Focus Action

Donate About Us News

Tom Minnery
March 18, 2010

Dear Friend,
I'm writing this on the eve of one of the most historic votes in the history of Congress. It's the one we've all been waiting for—the final vote on health care reform. But whatever that outcome is, the next stage in the battle has only just begun. Now, you and I must hold members of Congress accountable for their vote.

What you accomplished so far
But before we move on to the next part of this momentous struggle, I want to take a moment to thank you for the incredible support that has allowed Focus Action to do more than I ever imagined. All told, we have spent $800,000 to stop this misguided scheme — through broadcasts, e-mails, mailings, online videos, petitions and phone calls. And I couldn't be prouder of how the Focus Action team has so carefully and strategically used each and every dollar.

I've told you before of the huge number of local phone calls—now nearly 120,000—that we have directly connected to targeted congressional offices on this issue. But let me give you an idea of what that looks like. In this last, critical week leading up to the scheduled vote on health care, your support allowed us to target ten crucial representatives whose vote could decide the matter. The direct result is that 17,000 phone calls poured into those offices.

Make adifference in 2010
Help support the work of Focus Action.
If you were able to be in one of those ten offices during that time, you would have literally experienced nearly 80 phone calls per hour ... eight hours a day ... for three days. That's more than a call a minute for three days—in opposition to this huge expansion of abortion funding.
And that's not to mention all of the calls generated by yesterday's daily broadcast. Jim Daly and I named 27 House members and asked our listening audience (estimated at three million weekly) to make phone calls, which contributed to nearly shutting down the Capitol switchboard.

The bottom line is that you—through your generous gifts to Focus Action—played a major role in the most significant Washington battle in decades. Time and again, at key moments, your support and prayers equipped us to make your voice heard. Thank you!
Time to hold them accountable
There's an old saying that there are two seasons in politics: legislative season and campaign season. When the politicians have finished voting on the bills, campaign season begins. That's the time for you and me to hold them accountable. And after all of the secrecy, stunts and parliamentary shenanigans of the past year—on health care alone—lots of accountability is going to be needed!

That's why I'm urgently asking you to help Focus Action hold them accountable with a special gift today. The election may be a few months away, but the accountability work starts right now—while the American people still remember what just happened.
With your help:
Focus Action will contact pro-life people in the districts of certain politicians who voted for health care. Using mail, e-mail and Web sites, we'll make sure they understand how their pro-family values were undermined by their member of Congress.

I'll also be using our resources to identify even more people who share our values in each of these districts ... so we can inform them, too. This can be costly—but is very important and powerful in an election year. In some districts where it makes strategic sense, Focus Action will run advertisements in radio or other media. Or, depending on the state, we'll help local organizations produce and pay for the ads. My mindset is that we don't need to get the credit—we just need to get things done as effectively as possible.

But I really do need your help to get this done ...let's work together to hold politicians accountable for their votes! Focus Action is stretched thin right now after such a costly legislative battle over health care—not to mention all of the other state and federal battles that we're engaged in. Please give as generously as you can so that you and I can take advantage of this opportune moment. Your gift—however small or large—will be promptly put to use to strategically educate and most importantly mobilize like-minded Americans. Thank you for joining us in this crucial effort.
Sincerely,
Tom