Minnesota Network for Progressive Action: Newsletter

Trending Republican, My Butt . . . .

Who hasn't heard some right wing media talking head or, unfortunately of late, some genuine, real deal, commentator, refer to our Minnesota as "Trending Republican"? Well, here's my question. "What the hell are they smoking?".

Haven't they noticed that Minnesota has remained steadfastly blue while the whole midwest has spent the last 20 years slipping into an ever-broadening red sinkhole? Didn't they notice that in spite of Republicans spending enough money to choke a Trojan horse, flying W in and out of this state last fall, he still lost here by 100,000 votes? Did they not see the national media coverage about Rochester, Minnesota, the home of the Mayo Clinic, that is now represented in the Minnesota House by an almost entirely blue delegation, in spite of having been bright crimson Republican for 30 years? Are they not capable of doing the math to see that Minnesota was even more blue in 2004 than in 2000? Did they fail to notice that in the Minnesota House of Representatives there was a net gain of 13 seats for the Democrats - only two short of what is needed to restore a Democratic majority? We'll get 'em next time!

Maybe we need to refer Republicans to Wy Spano. Wy accompanied his wife, Marcia Avner, to the last mnpACT! Leadership Team Meeting to give us a pep talk and assist us with our strategic planning work. Wy pointed out (as he has previously done on "Almanac") the formerly universal opinion in this state that Democrats will win in the suburbs "when pigs fly!"! Well, as he went on to point out, "The Pig Flew", and in Edina, no less! Also Eagan! Kerry beat Bush in both! And WE, south metro Democrats in Apple Valley and Burnsville - the heart of mnpACT! country - came within fewer than 500 votes of sending two more Democratic Representatives to the Minnesota House! Next time!

Heck, we have pigs in the air everywhere, and lots more on the ground, suiting up for 2006. We're thinking about getting "Flying Pigs!" T-shirts - seriously. So let's not let anyone tell us, or the rest of the country, that Minnesota is "Trending Republican." We know differently. Some right winger wrote it in a "talking points" memo and hoped that if it was repeated often enough, it would become the truth. They counted on us saying nothing. Wrong!

Write a letter to the editor. Call a radio talk show. And do it NOW! If you've been itching to take a stand against some of this right wing absurdity, now is a perfect time. The facts are all on our side!

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New! Hold Pawlenty and Kennedy Accountable in Your Community
The Minnesota DFL Party is forming Kennedy and Pawlenty rapid-response teams in your area to help the DFL mobilize quickly and effectively when either Pawlenty or Kennedy visit your community. Each team would help recruit more volunteers, monitor the activities of Pawlenty and Kennedy in your area, work with the State DFL Party to help plan and attend events when either Kennedy or Pawlenty come to your community, and help deliver the DFL message in a strategic and coordinated way.

If you are a committed DFLer who can devote time and be a reliable member of one of these important teams, please email the DFL at activism@dfl.org.

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New! Stop Fake News
From Start Change: On Sunday, March 13th, The New York Times broke a major story outlining how the Bush administration has used millions of dollars of taxpayer money to produce and disseminate fake news programs that support a partisan political agenda.

These government-produced segments have frequently aired on broadcast TV stations across the country without proper disclosure.

Not only is this unacceptable, it is also illegal.

Please send an email to the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department and ask them to Stop Fake News. Click Here.

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New! Contact Senator Marty about FACE
From Beth Fraser of MAPA: Yesterday (3/9/05) we had an emergency FACE (Fair and Clean Elections) strategy meeting to figure out what to do about the concerns that Senator Marty has about the FACE bill that led him to vote against it in the Senate Elections Committee last week. The FACE Coalition members present decided to propose adopting language that would address his concerns, as we understood them, but not eliminate parties from playing a role in their candidate's campaigns.

To our dismay, Senator Marty rejected our proposal. He seems unwilling to budge, or to make any compromises, even though we believe that our proposal addresses his concerns and that we've agreed to re-examine this and other provisions of the FACE bill in consultation with him this summer.

What we need you to do:
Please contact Senator Marty and urge him to accept the FACE Coalition's compromise proposal and make a motion to reconsider the bill so that it can continue to move forward this year. He can be reached at 651-296-5645.

We urge you to distribute this alert to your members and activists. Please include the background found below so that they can call him with a true understanding of the issues. Senator Marty is under the impression that other members of the FACE Coalition are unfamiliar with the bill and his concerns with it.

