President Obama took some time out of his schedule to take a walk through the new HealthReform.gov website, a one-stop shop where consumers can find out about their health insurance options. Watch the video to get a tour of the new site where you can learn about your new rights under health reform and get straightforward, easy-to-use information all in one place. You can also check out the yellow notes throughout the site to give your feedback on improving HealthReform.gov:

Republicans yesterday blocked the DISCLOSE Act from coming to an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor—legislation that would have undone the harmful effects of the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling by requiring increased transparency when it comes to our political process.

As President Obama noted before the vote, Republicans had blocked unemployment benefits, small business tax credits—and now legislation to ensure regular people’s voices aren’t drowned out by special interests trying to influence elections. “On issue after issue, we are trying to move America forward,” the President said. “They keep on trying to take us back.”

The Boston Globe reported on yesterday’s Republican obstruction on one of the President’s top priorities:

Senate Republicans defeated legislation yesterday to require more disclosure in campaign spending, ending Democrats’ quest for stronger rules after a Supreme Court ruling this year allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums to influence elections.

The bill had been a high priority for President Obama, who denounced the Supreme Court ruling during his State of the Union address in January, as justices sat silently in the House chamber.

On a party-line, 57-to-41 vote after a heated debate, an effort by Democrats to fight off a Republican filibuster fell short of the 60 votes required. All 40 Republicans in attendance, including Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, voted against it....

The legislation was the congressional response to a 5-to-4 Supreme Court ruling in January that struck down limits on corporate and union spending in elections. In the legal case — Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission — the court ruled that corporations and unions must be treated the same as individuals in campaign spending, recognizing a right to bankroll election activities as an exercise of the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court simultaneously upheld spending disclosure requirements, which Democrats tried to expand with the legislation. The House of Representatives passed a version of the bill last month.

The law would have required corporations and unions to reveal how much they spent on broadcast advertising in federal elections. And corporate CEOs or union heads would have to appear in their ads to take responsibility for the message.

Of the 15 million folks who cast their first votes in 2008, the Los Angeles Times reports that one million are in California—and OFA is hard at work to bring them back to the polls this year.

The LA Times highlighted one of the personal interactions between an OFA volunteer and a first time ‘08 voter—the type of conversation that will happen time and time again leading up to this fall’s elections:

Jordan Love, 22, was standing outside his home with his pit bull Duke when he was approached the other day by a Democratic volunteer canvassing his Carson neighborhood. Love had voted for the first time in 2008, inspired by Barack Obama's campaign, and that has made him a target in 2010.

Lori Noflin, the volunteer, urged him to cast a ballot again this fall and would only walk away after Love signed a card pledging to vote in November.

Voters like Love — first-time and sometimes voters — are a vital voting bloc for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown and incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer in their election bids, according to political observers in both parties. Both candidates are in dead-heat races, and their fates could rest on these voters, a mercurial bunch whose turnout potential is unpredictable....

Organizing For America, the Democrats' national get-out-the-vote apparatus, has made the president the centerpiece of its message to voters. On a recent Saturday, organizers told volunteers to make Obama and his agenda central to their pitch as they reached out to 2008's first-time voters in their homes and on the phone. More than 330 volunteers sought out 6,000 first-time voters in California that day, and talked to 900 of them.

"We are obviously focusing on first-time 2008 voters… making sure these people are as fired up and ready to go, and get to the polls in 2010," Phil Gaskin, a regional field director, told a handful of volunteers gathered at Lori Noflin's airy Carson home, preparing to canvas neighborhoods and make calls from a phone bank. "It's a whole campaign to keep the president linked to these voters, even though he's not running this year. It's a very, very cool strategy."

Check out the whole article.

First Lady Michelle Obama sent OFA supporters a message inviting them to join her in signing a card for President Obama's 49th birthday next week:

Every year, our family tries to come up with a fun way to wish Barack a happy birthday.

And this August 4th, when he turns 49, I have something new in mind.

This has been a big -- and hectic -- year for him. After signing the Affordable Care Act and Wall Street reform into law -- and completing his first year as president -- I think it's safe to say we will remember it for a long time.

And I know full well how much he credits this movement, and the work of supporters like you, for the change that we've accomplished.

