Progressive Democrats Sonoma County

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May 15, 2013
Petaluma, CA

Donna Norton and Stan Gold deliver the May Letter to Rep. Huffman’s (CA-2) District Office in Petaluma, as part of PDA’s Educate Congress Campaign. Accepting the letter is District Office staff person, Kelly Meeker. Today, the Educate Congress Campaign delivered letters to over 200 Congressional offices, including District Offices around the country and Offices on Congressional Hill in D.C.

Click Here to read the May Letter to Rep. Huffman

To: Rep. Mike Thompson
From: Constituents of Congressional District 5

Re: Social Security, Tax, and Healthcare
May 15, 2013

Representative Thompson,

We are voters in your Congressional District, writing to urge you to oppose cuts to essential programs, as well as support common sense tax policies and job creation, as well as expanded, improved healthcare. Specifically, we ask you to:

Sign on to the Grayson/Takano “Line in the Sand” dear colleague letter pledging to vote against any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits.

Cosponsor H.R. 1579: The Inclusive Prosperity Act — also known as the Financial Speculation Tax (FST) or Robin Hood Tax (RHT)—which would generate hundreds of $billions to fund job creation, jumpstart the economy, and protect essential programs. Lead sponsor: Rep. Keith Ellison.

To: Rep. Huffman
From: Constituents of Congressional District 2

Re: Social Security, Tax, and Healthcare
May 15, 2013

Representative Huffman,

We are voters in your Congressional District, writing to urge you to oppose cuts to essential programs, as well as support common sense tax policies and job creation, as well as expanded, improved healthcare. Specifically, we ask you to:

Sign on to the Grayson/Takano “Line in the Sand” dear colleague letter pledging to vote against any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits. Your pledge to vote against ‘chained CPI’ benefit cuts is appropriate and we strongly urge you to make a similar commitment to vote against any legislation or measure which would cut Medicare or Medicaid benefits.

‘Circling the wagons’

In their eagerness to defend Congressman Jared Huffman (Marin Voice, April 28), Marin County Democratic Party chair Paul Cohen and his Sonoma County counterpart Stephen Gale didn’t seem to grasp that my book they quoted from, “The Power of Babble,” was a satire — critiquing rather than advocating.

If Cohen and Gale were around in the 18th century, they might have accused Jonathan Swift of advising rich landowners to fatten up poor children and eat them.

Such silly distortion is predictable when party officials are circling the wagons against open debate among fellow Democrats.

Several thousand of Huffman’s constituents wrote letters or signed petitions urging him to commit to voting against cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Huffman first indignantly declared that he wouldn’t make any “pledge” — but later put out a news release that announced his pledge to vote against any cuts in Social Security benefits.

That’s a good step. Now he should make a similar commitment on Medicaid and Medicare benefits.

Norman Solomon, Inverness

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Published in the Marin Readers’ Forum for May 5: MarinIJ.com

To: Representative Huffman
From: Constituents of CD-2

Fairness and Prosperity, Not Austerity
April 17, 2013

Representative Huffman,

Many of our members are voters in your District, and supporters of Progressive Democrats of America. We’re writing to urge your support for legislation to promote economic growth and lower the deficit through fair budget policies and job creation, as well as to protect voting rights and end the War in Afghanistan.

Specifically, we call upon you to:

Sign the Grayson/Takano Letter: a “dear colleague” letter pledging to vote against any legislation or measure which would cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits. Your recent press release, pledging to vote against ‘chained CPI’ cuts to Social Security benefits, though delayed, was appreciated. We call upon you to make a similar commitment to vote against any legislation or measure which would cut Medicare or Medicaid benefits.

To: Representative Mike Thompson
From: Constituents of CD-5

Fairness and Prosperity, Not Austerity
April 17, 2013

Representative Thompson,

We are voters in your Congressional District, and supporters of Progressive Democrats of America. We’re writing to urge your support for legislation to promote economic growth and lower the deficit through fair budget policies and job creation, as well as to protect voting rights and end the War in Afghanistan.

Specifically, we call upon you to:

Sign the Grayson/Takano Letter: a “dear colleague” letter pledging to vote against any legislation or measure which would cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits.

by Norman Solomon
Common Dreams
April 10, 2013

For progressives, there’s not a lot to be gained by venting against Obama without working to implement a plausible strategy for ousting corporate war Democrats from state power

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The story goes that some mice became very upset about the cat in the house and convened an emergency meeting. They finally came up with the idea of tying a bell around the cat’s neck, so the dangerous feline could no longer catch victims unawares. The plan gained a lot of enthusiastic praise, until one mouse piped up with a question that preceded a long silence: “Who’s going to bell the cat?”

In recent days, the big cat in the White House has provoked denunciations from groups that have rarely crossed him. They’re upset about his decision to push for cuts in Social Security benefits. “Progressive outrage has reached a boiling point,” the online juggernaut MoveOn declared a few days ago.

Obama’s move to cut Social Security is certainly outrageous, and it’s encouraging that a wide range of progressive groups are steamed at Obama as never before. But this kind of outrage should have reached a “boiling point” a long time ago. The administration’s undermining of civil liberties, scant action on climate change, huge escalation of war in Afghanistan, expansion of drone warfare, austerity policies serving Wall Street and shafting Main Street, vast deference to corporate power. . . The list is long and chilling.

For progressives, there’s not a lot to be gained by venting against Obama without working to implement a plausible strategy for ousting corporate war Democrats from state power.

