At least a dozen groups are holding meetings in the Charlotte area Saturday or in the next month as part of a grassroots effort to push for health care reform.
"Our representatives need to know we want real change, not the same old system," said Virginia Sullivan, a retired Charlotte nurse, in her online invitation at the Organizing for America Web site, www.barackobama.com.
Sullivan's "snack and wine" party for 20 on Saturday is booked, but other parties still have openings and can be found on the Web site. Organizing for America is a project of the Democratic National Committee and was formed as an extension of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Hosts of the get-togethers -- to be held in thousands of homes across the country -- invite guests to hear a message from Obama and then lead the conversation about what people want to see in health care reform.
"One thing I don't know is how much difference does it really make," Sullivan said. "I don't know, but it's nice to be asked." She said the meetings are very organized, with suggested questions to discuss and a formal process for reporting results to the Web site.
Another of the meetings is planned by Grace Liem, a nurse practitioner in Concord. Fifty people have signed up for the 5 p.m. meeting at McCabe's Restaurant, 316 Brookdale St., Kannapolis, but she said drop-ins are welcome.
After health-reform attempts failed under the Clinton administration, Liem said, it became apparent that special interests, such as the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, will resist change.
"This time, we've come prepared," she said. "We've done our homework. We know how much health care costs, how many uninsured we have. We can spread the facts about universal health care. We're prepared to answer questions, not just morally. Now it's an economic issue. And when you hit somebody in the pocketbook, they pay more attention." To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.charlotteobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.