I'll be liveblogging the more interesting points from the proceedings today at YearlyKos that I am attending, for those of you who couldn't make it to Vegas...
[UPDATE: And if you are also here and attending, please post your experiences in the comments!]
8:30am: Breakfast with NM governor Bill Richardson. Governor Richardson talked about his accomplishments in the state of New Mexico, including tax credits for renewable energy companies and individuals who use renewable energy.
Our own teacherken asked about secondary education and the inability of many Americans to actually go to college; Mr. Richardson said that it really starts at K-12 where there are multiple failings, and that money is given to schools in poor ways based on enrollment rather than graduation.
And, as a side note, I got to stand right next to Maureen Dowd as she took notes!
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9:30am: Panel Discussion on Ethics, Corruption, and Movement Politics: David Sirota (author of Hostile Takeover), Dave Johnson, Melanie Sloan (founder of CREW), and Joe Trippi (creator of the internet strategy for the Dean Campaign):
DAVID SIROTA:
Conservative movement is bought and paid for--only an ideological movement in its veneer. Too often we assume that everybody in the conservative movement knows that everything they are saying is prepackaged garbage. That's sort of the point. They've created a religion--it was deliberately created on economic issues especially. All of the essentially religious tenets of the right wing movement were deliberately fabricated; facts weren't looked at and conclusions drawn--conclusions were drawn and facts "found" to spin and support them.
The religious doctrines in the conservative movement; to show how they were really fabricated. This is the movement-ization of corruption.
Here's a big one: Only Rich People Pay Taxes. That creates a situation where the mantra is that only rich people pay taxes, that means we have this narrative framemwork where we justify cutting rich people's taxes. Demint quote. Warren Buffett saying that his wealth is taxed at a lower rate than his secretary's.
Free trade: Not really free trade; just trade that protects corporations and their holdings rather than ordinary people.
The conservative movement has fused Ideology with corruption.
CATO: Fossil fuels are becoming more abundant, not more scarce.
The problem is bipartisan, as you can see in the bankruptcy bill (Biden:D-MBNA).
CREW: Melanie Sloan--founder of the ethics organization.
Joe Trippi: It's not limited to the Republican Party. The party that raises more money from individuals with $100 or less, it's the Republicans. The party that raises more money from individuals $10,000 or less, it's GOP. $1 million or less is the GOP.
The Dems raise more money from $1 million or more than the GOP. One party relies on rangers, and the other party relies on million dollar checks.
Jefferson and Madison feared that economic power might try to seize political power, and they weren't sure if the constitution would be strong enough to prevent that. They felt that capitalism was a great thing, and that if capitalism got the better of democracy, it would destroy America. Both parties have now fallen into step on it for the most part.
Madison wrote a note to Jefferson that said, let's hope that when the time comes, the American people will have the tools to spread the word about what is happening and to rally the American people to thwart the seizure of political power by economic power--how did he know about the Internet?
We don't have to wait for these guys to pass laws: we can expose these guys on both sides if we have to...but even more than that, I've often wondered what would happen if all of us joined together and said, we will not support any candidate for president who takes more than $100?
If it's just us, who cares? But with the blogosphere, what if 20, 30, 40 million people said that? If we mean it, then what do they do? If we mean it and they keep taking the big money, they're dead. It's those kinds of things that work: we can make this start to happen ourselves, because of what Madison foresaw.
SIROTA: If I had written this book ten years from now it would be over. We have to act a lot more locally; not just on the White House and on Congress. The hostile takeover is far less pronounced in the local and state level. Support progressive state legislators who are pushing real reforms on the state levels. If you put 50 people in the room with your state legislator and you say that if you support public financing or you will get them voted out of office, that scares them. They will listen, if not act. Look for opportunities right in your backyard, that your schoolpeople or dogcatcher can do to fight this corruption at the very local level.
Portland OR passed public financing of elections--and that's ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. It's not a perfect system, but the SC has said that money is speech so you can't cut it off totally, but you can publicly finance it. If we can pass ballot initiatives that would crack down in a real way on lobbyists, we can move toward taking our government back.