Background:
Senator Marty's primary stated concern was that the FACE bill allows political parties to contribute to their candidates, in addition to the public funding their given, thereby giving an advantage to major party candidates who are in good favour with their parties. When we originally crafted the bill we believed that the party contribution was large enough to give parties a meaningful role, but small enough so that an independent or third party candidate could still compete. Senator Marty argued that this provision was unfair because there was no way for candidates who are not supported by their parties to make up the difference. He makes this argument, even though both the Independence and Green Parties support the FACE bill. Senator Marty would instead like to see political parties prohibited from contributing to candidates and that the public subsidies be increased to make up for this difference.

We have agreed to look at this, and other issues in the FACE proposal, after the legislative session is over when we can dedicate the time to have a thoughtful discussion about how the FACE system should be structured. We have agreed to include Senator Marty in this dialogue. As such, what we are looking for now is a temporary way to address his concerns enough so that we can keep the bill moving forward this session. We are concerned that if we don't at least get the bill through the Senate Elections Committee this year, it will impede our organizing efforts. In addition, we also believe that we have a real chance of getting the bill through the Finance Committee -- something we haven't been able to do before.

At yesterday's meeting, the FACE coalition representatives decided to propose an alternative that would address his concerns as we understood them, but continue to allow political parties to contribute to candidates. We proposed that candidates be allowed to raise additional funds in $50 contributions which they could spend up to the amount of the party contribution. That way candidates could get the money from their party, or raise it themselves, or do some of each. Of course, since we'd be providing candidates with 80% of the spending limit, many candidates might decide that the public funds are sufficient and not raise any additional funds. We understand that it would be challenging to raise the funds, especially without use of the $50 Political Contribution Refund (PCR) program, but since this is just a temporary solution that we will be re-examining this summer, we decided to propose it. If Senator Marty thought it would be too burdensome to try to raise this money without use of the PCR, we agreed to reinstate that for candidates after they have qualified for public funds.

Senator Hottinger and I approached Senator Marty with our proposal. We acknowledged that it wasn't perfect and that it's not necessarily a solution that we want to stay with, but believed that it addressed his concerns enough for him to move the bill forward this year.

To our dismay, Senator Marty said no. He said that it was still unfair and that he couldn't support it, even though he knows it is a temporary provision and that there is little to no chance that the bill will become law this year. He likened it to supporting a great budget bill that had an anti-gay marraige amendment attached to it. He said that the only ways to address his concerns were to do what he originally proposed, or to provide candidates with additional public matching funds to balance out any contribution that their opponent receives from their political party. His second alternative seems untenable. It's hard to imagine, for example, other DFLers supporting this provision which would provide Green Party candidates with funds to match any contribution from the DFL.

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New! Support Million for Marriage Campaign
Support Marriage Equality for ALL!

From Human Rights Campaign: From coast to coast, we are coming closer to achieving true marriage equality for GLBT Americans.
But we need your help to fight efforts to deny marriage rights to same-sex couples, including any Constitutional amendment. Please, sign the Million For Marriage petition below, and be a part of this historic civil rights battle. Gay, straight, married, single...we need everyone who believes in marriage equality to stand up NOW.

Click Here to sign the petition.

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New! No to Private Accounts
From AARP: Social Security is in the line of fire. Many in Washington want to take the hard-earned money workers pay into Social Security and divert it into private accounts.

But did you know that diverting money into private accounts would weaken Social Security, put benefits for future generations at risk, and do nothing to ensure long-term solvency? Private accounts are not a way to strengthen Social Security.

Besides, the transition to a private account system would cost trillions of dollars -- which would add to the federal deficit and increase the federal debt. That is not the legacy we want to leave to our children and grandchildren.

We know there is a better way to strengthen Social Security. And AARP is firmly committed to ensuring that the only secure source of retirement benefits for America's families is not put at risk.

Click here to send a free fax or e-mail to your Senators and Representative. Tell them that in order for us to honor our obligations to all generations, we must focus Social Security reform on sensible, workable, and efficient solutions that can make a real and lasting difference for all Americans.

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EAGAN!

Democratic Party Meetup Group at Italian Pie Shoppe

Democratic Party Meetup Group No. 311
Like minded democrats meet to exchange ideas and learn ways to help our candidates get elected.

Chaska!