So I'm putting together a birthday card that I would like you to sign. Together with other Organizing for America supporters -- and me, Malia, Sasha, and Bo -- we'll wish him a happy birthday and let him know that we're ready to take on the year ahead alongside him.

Will you wish Barack a happy birthday with me?

This year also brought a lot of surprises -- some good and some bad.

Supporters like you have helped him make the best of it -- by contacting Congress to help push stalled legislation forward, by re-engaging supporters in the political process, by giving back with service projects across the country, and so much more.

And while we can't know what the coming year will bring, all of us, working together, will continue pushing forward for change.

Will you help make this a memorable birthday for Barack and wish him a happy 49th?

http://my.barackobama.com/birthday

Thanks so much,

Michelle Obama

With an important vote expected today on the DISCLOSE Act, President Obama urged the Senate to pass the bill that would require corporate political advertisers to reveal who’s funding their election-related activities.

The DISCLOSE Act undoes some of the damage from the Citizens United Supreme Court case, which ruled that big corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money influencing our elections, without having to reveal that they’re doing so.

Unfortunately, as they have done on unemployment benefits and tax credits, Republicans in the Senate are doing everything they can to block this bill from moving forward.

President Obama:

Now, you’d think that making these reforms would be a matter of common sense, particularly since they primarily involve just making sure that folks who are financing these ads are disclosed so that the American people can make up their own minds.  Nobody is saying you can’t run the ads -- just make sure that people know who in fact is behind financing these ads.  And you’d think that reducing corporate and even foreign influence over our elections would not be a partisan issue.  But of course, this is Washington in 2010.  And the Republican leadership in the Senate is once again using every tactic and every maneuver they can to prevent the DISCLOSE Act from even coming up for an up or down vote.  Just like they did with unemployment insurance for Americans who’d lost their jobs in this recession.  Just like they’re doing by blocking tax credits and lending assistance for small business owners.  On issue after issue, we are trying to move America forward, and they keep on trying to take us back.

At a time of such challenge for America, we can’t afford these political games.  Millions of Americans are struggling to get by, and their voices shouldn’t be drowned out by millions of dollars in secret, special interest advertising.  The American people’s voices should be heard.

With OFA’s Vote 2010 strategy underway all across the country, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe stopped by two of Organizing for America’s California offices to fire up volunteers and lay out OFA’s plan for this year’s elections.

Plouffe told volunteers that they are the most effective messengers in making the case to friends and neighbors about the importance of November’s elections. OFA California shared more from Plouffe’s visits to OFA in Oakland and Los Angeles:

"The most important thing in 2010 is you talking to these voters, human being to human being, and getting them to say, ‘Alright, I’ll vote,’" Plouffe told volunteers in the Northern and Southern California OFA offices.

Plouffe explained that the President needs you to reach out to first-time ‘08 voters and tell them in your own words why this election matters.

Plouffe’s honest and candid speech to the Oakland office on the magnitude of the 2010 midterm election spoke volumes about his belief in OFA volunteers’ ability to affect lasting positive change. Plouffe made it clear to those in the room in Los Angeles and Oakland that by turning out the same first-time voters who carried President Obama to a historic 2008 victory, and turning out new first-time voters for 2010, OFA can once again make history in the upcoming midterm elections.

"It was those 15 million first-time voters that allowed us to win in 2008. We have to go out there and tell them that this election matters," Plouffe passionately implored the Oakland group to a round of applause. "We have to go out there and make sure that all those first-time voters go to the polls in 2010."

Plouffe was excited about the growth that OFA has seen ever since the 2008 elections. He pointed our that the organization's ability to affect policy in the last two years is remarkable, and is breaking new ground in citizens’ ability to access their government....

Plouffe pointed out that although no one has ever tried to rely so heavily on volunteers and grassroots organizing for a midterm election before, no one else has the level of grassroots support and dedication that OFA does. After letting those words sink and pausing to survey the crowd of volunteers hanging on his every word, Plouffe said frankly, "This year, my money is on you guys."

