Obama's Policital Machine To Launch 'Health Care Story Bank'

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/obamas-political-operation-to-launch-big-database-of-health-care-stories/

Obama’s Political Operation To Launch Big Database Of Health Care Stories


In a major new effort to throw Obama’s campaign apparatus into the push for health care reform, the White House’s political operation is set to launch a massive new online data bank of thousands of health care stories, which will be spread around the country via Obama’s extensive email list, officials familiar with the project tell me.

The new “health care story bank” — as it’s dubbed by Organizing for America, Obama’s reconfigured political and campaign operation run out of the DNC — is perhaps the most ambitious test case yet determining whether the technological apparatus that fueled Obama’s campaign can succeed in driving Obama’s governing agenda.

The new initiative, which will be announced and go live later this morning, comes at a moment when many Democrats are asking what Obama plans to do to campaign for health care reform. OFA officials view it as a major technological and communications component of their push to make reform happen.

Here’s an advance look at what the online data bank will look like (click to enlarge):







The story bank is an effort to harness the power of personal anecdote to make the case for reform. Officials with OFA, which is headed by operative Mitch Stewart, say they’ve banked in the database hundreds of thousands of personal and first-hand stories detailing people’s experiences of the health care crisis.

These stories, which OFA had been collecting on its Web site but had not released, will be disseminated to the massive OFA email list, in hopes that campaign-style organizers around the country will use powerful first-hand anecdotes to argue the case for reform — and to push back on opponents’ talking points. There will also be a tool that allow users to flag particular stories as deserving of more attention.

In one particularly interesting detail, the new database will also allow people to zero in on personal stories of people from their states or Congressional districts, so organizers can bring the need for reform close to home and use the tales to pressure members of Congress. I’ll bring you a link to the new database when it’s up and running later today.

I just hope that it will be moderated so what happened to the opengov website will not happen to this new website.

to share. I think it's a great idea, too. Hard to dispute firsthand accounts, and they are everywhere.

could easily roll over these repigs and even shame the punk ass Democrats who oppose anything that doesn't put money in their pockets.

This issue crosses party lines. The Party of NO is about to be bulldozed.

Scary stories that we can tell each other around the campfire at night.

Ok, I guess. I don't really understand the point. We have been regaling each other with these stories for literally YEARS. Every town hall has been filled with them. This website and many others have been sharing these experiences for years. Everyone and their brother has a PERSONAL story of insurance nightmares. Who is the audience that these stories are designed to convert? Lawmakers? They get HUNDREDS of these stories firsthand from their constituents on a daily basis. Is the audience the 25% hardcore of the public who is afraid of government healthcare? Because 72-85% of the public isn't enough of a mandate?

This site will be overun with trolls telling stories about their horrible experiences with VA and Medicare and how government run healthcare DOESN'T work despite the opposite being true. This will most likely backfire against the proponents of real reform.

should be forced to read some of the heartbreaking stories. Get their heads out of their asses. I like this aspect of it myself:

"the new database will also allow people to zero in on personal stories of people from their states or Congressional districts, so organizers can bring the need for reform close to home and use the tales to pressure members of Congress."

Might prove to be much more difficult to deny reality if it's staring them in the face.

Maybe they could post their story and email it to their Rep as well.

Another use I can come up with is if someone called up Sean Hannity every single day and read him one of these stories on the air just after he made one of his proclamations that we have "the best healthcare in the world".

I guess we all just have to make sure that the site is not overun by the enemies of real reform.

but hope someone read it! I have proposed using our University Medical Centers as "orphan" disease (MS, Parkinson's, etc.) triage centers where these patient's like my son who had Progressive MS and has his brain and kidney's atrophying can get expert help in a timely manner! He was diagnosed in 15 minutes at one of these centers and he had gone for 2 years before that from one Neurologist to another who had no idea what was wrong! Test after test was run and it must have cost $$$$ of money to do it. He had no insurance at the time because he had lost his business in the 3 hurricanes we had in Florida in 2004.

We must do something to take care of the chronically ill in our country in a more comprehensive and timely manner! Chronic ill patients take up 80% of the health care money we currently spend. I wish someone would take this seriously. I had spoken to retired Senator Bob Graham about this but I still have not been able to get it in front of anyone who has the authority to request a study be done on it. I was going for my PHD before we had to file bankruptcy and had to give up last year.

I pray for something to be done in the future before like Ohio they simply just cut the budget of the most needy and chronic patients! If you don't think this may ever affect you and your loved ones think again!

Please feel free to pass this on - I can only hope and pray someday someone will listen and take action!

:fistbump: