Against the backdrop of a contentious Supreme Court battle, and just hours before the State of the Union address, Representatives Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)—co-chairs of the 62-member Congressional Progressive Caucus—presented an alternative vision for the country. They made their remarks to an audience of progressive policy experts, media-makers and members of the public at the Democratic National… return to article
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Reader Comments (15)Page 1 of 1 pagesTen Myths on Social Security:
http://www.socsec.org/publications.asp?pubid=507
Posted by merrill on Feb 1, 2006 at 1:23 PM Dear Representatives Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee (and any of your campaign workers or aides or associates in the Progressive Caucus):
While I agree with your overall platform and the hideous nature of this presidency in general I would like to ask you a few questions.
1. When will the democrats address the undemocratic nature of their efforts to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot in several states during the 2004 election?
2. When will the democrats put up a progressive for the presidency, rather than relying on us and using us and than giving us a crappy moderate at best, like John Kerry?
3. Why do the progressives in the democrats stick with the democrats, who overall are certainly not progressive and instead are certainly being used? Why dont you and your colleagues link up to make a true progressive movement?Check out the 10 key values of the Green Party at www.gp.org and compare their values to your values and than ask yourself why your still a democrat
Thanks
Posted by NaderRaider on Feb 1, 2006 at 6:21 PM http://impeachpac.org/google01
Greenspan leaves behind an America that is the world’s leading debtor nation. The United States must now borrow $2 billion from foreigners every working day to service its debt. Its personal-savings rate is negative. And its current account deficit (the trade deficit, broadly measured) is 7 percent of gross domestic product - almost double the previous U.S. record.
In 1993, Greenspan was all for the tax increases in Clinton’s deficit-reduction budget proposal. The plan, which passed without one Republican vote, signaled to the financial markets that America was serious about taming deficits. Thanks to a booming economy and new tax revenue, Clinton left the White House with a federal budget surplus of $127 billion - and projected surpluses of more than $5 trillion
now goofy wants to make gas out of switch grass, like that is going to happen, and he said it with a smerk. I think rummy,chenny,and bush are smoking some of their switch grass.
Posted by brian28 on Feb 2, 2006 at 4:20 PM Dear Reps Lee and Woolsey,
I truly appreciate the voices of yourselves and the 60 other members of Congress who are crying out for justice for all. However, I must agree with NaderRaider. The Democrats have consistently not come out for what they are for?
It has become obvious they are against the Democrats. But are you actually for? By this I mean, s a united front. We all know that the majority of Democrats are more like Republicans than most will admit.
We need a truly progressive candidate who can understand the concerns of those of us who are the true middle and lower middle class (That’s a nice way of saying poor.) We need a candidate and administration that will hold the corporations, lobbyists and special interests to accountability.
Challenge and fight! Don’t back down to this administration. And if it costs you your post so be it. Better to fight and lose than to have never fought at all.
You spoke of new progressive chairpersons in the House. But what about trying to occupy the chair in that round room in that House at 1600 pennsylvania avenue? I hear they’re looking for a new tennent in 2008.
Think about it.
Posted by christo on Feb 3, 2006 at 1:12 PM Thank you christo, finally someone else who is willing to fight against the democrats, or perhaps should i say demopublicans. The fact remains that the democrats are in works with the republicans in many ways:
A. The democrats and republicans worked together to bring the insane rules which help keep 3rd party candidates off the ballots, (and I mean third parties from both the right and the left, not only Nader and the Greens but the libertarians suffer from this as well.
B. The democrats and republicans worked together in 2004 to keep all third party candidates out of the debates. Because they know that if third party candidates were given this free airtime where so many Americans watch it would force them to address issues which they do not wish too address. As well it would show Americans that they have, in Nader’s words, “More choices and more voices”.
C. The democrats specifically attacked anyone who wished to vote for Nader or any other candidate with their idiotic ‘Anybody but Bush’ mantra which essentially told the anti-war movement shut up and vote for our pro war candidate.Please visit these sites and consider a third party:
www.votenader.org (Nader campaign website)
www.gp.org (Green Party website)
www.lp.org (Libertarian Pary website)
Posted by NaderRaider on Feb 3, 2006 at 4:53 PM that is why people registering independant has gone up 300% in the last five years. But there will never be one to run for president, we need a third party to be stronger to keep the other two in check.
AS far as democrates not having a plan, we are stuck with neo-cons with a bad plan, independents don’t have a plan as far as i know. Lobbyist are making the laws and we are stuck bitching about it on a web blog.
Posted by brian28 on Feb 4, 2006 at 4:23 PM NaderRaider sez:
“Please visit these sites and consider a third party:”
Yes, absolutely. A fine idea.
However…
There are two things that all of us who are interested in good government should be promoting. If we can’t get these two provisions passed all the rest is idle gossip. They are:1. Term limits for Congress
2. A no-exemption draft. All able-bodied persons’ names get put in the pot.I’ve been trying to get people interested in the Green Party for some time. Please go to this site and read my suggestions for change:
http://lists.gp-us.org/pipermail/iowa-work/2003-November/000505.html
Posted by mirmir on Feb 5, 2006 at 9:21 AM There are two things that all of us who are interested in good government should be promoting. If we can’t get these two provisions passed all the rest is idle gossip.