Last week the Republican leader in the House offered his own jobs plan—a plan Talking Points Memo described as "Do Nothing":

House Minority Leader John Boehner outlined the top three measures he'd pursue if he becomes Speaker of the House next Congress to create new jobs. But, those who thought he'd outline specific programs and how they would create jobs were disappointed with a familiar litany of wish-list items: repeal health care reform, eschew climate legislation, and renew the Bush tax cuts.

In other words, repeal a program that largely hasn't yet taken effect; prevent new legislation that is also not in effect; and keep a current tax structure in place.

In this week's address, President Obama challenged Republicans to embrace new ideas to create jobs instead of bringing back the failed policies of the past:

“These are not new ideas.  They are the same policies that led us into this recession.  They will not create jobs, they will kill them.  They will not reduce our deficit, they will add $1 trillion to our deficit.  They will take us backward at a time when we need to keep America moving forward.

“I know times are tough.  I know that the progress we’ve made isn’t good enough for the millions of Americans who are still out of work or struggling to pay the bills.  But I also know the character of this nation.  I know that in times of great challenge and difficulty, we don’t fear the future – we shape the future.  We harness the skills and ingenuity of the most dynamic country on Earth to reach a better day.  We do it with optimism, and we do it with confidence.  That’s the spirit we need right now, and that’s the future I know we can build together.”

As a presidential candidate in 2007, Barack Obama first spoke to the gathering of bloggers, organizers, and grassroots activists known as Netroots Nation during their annual conference in Chicago. Over the weekend, the President again addressed this year’s Netroots Nation in Las Vegas, this time with a video message. Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the crowd first and then introduced the President's video:

The President emphasized that while for many—himself included—change hasn’t come fast enough, we have made great progress amidst challenging times. From passing health reform and Wall Street reform to working to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and wind down the war in Iraq, these are changes that are making our country into the kind of place we want it to be.

And with November’s elections only a few months away, the President asked everyone to keep up the fight so that we can continue to move forward:

“We’ve begun to deliver on the change you fought for — and we’re not done....

We’re moving America forward, and when we’ve come so far, we can’t afford to slide backward. That’s the choice America faces this November. Going back to failed policies that got us into this mess, or moving forward with policies that are leading us out....

“Keep making your voices heard, keep holding me accountable, keep up the fight. Change is hard. But if we’ve learned anything these past eighteen months, change is possible.”

For several months now, OFA volunteers have been making calls, going door to door, and registering voters to gear up for this November’s elections.

OFA Pennsylvania held more than 30 events across the state as part of the recent national Vote 2010 Day of Action. As we wrote last week, Congressional candidate Dr. Manan Trivedi joined OFA volunteers at a canvass in Phoenixville, and state Representative Bryan Lentz stopped by an event in Upper Darby to talk with volunteers as they registered voters in the area.

The Phoenix:

Organizing for America — Pennsylvania (OFA-PA) volunteers held voter registration drives across Pennsylvania on Saturday as part of the Democratic Party's 'VOTE 2010' campaign for the elections this fall. OFA-PA supporters registered voters at more than 30 events on Saturday, which included phone banks, door-to-door canvasses and tables set up at high traffic festivals and farmers markets.

The voter registration drives were part of the ongoing grassroots organizing efforts by OFA to engage new voters and reconnect with 2008 first time voters, Independents, and the core of the Democratic Party. They were held in conjunction with OFA's national voter registration "Day of Action," with more than 600 events nationally. In Pennsylvania, Dr. Manan Trivedi and State Representative Bryan Lentz joined OFA volunteers at the Phoenixville and Upper Darby events respectively.

"This November the American people face a clear choice. It is a choice between President Obama and Democrats in Congress who have worked tirelessly to create jobs and pull our economy back from the brink of disaster, or the Republicans who have decided to sit on the sidelines and play politics with peoples' lives," said OFA-PA Communications Director Kerri Axelrod. "This weekend's events highlight the grassroots work OFA volunteers are doing on a daily basis to make sure voters understand how important the elections are this fall."

Read the whole article.

Today marks the 100 day point for the 2010 midterm elections. On November 2nd, every seat in the House of Representatives will be on the ballot, along with dozens of Senate seats. President Obama may not be on the ballot, but the stakes this year are just as high and the choice is just as stark—a choice between moving forward with solutions to the problems our country faces, or going back to the politics that created those same problems.

