Progressives Take Over Capitol Hill

Progressives Take Over Capitol Hill

By David Swanson

version with photos and hyperlinks:
http://warisacrime.org/content/progressives-take-over-capitol-hill

The House Judiciary Committee has some new members: Conor Boylan, David Swanson, Andrea Miller, and Tim Carpenter of Progressive Democrats of America:

The impeachments start later this afternoon.

Kidding. Mostly.

The truth is that PDA is using the House Judiciary Committee's hearing room as headquarters today, It was packed this morning with congress members, staffers, and activists. We're passing out posters for tomorrow's rally too.

Now everybody is out lobbying on both sides of the hill for an end to wars, investment in jobs, and commitments not to cut, weaken, or privatize Social Security.

Download the lobby packet here and here.

The two co-chairs of Progressive Democrats of America's Healthcare Not Warfare Caucus, Norman Solomon and Donna Smith, have written to members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus asking them to change their ways.

"Many PDA members--and millions of other progressives--were disheartened by the course of events with healthcare legislation," write Smith and Solomon. "We saw that most of the CPC threw down the gauntlets about minimally 'robust' reform, but later picked them up, acquiescing to corporate interests and White House pressure. Please, do not do that with Social Security. Please, do not do that with Medicare."

PDA's letter also goes after CPC members for their weakness in opposing war funding and urges them to all cosponsor Congresswoman Barbara Lee's H.R. 6045 which would restrict military spending on Afghanistan to paying for U.S. withdrawal.

A reception is planned with the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Barbara Lee, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Rep John Conyers, PDA Board Members Bill Fletcher, Jr and Medea Benjamin, and Co-Chair of Strengthen Social Security Nancy Altman.

The reception is October 1st, 4-5 p.m., at the Capitol Visitors Center.

The march on Washington planned for October 2nd and covered in Tuesday's New York Times has added a demand for an immediate end to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and a transfer of funding from the war/military budget to jobs, housing, and green energy.

Visit: http://www.onenationforpeace.org

photos by Mike Hersh

ENDS

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