Campus Progressive Alliance

The Friday Night Film Series Celebrates Our 5th Anniversary!

The Most Dangerous

Man in America

Daniel Ellsberg and

the Pentagon Papers

Free Film! Free Popcorn! Free Drinks!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Hinde Auditorium

Sac State University Union

Shorts--6:00pm Feature Film--6:30pm

Info: 916-248-3970 or paub1221@sbcglobal.net

October 2; One Nation March

An Important Message to Progressive Democrats:

You've probably heard something about the "March to Restore Sanity"
that Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert are promoting.
But if you are a progressive Democrat, the "One Nation" march
is far more important for the long-range future.

On Saturday, October 2nd over 300 progressive organizations --
labor unions, civil rights groups, environmental, peace and human dignity
organizations among them -- are organizing a major march and rally
in Washington. It is the most broadly based progressive coalition
to rally in Washington in the last several decades.

The Tea Party movement has dramatically demonstrated the continuing
vital importance of rallies and demonstrations. In fact, more than
any other factor, it is those events that have built
the tea party movement into a significant national force.

Let's face it. Just criticizing Obama does not make someone
a progressive. Only engaging in progressive action can do that.

Attend the march on October 2nd -- or let the Tea Party demonstrators
stand unchallenged as the only "real Americans".

Waiting for school improvement

Dana Goldstein | September 23, 2010

Here's what you see in Waiting for Superman, the new documentary that celebrates the charter school movement while blaming teachers unions for much of what ails American education: working- and middle-class parents desperate to get their charming, healthy, well-behaved children into successful public charter schools.

Here's what you don't see: the four out of five charters that are no better, on average, than traditional neighborhood public schools (and are sometimes much worse); charter school teachers, like those at the Green Dot schools in Los Angeles, who are unionized and like it that way; and noncharter neighborhood public schools, like PS 83 in East Harlem and the George Hall Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama, that are nationally recognized for successfully educating poor children.

You don't see teen moms, households without an adult English speaker or headed by a drug addict, or any of the millions of children who never have a chance to enter a charter school lottery (or get help with their homework or a nice breakfast) because adults simply aren't engaged in their education. These children, of course, are often the ones who are most difficult to educate, and the ones neighborhood public schools can't turn away.

One Nation Working Together California Announces Plans for Massive Rallies in L.A. and Oakland on October 2nd

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Heeding a call to restore opportunity for Americans and pull America back together, tens of thousands of individuals and organizations across the U.S. have united as One Nation Working Together for jobs, justice, and education. One Nation Working Together (ONWT) is a fast-growing grassroots movement of people from all backgrounds united by the goal of reordering our nation's priorities to invest in our most valuable resource – our people. Today, the California arm of ONWT announced its plans for re-energizing voters for this November's election cycle and to call for an end to divisive tactics that are being used to polarize – not unite - America.

"We're here today to announce the California plans for One Nation Working Together - a grassroots movement that will fight for a future that presents opportunities to our students and unemployed, that regains the hope we held so proudly in 2008, that redefines the future, and moves our country forward," said Laphonza Butler, President of SEIU ULTCW (United Long Term Care Workers' Union).

One Nation Working Together is a national movement comprised of more than 150 organizational partners and tens of thousands of individuals including human and civil rights organizations, activists, unions and trade association, nonprofit organizations, youth and student groups, religious and other faith groups, education, peace, environmental, ethnic associations, and others committed to the future of our country.

Based on the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream of having a secure job, a safe home and a quality education, ONWT will provide a structure by which people who care about the state of our government, our jobs and our economy can speak out and take action together.

"For me, the One Nation Working Together movement is about regaining our core values – values that are based on fact and realities. Not based on hate, fear and poll-inflamed rhetoric," said Reverend K.W. Tulloss of National Action Network and Pastor of Weller Street Baptist Church.

Over the next few months, ONWT California will be planning a massive action to re-energize voters for the November election while continuing to raise awareness of its mission both locally and statewide.

"Our activities in California will lead up to a large-scale rally in Los Angeles and in Oakland on October 2 where thousands will share their commitment to the future of our country and our state," said Angelica Salas, Executive Director of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). "A key part of the October 2 rally in California will include taking to the streets and going door-to-door with the goal of connecting with over 100,000 voters that day – encouraging them to exercise their right to vote in November and informing them of how to be involved in this election season."

While thousands gather in Los Angeles and in Oakland on October 2, 2010, to send a clear message that Californians are standing united for change, an estimated half million will be gathering in Washington DC at the Lincoln Memorial.

