tagged w/ Progressives United
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From an Email I received this morning:
"Since Russ Feingold launched Progressives United earlier this year, hundreds of thousands of Americans have joined us in the fight against corporate dominance of government.
Today, to accommodate our rapid growth and take our united activism to the next level, I'm pleased to announce the launch of our brand new website.
This new website, with more tools and more opportunities to take action, will be a big boost as we fight to bring accountability to CEOs like G.E.'s Jeff Immelt, sellout public servants like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, and influence-peddling corporate front groups like ALEC.
With elections coming up in Wisconsin next week and around the country soon -- and with corporate money already flowing into politics through shadowy front groups like Karl Rove's Crossroads -- we had to launch our new website right now to get these important grassroots tools into activists' hands as soon as possible.
The new site will make it easier to organize collectively to hold politicians, corporations, and the media accountable by providing you a prominent forum -- right on the home page -- to discuss and address new challenges with your fellow progressives.
In fact, right now progressives are discussing their thoughts on the proposed debt ceiling solution.
With an early victory in the Wisconsin recall elections over Scott Walker's corporate-driven agenda, we've got the momentum to make big progress in this fight.
Now, with the launch of the new ProgressivesUnited.org -- and our expanded grassroots organization -- we have a powerful tool to help us.
In all, progressives like you will drive a huge portion of the activism and content on our new website -- because Progressives United belongs to you.
So come on by, kick the tires, get involved -- and let's take our fight against the corruptive influence of corporate power to a whole new level.
Thank you for uniting as a progressive."
More at...http://www.progressivesunited.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/01/russ-feingold-progressives-united_n_914525.htmlFrom an Email I received this morning:
"Since Russ Feingold launched... more
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Teddy Roosevelt, speaking in Kentucky in 1912, spoke about what a Progressive is. What he said rings true today. Do not skip over the issues of his time, as many of them are true today.
Please take the time to read this entire speech, and decide if your representatives are actually Progressives or, as Pres. Roosevelt stated, Reactionaries.
Who is a Progressive?
Theodore Roosevelt
April 1912
Louisville, Kentucky
A well-meaning man may vaguely think of himself as a Progressive without having even the faintest conception of what a Progressive is. Both vision and intensity of conviction must go to the make-up of any man who is to lead the forward movement, and mildly good intentions are utterly useless as substitutes.
The essential difference, as old as civilized history, is between the men who, with fervor and broad sympathy and imagination, stand for the forward movement, the men who stand for the uplift and betterment of mankind, and who have faith in the people, on the one hand; and, on the other hand, the men of narrow vision and small sympathy, who are not stirred by the wrongs of others. With these latter stand also those other men who distrust the people, and many of whom not merely distrust the people, but wish to keep them helpless so as to exploit them for their own benefit.
Two kinds of men… appear as leaders in time of change. … On one side there are the… men who have no confidence in the people—who have no passionate convictions—men who believe that all wholesome reforms proceed downward from the educated to the multitudes; who regard with contempt, qualified by terror, appeals to the popular conscience or to popular intelligence.
Opposite to these are the men of faith—and by faith I do not mean belief in dogmas, but belief in goodness, belief in justice, in righteousness.… They are not contented with looking for what may be useful or pleasant to themselves; they look by quite other methods for what is honorable, for what is good, for what is just. They believe that if they can find out that, then all hazards, in spite of all present consequences to themselves, that is to be preferred?
When the air is heavy with impostors, and men live only to make money,… and the kingdom of heaven is bought and sold, and all that is high and pure in man is smothered by corruption, fire of the same kind bursts out in higher natures with a fierceness which cannot be controlled; and confident in truth and right, they call fearlessly on the seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed the knee to Baal to rise and stand by them.
They do not ask whether those whom they address have wide knowledge of history or science or philosophy; they ask rather that they shall be honest, that they shall be brave.… They know well that conscience is no exceptional privilege of the great or the cultivated, that to be generous and unselfish is no prerogative of rank or intellect.
Every man who fights fearlessly and effectively against special privilege in any form is to that extent a Progressive. Every man who, directly or indirectly, upholds privilege and favors the special interests, whether he acts from evil motives or merely because he is puzzle-headed or dull of mental vision or lacking in social sympathy, or whether he simply lacks interest in the subject, is a reactionary.