The Chaska Democratic Party Meetup Group

Democratic Party Meetup Group No. 545
We're meeting at the Chaska Mill & Tavern, 500 North Pine Street, Chaska. Meet other local Democrats! Gather to help organize and support the Democratic cause.
Founded Nov 12, 2004

Inver Grove Heights

DFL Meetup at Old Man River in West St. Paul

Democratic Party Meetup Group No. 11
Join the Party .... because ....You are the DFL! Where: Old Man River Cafe 879 Smith Ave. So. West St. Paul, MN 55118 651-675-5550

New! DFL Progressive Caucus
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 7-8:30 PM
Burnhaven Library
1101 County Road 42 W
Burnsville, MN 55306

Meeting Focus: Healthcare
Speaker: Kip Sullivan

Kip has been a committed healthcare reform organizer for two decades, work with the Health Care Campaign of Minnesota, Minnesota Citizens Organized Coming Together and Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition. Kip has written extensively on healthcare reform, and his articles have appeared in the New York Times, LA Times, New England Journal of Medicine, The Nation, Z Magazine, In These Times, Washington Monthly, among others. Kip said perhaps one of his proudest achievements is that he landed on Allina's enemies list.

In his presentation, Progressive Health Policy 101, Kip will explain why he believes that a single-payer system, also known as a Medicare-for-all system, is the only solution to the current healthcare crisis. Kip explains that alternatives to single-payer include managed care and high deductibles. Managed care is considered a failure by many in terms of lowering quality of care as well as increasing costs. Kip views George Bush's solution of high-deductible policies as an option that would offer the same result---lowered quality with no reduction in cost.

If it's convenient for you, I hope that you will consider joining us to learn more about single-payer universal healthcare. Please note that we plan to host other such meetings around the state in the near future. If you would like further information about the Minnesota Universal Healthcare Coalition, please visit http://www.muhcc.org/index.html.

The Metropolitan Council recently approved public hearings for mid-April to review bus and rail fares in the region, as well as transit service levels. By authorizing hearings now, the Council positions itself to approve any needed fare and service adjustments shortly after the Legislature sets the state budget.

Under the Governor’s budget proposal, Metro Transit would receive an increase in funding from the state. However, rising fuel and health care costs combined with the lower-than-expected growth in revenues from the state Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (MVST), a major source of transit funding, pose a significant challenge for the region’s transit system. As a result, the Council is looking at ways to cut costs, improve efficiency and raise revenue.

The seven public hearings on fare and service levels will be held April 12-20. The target date for a potential fare increase is July 1. Service reductions would take effect in September and December.

For information on the other hearings click here.

People attending the hearings may register in advance to speak by calling the Metropolitan Council Data Center at 651-602-1140 or 651-291-0904 (TTY). Upon request, reasonable accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities.

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New! DFL Business Meeting - Election of Party Officers
Saturday, May 21, Noon
Location to be determined

For information on all candidates for party offices click here.

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This is combo fundraiser and get reacquainted party. There will be food, beer, wine, pop, entertainment, speakers, movies for the kids and a wine and cheese raffle. We are asking for $5 at the door for adults, kids are free. In addition, food and paper products will be accepted for Woodlands. Everyone is welcome and hope to see you there. Any questions, please call Erin at 952-891-1784 or e-mail her at emh1665@msn.com.

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New! Take Back America Conference 2005
June 1-3, Washington, D.C.

The Campaign for America's Future's 2005 Take Back America Conference will bring together the largest group of progressive leaders since the election. We will discuss our vision for the future and our strategy for success, and we will highlight the important choices that the American people and the political system must face. The conference will include skills trainings and workshops with prominent progressive leaders in Washington from June 1st to 3rd, 2005.

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New! House DFL Caucus Event with Al Franken
Saturday, June 11th, 2005
Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth Street South, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Show 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
General Dessert Reception 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Private Reception 4:45 – 5:30 p.m.
Click here for ticket information

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New! Create Your Own Spending Plan and Send It to Congress

It's budget time again, and President Bush has released another budget plan that is hundreds of pages long and really hard to decipher. TrueMajorityACTION has plowed through the rows of figures, and it's just more guns and less butter.

True Majority founder, Ben Cohen (the ice cream guy), says there’s an easier way to see how Washington really spends our dough. He’s a food guy, so he uses stacks of Oreos to show people where their taxes really go -- and how easy it would be to spend them more wisely. He even made a short cartoon of his demonstration, and over a million people have seen it.

Now we’ve made it possible for you to take the budget and make it stack up more fairly. Think good schools make for a strong country? Move the money for just one new submarine into education, and you can hire 110,000 new teachers! You get the idea. Then just click the mouse to send your budget priorities to Congress.

Click this link to try it now: http://www.truemajorityaction.org/cookiebudget

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March 17, 2005

Issue Information

New! Create Your Own Spending Plan and Send It to Congress