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Focusing On the Outcome We Want
Posted Sep 05, 2008 6:41pm
by User from Fairfax, CA
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Courage & Conviction
On Tuesday, June 3, voters in California's 3rd Senate District will make a decision that could significantly impact the future of Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma. And California.
The decision: which State Senate candidate is the most progressive choice for change -- Mark Leno, Carole Migden or Joe Nation?
The Courage Campaign does not endorse candidates for public office, but we are focused on making 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California. That means supporting progressive grassroots and netroots activists across the golden state, from San Diegans fighting to block Blackwater's base to San Franciscans preparing to protest the annual convention of health insurance executives on June 19.
The winner of Tuesday's primary election -- Leno, Migden or Nation -- will be in a position to lead in Sacramento on issues like guaranteeing universal health care in California. We hope that candidate will stand with patients, nurses and doctors on June 19 in San Francisco against the insurance companies and for single-payer health care.
Based on his steadfast opposition to single-payer health care, we know that Joe Nation will not show up in San Francisco on June 19 -- and we have serious concerns that he won't stand up for strong progressive policies in Sacramento, if he is elected to the State Senate.
(more over the flip) Read More »
The decision: which State Senate candidate is the most progressive choice for change -- Mark Leno, Carole Migden or Joe Nation?
The Courage Campaign does not endorse candidates for public office, but we are focused on making 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California. That means supporting progressive grassroots and netroots activists across the golden state, from San Diegans fighting to block Blackwater's base to San Franciscans preparing to protest the annual convention of health insurance executives on June 19.
The winner of Tuesday's primary election -- Leno, Migden or Nation -- will be in a position to lead in Sacramento on issues like guaranteeing universal health care in California. We hope that candidate will stand with patients, nurses and doctors on June 19 in San Francisco against the insurance companies and for single-payer health care.
Based on his steadfast opposition to single-payer health care, we know that Joe Nation will not show up in San Francisco on June 19 -- and we have serious concerns that he won't stand up for strong progressive policies in Sacramento, if he is elected to the State Senate.
(more over the flip) Read More »
"More and Better Democrats."
It's a theme and meme that has become ubiquitous in the blogosphere, reflecting the need to elect "more and better Democrats" across the country, from Congress to city councils. But it might as well be the motto for the grassroots and netroots activists who are changing the Democratic Party from the inside out.
I'm here at the 2008 California Democratic Party convention, watching San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris give a rousing speech on behalf of Barack Obama. In a few minutes, Bill Clinton will enter the hall to speak for Hillary Clinton. And, as supporters of both candidates pack the hall, you can see how much has changed in just the last four years.
The party is experiencing record turnout at the polls and, judging by this convention, a momentous increase in participation within the party as well. As I look around, reflecting on the last four CDP conventions that I've attended, I see hundreds of activists on the floor that were not involved in 2003. Five years after progressives were propelled into activism by the invasion of Iraq, there are now more and better Democrats working to change the party and the people it nominates and elects.
It's easy to lose perspective on how much has changed. But perhaps that is because so much remains to be changed.
Case-in-point: Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who is now speaking to the convention as I write this blog post. Bowen is a reflection of that change, lifted into office by election integrity activists across California, many of whom are delegates to this convention. She is the future of the party. And, yet, she is facing a number of challenges as she seeks to reform voting systems and processes (stay tuned for an email from the Courage Campaign on Monday).
Another example: Karen Bass, our next Assembly Speaker and the first African-American woman to hold the office.
And, of course, Barack Obama, who will quite likely make history this November.
These are just a few of the public faces of change -- more and better Democrats who, just five short years ago, were relatively unknown to the millions of people they new represent.
Their power has been made possible by the people in this room, the faces that may not be recognizable now but will be are the Bowens, Bass's, and Obamas of the future.
It's a theme and meme that has become ubiquitous in the blogosphere, reflecting the need to elect "more and better Democrats" across the country, from Congress to city councils. But it might as well be the motto for the grassroots and netroots activists who are changing the Democratic Party from the inside out.
I'm here at the 2008 California Democratic Party convention, watching San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris give a rousing speech on behalf of Barack Obama. In a few minutes, Bill Clinton will enter the hall to speak for Hillary Clinton. And, as supporters of both candidates pack the hall, you can see how much has changed in just the last four years.
The party is experiencing record turnout at the polls and, judging by this convention, a momentous increase in participation within the party as well. As I look around, reflecting on the last four CDP conventions that I've attended, I see hundreds of activists on the floor that were not involved in 2003. Five years after progressives were propelled into activism by the invasion of Iraq, there are now more and better Democrats working to change the party and the people it nominates and elects.
It's easy to lose perspective on how much has changed. But perhaps that is because so much remains to be changed.
Case-in-point: Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who is now speaking to the convention as I write this blog post. Bowen is a reflection of that change, lifted into office by election integrity activists across California, many of whom are delegates to this convention. She is the future of the party. And, yet, she is facing a number of challenges as she seeks to reform voting systems and processes (stay tuned for an email from the Courage Campaign on Monday).
Another example: Karen Bass, our next Assembly Speaker and the first African-American woman to hold the office.
And, of course, Barack Obama, who will quite likely make history this November.
These are just a few of the public faces of change -- more and better Democrats who, just five short years ago, were relatively unknown to the millions of people they new represent.
Their power has been made possible by the people in this room, the faces that may not be recognizable now but will be are the Bowens, Bass's, and Obamas of the future.
