September 29, 2009
Ed. Note – article contains a nice shout out to PDSonoma County!
National and grassroots leaders from Progressive Democrats of America attended a series of meetings in California, culminating with the Western Regional Meeting at the headquarters of the California Nurses Association in Oakland on September 26.
The one-day conference covered the nuts and bolts of PDA organizing: Chapter building, congressional district organizing, issue organizing, electoral strategy, broadening outreach and organizing tools.
Participants heard from PDA CA-endorsed candidate [Marcy Winograd www.winograd4congress.com/]. Winograd is challenging Jane Harmon in California’s CD 36. This is her second attempt to defeat Harmon, a defense industry favorite. Winograd jumped into the 2006 race just three months before the primary but garnered 35% of the vote.
In addition, CD 10 candidate for Congress John Garamendi made an impromptu visit to address the 70 activists present. Garamendi is running to fill the seat vacated by Elen Tauscher. Former California Insurance Commissioner, Garamendi is a supporter of single-payer healthcare.
Michael Lighty, California Nurses Association Political Director, delivered a compelling presentation on the politics of single-payer healthcare and the next steps in this human rights battle.
Earlier this year, Washington insiders swept single-payer healthcare off the table, but energized activists turned up the heat and kept it alive. Against all odds, proponents have secured a vote for the Weiner amendment , which would substitute language in HR 676 within HR 3200, the current healthcare reform bill in the House, when it comes to the floor for a vote. Dennis Kucinich successfully amended HR 3200 in committee to allow an ERISA waiver, which would more easily allow states to pursue their own single-payer systems. Activists should be whipping their members of Congress to support both amendments.
Radio host Peter B. Collins covered the event. Listen to his interviews of Marcy Winograd and Michael Lighty here.
Norman Solomon, co-chair of the PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign, spoke to the group about his recent fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. Solomon put a human face on the suffering of the Afghan people caused by our military involvement there. Extreme poverty and violence have taken their toll after years of invasion. Ninety cents of every dollar is spent on the military in Afghanistan; the remaining ten cents is spent on humanitarian aid. Solomon made it clear that the US is missing its opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Solomon, like most Middle East scholars, believes that the US should be investing in the Afghan people by building schools and infrastructure, creating jobs, weakening the Taliban and lifting the people out of poverty.
On Monday September 28, national team members Tim Carpenter, Laura Bonham, Conor Boylan, Roberta McNair, and Dave Keeler and California state coordinator Dr. Bill Honigman headed to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County to celebrate with the Sonoma chapter—the winners of the PDA Fifth Birthday Party Challenge. The Sonoma chapter is one of PDA’s first chapters and it serves as a role model for others. The celebration took place inside a packed room at a local pizza parlor where partygoers shared a meal, enjoyed a giant chocolate birthday cake, and regaled each other with stories and jokes.
PDAers also met with the national team in Los Angeles at the home of Mimi Kennedy, PDA Advisor Board Chair on Wednesday, September 23, and at two meetings with our chapters in Sacramento, on September 24 and 25.
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