Today the voting membership of the DFL Progressive Caucus is thrilled to announce the approval of the unanimous recommendation of the endorsement committee to endorse John Marty for governor. While the DFL Progressive Caucus has been around for years, this is the first statewide endorsement. John Marty has particularly stood out for his long standing authorship of the Minnesota Health Act (SF118 / HF135), a single comprehensive health care plan that would cover all Minnesotans.
The progressive caucus believes that Minnesotans are now valuing wisdom and foresight in how we invest our government money and how we plan for our future. John Marty provides that wisdom and foresight. As John says, "My leadership on investing in prevention was far ahead of its time in the 1990s. Whether talking about education, or health care, or public safety, or environmental protection, or economic growth, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure. There is growing recognition of the wisdom of this, but even now, public officials continue to cut-cost saving programs and services."
In fact the recent national health care debate has shown the truth of what John Marty says, "Democrats in Washington are pushing for 'universal' health care that isn't universal. They are pushing for reforms that cost more, not less!"
The DFL Progressive Caucus will be urging its 500 person membership list to caucus for John Marty. They will also be encouraged to promote a slate of model resolutions throughout the state, to be introduced at precinct caucuses on February 2nd.
There are many progressive organizations that have figured out that tools like money and power are independent of the intent, good or evil. The DFL Progressive Caucus is still considering whether they should endorse or stay "purely" issue focussed. I am not kidding. It is kind of like when the Green party feels that they have gotten power, they immediately self destruct, for power is evil. I think there is some Republican behind this "Let's all be ineffective" policy.
If you wish to join the fray of what should we do and what is corruption, then please join the DFL Progressive Caucus, this Sunday from 1 - 4. Dane Smith of Growth & Justice will be speaking on money and state budgeting.
This Sunday, February 8th the DFL Progressive Caucus is having a retreat at the Brookdale Hennepin Library in Brooklyn Park from 12:00-4:00 p.m. We'll be having lunch together and then starting our meeting at 1:00. One part of our meeting will be to re-evaluate how the Progressive Caucus has been operating and how we can bring more people together to take action on progressive issues. An important part of that will be choosing which issues to really focus on this year and brainstorm actions and events around those issues.
We WELCOME new people to come and check us out and become members of the DFL Progressive Caucus. ...
How to get there. The Brookdale Library is at 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway,Brooklyn Park, MN 55430. Just take I-94 to the Shingle Creek Parkway exit (exit 34) and go South until you reach the library.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has announced its leadership team for the Congress beginning in January 2009 -- and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is not on the list.
Ellison should have plenty of opportunities for leadership positions in the future -- unless something dramatic happens, he currently sits in one of the safest Democratic seats in the nation.
Fifth district Representative Keith Ellison is being considered for the chair of the Democratic Progressive Caucus in the next Congress.
Ellison cruised to an easy reelection earlier this month, and will be entering his second term in Washington in January. But with expanded numbers in the caucus and the Democratic conference as a whole, as well as a heavier Democratic majority in the Senate and the Obama administration working from the White House, the left-leaning caucus may see an opportunity to pass a strong slate of progressive legislation starting in 2009 -- and it appears that Ellison is positioned to play a leading role in that effort.
Rumors of Ellison's name coming up in discussions of Progressive Caucus leadership surfaced early this week. I spoke with an Ellison staffer who confirmed that the Congressman is up for the job, but contingent upon the decision of the caucus to go with a single chairperson rather than the co-chair setup it currently has. Word from the staffer is that Congressman Ellison is "fine either way -- more interested in moving the progressive agenda forward than who does it."