As President Obama recently said in a message to OFA supporters, following the passage of Wall Street reform:

"We did not come together to pass one single piece of legislation. We are fighting for nothing less than a new foundation for our country—and that work is not complete."

In 2008, grassroots supporters helped build the largest volunteer field organization in American politics, and in key states across the country, they defied the odds and helped make history. Two years later, the challenge is just as great.

For many volunteers and organizers, the work never stopped. First there was the long fight for health reform, then the shorter but just as important campaign for Wall Street reform. Now supporters are back at work registering new voters, reconnecting with 2008's voters, and building volunteer teams for the fall.

This year, the work of volunteers on the ground could be the difference in dozens of close races, and the outcome of those races could determine whether we continue moving forward, or begin to slip backward.

There are 100 days left before the November elections—100 days to make calls, to canvass, to talk to voters, to organize. One hundred days to make a difference.

The Huffington Post has a great slideshow highlighting seven ways the new Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010—student loan reform—will affect you.
 
The Act, which took effect on July 1, increases Pell Grants, limits student-loan repayments by income, and much more. Learn more about student loan reform at the Huffington Post.

After weeks of Republican obstruction, the President last night signed an extension to unemployment benefits for those looking for job amidst the tough economic climate.

Not only is extending a hand to the millions of long-term unemployed the right thing to do, it has also one of the most effective ways to stimulate the economy. The Michigan Messenger reported: 

Studies show conclusively that unemployment benefits are one of the most effective ways of stimulating the economy because those who receive it need it to pay bills and buy basic necessities, thus immediately putting that money back into circulation.

Every dollar of unemployment compensation paid creates $1.90 in economic stimulus, according to the CBO. Since the unemployment benefits lapsed on June 2, more than $10 billion has been lost in economic stimulus.

President Obama signed the unemployment benefits extension into law tonight, delivering badly-needed help for Americans who have lost their job in the recession.

Today’s good news comes after weeks of obstruction by Republicans, who decided to put political game playing ahead of doing the right thing to help those in need. President Obama had called on the GOP to put these folks before partisan tactics, and last night the Senate finally overcame the Republican filibuster.

Upon signing the bill the President also called on Congress to take action and pass aid to states and support for small businesses:

"Today, I signed the unemployment insurance extension to restore desperately needed assistance to two and a half million Americans who lost their jobs in the recession.  After a partisan minority used procedural tactics to block the authorization of this assistance three separate times over the past weeks, Americans who are fighting to find a good job and support their families will finally get the support they need to get back on their feet during these tough economic times.  Now it’s time for Congress to act on more proposals that support our economic recovery, including passing critical aid to our states and support to small businesses.  Small businesses are the engine of job growth, and measures to cut their taxes and make lending available should not be held hostage to partisan tactics like those that unconscionably held up unemployment insurance."

Today's benefits extension brings relief to folks who had gone without assistance for up to seven weeks, who could begin receiving retroactive assistance as early as next week.

The House just voted 272-152 to restore unemployment benefits for 2.5 million of out-of-work Americans—sending the bill to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

President Obama and Democrats in Congress overcame months of Republican obstruction that put politics ahead of those looking for work—and these folks will soon see their benefits restored.

As President Obama made clear to Republicans who had been holding up the bill:

“When storms strike Main Street, we don’t play politics with emergency aid.  We don’t desert our fellow Americans when they fall on hard times.  We come together.  We do what we can to help.  We rebuild stronger, and we move forward.”

The heart of Organizing for America is our volunteers—some of whom spend around 20 hours a week as community organizers working alongside OFA staff in their states. Sandi Cook is one such OFA community organizer in South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Wave reported on how folks like Sandi are working to build grassroots momentum for candidates who support President Obama leading up to this year’s elections: 

With less than four months to go before the crucial mid-term congressional elections — essentially a half-term report card on the performance of Barack Obama — Democratic activists in South Los Angeles are looking to mobilize the kind of grassroots army that helped elect the nation’s first Black president.

Organizing for America (OFA), the network that succeeded Obama for America, has been engaged in a full-on effort to prove many of the political pundits wrong...

