In my activist days I have never seen an organization take of quite as fast as this one. That includes the Tea Party. The following is a request for your participation in directing where the organization should go. Another great thing is the folks behind this know the internet, social media and costs/money. Needless to say I am impressed. I think you will be, too.
Three weeks ago, I announced the launch of Rebuild the Dream, and we started the process to create a Contract for the American Dream. I was hopeful and optimistic. But honestly, the whole idea was unproven. I wasn't quite sure if everyone else felt the same sense of energy and opportunity that I felt.
Now I'm convinced-because in the past three weeks more than 13,000 people have signed up to gather at American Dream house meetings, 16,000 ideas have been submitted for possible inclusion in the Contract for the American Dream, and together we've rated them more than 3.5 million times!
Today I'm writing to ask you to help finish collecting and rating the very best solutions. We will feed these ideas into our discussions at next week's meetings about what belongs in the Contract.
The final area we're focusing on is how to protect the foundation for strong communities and a thriving middle class in this country: good schools, access to healthcare, a clean environment, robust Social Security, and a strong safety net for when hard times hit.
To remind us how we ended up here, we put together a funny and informative new video that lays out how the middle class got in trouble in the first place.
Check it out. Then let's finish choosing the best Contract for the American Dream ideas:
California's own Google and Verizon released a new plan for how the Internet should operate, if they got to rule the world. We'd keep Net Neutrality for the wired Internet, at least for consumers not corporations, but they could set up fast lanes and slow lanes for the wireless Internet. Wireless is of course the future of the Internet, but then again that is exactly the point.
Eliminating Net Neutrality could destroy independent blogs like Calitics that can't afford to pay for our readers to reach us on faster connections.
The media has trashed their evil deal and over 300,000 people have signed an open letter demanding Google drop this proposal.
It's a giant corporate power-grab and Google who claims to "do no evil" is doing exactly that with this evil plan. That's why MoveOn, the PCCC (where I work), CREDO Action, Color of Change and Free Press are holding a rally at noon tomorrow in front of Google headquarters. The event is at the corner of Amphitheatre Parkway and Charleston Road in Mountain View. Click here to RSVP.
For people in the San Francisco area, there will be a bus leaving from the San Francisco Opera House at 301 Van Ness at 11 a.m. You have to RSVP to get on the bus, as seats are limited.
This deal can be stopped, but only if President Obama and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski understand just how angry we are at the prospect of our rights being trampled online by Google and other corporate giants. So, please join us, or if you don't live in the Bay Area, pass along the info to your friends.
I believe I used a Prodigy email address to sign an online petition calling on congress to "censure President Clinton and move on" back in 1998. As I'm sure you know, out of those efforts rose the organization MoveOn, which sent emails to my Yahoo account for years and to my gmail for the last six years or so. It has been one of my favorite organizations, through their ups and downs, for a decade.
Which is why I simply can't fathom the blunder they made yesterday, thrusting themselves into the California Attorney General's race to fluff former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer (best oxymoron ever) Chris Kelly. In the final days of the campaign, no less.
MoveOn's fluffing of Kelly began yesterday morning when staffer Marika Shaub posted a link on MoveOn's FB Group, "Facebook, respect my privacy!" Shaub urged the 180,000 members to share a note from Chris Kelly with all of their Facebook friends and later MoveOn sent an email to an unknown number of members of MoveOn's giant list with Chris Kelly's message (I received it twice).
As I long-time Moveon member and devoted supporter, I was shocked that MoveOn's current leadership seems to have so little understanding of the dynamics and history of the battle for privacy. It was only back in 2007 that MoveOn went to war with Facebook, scoring a major victory for privacy by leading the organizing to shut down the infamous "Beacon" program. MoveOn was attacked repeatedly in the press by...Chris Kelly -- who was not defending privacy, but defending Beacon. In fact, Kelly made so much money eroding privacy at Facebook that he's dumped over $12,000,000 into his attempt to buy the California Democratic Party nomination for Attorney General.
