Progressive Coalition Sends Letter to White House Urging Implementation of "Robust" Public Plan

Several liberal groups have written a letter (thanks to the Plum Line) demanding that President Obama lobby strongly for a "robust" public plan. Although Obama campaigned on the promise of a public plan, his support for it since the election has been less than certain at times. But progressive protest lives on -- despite some opposition to dissent among liberals.

Several liberals, including Representative Maxine Waters, have asserted that Rahm Emanuel has given political cover to fiscally conservative -- or "Blue Dog" -- Democrats, who do not support the public plan. Emanuel, the White House Chief of Staff, was himself previously associated with the Democratic Leadership Council -- a group of moderate, pro-business Congressional Democrats. The coalition's letter is addressed directly to Emanuel.

Here is the list of organizations that have signed the letter:

African American Health Alliance
Alliance for Health Care
American Federation of Government Employees
American Medical Student Association
Campaign for America's Future
Campaign for Better Health Care, Illinois
Campus Progress
Center for Policy Analysis
ColorOfChange.org
Commonwealth Institute
DemocraciaUSA Action
Democracy for America
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Doctors Council of the District of Columbia/NUHHCE/AFSCME
Dolores Huerta Foundation
Equal Justice Society
Faith United Church of Christ
Future Majority
Generational Alliance
Ian Mackey, Democratic National Convention Delegate 2008
LULAC
Matt Adler, Democratic National Convention Delegate 2008
Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign
Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
MoveOn.org Political Action
NAACP
National Black Nurses Association
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Physicians Alliance
National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees
National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees 1199J
OpenLeft.com
Out of Many, One
People For the American Way’s African American Ministers in Action
Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ
Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
Power PAC
Progressive Congress Action Fund
Progressive States Network
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition
Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Roger Manno, Maryland State Delegate
Roosevelt Institute Campus Network
The Cave Institute
The Honorable Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, Maryland State Delegate
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Universal Health Care Action Network
US Action
Young Americans for Healthcare Reform
Young Invincibles