One Nation Working Together California also announced that it will be sending a group of Californians to Washington DC for the national rally via RV. The journey across America is scheduled to depart Los Angeles on September 24 and will give participants the opportunity to meet fellow Americans along the way and blog about their experience. Anyone interested in participating is invited to apply online at www.OneNationCA.org.


SOURCE One Nation Working Together California
http://onenationca.org/

A New Coalition Wants What It’s Been Promised; Does It Have What It Takes To Go Get It?

September 21, 2010

by J.A. Myerson

The Busy Signal http://thebusysignal.com/

On October 2nd, a coalition of progressive organizations will march on Washington to “Demand the changes we voted for.” Specifically centered around “jobs, justice and education,” the rally hopes to provide a progressive counter-balance to the recent spate of large demonstrations presented by Glenn Beck, Fox News and assorted tea party organizations.

The One Nation Working Together coalition (ONWT), constituted primarily by labor unions (the AFL-CIO, SEIU, AFSCME), civil rights organizations (NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition) and peace groups (United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink), hopes, in the words of one organizer from partner organization 1199/SEIU, to “seize back the debate from Sarah Palin and the right wing, who have dominated the political conversation in this country as though they won the election in 2008.”

Patricia McNamara, a field staff organizer for the upcoming march, found herself unemployed recently and unable to find an opportunity to put her qualifications to good use, and so takes the march’s message personally. “I’m hopeful that Obama’s heart is in the right place,” she told me, “and that this is what he needs: people from all over, standing up in protest, making certain they’re part of this march, holding him accountable.”

The demonstration is officially non-partisan, a fact Ms. McNamara was intent on emphasizing, but the coalition organizing it is made up almost entirely of groups that endorsed Barack Obama for president and provided electoral foot-soldiers and field organizers for his campaign two years ago. Additionally the “changes we voted for” slogan seems to admit that the marchers are not likely to be Republicans, since “Change We Can Believe In” was the Obama campaign’s rallying cry.

CQ rates Lungren - Bera race a toss up

CQ Politics changed its rating of the 3rd Congressional District contest from "leans Republican" to a "tossup" last night, saying "there appears to be little doubt that (incumbent Rep. Dan) Lungren will have to fight to hold his seat."

The Gold River Republican is facing a challenge from Democrat Ami Bera, a doctor from Elk Grove who has strong backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Lungren, whose seat is a major target for Democrats, is the only Republican incumbent the publication is moving to the toss-up category in the latest House race rating by the CQ-Roll Call Group publication.

The publication's ratings, which you can read here, calls Lungren the "easiest target for Democrats to paint as a politician who has been in office too long, a message that is certainly resonating with voters this cycle."

Voter registration is split in the district, though Republicans gained a slight edge over the June registration figures in the voter registration report released last week by Secretary of State Debra Bowen. The current voter registration breakdown is 40.31 percent Republican, 37.55 percent Democratic.

From: the Sacramento Bee. 

Carly Fiorina bought a Yacht

There Will Be "Hell to Pay" If Elizabeth Warren Does Not Have Real Power

Published on Friday, September 17, 2010
by The Nation

by John Nichols

President Obama has appointed Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren to help organize the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The question now is whether Warren, a consumer champion, will wield the full power afforded that agency to crack down on Wall Street swindlers and speculators.

The answer to that question will tell us a lot about Obama's commitment with regard to critical economic fights, and about the ability of progressives to influence the administration.

Right now, the jury is still out.

Obama has been looking a little more focused and functional of late, talking about the need to invest in infrastructure projects to create jobs and rejecting Republican calls for the extension of George W. Bush's tax cuts for the rich.

Elizabeth Warren appointed : Consumer Financial Protection

HUGE NEWS: President Obama just appointed populist hero Elizabeth Warren to establish and lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau!!

This is the boldest step Obama's taken so far to rein in the big Wall Street banks. And it's a major victory for grassroots progressives who rallied for Warren. 

The banks fought to keep her out of this job—and now that she has it, they'll do whatever they can to keep her from exercising her full authority. That's why we need to get the word out—to make sure she has the grassroots support she needs to aggressively police Wall Street.

So we made a video of Warren's greatest hits from her appearances on the "Daily Show" and a list of five cool facts about her. Check them out at the link below and send them to all your friends:

http://pol.moveon.org/warren_fivethings_share.html?id=23486-2956400-gvpaARx&t=2

Top Five Things You Should Know About Elizabeth Warren

1. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was her idea.  Here's why she thinks this agency is so critical: "It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance your home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting your family out on the street."¹

2. The Republicans are so scared of her, they tried to pass a law blocking her from leading the agency. Republicans in Congress and the big Wall Street banks have always been against Warren leading the new consumer agency. Republicans even offered an amendment that was widely understood as designed to block Warren. That amendment failed.²

3. She is one of the most prominent, successful and fierce female lawyers in America. Coming from working-class roots, she graduated from high school as a debate star at 16. She finished law school when she was nine months pregnant. And she has repeatedly been named one of the 50 most influential female lawyers by the National Law Journaland was twice nominated as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People (among other honors).³

Comcast pulled this ad about Meg Whitman. Sponsored by CTA

Comcast, bowing to pressure from the Whitman campaign, pulled this ad off the air.
You be the judge.