Friends, I have some big news today: I'm running for Governor of California, in the June 8th Democratic primary, challenging Jerry Brown as a progressive.
From my four years as MoveOn.org's founding Executive Director (2001-2005), and an organizing career almost two decades long, I know what it takes to win:
* Take bold, principled stands on the key issues
* Run a vigorous grass-roots campaign
* Make the best possible use of the Internet
When San Francisco blogger Sasha McGee noticed that Gavin Newsom was being feted by PG&E and AT&T at the Denver convention, it wasn't much of a surprise to see a DLC candidate running for governor of the largest state. What was a surprise, was that Moveon was also listed as a sponsor.
Backed by one the the most, uh, interesting coalitions in politics, MoveOn is launching a giant nationwide contest for the best user generated Obama ad. From "Bush in 30 Seconds" to "Obama in 30 Seconds" pretty much sums up the difference between the creative class voting against Bush and now creating for Obama. Alphabetically, here are the judges that will determine the best Obama ad in America:
Academy Award-winning writer/actor/director Ben Affleck; Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor/director Steve Buscemi; Academy Award-winning writer/actor Matt Damon; progressive hero & future Congresswoman Donna Edwards; musician/activist Michael Franti; actor/musician/director Adrian Grenier; Academy Award-nominated producer Ted Hope; author & civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson; award-winning documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy; Grammy-winning recording artist John Legend; Stanford Law professor & founder of the Center for Internet and Society Lawrence Lessig; recording artist & Bush in 30 Seconds co-founder Moby; Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas; President of Lionsgate Entertainment Tom Ortenberg; Native American activist and documentary filmmaker Heather Rae; President of Focus Features James Schamus; producer, author, and entrepreneur Russell Simmons; author, lecturer, & experimental hip hop musician DJ Spooky; Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Ricki Stern; Academy Award-winning writer/director Oliver Stone; Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Annie Sundberg; Grammy & Golden Globe award-winning songwriter and musician Eddie Vedder; and New York Times best-selling author Naomi Wolf.
That is an actual political coalition, all for www.ObamaIn30Seconds.org. The timing is aimed for a full earned media spree through April with the winning ad getting national airtime running up to the Pennsylvania primary:
Spurred by John Edwards's withdrawal from the race on Wednesday, MoveOn surveyed a sample of its members to gauge endorsement interest, according to a source with knowledge of the group's operations. Then MoveOn set a deadline of 11 am Thursday for members to back a virtual endorsement vote. If a majority support the idea, virtual balloting will run overnight, open only to the group's 3.2 million activists, and an endorsement could be announced by Friday.
Your ballot will be hitting your inbox shortly. Looking at the movement in the Daily Kos poll, I can see Obama meeting the revised, 2/3 threshold.
The call for the California Democratic Party to censure Senator Dianne Feinstein has grown exponentially over the past few days and a huge log was just thrown on the fire. MoveOn.org just sent an email to all of their California members urging them to sign on to the call for censure over at Courage Campaign.
They are now one of 19 grassroots organizations in California who have signed on to the call since Monday. That is absolutely amazing considering how long it takes many Democratic Clubs to pass resolutions given their high barriers for endorsement.
The response by the party structure and the Senator have been well documented here by dday and hekebolos. Needless to say, we stirred up one heck of a hornet's nest and it really could not have been done without you.
Below is the email we just sent out to our list and MoveOn's email. As the email says, join the movement. Hold Senator Feinstein accountable.
(UPDATE: The ACLU and CREDO, formerly Act For Change, are also pushing Sen. Feinstein.)
In addition to the buzz in the blogosphere about activist efforts to censure Dianne Feinstein for her votes with Bush Republicans on key issues, some of the top progressive organizations have DiFi in their sights. MoveOn is asking their California members to call Feinstein about tomorrow's vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee over the revised FISA bill, and tell her not to grant retroactive immunity to telecom companies who violated the law by handing over information to the Bush Administration.
Senator Dianne Feinstein is facing tremendous pressure from the Bush administration. Tomorrow, she will likely vote on whether or not to let the phone companies off the hook for helping the president illegally spy on the phone calls and emails of innocent Americans.
