Dear Friend of Herndon,

Whether the House's vote to repeal the ACA or a Florida judge's ruling that the law is unconstitutional, the motivation is the same—undo our health law. The most effective response is a riff on:

"Do you really want to take away what the law has provided thousands of people across the country?"

In red or reddest states, meet the public where they are. Here is an example:

"Anything can be improved. So there'll be times as the ACA is implemented when we realize, 'this needs a tweak, it isn't working exactly as we intended.' But the law has already made thousands of our lives better—from the child with asthma who now has coverage because the law finally prohibits denials due to pre-existing conditions, to the senior who received a check in the mail because the law puts an end to Medicare's prescription drug donut hole. Let's work to make the law better and not waste time trying to dismantle what is already working for us."

Don't hesitate to show your anger—people you know (personal stories) will lose important protections. The Pew Research Center's most recent poll found that 55% of Americans want the health care law expanded or left as is, compared to just 37% who want it repealed. Your words are making a difference.

Message of the Week, February 3, 2011: We Won't Let Them Take It Away

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "Health care reform is the law of the land, and, now that Americans see its benefits, a majority of them oppose Republicans' dangerous plans to repeal a law that puts patients in control of their own health care."
• Mary Kay Henry, President SEIU: "Americans can't afford to lose the benefits of the ACA, including discounts for seniors struggling with the cost of lifesaving prescriptions, protections for children due to pre-existing conditions and coverage for young adults up to age 26. The ACA, not partisan politics, will ultimately prevail. Those who oppose it, or seek to delay its benefits, are playing politics with the lives and livelihoods of their own citizens. The healthcare reform law is working for people such as Mark Freeman from Minneapolis who works in a warehouse and has a 21 year old son with autism. Because of the ACA, the Freeman family can now sleep at night knowing they can keep their son on their own healthcare coverage. In the midst of our nation's jobs crisis, Americans are counting on the law to put them back in control of their own healthcare, stop insurance company abuses and lower escalating healthcare costs."

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