Meanwhile, organizers are hoping that Sandi Cook — a 49-year-old health insurance sales representative born and bred in the Crenshaw District — is the kind of centrifugal force that is being overlooked by purveyors of the conventional wisdom.

An OFA community organizer for Congressional District 33, Cook commits more than 25 volunteer hours a week to the cause.

She leads five active field teams, each consisting of a neighborhood team leader, a data coordinator, a volunteer coordinator and an event coordinator.

On Saturday, Cook set up her table for a voter registration drive at the Cherrywood/Leimert Block Club barbecue, which had a couple of well-known political visitors pass by, including 10th District City Councilman Herb Wesson and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

She was joined later in the afternoon by her de facto boss, Philip H. Gaskin, the regional field director for South Los Angeles, himself a former community organizer.

“OFA is now president Obama’s national volunteer grassroots field team,” he said. “It’s the first-ever grassroots field team for a president. That’s historic and I’m sure it’s a model other presidents will try to duplicate. We’re in all 50 states and have teams in all 435 congressional districts.”

Cook spelled out their task. “The mission of OFA is to support the president and his agenda,” said Cook. “So that’s what we are doing, we know how important it is for people to vote [in this election]. At the beginning of the year, we have been … organizing nationwide, especially in California.

“There’s still a lot of support, but we need to build our capacity and reach out to people. This kind of work is grassroots; it’s neighborhood by neighborhood, door to door.”

Read the full article.

The good news is that the Senate this evening cast its final vote to approve extending unemployment benefits for millions of out-of-work Americans. We’re now one step closer to helping those hit hardest by this recession get the assistance they need to get back on their feet.

But the vote happened despite an extra day of obstruction by the GOP—who had already spent several weeks blocking the benefits extension from moving forward. Republicans stalled throughout the day by filing motions to delay the vote, increasing the amount of time before out-of-work Americans will see their benefits resume.

Ezra Klein called it particularly “cruel” for Republicans to hold up the vote as they did once it became clear yesterday the vote had the support to pass. Not to mention the time it’s taking from accomplishing real business: “The more floor time Republicans can chew up in procedural maneuvers like this one, the less time there is for Democrats to actually accomplish things,” writes Klein.

Next, the extension will go for a vote in the House before heading to President Obama’s desk.

President Obama sent the following message to supporters after signing Wall Street reform into law earlier today:

When you and I set out on this journey three years ago, we knew that ours would be a lengthy struggle to build a new foundation for this country -- one that would require squaring off against the special interests who had spent decades stacking the deck in their favor.

Today, it is clear that you have shifted the odds.

This morning, I signed into law a bill that represents the most sweeping reforms of Wall Street since the Great Depression, and the toughest consumer financial protections this nation has ever seen. I know that I am able to do so only because the tens of thousands of volunteers who make up the backbone of this movement overcame the most potent attack ads and the most powerful lobbying the special interests could put forward.

Our special-interest opponents and their Republican allies have now set their sights on the elections in November as their best chance to overturn the historic progress we've made together.

Organizing for America counts entirely on supporters like you to fight back -- no special interests, no corporate PACs. To keep making change and to defend the change we have already won, we need you to contribute so we have the resources necessary going into the election.

Can you donate $5 today and help Organizing for America lay the groundwork for the fights ahead?

Because of Wall Street reform, we will ensure that Americans applying for a credit card, a mortgage, or a student loan will never again be asked to sign their name under pages of confusing fine print. We will crack down on abusive lending practices and make sure that lenders don't cheat the system -- and create a new watchdog to enforce these consumer protections.

And we will put an end to taxpayer-funded bailouts, giving us the ability to wind down any large financial institution if it should ever fail.

The passage of Wall Street reform is at the forefront of the change we seek, and it will provide a foundation for a stronger and safer economy.

It is a foundation built upon the progress of the Recovery Act, which has turned 22 months of job losses into six consecutive months of private-sector job growth. And it is a foundation reinforced by the historic health reform we passed this spring, which is already giving new benefits to more than 100 million Americans, ushering another 1 million Americans into coverage by next year.

But today's victory is not where our fight ends.