President Bush wants immunity for these companies to cover-up his own illegal actions. The pending lawsuits against companies like AT&T may be the only way we ever find out how far the Bush administration went in breaking the law.
We have to make sure Sen. Feinstein hears from us right away. Can you call Sen. Feinstein and tell her to vote against immunity for big corporations who break the law? Tell her that voters want accountability and oversight-not immunity.
Here's where to call:
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: 202-224-3841
DiFi has already signaled her intention to allow telecom immunity for lawbreakers, but clearly she needs to feel the pressure. What is far more interesting is DFA's effort to have Feinstein removed from the Senate Judiciary Committee altogether. on the flip...
My post about Jane Harman's remarks at a town hall meeting yesterday about the secret "torture memos" revealed this week by the New York Times is up at Think Progress, submitted through their Blog Fellows Program, which I can't recommend enough. Let me contextualize those remarks a bit more, and add some of the other interesting things Rep. Harman had to say.
I asked the question to Harman about the secret memos. Earlier this week, the White House claimed that all relevant members of Congress had been fully briefed on the classified program sanctioning harsh interrogation techniques by the CIA. At the time of the memos, Harman was a member of the "Gang Of Eight" routinely briefed on intelligence matters. Harman was shaking her head as I asked the question if she was fully briefed, chuckling almost in disbelief. Her answer:
We were not fully briefed. We were told about operational details but not these memos. Jay Rockefeller said the same thing, and I associate myself with his remarks. And we want to see these memos.
I'm guessing that at tonight's Calitics' Actblue Celebrations there will be a lot of discussion about the votes to condemn MoveOn. The CA delegation split 50-50 in the senate and 16 yea and 17 nay in the house -- wedged successfully by the GOP in half. After the flip is the scorecard.
(worth being frontpaged. Also, Jerry McNerney, Jane Harman, Adam Schiff, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jim Costa, Laura Richardson, Joe Baca, Loretta Sanchez, Mike Thompson, Tom Lantos, Dennis Cardoza, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, Ellen Tauscher, and Grace Napolitano voted to tell the progressive movement to STFU. So replace Davis' name with any of them. - promoted by David Dayen)
In a direct slap in the face to anyone who's ever felt that free speech or the right to protest the government are, you know, Constitutional imperatives, Susan Davis voted today to condemn the Petraeus/Betray us MoveOn ad. That's what your congress is doing. Not ending a war. Not passing a law that will make people healthier, wealthier, wiser, or safer. Spitting on free speech. Thank you to Bob Filner and the 79 Democrats who stood with him for getting this vote right, and no thanks to the 195 Republicans and the 145 other Democrats in the House who joined Susan Davis in telling the nation to sit down, shut up, and leave governance to the grownups without passionate public input. If you think MoveOn was disrespectful to the troops by running an ad in the New York Times Ms. Davis, where exactly does paying for the troops to get shot at rank?
It's time to get angry. Congress is telling people what they're supposed to say and not say. I don't remember learning about that congressional duty in government class.
There's no fool like an old Beltway fool.
The media sell us a fantasy world, which Americans accept too quickly. The media fawned on Colin Powell and his bogus 2003 declaration about WMDs and Iraqi weapons labs. They fawn on Petraeus, his Ph.D. and his counterinsurgency wisdom. They support the cult of the soldier, the same corrupt military establishment that lied about Vietnam and lies about Iraq. They don't tell you that Petraeus and Michael O'Hanlon, media apologist for the war, have been buddies for 20 years. It's a good rule to expect the initial media response to be off base. The first words from inside the beltway about the MoveOn Petraeus ad were "What stupidity! The American public won't tolerate criticism of senior military men! We must respect the Generals."
Petraeus' critics are growing in strength
• MoveOn is getting lots of donations; that is real support
• How can Democratic "leaders" condemn the use of private money to express personal political opinions? It is the critics who joined the Limbaugh-Rove conga line and look like McCarthyites. They (Senator Feinstein for example) support military rule.
