dozens of interns doing it for him. If there's a sudden influx of communication to the WH, it will get passed up the food chain until it DOES get noticed.
That's why I'm going into town this afternoon to get a new ink cartridge for my fax machine--it doesn't transmit otherwise. Go figure.
September 5, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I didn't see it last night, either, but my son called me this afternoon and told me about it. I watched it and wrote a blog about it, even though I know it's a holiday weekend and it won't get much attention.
I was thrilled to see the recognition for Josh and TPM. and I have to believe if we absolutely bombard the White House with emails and links to Bill Moyers' clip and trancript, as well as any other comment we want to make, they can't help but finally recognize that there is a full force of citizens who are willing to fight for a no-compromise health care bill.
It's no use to add links to our own websites or to any others they don't recognize. They won't open them. But surely they'll open a link to Bill Moyers.
Liberal and progressive bloggers do have a weapon, however--our blog space--and we need to do what we can to get the message out. If every blogger who believes in single pay or public option wrote a blog begging others to write the White House, giving the contact address, we might make an impact.
It's worth a try, anyway.
September 5, 2009 7:43 PM | Reply | Permalink