Organizing for America and I will move forward in the months ahead on the tough fights we have yet to finish -- even if cynics say we should wait until after the fall elections. This movement has never catered to the conventional wisdom of Washington. And we have fought to ensure that our progress is never held hostage by our politics.

You and I did not build this movement to win one election. We did not come together to pass one single piece of legislation. We are fighting for nothing less than a new foundation for our country -- and that work is not complete. As we face the challenges ahead, I am relying on you to stand with me.

Please donate $5 or more today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/WallStreetReformed

Thank you for helping us get here,

President Barack Obama

 

This morning, President Obama added Wall Street reform to his administration’s growing list of accomplishments delivered during 18 months in office. The new law represents the strongest protections for consumers in history, and ensures taxpayers never are forced to foot the bill for Wall Street’s reckless behavior.

For today’s bill signing, President Obama was joined by several folks who represent all of the Americans who will benefit from this bill. The President explained exactly how it will help:

For all those Americans who are wondering what Wall Street Reform means for you, here’s what you can expect.  If you’ve ever applied for a credit card, a student loan, or a mortgage, you know the feeling of signing your name to pages of barely understandable fine print.

But what often happens as a result, is that many Americans are caught by hidden fees and penalties, or saddled with loans they can’t afford.  That’s what happened to Robin Fox, hit with a massive rate increase on her credit card balance even though she paid her bills on time.  That’s what happened to Andrew Giordano, who discovered hundreds of dollars in overdraft fees on his bank statement – fees he had no idea he might face. Both are here today.

Well, with this law, unfair rate hikes, like the one that hit Robin, will end for good.  And we’ll ensure that people like Andrew aren’t unwittingly caught by overdraft fees when they sign up for a checking account.

With this law, we’ll crack down on abusive practices in the mortgage industry.  We’ll make sure that contracts are simpler – putting an end to many hidden penalties and fees in complex mortgages – so folks know what they’re signing.

With this law, students who take out college loans will be provided clear and concise information about their obligations.

And with this law, ordinary investors – like seniors and folks saving for retirement – will be able to receive more information about the costs and risks of mutual funds and other investment products, so that they can better make financial decisions that work for them.

All told, these reforms represent the strongest consumer financial protections in history.  And these protections will be enforced by a new consumer watchdog with just one job: looking out for people – not big banks, not lenders, not investment houses – in the financial system.

OFA supporters played a critical part at every step of the way toward getting Wall Street reform passed and signed into law. Today’s victory continues to show that when we work together, we can make progress that puts our country on a path to a stronger future.

A great new animated video from the White House shows how Wall Street reform provides tough new consumer protections that will help you and your family. The simple animation explains how Wall Street reform fixes the problems that caused the financial crisis in the first place, and how reform ensures that taxpayers are never again made to foot the bill for Wall Street’s reckless behavior.

Update: The event has ended, and Wall Street reform is now the law of the land.

At 11:30 a.m. ET this morning, President Obama will sign Wall Street reform into law—enacting the toughest consumer protections in history and the greatest financial industry overhaul since the Great Depression.

Watch the signing live starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time:

And before the event starts, check out 10 things you should know about the new law, via the White House blog:

1. Stronger protections for consumers against unfair credit card practices like rate hikes for existing credit card balances.
2. Mortgage brokers will be prohibited from making higher commissions by selling mortgages they know consumers can’t afford.
3. Free annual credit scores so people can stay on top of their finances.
4. No more taxpayer-funded bailouts. If a company can’t make it, it will have to liquidate.
5. Greater input by company shareholders over how much a CEO gets paid.  And companies’ compensation boards are now required to be truly independent.
6. Brokers who offer investment advice will have to act in the best interests of their customers, not their own financial interests.
7. Financial firms won't be allowed to grow so large that if one fails, it will affect the entire financial system.
8. There will be one agency whose sole job is to make sure that consumers get the protections they deserve and to set clear rules to hold banks, mortgage companies, payday lenders, and credit card lenders accountable.
9. Businesses can't be charged extra fees for debit card “swipe fees” that exceed the cost of processing transactions.
10. You can learn plenty more here at WhiteHouse.gov  or at financialstability.gov.