• Read the GAO September report, "While it is not clear if sectarian violence has been reduced, militia control over security forces has not been eliminated and remains a serious problem in Baghdad and other areas of Iraq".
(Add pics of your rally experience! - promoted by blogswarm)
UPDATE II:Didn't see Biden despite the fact he was speaking six blocks away an hour after it started. Pics of SF after the jump -- please add yours too!
President Bush vetoed a deadline to start bringing the troops home from Iraq! Most Americans want a date to end this awful war, but President Bush doesn't seem to care. So, tonight, we have to show all our leaders we mean business. Come rally to tell Congress this is the key moment to stand strong against the President's veto.
I'll be with camera at SF Rally (5PM, Market & Powell), there are 353 other protests so find one near you and snap some pics to share at Calitics.
Well, tonight is your chance! Go see the MoveOn Iraq War town hall debate tonight, and learn more about what all the candidates think about the war. I can guarantee you right now that there's one in your neck of the woods, so you don't have to go too far to see all the Democratic Presidential Candidates... But I can't guarantee how long space will last, as these parties are filling up fast!
So what are you waiting for? If you're in Orange County, go to one of our local debate parties tonight. If you're somewhere else, go ahead and find a party near you. You'll get to meet other progressive Democrats in your area, and you might just find the right candidate for you tonight. : )
Next week marks the fourth anniversary of Bush's invasion of Iraq, and during this weekend, people from all over California will be hitting the streets, calling for an end to this terrible war. Today at 12:00 PM, you can join me and hundreds of others Orange County peace activists at Pioneer Park in Garden Grove...
OR you can go to the LA rally for peace at Hollywood and Vine. I'll tell you what happened at Garden Grove later today, after I come home from the march and rally.
And then on Monday, MoveOn is organizing candlelight vigils throughout the nation to mark the fourth anniversary of the war, as well as all the lives that have been lost over the last four years.
Follow me after the flip for times and locations of today's rallies and Monday's vigils...
A couple of weeks ago, I wondered out loud whether we would get a chance to see where California legislators stand on the Bush's Iraq escalation. The following press release just hit my inbox:
Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who authored the first anti-Iraq war resolution in the country as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in October of 2002, announced that he would author a resolution in the State Assembly that would support efforts at the Congressional level to hold the President accountable for the failed Iraq war policy and oppose his plan to send more troops into the war.
The release says a, "strong majority of Assembly Democrats" will be co-authoring the resolution. It will be good to see where Republicans stand, are they with Bush and Schwarzenegger or with the vast majority of Californians?
George Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger look ridiculous supporting the "McCain Doctrine" escalation of the Iraq war. California Democrats have a huge opportunity to do the right thing (supported by the vast majority) and stand up against the Escalation of the war in Iraq that has already cost the lives of more than 300 Californians and is on track to cost Californians more than a half a trillion dollars.
Progressive States is working with MoveOn to introduce Resolutions against the surge escalation in a 50 State Strategy manner. As of yet, I'm told that it has yet to be introduced in California. Who is going to step up and lead on this no-brainer and where do your legislators stand? You can contact your legislators and when they step up, all they need to do is cut and paste the draft resolution that is after the flip:
Let's get the particulars out of the way. I'm dday, in the real world I answer to Dave Dayen, and I, like hekebolos, am running for CDP (California Democratic Party) delegate this weekend. In fact, there are over 20 progressive bloggers running for CDP delegate slots all across the state. My district, AD 41 (the fightin' 41st), stretches along the coast from Santa Monica all the way up to Oxnard. There's a map here. The 41st AD caucus meeting is on Saturday, January 13th at 10 a.m., at the Malibu Library, located at 23519 Civic Center Way (Mapquest it). If you or someone you know is a registered Democrat in my district, I'd be honored to have you (or them) vote for me and the entire Progressive Slate. The full details are at this DFA link.
But what I want to tell you about is my experience last night, where I gave the first campaign speech of my entire life, and how I have the blogging community to thank for the results.
