Interesting comings together of various groups. Progressive in name.

[madfloridian]

There are many indications that the progressive/liberal groups within the party are getting very involved. I am seeing now that the progressive label for all intents and purposes stands for "change" from the rightward swing of the party. It is an attempt to get us back to what we once were, not so beholden to corporations and big business. As Conason mentions in his new article at Salon today, they are working together to get Kerry elected right now. However, they may continue in new ways after November.

A quote and link to Conason's article:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/07/30/john_kerry/index.html
SNIP...."At the Royal Sonesta, meanwhile, the labor, minority and community organizations gathered behind the banner of the Campaign for America's Future and Progressive Majority, were laying their own plans. They too were looking beyond November as they talked about recruiting a new generation of candidates and building grass-roots pressure on a prospective Kerry administration to carry out the candidate's progressive promises -- and go further. Their model might be the Christian Coalition, which used modern campaign techniques a decade ago to build a grass-roots right-wing movement at the base of the Republican Party, and won substantial influence over the GOP in the process. "Take Back America," the title of CAF's conference at the Royal Sonesta, could just as easily have been the slogan of the religious right a decade ago. For now, the differences between the donors at the Four Seasons and the organizers at the Royal Sonesta matter far less than their shared goal of ousting the Bush administration.

Here are a few I have compiled, all a little different in purpose, but many supporting the same candidates and ideals.

Take Back America
http://www.ourfuture.org/projects/convention/index.cfm

A group, founded by Howard Dean, supporting various local candidates who share the values of the progressive movement:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/
And the blog and other links:
http://www.blogforamerica.com/

And the congressional leaders at the Progressive Majority:
http://www.progressivemajority.org/leadership/index.asp
Home Page
http://www.progressivemajority.org/

And the group that is connected to many Kucinich supporters, and at which I see various DFA groups signing up:
http://www.pdamerica.org/sponsors.php

This was an interesting paragraph from a comment at the Dean/DFA blog:
SNIP..."Dean talked at a number of events about joining with like-minded groups. He even hugged Dennis Kucinich at an event yesterday! I think "we're all in this together" no longer applies to just Dean people. DFA is actively joining with other progressive groups, and so should we...."END SNIP

[madfloridian]

1. More of interest from Conason's Salon article:

I was not aware of some of these groups.

SNIP..."While Borosage hopes that many of the funders of the progressive resurgence will come around to positions like those held by George Soros -- whom he admires as an enlightened capitalist -- he also expects conflict ahead. He is well aware that the Phoenix Group includes people who not so long ago were connected with his old adversaries at the centrist Democratic Leadership Council (whose presence at this convention was rather muted).

(I found some stuff about the Phoenix Group, also known as the Band of Progressives, at this website):
http://www.thepoliticaljunkies.net/Themdems.htm

"Across the broad middle of the class divide between the Phoenix Group and the labor-led grass-roots groups stands MoveOn, with more than 2 million members whose perspective is broadly progressive but not ideological. Their model is altogether new and their Internet-based organizing and fundraising will allow them to act independently. How MoveOn would intervene in the debates of a new progressive era can't be predicted, because its members make nearly all of its important decisions."

"What shouldn't be ignored, however, is the broad agreement among all of these elements of the new progressive movement on such issues as environmental protection, reproductive freedom, civil liberties and the restoration of American prestige in the world. For the moment, all are focused on their common goals -- and on ousting the president whose destructive policies have united them."

[eridani]

2. See also

http://www.progressivevote.org/partners.php

A number of groups originating in the Kucinich and Dean campaigns.

[madfloridian]

3. Yes, that is one I was looking for.

It seems to be well-organized.

[Cha]

4. You were up late last night, madfloridian!

Thanks for this news and these sites! It is all so encouraging for our Country. I just got a big thank you in the mail today from Govenor Howard Dean, M.D.

I was so excited about our Convention and now I'm wearing my Kerry/Edwards button to work today for the first time and got positive responses from Dems and a republican in my small town in New York. We're gonna win this thing!

[no name no slogan]

5. Yup, it's coming together nicely!

The group in my own state (see my sigline) is coming together to draft our constitution in the next few weeks, now that the convention is over. We've already got a lot of interest-- in fact, we were at least 35% of the delegation at MN's State DFL convention this year. Here are some pictures from the state convention and our pre-convention meetings.

Our group at state was made up of folks from the Kucinich, Dean, Edwards AND Kerry campaigns, as well as people from a non-partisan group called "Peace in the Precincts". We were by far the largest single bloc on the floor, and definately the most organized-- which was quite humorous, as many of our folk were first-timers! As a matter of fact, we had folks from other parts of the party asking our floor leader for our support on their issues, and for their DNC candidates and party officers!

I'm a little down about the national convention, but truthfully, the local races are looking GREAT. There's a whole boatload of progressive Dems running for seats this year, and we have a decent chance of making our state House Democratic again.

This is our year. It's ours to lose. And we (the "Democratic" wing of the party) will be the ones who truly make the difference!

:toast:

[Eloriel]

6. Another great post from MadFloridian

:kick:

[madfloridian]

9. Thanks, Eloriel. Good to see you.

:hi:

[Eric J in MN]

7. Let's not leave out MoveOn.org (nt)

nt

[madfloridian]

8. Right, good catch.

I guess it was so obvious, I forgot. There are other groups as well. This is going to take a while, to get the egos out of the way to work together.