The New York Times‘ tendency to report on budget numbers without contextualizing them was a problem—especially in light of the recent federal budget crisis. That’s why MoveOn member (and former staffer) Daniel Mintz and Robert Naiman of Just Foreign Policy started MoveOn Petitions to Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan, asking her to institute a policy of always reporting budget numbers with percentages or comparisons.
In the midst of budget cuts to education in Philadelphia, schools were forced to lay off or cut hours for staff like teachers and school nurses. In October 2013, a student at one Philadelphia school suffered from an asthma attack that led to her death. If there had been a school nurse on campus that day, she might still be alive. This tragedy motivated Philadelphia parent Jesse Bacon to start a MoveOn Petition to Governor Tom Corbett, asking him to stop withholding $45 million of funding from Philadelphia schools.
When news hit that Larry Summers, famed for helping to craft the policies that caused the recession, was the front-runner for chair of the Federal Reserve, Robert Naiman of the organization Just Foreign Policy, The Other 98%, and MoveOn member Aaron Camp created MoveOn Petitions telling President Obama to leave Summers out of the running.
The health of Michiganders was at stake while Republican Governor Rick Snyder decided whether to accept new federal dollars to expand the state’s Medicaid program. That’s why Fran Brennan of the organization Working America created a MoveOn Petition to Governor Snyder, asking him to accept the funds.
When the Tribune Company went up for sale, it was widely reported that the Koch brothers were interested in acquiring its newspapers—including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. The billionaire Kochs and their tea party politics presented a clear threat to independent journalism, so several organizations, including Forecast the Facts, Courage Campaign, Working Families started MoveOn Petitions asking Tribune Company CEO Peter Liguori not to sell to the Koch brothers.
When a bill allowing for online voter registration passed through the Illinois Senate, the organization Chicago Votes knew the state was one step closer to creating a more innovative, open, and accessible democracy. That’s why Rebecca Reynolds and the Chicago Votes team created a MoveOn petition asking members of the Illinois General Assembly to support the bill.
Endangered orcas in the Pacific Northwest faced a serious threat when anti-environmental agribusiness groups petitioned to strip their Endangered Species Act protections. So Steve Mashuda of the organization Earthjustice created a MoveOn petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service demanding continued ESA protections for the orcas.
When the School District of Philadelphia decided to eliminate their Instrumental Music program, affecting more than 100,000 students, Maureen Brady created a MoveOn Petition to save the music program.
The proposed Saddle Crest housing development in Trabuco Canyon, California, would have destroyed the area’s ancient oak forests, scenic ridgelines, and other cherished natural resources. That’s why Ray Chandos created a MoveOn Petition to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, asking them to vote against the development.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—the agency championed by Senator Elizabeth Warren to be a voice for consumers in Washington—was endangered when Republicans in Congress refused to reconfirm Richard Cordray, the bureau’s widely respected first director. That’s why James Lardner of Americans for Financial Reform created a MoveOn Petition to the U.S. Senate, asking them to allow an up-or-down vote on Cordray’s nomination.