Longtime independent Bob Bartell, who previously served 4 terms over a decade ago as state chair of the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization, a/k/a IVI-IPO, has reportedly won the state chairmanship, after a vigorous contest whose balloting concluded today. Bartell, recently active in Northside DFA, and a frequent contributor to local Democratic blogs, boosted the membership of the organization significantly in his previous tenure. The organization in subsequent years suffered some decline after some bitter internal divisions. Bartell campaigned on a plank of rebuilding.
The venerable organization continues to be a sought-after endorsement for candidates, as voters continue to place value on the group's cumbersome but thorough procedures. In the most recent election, parochial infighting seemed to play a part in the unexpectedly hot race; political insiders attributed some efforts to oppose Bartell's candidacy to 48th Ward regular Democratic forces. Bartell is also a resident of the 48th Ward, and was a member of the now-defunct independent Network 48.
Outgoing state chair David Igasaki, who did not run for re-election, supported longtime IVI-IPO stalwart Hilda Frontany, who placed second in the balloting. Marc Loveless, another 48th Warder, who has been most active on LGBT issues, came in third.
By now, most on the progressive blogs know John Edwards has suspended his campaign for POTUS. I am very proud of my candidate, and since dozens of volunteers went around to obtain signatures to put his name on the ballot here, I will continue to vote for him anyway. Follow me under the fold as to why I believe my vote will count regardless for this fine progressive on February 5th.
A coalition of progressive organizations has put together a Progressive Agenda for candidates for President and Congress. This agenda is pasted below the fold.
Questions for discussion:
1) Is this a good platform for our federal office candidates to adopt? If not, what would you change?
2) How can we get our federal candidates to sign on?
3) Could we come up with something similar at the state or county level?
What is Pat Quinn up to these days? Have we heard from Jan Schakowsky or Jesse Jackson lately? What does David Orr have to say about Cook County government? When will hear something from Carol Ronen about the state budget? Has Joe Moore passed on the progressive baton to a new leader in the council?
In short, why is our progressive leadership so silent. Why are they not leading? What is the game plan for Illinois progressives? You don't really know what a progressive is? Fine then call it whatever you want but where is our leadership? Are they missing in action? Then where's the battle they were lost in?
They are busy you say, it's just that the media doesn't report on progressives? OK. Then why aren't they using the one media outlet open and active and waiting to hear from them, waiting for our marching orders? Why are they not present, here then, and accounted for, on the blogosphere?
Why do we feel a disconnect between the leaders and the led? Or is it just me, sitting here and not getting out in the world to hear and join in the struggle to overcome top down machine and money politics?
Quite a bit ago Peter Daou postulated that the blogosphere in conjunction with progressive politicians could work together to influence the main stream media and effect a progressive conventional wisdom. So how's that going?
These are some of the questions I would like to ask the Illinois progressive "leadership" if I encounter them at the yKos convention.
I was at the Americans for Democratic Action’s 60th Anniversary Conference over the weekend. For those that do not know ADA was formed because many Democrats like Eleanor Roosevelt and John Kenneth Galbraith felt that the Democratic Party was moving away from the values that led to the New Deal. This is especially true of their support of working people. They wanted to keep holding their Party accountable to sustaining legislation that addressed the Common Good.
It's the moment of the "Governor's campaign for Tax Fairness in the General Assembly". They have just shot down his gross Gross Receipts Tax plan and now are looking at what better options might exist. Dan Johnson-Weinberger, (picture at the right there) has a great post on some alternatives. He's even gone to the trouble to put together some tables.
We, here, all know that the progressive solution is graduated income taxes. We also know that the Illinois constitution, in it's infinite Republican 1970's mentality, bans graduation of income taxes. So Dan says that the next best thing is a nice big personal exemption paired with an overall flat increase. He's suggesting $10,000 exemption with a 5% tax rate.
Here's a big shocker — the Wall Street wing of the Democratic Party today announced it would be beginning its new war in earnest on the grassroots elements of the party that are demanding serious public policy changes. As the Financial Times reports, Citigroup Chairman Bob Rubin held a press conference at the Brookings Institution to announce the formation of the so-called "Hamilton Project."
Personally, I'm not the least bit shocked. This war isn't new; those of us in the Sixth have already been casualties of it.
The National Journal has scored all 435 members of Congress according to their record of Roll Call votes. The range is from most liberal to most conservative.
In Illinois, John Shimkus (IL-19), Jerry Weller (IL-11), and Henry Hyde (IL-06) are the most conservative. There is almost no difference between John Shimkus and Jerry Weller.
Everyone knows that the most conservative Democrat is Melissa Bean (IL-08). What people do not know outside of So. IL is that the close second is Jerry Costello (IL-12). People have already mistaken him for a Republican for a reason. They are Democrats In Name Only (DINOs). Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) is the most liberal IL Mainstream Democrat (MSD).
There is a major difference between the MSDs of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) and true progressive Democrats.
In Wisconsin's primary elections Tuesday, 7 of 7 Progressive Majority candidates advanced to the general election! These victories put progressives in good position going into the April 4th contest. Progressive Majority recruited, trained, and helped these candidates campaign aggressively for school board, city council, common council, mayoral, and county board seats.
I know many of you are thinking "LABELS!" Who cares about labels? But I believe we have to know what our values are, and to be able to name that. I'm not hung up on labels, but they are important. And right now it seems lots of people are confused about certain words and what they mean.
"American liberalism emerged during the Progressive movement of the 1890s. Ever since, liberals have spoken for a distinctive set of ideals: a special concern for the poor and a commitment to civil rights and civil liberties; a strong national government to protect the weak and promote the common good; and a foreign policy built on alliances, international law, and humanitarian initiatives, as well as on a strong military." - Trading in Myth
Yes, this is an other diary about the Democratic Senate primary in Ohio. This is a diary about putting a progressive Democrat in the Senate rather than a Bush Republican Senator Mike DeWine. A vote for Sherrod Brown is a vote for Democrat with a strong progressive record on a whole range of issues.
If you do not believe me that Sherrod Brown is a progressive Democrat, ask Rep. Bernie Sanders.
“I’ve known him for many years,” says Sanders. “What’s very clear is that Sherrod Brown knows which side of the struggle he is on.”
If you do not believe Rep. Bernie Sanders, lets take a look at Sherrod Brown record in Congress.
Kos is pushing this article by Peter Daou. At the end of the article is this link to a story with the graphic below. And this other link with another graphic (below the fold) and the quote below this image.
3. What can Progressive Bloggers do, then, if anything?
The progressive movement appears to be on it’s own, both institutionally and ideologically.
But instead of a fringe group of lefty internet geeks, think of it as a Popular Progressive Movement. By the People and for the People.