Government is not "they," it's "we". When you think about it that way, it activates you.
QUESTIONER: That progressive think tanks create a common language that everyone can use. Question: what about corruption within the judicial ranks that these guys appoint?
MELANIE: We haven't really had many problems with judges so far...
SIROTA: Voters think that every politician is a professionally corrupt person. You can't just talk about corruption. You have to relate how corruption matters in their daily lives: how the bankruptcy bill directly relates to the credit card bills in their daily lives. If you do that, you achieve two things: you nail your opponent on what they are actually doing. You force them to walk into their own stereotype of a corrupt, power-hungry and money-hungry politician. There is another thing that Washington consultants won't subscribe to because they can't poll it: it's saying that you are willing to speak out on issues that are perceived as difficult for a politicians to speak out on. If you stand up to the drug companies or the oil industry in a real way, you show voters that you actually have the guts to stand up and talk about something that is difficult--and you can't poll that. When Schweitzer talked about these things, the polls didn't pop very high--but when polled about what people liked about Schweitzer, the statements were all about "stands up to powerful interests." You can't poll that, but it's incredibly important.
QUESTIONER: How do you fight the memory hole problem, and keep corruption stories in the public consciousness?
SIROTA: I think it's not a terribly big problem, because we've already got a good deal. If you put your congressperson's name into Google and type in corruption, you can get it. There should be a central clearinghouse for this stuff, but it's already on the record. If there's an election coming up, I just tell people to google this guy's name, and this item or that item. As blogs continue to build, there will be a major historical record.
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11:15AM: Lunch Keynote -- Senator Barbara Boxer (Nancy Pelosi not in attendance due to House vote):
Nothing quite happening so far...everyone just chowing down on lunch and having a grand old time talking to one another...
One of the comedians from Laughing Liberally is up right now...didn't catch her name--Running Squirrel or Ayden Harper (?). She is really good, though. "I really hate Rosa Parks--and before you liberals get your panties in a bunch, Condoleeza Rice said that without Rosa Parks, she wouldn't be Secretary of State. And that's why I hate Rosa Parks." "Why can't you liberals wake up? Immigration is tied directly to immigration. Ever heard of the Alamo? 3/6/1836? We live in a post-3/6/1836 world! Deal with it!" "And I'm tired of people telling immigrants to get off our land and go home--because if your name isn't a gerund followed by an animal, it's not your land."
Good stuff...Boxer should be coming up soon. She's being introduced now...advocate for environmental issues, women's rights, etc., etc., and has greatly increased her margin of victory since she was first elected. Despite pressure from traditional media, Boxer has stood up for the right of the disenfranchised to vote: in her speech, she said that everyone is equal at the voting booth, and then listed irregularity after irregularity in poor and African-American districts in Ohio. Mention of the 4,000 roses for Boxer sent to her by the blogosphere.
Finally, Barbara Boxer...MAJOR APPLAUSE...
Convention a testament to the idea that every single person can make a difference, at a time when our country needs us now more than ever. You are changing America and strengthening our democracy by addressing the very though issues that most ignore.
We are facing a White House that is dangerously incompetent, and a GOP Congress that is too eager to write a blank check, and a Foxification or Clear Channel-ization of the mainstream media. Every progressive voice that we lose is another loss for our national dialogue. But the bloggers have filled the void and lifted up new voices to the dialogue.
But now the democracy of the internet is threatened. You know about Net Neutrality, and if we don’t do something, we will lose what we have. The reason that Pelosi will not be here today is that we are taking up those issues and Iraq and everything else, but she is with you. The powers that be are twisting this issue, and we are counting on you, partly, to help tell the truth about Net Neutrality.
Without you, I am not sure if the Valerie Plame incident would have gotten the attention it needed. Ambassador Wilson found the truth about Saddam Hussein’s supposed efforts to get the truth. He tells the truth, and instead of thanking him for helping to avoid a war, they go after his family. Can you imagine that?