There is no question that in many States these gentlemen and those now allied with them are well aware that the majority of the people are against them, but they have set themselves to work by hook or by crook to overcome that majority. Under ordinary circumstances, in an ordinary political contest among politicians of substantially the same stamp, they would undoubtedly prefer to follow the majority of the people. They do not do so in this instance because they realize fully that the interests they champion are antagonistic to the interest of the people, and that on this occasion the line-up is clean-cut between the people on one side, and on the other the political bosses and all who represent special privilege and the evil alliance of big business with politics.
The Republican party is now facing a great crisis. It is to decide whether it will be, as in the days of Lincoln, the party of the plain people, the party of progress, the party of social and industrial justice; or whether it will be the party of privilege and of special interests, the heir to those who were Lincoln’s most bitter opponents, the party that represents the great interests within and with out Wall Street which desire through their control over the servants of the pubic to be kept immune from punishment when they do wrong and to be given privileges to which they are not entitled.
Prosperity can permanently come to this country only on a basis of honesty and of fair treatment for all. Those men of enormous wealth who bitterly oppose every species of effective control by the people, through their Governmental agents, over the business use of that wealth are, I verily believe, most short-sighted as to their own ultimate interests. They should welcome such effort, they should welcome every effort to make them observe and to assist them in observing the law, so that their activities shall be helpful and not harmful to the American people. Most surely if the wise and moderate control we advocate does not come, then some day these men or their descendants will have to face the chance of some movement of really dangerous and drastic character being direct against them.
The very wealthy men who oppose this action illustrate the undoubted truth that some of the men who have the money touch, some of the men who can amass enormous fortunes, possess an ability as specialized and non-indicative of other forms of ability as the ability to play chess exceptionally well, or to add up four columns of figures at once. The men of wealth of this type are not only hostile to the interest of the country, but hostile to their own interests; their great business ability is unaccompanied by even the slightest ability to read the signs of the times or understand the temper of the American people.
Again, Lincoln stated our case today when he said, in the course of his joint debate with Douglas, "That is the real issue. That is the issue which will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles—right and wrong—throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time. The one is the common right of humanity, the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says: You toil and work and earn bread and I’ll eat it. No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who bestrides the people of his own nation and lives from the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle."
We who stand for the cause of progress, for the cause of the uplift of humanity and the betterment of mankind, are pledged to eternal war against tyranny and wrong, by the few or by the many, by a plutocracy or by a mob. We stand for justice and for fair play; fearless and confident we face the coming years, for we know that ours are the banners of justice and that all men who wish well to the people must fight under them. We fight to make this country a better place to live in for those who have been harshly treated by fat; and if we succeed, it will also be a better place to live in for those who have been treated? None of us can really prosper permanently if masses of men and women are ground down and forced to lead starved and sordid lives so that their souls are crippled like their bodies and the fine edge of their every feeling is blunted.Teddy Roosevelt, speaking in Kentucky in 1912, spoke about what a Progressive is.... more
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Build Public Pressure to Boot Jeffrey Immelt
General Electric, America's largest corporation, made $14,200,000,000 in profits in 2010 and paid $0 in taxes -- that's right, zero dollars in taxes.
At the same time, C.E.O. Jeffrey Immelt saw his compensation double. Now GE is expected to ask 15,000 of their unionized workers to make major concessions in wages and benefits.
Adding insult to injury, Mr. Immelt is chair of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. That's wrong. Mr. Immelt should not lead the administration's effort to create jobs.
Join Russ Feingold and sign Progressives United's petition for Mr. Immelt to resign from his position on President Obama's jobs panel today.
I believe General Electric's Jeffrey Immelt must step down from his position on the president's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness -- and if he won't, President Obama must ask for his resignation.
www.ImmeltMustGo.comBuild Public Pressure to Boot Jeffrey Immelt
General Electric, America's... more
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Stand with the workers of Wisconsin and Ohio!
Here's a list of events coming up in your state this week. The list will continue to grow, probably by the hour, so keep checking back in. Use the sign-up form to the right and one of our organizers will be in touch with more information about the event.
Note: these are not all SEIU events - most are sponsored by other unions, but everyone is welcome to attend
http://action.seiu.org/page/s/solidarityactionStand with the workers of Wisconsin and Ohio!
