Massachusetts Results Reflects Nationwide Backlash

Says Leader of Grassroots Movement

DALLAS, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Center for Policy Analysis is in direct contact with more grassroots opponents of Obama health reform than any other organization.  NCPA President John C. Goodman says, "What we saw yesterday in Massachusetts is reflective of what we see all across the country."

• The NCPA reaches nearly three million email subscribers every week with health policy information. (President Obama is sending out 19 million emails a week on health care reform.)
• There are more than 1.35 million petition signatures on the Free Our Health Care Now petition.
• The NCPA, working with partner Salem Radio Networks, has generated nearly 500,000 emails and 10,000 phone calls to members of Congress, opposing a government takeover of health care.  This includes more than 25,000 emails from California voters to Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, more than 8,000 messages to each of Colorado's senators and almost 11,000 email messages to each of Florida's senators.    

"Unlike so much of the rhetoric in the health policy debate, we do not lie, distort and exaggerate," said Goodman.  "Our core messages are first vetted at the John Goodman Health Policy Blog, which draws the top health economists from across the political spectrum. Only after this vetting do we send out information to several million policy activists."

"The Internet trench warfare at the grassroots level has been almost completely overlooked by the mainstream media," said Goodman.  "The story here is what both sides are doing to mobilize Americans to put pressure on Capitol Hill."

"You would think the Obama Administration would have made a major effort to educate the public about how the Senate health bill really works; in fact, they have made no effort whatsoever.  The administration's emails are closer to cheerleading than education," said Goodman.  "There was a lot of misleading information flying in all directions at last summer's town hall meetings; but on balance, the average protestor appeared to be better informed than the average member of Congress."

Editor's note: John Goodman is available for an interview about the election impact on health care reform.

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization established to develop alternatives to government regulation by relying on the private sector. Topics include health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare and environmental regulation.

SOURCE National Center for Policy Analysis