[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Plans to take back Presidency and parts of red California

By Sharon Kyle and Dick Price
Publishers
LA Progressive

The 150 Democratic Party activists who gathered for the 56th Annual California Democratic Council convention this past weekend in Fresno certainly had sky-high hopes about their party’s chances in the November elections—but they had their fingers crossed behind their backs, as well.

The woeful George W. Bush Administration—certainly the worst in living memory with its foolhardy and unjust Iraq War, its increasingly obvious willingness to bail out the rich at the expense of the working poor, its legacy of disdain for individual rights—had convention-goers salivating about the chance to advance a truly progressive agenda this fall. Talk in the convention’s workshops centered on how to capture parts of California and the nation—those infamous Red Counties and Red States—that haven’t landed in the Democratic column in decades, if ever.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Remember when Common Cause was a "good government" group? When they fought for campaign spending limits? When they pushed hard for laws that cracked down on special interest contributions to campaigns?
 
Those days are over -- at least for the California chapter.
 
When it comes to its "Voters First" redistricting proposal, Common Cause is firmly in bed with the big money special interests that it built its reputation fighting against.
 
Yesterday Gov. Schwarzenegger's "California Recovery Team" dumped another $250,000 into the campaign. That's on top of $50,000 of seed money it put into the campaign early. If you go to the Secretary of State's website, www.ss.ca.gov, you'll see a list of $100,000 plus contributors. The same people that Common Cause used to rail against.
 
As a progressive, it's painful to see an organization that once stood for good government cuddle up to big Republican donors and shake them down for an initiative that means well but would be destructive to minorities, our communities, and a progressive agenda.

There's more...

by Jim Dean [courtesy of Blog for America]

During the last week, two Democratic Presidential candidates have decided to end their campaigns. Regardless of whether you supported John Edwards or Dennis Kucinich, all of us owe them our gratitude for what they have accomplished. Sen. Edwards and Rep. Kucinich were clear on the issues, put their convictions above the spin of the Beltway pundits, and spoke truth to power. If you watched the debates, you knew where they stood on the issues. You knew what kind of people they were, and you were clear on what they would try to accomplish if their campaigns for President were successful.

We hope the remaining presidential candidates understand that they have an opportunity to demonstrate to the voters that they have the same qualities as John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich. That they are committed to getting our troops home from Iraq, committed to affordable health care for every American, and committed to the sacrifice that we all must make to clean up our environment, political system, and a whole host of other challenges that our country faces.

John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich may not be running for president, but they have plenty of backbone. They have challenged the culture of incumbency and every American is better for this.

Our best wishes and support go to each of these fine candidates and their extended families. We hope the remaining candidates will carry their torch; because only the Party that Empowers will be IN power.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Hannah Beth Jackson

The February 5th California primary is upon us. Our top rated progressive one stop voter guide for this election focuses on the ballot initiatives and includes links to the independent and highly regarded California Legislative Analyst's Office's analysis of each proposition.

The seven measures that actually made it on the ballot are primarily about money, and how it should be allocated. The one measure dealing with state governance is the so-called Term Limits initiative. While each of these is important to a particular interest group, none of them really incorporate progressive values nor do they serve to advance or impede the progressive agenda. For that reason, Speak Out California has not taken a position on any of them, but we have tried to distill each measure down to its basic parts so you can decide how you wish to vote on each of them.

by Kevin Shaw [courtesy of Blog for America]

It's been a busy and productive year for Montgomery County Democracy for America. The steering committee would like to thank everyone that participated in any or all of these events and programs and invite you to join us in the coming year as we continue to work to advance a progressive agenda for America. As Bev Hahn said a couple of weeks ago, imagine what we could accomplish if we had more regular participation from an even larger group of concerned, active citizens.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

There will be a memorial for legendary consultant Jim Rivaldo Thursday, November 15 at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Rotunda. Rivaldo worked with some of the most famous politicians, most notably Harvey Milk, to push an effective progressive agenda. I'll repromote this as  the date approaches.

by CarlsbadDem [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

Well, kos is back from paternity leave today. And he comes out with a doozy of a post, officially declaring Schwarzenegger to be a Democrat ("D-CA"), describing CA Dems' feelings about him as "quiet glee," declaring that he has a "progressive agenda," and so on, and so on.

Of course, kos' erraticness on California-specific politics is well-known. But this seems to be even more than his usual thing.

So, what do you think?