Mirmir, are you aware of the asinine tone of your post?
The corollary is that people who aren’t promoting these two things aren’t interested in good government. These two things are term limits for Congress and a no-exemption draft. According to you, these are things that anyone who cares about good government must promote---lest all other issues be reduced to idle gossip. These things are close to obscure even among politically active people.Perhaps you should write all political groups and warn them that all their concerns are in danger of becoming idle gossip, lest they support these two provisions. Especially those focused on issues that are not so grand and sweeping , such as the use of depleted uranium and land mines, and the abuse of executive privilege, and the current escalation of the nuclear arms race, etc.
After convincing other activists that they are in danger of the idle gossip threat, set the working class world afire with your proposals. Surely, people who don’t have health insurance, and persons who are being sent to Iraq on their third tour with their Guard unit, will see at once either how dense they’ve been or how little they care about good government.
I trust that most people here are secure enough to continue taking other things seriously.
Posted by wileywitch on Feb 5, 2006 at 6:10 PM Wiley sez…
“These things are close to obscure even among politically active people.”
Sad but true. And congressional corruption is rampant, the U.S. in engaged in still another unjust war, etc…
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
- Soren Kierkegaard (19th century Danish philosopher3am and quiet. Suddenly Mercy wakes me up to tell me that the patient in room 206 is dying of congestive heart failure. Complications – the patient collapsed and broke her leg on the hard floor. I hurry along the corridor, Mercy close behind.
Do you think that I’ll first treat the patient’s broken hip before stabilizing her heart?
The U.S. is dying. Its heart is failing.
Posted by mirmir on Feb 6, 2006 at 8:32 AM Brian, NaderRaider and others…
Am I confused? Didn’t Nader refuse to join the Green Party but did agree to run on their ticket? How dumb (how egotistical) is that? Has Nader ever been a member of the Green Party? I’m for the Green Party, but Nader? No way, he blew it.
Posted by mirmir on Feb 6, 2006 at 8:53 AM Still havent got an answer about this, as I never seem to do when I post it in any variation on this website, see if anyone, mean any democrat specifically can or will answer it.
Here it goes (this was in my previous earlier post and ignored by democrats as usual b/c you cant explain it):What do you have to say about how the democrats used undemocratic techniques to keep Nader, and David Cobb of the Green Party(although to a lesser extent with Cobb), off the ballots in many many states? While this article is meant to discuss the republicans democracy problems this is a serious issue of trying to make it where people cant vote for what they believe, so what you got democrats???
Support a third party:
www.gp.org (Green Party)
www.lp.org (Libertarian Party)
Posted by NaderRaider on Feb 6, 2006 at 4:18 PM Still havent got an answer about this, as I never seem to do when I post it in any variation on this website, see if anyone, mean any democrat specifically can or will answer it.
Here it goes (this was in my previous earlier post and ignored by democrats as usual b/c you cant explain it):What do you have to say about how the democrats used undemocratic techniques to keep Nader, and David Cobb of the Green Party(although to a lesser extent with Cobb), off the ballots in many many states? While this article is meant to discuss the republicans democracy problems this is a serious issue of trying to make it where people cant vote for what they believe, so what you got democrats???
Support a third party:
www.gp.org (Green Party)
www.lp.org (Libertarian Party)
Posted by NaderRaider on Feb 6, 2006 at 9:46 PM I’ll give you an answer, NaderRaider. It’s all I can do to keep up with our latest wars and what’s going on in Congress. Every once in a while, there is comic relief like the following update on the votes by congresspeople in my state:
The House gave final approval to a measure intended to trim $39 from the budget deficit over the next five years.
Otherwise, the news is grim and increasingly horrifying.
I don’t watch television. I don’t listen to the radio. I read two to six hours a day, everyday.I only have so many hours in a day, and do not have the time to read up on the Nader situation enough to form a fair opinion on the matter. I have to pick my battles.
I will not say that whatever happened to Nader is not important, but I can say that it is not a priority to me, right now. I’m far more concerned with DU, genocide in Afghanistan and Iraq, and what appears to be a determination on the part of this administration to start a nuclear war, boom included.
In states that used voting machines in the last election, the votes were completely skewed. Bush wasn’t really elected. I am sick of hearing about how “stupid” everyone is for (not really) electing Bush.
I like Nader, and am sorry that it is apparently so difficult to find a Nader choir to preach to; but I, personally, do not think he’s worth the risk of a Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Cheney, Feith, or any other pathological neocon asshole.
The president is not supposed to be the be-all and end-all of American law. I’m more concerned about who I’ll vote for in November. So far, my state does not use voting machines, and the exit polls racked up the same as the tabulated votes in the last election.
Posted by wileywitch on Feb 6, 2006 at 10:01 PM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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