The Other Guys

Electoral Strategy

There is work to be done. Step by step.

Republicans are desperately trying to take over Congress by threatening to repeal the historic changes we've achieved together. That's it. Even if they weren't funded largely by special interests, theirs would be one of the most cynical campaigns I've seen in my decades of working in politics.

We know what Republicans will do if they win back control. Their ideas -- out of touch and favoring special interests -- reveal not only an astonishing lack of understanding of the challenges facing middle-class families, but a party that can define itself only in its united opposition to progress. Returning to Bush administration policies that drove our economy into a recession is not leadership -- it's negligence.

Over the last year and a half, President Obama and Democrats in Congress have stabilized our financial system, ended insurance company abuses, invested in private sector jobs, cut taxes for middle-class families, and established the strongest consumer financial protections in history.

Republicans stood on the sidelines and said "no."

A party that refuses to participate in tackling the enormous challenges facing our country does not deserve to lead.

You know this. I know this. Now let's get out there and tell our communities.
David Plouffe  Organizing for America
Come to our Progressive Alliance meeting and get involved.  Your activism can make the difference.
Sat. Sept. 18.  10 Am. 

Republicans make economic crisis worse - Krugman

September 9, 2010

Things Could Be Worse

By PAUL KRUGMAN

TOKYO, New York Times 

“Japan’s problems now are the same as they were in the 1990s, when you were writing about them. It’s depressing.” So declared one economist I spoke to here. “But the Japanese don’t seem all that depressed,” objected another. Both were right — and the conversation crystallized some thoughts I’ve been having about Japan’s situation, and ours.

A decade ago, Japan was a byword for failed economic policies: years after its real estate bubble burst, it was still suffering from chronic deflation and slow growth. Then America had its own bubble, bust and crisis. And these days, Japan’s record doesn’t look that bad to an American eye.

Why not? For all its flaws, Japanese policy limited and contained the damage from a financial bust. And the question in America now is whether we’ll do the same — or whether we will take a hard right turn into economic disaster.

Executive Pay and the working people

Obama: They talk about me like a dog

What created the populist explosion and how Democrats can avoid the Shrapnel in November

By Drew Westen, AlterNet

To say that the American people are angry is an understatement. The political brain of Americans today reflects a volatile mixture of fear and fury, and when you mix those together, you get an explosion. The only question at this point is how to mitigate the damage when the bomb detonates in November.

The bad news is that it's too late for Democrats to do what would have been both good policy and good politics (and what the House actually did do), namely to pass a major jobs bill when it was clear that the private sector couldn't keep Americans employed. The "Obama Doctrine" should have been that Americans who want to work and have the ability to contribute to our productivity as a nation should have the right to work, and that if the private sector can't meet the demand for jobs, we have plenty of roads and bridges to fix, new energy sources to develop and manufacture, and schools to build and renovate so our kids and workers returning for training can compete in the 21st century global economy. From having spent much of the last four years testing messages on a range of issues, from immigration to taxes and deficits, I can say with some certainty that nothing John Boehner or Eric Cantor could say could come within 30 points of generating the enthusiasm -- particularly among swing voters -- of a message that began, "We don't have a shortage of work ethic in this country, we have a shortage of work." That message resonates across the political spectrum. And it isn't even the strongest message we've tested in the last weeks or months that beats back the toughest deficit-cutting language the other side can muster.

But it's too late for that. The administration opted for an alternative doctrine, which Larry Summers enunciated on This Week several months ago: that unemployment is going to remain high for the foreseeable future and eventually come down -- as if there's nothing we can do about it -- and that they will push here and there for small symbolic measures whose symbolism tends to escape people who are out of work. It's hard to be excited by symbolism when your children are hungry or the bank is repossessing your home -- although you didn't do anything to deserve it -- while the people who did are once again making out like bandits.

Labor Day : Richard Trumka

Step 1.  Attend the Labor Day Picnic. See below.
Step 2.  Join the Progressive Alliance and labor in the fall election campaigns
Step 3.  Support the Oct.2, national mobilization in Washington, D.C.

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker said the AFL-CIO will be a major partner in the Oct. 2 mobilization for One Nation Working Together as a part of the labor federation’s fall offensive.

Tax cuts for the rich?