Julia Rosen, who is in Reno right now planning to blog a few times this weekend about the Nevada Caucuses, just sent the following email out to our Courage Campaign community:
-------
Hey everyone,
Greetings from Reno, Nevada, where I am sitting in the headquarters of the winner of our "Pick Your President" poll, stealing some free wi-fi on my laptop and getting ready to blog this weekend's events for the Courage Campaign blog.
And who received the most votes of California progressives? Drum roll please...
Barack Obama!
Here are California's full results. John Edwards kept it neck-and-neck with Obama in the days and hours leading up to our 5 p.m. deadline tonight, but Senator Obama pulled away at the end.
Sen. Barack Obama: 38%
Sen. John Edwards: 33%
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: 16%
Sen. Hillary Clinton: 12%
Gov. Bill Richardson: 0.6%
Sen. Mike Gravel: 0.4%
It wasn't even close nationally. Obama's supporters really got out the vote and he won in a landslide.
Sen. Barack Obama: 55%
Sen. John Edwards: 23%
Sen. Hillary Clinton: 11%
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: 10%
Gov. Bill Richardson: 0.5%
Sen. Mike Gravel: 0.3%
You can check out all of the results (including the Republicans) in Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin here:
http://www.PickYourPresident.org
Thank you for voting and naming your favorite candidate. But your work has just begun. Now is the time to make sure you and all of your friends are set to vote in California's official primary on February 5.
Unlike in previous presidential election years, your primary vote in California matters. No matter which candidate you are voting for, here's how you can help determine who may become the next President of the United States:
1. Make sure you are registered to vote.
To vote in the February 5 primary, you only have until January 22 -- this Tuesday -- to mail in your form. Use VotePoke, by our friends at MoveOn, to double check that you are registered. If you do not show up as registered, you will have the opportunity to register to vote via VotePoke:
2. Request an absentee ballot to vote-by-mail.
If you would like to vote-by-mail (VBM) instead of at the polls, you have until January 29 to request a VBM ballot. Click on the Secretary of State's web site below to download the form, fill it out, and mail it in:
http://sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm
3. If you are a "Decline-to-State" (DTS) voter, make sure you (and your friends) can vote in a party primary.
Did you know that almost 3 million voters are registered as "Decline-to-State" in California (19.3% of 15.5 million registered voters)? However, only 8% of DTS voters actually voted for a presidential candidate in the 2004 presidential primary. Why? One reason is that many DTS voters do not know that they can vote for president in California's Democratic primary -- an open primary.
Here's the deal: If you are a DTS voter -- and you want to vote for President in the Democratic primary -- you must request a Democratic ballot. Otherwise, if you do not make a request for a Democratic ballot, you will only be able to vote on the state propositions. (NOTE: Under Republican Party rules, DTS voters are NOT permitted to vote in the Republican primary.)
If you are voting at the polls, be sure to ask your poll worker for a Democratic ballot before voting. If you are DTS and voting-by-mail, you may request a Democratic ballot from your county elections official. Click here to obtain your county elections office contact information:
Now, I am off to find some good Nevada Caucus stories to blog along with three of my favorite blogging buddies: Lucas O'Connor, a fellow Courage Campaign and Calitics blogger; Brian Leubitz, the editor of Calitics; and Paul Hogarth of Beyond Chron. You can check out my posts this weekend on the Courage Campaign blog:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/blog
Again, a special thank you to all those Courage Campaign members who voted in the Pick Your President poll and passed it on to your friends.
See you on our blog,
Julia Rosen
Online Political Director
P.S. Stay tuned for a message from the Courage Campaign about retroactive immunity for telecom companies. We may have won the battle in December, delaying the vote to renew FISA, but it is scheduled to come back up again on the Senate floor next week. If we are going to stop the Bush Administration from rewarding law-breaking telecom companies for spying on Americans, your participation is crucial.
.........
Courage Campaign is an independent political committee and online organizing network empowering grassroots and netroots activists to build a progressive California. In 2008, the Courage Campaign will catalyze action to help Californians elect a progressive President, hold our elected officials accountable, and block Blackwater from building a base on our border.
Thank you to everyone who posted supportive comments in the aftermath of the sign incident with John Hanna.
Since I told you earlier that I was planning to talk with John, I can now tell you what happened.
In the interim period, many people talked to me about how to respond, some going so far as to suggest that I call the police to file a report.
Something about that didn't feel right. In my gut, I knew that what happened clearly crossed the line (to be kind) but that I needed to talk to John before taking any kind of action. I did not know John but I felt I needed to give him the chance to explain himself.
He did, both publicly and privately. I wasn't in the room when the meeting adjourned, but from what Julia told me, John offered a very sincere apology to the Resolutions Committee and others present for his behavior.
Brian (Leubitz), who is on the Resolutions Committee, privately asked John to meet with me. Juls called me and I came over to the meeting room shortly thereafer.
More below... Read More »
Since I told you earlier that I was planning to talk with John, I can now tell you what happened.
In the interim period, many people talked to me about how to respond, some going so far as to suggest that I call the police to file a report.
Something about that didn't feel right. In my gut, I knew that what happened clearly crossed the line (to be kind) but that I needed to talk to John before taking any kind of action. I did not know John but I felt I needed to give him the chance to explain himself.
He did, both publicly and privately. I wasn't in the room when the meeting adjourned, but from what Julia told me, John offered a very sincere apology to the Resolutions Committee and others present for his behavior.
Brian (Leubitz), who is on the Resolutions Committee, privately asked John to meet with me. Juls called me and I came over to the meeting room shortly thereafer.
More below... Read More »
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