7.1 Million People Insured Today–not an April Fool’s joke

One of the admittedly few truly joyous moments of working on the Obama for America campaign, which morphed into Organizing for Action, is a day like today when we get a Thank You from the man in the middle―the one with the patience of Job, a tolerance beyond human understanding, and genuine, unconditional concern for the citizens of the United States of America.

We get a thank you for fighting endless, nonsensical fights, day after day. And we get the honest to goodness truth: yes, challenges will continue. Bank on the fact that websites will still stumble and go down. But despite not having the billions of dollars of politicians backed by the Koch Bros. and Rove’s robots, the debate to repeal the law is OVER. Affordable care is here to stay.

To those politicians who have based their campaigns on repealing it without offering up any solutions or other options, why should women pay more than men for health care? Why should those with pre-existing conditions have to risk bankruptcy―their homes, cars, educations―for ongoing healthcare? Why should the United States of America, a country that some would say is being destroyed by programs like the Affordable Healthcare Act, why should we be the only advanced country on earth that doesn’t make sure everyone has healthcare coverage?

President Obama said today:

I will always work with anyone who is willing to make this law even better. But the debate to repeal this law is OVER, the affordable care act is here to stay. All of what critics have done and said to undermine and scare people, without solutions, why are they so concerned about people having health care? Affordable health care is here, and, guess what? Armageddon did not arrive.

He continued with the obvious: No American should go without the healthcare they need. The idea that everybody in this country can get decent healthcare now is reality vs. a concept. He again asked for the end to political gridlock, refighting old political battles, getting off of repeal, accepting reality. This is now the law of the land.