You are helping us spread the word about our lack of privacy and surveillance that we see. We cannot stand by as our privacy is invading. I cannot believe—or I can believe—the Attorney General keeping records of our web surfing for 2 years. We cannot allow that to happen. And your voice is being heard.
Another place your voice is being heard is the Iraq War. I voted NO on going into the Iraq War, you know that. MAJOR ROUND OF APPLAUSE. One of the best votes I have cast in so many years in public life—but there are only 23 of us in the Senate who voted that way. It was hard, but the fight goes on and it is still very difficult. I held a press conference with mothers of soldiers, and one of the soldiers said we’ve done all we can do. It’s time to come home. I submitted a resolution that said we need to bring our troops home by the end of the year.
We need the Iraqi people to heal their own problems. Our men and women in uniform cannot do it for them.
If you look at the Gallup poll, you can see what the American people care about: all the major issues. And what do the Republicans bring up? Gay marriage. Well, I say that if you want to help marriage, RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE! Help people get healthcare so that that pressure is off of families. Another way to help save marriage is to save marriages in the military—because the divorce rate has doubled among the troops due to two and three tours of duty. I’ve been married for a very long time and I can tell you that the fact that two people of the same gender care about each other and want to spend their lives together, that doesn’t threaten my marriage one bit. If you think it does, there’s something wrong with YOUR marriage!
We need to have the right priorities. We need to have a voice. The Republicans run everything, and they don’t run it right. It’s a stew of incompetence, corruption and misplaced priorities. We need to change it all. And there’s one way to change it all: 2006. Change the congress. And at the end of the day, that’s what we have to do. I started PAC for Change. Please join me and see what we are doing.
Sometimes it’s lonely to stand up and say things that may not be popular, but that’s what leadership is all about. And the netroots are doing that. What you are doing is absolutely key. Let me close with an MLK quote: Our Lives Begin to End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter. So never, ever become silent about things that matter, and we will get our country back. Thank you so very much!
MAJOR APPLAUSE
On children’s healthcare: we can insure children for very cheap, because they are relatively healthy.
On impeachment: We don’t have the votes yet, and we really need to tackle issues Americans really care about. Maybe after November…
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ALF/CIO Workshop I: Framing Workforce Issues in the 2006 Election: How to Talk to Voters about Economic Security
Economic work that the AFL/CIO work does is the same as the blogosphere: work security, retirement security, families, good jobs. We try to expand what we do to help everybody. We’re going to let everybody know what we’re doing and the work we’re doing.
Talking about the message that they are getting out to their union constituents that has been effective in getting them to be involved in politics.
Productivity and Wages: from 197 to 1971 preoductivity and wages increases were parallel, while ever since productivity has skyrocketed versus wages.
CEO Compensation, meanwhile, has increased 700%.
Between 1947-1973, the wealth of the poor and middle class increased dramatically. Ever since, the wealth of the richest <.01% has increased exorbitantly.
The only cost of living items that have not increased versus wages are the cost of beef and bread. Everything else is more expensive versus wages than it was.
The Union Difference: Real Income Increase 1995-2005: 52% increase in wages in Right to Organize Sates, and 25% in “Right to Work” states.
“At the nationa level, high unionization rates lead to lower inequality of earnings and can improve ecnomicperformance in the form of lower unemployment and inflation, and other economic benefits.” -- Union trade publication
23 states have rovked the right to organize from Public Employees.
Bush revokes the right to organize from employees at the Dept. of Homeland Security.
NLRB rules that disabled workers can not organize. NLRB rules that newspaper carriers can not organize. NLRB revokes right to organize from graduate employees.
As of 2005, 32 Million workers are expressly forbidden from organizing.
Union Density in 1984 was MUCH higher than it is now, and mos union workers are in blue states.
“Until we get wage levels down much closer to those of the Brazils and Koreas, we cannot pass along productivity gains to workers’ wages and still be competitive.” Stanley J. Mihelick Exectuvie Vice President Goodyear
How do they achieve this battle? They BUY THEIR WINS
Labor get outspent $61.6 million versus $1.6 billion by corporations.
