Dear PNHP,

To quote Dr. Quentin Young, “It’s entirely heartening to fight for a just cause and, with remarkable speed, win.”

Only yesterday Dr. Ida Hellander sent out a PNHP Action Alert asking for calls to the White House to “Let Single Payer In” to tomorrow’s “forum” on health care. Then late today, Dr. Oliver Fein, PNHP President, was invited to attend. Earlier in the day, Chairman John Conyers had also been invited.

What gives? A deluge of calls and faxes and emails rained upon the White House.

The action alert rang across the internet. Many organizations joined or had the same idea. There were news stories and opinion pieces and blog posts. An imperative emerged: Contact the White House!

As we celebrate, single-payer advocates also pause to take stock, of the task ahead of us.

DrSteveB at Daily Kos proposes:

“There must be a complete, honest, side-by-side comparison of all proposals, including HR-676, by the Congressional Budget Office.”

Not just what Senator Baucus pre-determines to allow.

What are they afraid of?

Let there be a honest and open debate, comparing all the true total costs all proposals!

These are the next steps. And this small victory today shows us what we can we can do when we mobilize. It shows us to be confident, true to our convictions.

As we go forward we will need to keep the pressure on: Single payer in every Congressional hearing. Side-by-side comparison between single payer and every bill.

Yes we have a lot of work to do. Yes life “inside the beltway” does not reflect what we know of the rest of the nation, where a majority of physicians and patients want national health insurance.

And yes we can and will win single payer. To do so we will proudly join a social movement with the gravity and the momentum to win, – as we recognize that no one will do it for us.

Today helped show us what works. We can do it.

Thank you, PNHP!