Here's a list of events coming... more
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Things are just starting so Progressives United has not put roots down in my area just yet. However I did email them asking what I could do here in Dallas, TX. I can only assume that chapters will need to be built in every state/region. That's why I started a thread "Progressives United in Texas." My hope is that I will be able to meet and work side-by-side with these people in my home state.
It seems that Feingold didn't anticipate the huge response that they have gotten already. The site crashed 2x in the first 3 days and the facebook is already nearing 25,000 members. After they assess the activity level of the membership and put together some scratch, I'm sure we'll be given opportunities to serve the cause.
The fight will come to every part of the country.
For now I wonder: What can we do in our areas?Things are just starting so Progressives United has not put roots down in my area just... more
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Don't be shy! Let us know who you are!
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With family roots in Texas, this is where I reside. However, I am a California boy. Just saying "I'm from California" will almost always get a response around here. I have never been seriously criticized for my California boy accent or heritage, but the joke is ever-present. Texas is definitely conservative territory.
Texas continues to experience a tremendous rise in minority populations and according to census statistics, Texas is adding another 4 congressional seats. The battle for how to manipulate these seats into the reigning conservative empire is just getting underway. The League of United Latin American Citizens is fighting to claim control of those 4 seats citing census data that shows the dramatic growth in the Hispanic population over all others. However, many battles will be fought over how to draw the new district lines and political capital favors the conservatives already running the state.
From my view, Texas is attracting growth that does not necessarily increase the number of conservatives in the state. It's clear that the largest growth is coming from minority populations who tend to favor liberal politics. People like myself are transplanting their progressive ideals and votes deep into conservative strongholds. That means we can hold court with the generations of conservatives who have long-held a tight grip on the Texas electorate. Conservatives and Progressives, like myself, will be fighting for these new votes and this provides a great opportunity for Progressives United to be heard.
The political environment in Texas does not discourage a good debate on the issues that Progressives United supports. People are ready to hear what we have to say, even if the prevailing political structure does not make immediate change. The people of Texas, especially the new residents, are not blindly loyal to the perceived Texas political culture. Texas has all but thrived during the recession and that is a testament to the hard working citizens who continue to bare an increasing burden placed on them by big business. These people are ready to deal with a failing education system, they want campaign finance reform and they desperately want corporate interests out of Washington.
If you have joined Progressives United and live in Texas please comment and contact me. Let's get to know each other and form bonds of friendship. We need to start reaching out to each other and then to our communities. We are not as isolated as it may seem. I hope to someday meet many of you, hopefully at Progressives United events soon.With family roots in Texas, this is where I reside. However, I am a California boy.... more
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This morning on WTDY Radio, Russ Feingold was given an open-mic to raise a much needed voice in support of the protesters fighting against anti-union legislation in Wisconsin.
During the hour long show, Feingold was given reign of the topics and the tone. He used his time to raise awareness to the shameful attempts by Wisconsin Governor, Scott Wilson, to roll-back the bargaining process for public workers, a right afforded government workers in Wisconsin for more than 50 years. With 13,000 Wisconsin protesters committing themselves to the cold and possible retaliation, his strong tone must have been very welcome.
Feingold also took strong exception to the union busting effects on the education system. Wisconsin boasts one of the best educations systems in the country and recent attacks on the state teachers union have led to the first Madison teacher sick-outs in 16 years. Again his tone was very strong and with an open-mic he made his points with particular energy.
Overall the broadcast awakened me to many of the issues at the heart of the Wisconsin protests. Russ Feingold was particularly inspiring to hear and I will post a link to the archive (should one become available.)This morning on WTDY Radio, Russ Feingold was given an open-mic to raise a much needed... more
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Russ Feingold - Founder on YouTube calling us to action!
This is a brief description of the movement which seeks to take back the government from the corporations and private interest groups. Russ Feingold has been on the correct side of the issues for many years. He was the only senator to vote against the "so-called" Patriot Act. He also voted against the war in Iraq and supported the Health Care Reform.
Progressives United is his new PAC. This Current Group is designed to further extend the influence and reach of his voice and yours!Russ Feingold - Founder on YouTube calling us to action!
This is a brief... more
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