They bought influential people in Washington: Delay, Frist, Cunningham, Ney, Libby, Rove et al.
What did they get?
Altered Medicare Drug Program passes House 216-215
CAFTA passes House 217-215
Senate defeats minimum wage increase 51-9
Corporate Tax Cuts pass House 216-214, and the Senate 51-50 with Cheney.
They also bought a voice for themselves in America by investing in groups like National Right to Work Committee, the Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, AEI, and Fox News.
In a nutshell, the gameplan of corporate America is to distract and divert us while they pick our pockets: “Globalization” = outsourcing and free trade. “Labor Market Flexibility” = low wages and union busting. “Small Government” = Privatization, Deregulation, Tax Cuts for the Wealthy.
Fortunately, the Economy is Not Like the Weather: We can Change it.
There should be a WORKING FAMILY AGENDA with a five-point plan..Fair Taxes, Fair Trade, ? ? ?
Difference in Voter Turnout: Presidential and Of-Year Elections: OH, OR , IA, MO, MN, FL. Between the 2002 and 2004 election dropouts were average of 25%. Ohio had a 33% dropout. Issues don’t get people to the polls in off years. We need to get people to focus on turnout. Issues are important, but it’s what we do around candidates to stimulate people to exercise their rights that is really important.
The corporate strategy is for people to stay distracted on social issues and divided. Our strategy is to be cohesive, with a year round activitst mobilization. The organize around the economic issues that unite us—more people will vote for their own self-interest than for any other reason. Hold elected officials accountable.
What We Need To Do: Include in your dialogue more of an economic message for working people. We believe that self-interest is going to be the overriding issue for dropoff voters. We need to highlight the impact of this administration’s actions on workers.
We’re working aggressively on the minimum wage initiatives in the state.
RACHERIE CHAUDBRY of WORKING AMERICA:
30% of our members are born again Christians. 30% are NRA members. 75% do not have college degrees. Most of these people should be receptive to social wedge issues. But with our economic messaging, we are bringing them into our fold.
Most people are not getting good information about economic issues anymore. They’re getting a lot of information about social issues instead. So what Working America does is talk to them at their door. We have offices in multiple states with locally recruited paid canvass staffs who have conversations with them about economic issues at their doorsteps. We follow up on this with emails, roundtables, town halls in their communities. And we get them engaged in a dialogue about the economy in their communities, and that’s how we get our great results.
We don’t hide the fact that we’re a part of the AFL-CIO—it’s out in the open, and 2 out of 3 still join. That’s what is so excited about it. And we let them know which candidate supports their issues.
58% of members who did not vote in 2000 did vote in 2004. We increased voter participation, and we persuade our members to vote for the working family candidates. Our members moved 18 points for their support for John Kerry; 68% of our members voted for Kerry—across all segments. White males, white women, every which way you cut it.
Now in 2006 we’re a more mature organization, we’re 2 and a half years old with close to 2 and half million members and we’re going to be able to mobilize them. We have an “Ask a Lawyer” site, and if they have a question about unions and workplace for a lawyer, since they don’t have a union lawyer onsite, they can get a real answer from a real lawyer online.
We also have Job Tracker to let them know CEO pay in companies in the area, who has been outsourcing jobs in the area, etc., and since we launched it, we’ve had over a million searches conducted on the site.
We also have a Working Women section with a survey asking what issues are most critical to working women, and we put out reports on the responses and submit them to members of Congress. It’s at www.aflcio.org/aaww2006. We also have bumperstickers on cars as well.
I want to end by talking about challenges that we face: we try to convert our people into the online activist universe, but it is difficult. 25% of members give us their email addresses, but to get them to sign petitions online or to engage online, they’re not exactly sure how it works. But once we get them participating, they do so regularly.
MS. CONNELL: We just launched our AFL-CIO blog at www.aflcio.org/blog in February. It was a big leap for us, and it’s difficult with a very large organization. But we want to enable activists at the grassroots level to organize and provide their voice. The website is great, but there wasn’t a conversation there. So we made a decision to go into the blog world.