So is the evasive record of many groups that are now denouncing Obama’s plan to cut Social Security. Mostly, their leaders griped in private and made nice with the Obama White House in public.

Yet imagine if those groups had polarized with President Obama in 2009 on even a couple of key issues. ...

Read the rest here

Note: Highlighted posts may stay at the top of the website for relatively long periods. After catching up with recent green ‘sticky posts’, please scroll down to view updated blog posts.

By NORMAN SOLOMON
PressDemocrat.com
April 9, 2013

President Barack Obama is proposing to reduce the Social Security cost of living adjustment. And the president is also putting cuts in Medicare benefits on the negotiating table. But Social Security keeps vast numbers of seniors out of poverty, and Medicare is vital to keeping many people alive.

At this historic moment, a principled position would be to commit to fully defending Social Security and Medicare benefits, as well as the federal Medicaid program that funds Medi-Cal in our state. But the North Coast’s new congressman, Jared Huffman, has been hedging.

Read the rest here

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Letters published March 23-March 30. A shout out to the authors of these recent Letters to the Editor!

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What we need

EDITOR: We need a representative in Congress who will reject cuts to Social Security and Medicare. We need a representative who will instead vote to end funding for America’s devastating, chaos-creating wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and, now, Syria. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have such a representative.

PHIL BALDWIN

Ukiah

Press Democrat. Saturday, March 23, 2013
Link to original

Why isn’t Rep. Jared Huffman promising to defend Social Security and Medicare?

by Alice Chan
Bohemian.com – Open Mic
March 27, 2013

Last week, a Press Democrat editorial praised Rep. Jared Huffman for refusing to join colleagues who have promised to “vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits—including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.”

What’s going on here? On Feb. 28, I joined a group of a dozen constituents meeting with Huffman’s district director, urging the congressmember to sign a letter initiated by Representatives Alan Grayson and Mark Takano. That letter includes a promise to vote against any cuts to benefits in those three vital programs.

Why did we request that our congressmember sign this letter? Republicans and some Democrats in Washington are pushing for cuts to Social Security benefits in cost of living adjustments, as well as raising the Medicare eligibility age. Those changes would directly affect the most vulnerable among us—the elderly and others with low and moderate income, who rely on these earned benefits to provide the basic necessities of life.

What was Huffman’s response? On his Facebook page a few days later, he stated: “I won’t be bullied from the left or the right into signing Norquistian vote pledges to outside groups.”

— Petition Statement —
Rep. Huffman: Please commit to protecting these vital programs from benefit cuts. Sign the Grayson-Takano letter now.
— CLICK HERE to sign the petition.

March 12, 2013

An e-mail sent out by Coalition for Grassroots Progress, today …

Thousands of constituents have put their names on petitions urging new Congressman Jared Huffman to sign a letter making a crucial commitment: “We will vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits — including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.”

But Huffman is saying he has no intention of signing that congressional letter — or making that firm commitment.

Read the Rest Here

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Sonoma County Democratic Party Crab Feed
February 22, 2013

Lynn Hamilton, Recipient of the Roberta Hollowell Award “In Recognition of her Dedicated Service to Issues of Importance for All Women and Democratic Party Values.”

Prepared remarks. Award presented by former Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.

Thank you Lynn Woolsey. I have always admired you and held you up as an example of an elected official who stuck to your values the entire time you served as our Congresswoman. I urge all of the elected officials who were endorsed by the Democratic Central Committee to follow Lynn’s example and stick to your values and the values set forth in the Democratic Party Platform even though you might be tempted to betray your principles for personal gain, power or advancement.

February 23, 2013

Dear fellow Democrats,

When we had a Republican governor sure to veto legislation for single-payer healthcare, the legislature passed a single-payer bill. Twice.

During the past two years, since we’ve had a Democrat in the governor’s office, the legislature hasn’t moved single-payer legislation.

And this year, activists have struggled to find a single Democrat in the legislature willing to even introduce a single-payer bill.

There is every indication that Governor Brown doesn’t want such a bill on his desk — and the Democratic leadership in the legislature is obliging.

The behavior of our Democratic governor and current legislators stands in stark contrast to the California Democratic Party platform, which trumpets its support for single payer:

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Balance for Our Families and Our Economy
February 20, 2013

Dear Representative Huffman,

We are writing in support of legislation to promote economic growth, protect voting rights, end the war, and lower the deficit.

The Balancing Act (H.R. 505) proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus would provide relief to American families, and reduce the long-term Federal deficit in a fair and balanced way by balancing budget cuts and revenues—closing loopholes and making sure the Pentagon and the nation’s biggest corporations do their part—and by putting $800 in the pockets of every family this year. It would create more than 1 million jobs by investing in infrastructure, and by keeping 280,000 teachers in our classrooms.

Join us in San Francisco to rally and march in solidarity with the huge Forward on Climate demonstration in Washington DC. Both events February 17.

Full info and RSVP here

Dissident Voice
by Kim Petersen / February 7th, 2013

In March 2003, the United States under the administration of president George W. Bush and vice-president Dick Cheney launched an aggression against a smaller, sanctions-crippled nation that had been fundamentally disarmed by a UN weapons inspection regime. Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! looked back at then-secretary-of-state Colin Powell’s address to the UN Security Council which electrified the corporate media types and had chickenhawks and right-wing commentators clucking that this presentation was definitive proof of Saddam Hussein’s government possessing weapons-of-mass-destruction (WMD).

Read the article here