Working with and for progressives, Labor, people of color, peace and justice organizations, and you to transform our society
1. End the war in Iraq
2. Enact universal health care
3. Assure election integrity and clean elections
4. Support economic justice, workers’ rights, livable wage
5. Champion environmental sustainability; stop global warming
PDA-Ohio works to restore the role of government as the instrument to better not only the lives of the citizenry but also to enhance and secure the electoral process in order to protect the process for change. PDA-Ohio will strive to build the progressive base of our Democratic Party by supporting candidates and initiatives serving the general good of the people over the special interests at all levels of government: local, state, and federal. We perform these lofty goals through the forming of coalitions among like-minded individuals, activists, grassroots groups, and issue oriented organizations to effect progressive, positive change, while grounded in the recognition that the forces of the status quo, corporate and institutional, will attempt to undermine change for the sake of retaining power.
We believe power in itself is not inherently bad unless of course its impetus is to limit the general welfare in favor of the few. PDA-Ohio sees itself as one instrument of many working in unison to create a more just society where all citizens are able to reach their potential regardless of color, economic status, sexual orientation, and/or religious beliefs.
Through these coalition-building efforts with organizations, we will work to set practical goals and realistic objectives in order to achieve specific outcomes having a broader impact on the issue(s) at hand to maximize the opportunity for change.
We welcome those of like minds to share in this important work as to build the movement that will make for a better tomorrow by sharing in the work necessary today.
VISIT OUR FRIENDS
For a Fresher Democracy,
Try an ImpeachMINT!
The movement to hold Bush & Cheney accountable is growing, and you can help build momentum. It’s as simple as sending democracy-freshening ImpeachMINTS to your member of Congress. Act now, before the Memorial Day recess that begins May 26 (more)
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We must have fair trade
By Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio)
The Hill, June 20, 2007
PDA Congressional Point-Persons Strategy and You
Progressive Democrats of America and its chapters are working both inside and outside the Democratic Party to build the movement for change. In that spirit, the PDA state leadership in Ohio is seeking like-minded groups, faith-based community representatives and organizers, people of color, peace activists, union leaders and activists, and concerned citizens to help us push change through our inside work within the Democratic Party. We accomplish this mainly through lobbying our state and national representatives.
HMO Whisteblower Dr. Linda Peeno
The Subordination of Healthcare to
a For-Profit System
A decade ago Dr. Linda Peeno made headlines when she told Congress about her work as a medical reviewer for the giant HMO Humana, where she says she denied a man life-saving medical care in order to boost company profits. She would go on to become one of the country's best known
whistleblowers about HMOs and the healthcare industry.
Following her appearance in Congress she would go on to become one of the country's best-known whistleblowers about HMOs and the healthcare
industry.
Dr. Linda Peeno*. Former medical reviewer for HMO company Humana.She is now a physician in Louisville, Kentucky.
PDA-Ohio . All Rights reserved.
"We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak....there is such a thing as being too late....Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with lost opportunity....Over the bleached bones of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: ‘Too late.’" Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
PDA-OHIO'S MISSION IS MOVEMENT-BUILDING. PUT DOWN THE CHANNEL CHANGER AND GET OFF THE COUCH. JOIN PDA-OHIO TO BUILD THE MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE TODAY.
Print the "Progressive Challenge 2008" HERE:
A coalition of progressive groups including Progressive Democrats of America, Velvet Revolution, The Backbone Campaign, The Hip-Hop Caucus, Democrats.com, Camp Casey Peace Institute, and Justice Through Music developed our 7-point progressive platform. It is a document to take to every campaign, to the candidates of your choice. Tell them this is the platform by which the progressive movement-- inside and outside the Democratic Party--will measure them. Share it with your friends and neighbors, too.
"Progressive Challenge 2008"
LET' TAKE BACK THE HOUSE IN 08!
Support Mike Moran for the Ohio 42nd District House Seat
PDA Ohio is a Democratic organization. There are times when we are challenged to rise above Party affiliation and cast our vote for the person who best exemplifies our values as Americans. Cindy Sheehan is challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for Congress this year.Cindy has worked hard and paid the price to end this illegal war and the trampling of our Constitution, while many Democratic members of Congress remain timid. We can't vote for Cindy in Ohio. But, If you believe in Cindy and the work she is doing to bring about an end to the war and occupation and to challenge the Republicans while waiting for Democrats to show some spine, there are ways you can help. Go to http://www.cindyforcongress.org/ and contribute to Cindy's campaign.
One thing is for certain. Cindy will stand up and fight for the issues we care about as progressive Democrats. Her candidacy will surely send the message - "We elected Democrats to be an authentic opposition party". If Cindy's campaign does nothing else but to make Nancy Pelosi put impeachment back on the table, progressives win! , Give em' hell, Cindy!
Ohio's Next Senator?
CONGRESSMAN TIM RYAN (CD - 17)
Email Congressman Ryan and ask him to run for the Senate against George Voinovich - Contact Tim Ryan HERE
..., formerly Ohio Progressive Action Coalition
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Thank You Rep. Wexler for showing Democrats it is possible to stand up for Americans and our Constitution
PRIVATIZING A PUBLICLY-OWNED ASSET
Read PDA Ohio's editorials on corporate take-over of our public utilities for profit
Also, visit www.AkronOhio.net to join the fight against privatization
PDA's Summit County chapter opposes Republican-inspired sale or lease of Akron's sewer system
PDA Launches the "Healthcare Not Warfare" Campaign
Norman Solomon, PDA Advisory Board member
For several years now, the news media have identified healthcare and the war in Iraq as key issues in American politics. But very little of the reporting or the punditry goes beneath the buzz-word surfaces to the human realities that span from local hospitals to a faraway war.
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift,” Martin Luther King Jr. said 40 years ago, “is approaching spiritual death.” Today, nearly one in six Americans has no health insurance, and tens of millions of others are woefully under-insured--while the war in Iraq continues to further skew the U.S. government's budget priorities.
By launching the national “Healthcare Not Warfare” campaign, Progressive Democrats of America is moving ahead with a grassroots opportunity to turn from warfare to healthcare for all. (More)
SPAN OHIO's Summit County Coordinators collect over 600 Signatures in a two-week period for Healthcare for All Ohioans!
(By Jodie Smith - May 12, 2008)
PDA-Ohio's Summit County SPAN Ohio's Coordinators Steve and Jodie Smith collecting signatures for Healthcare for All Ohioans
SPAN-OHIO REACHING OUT TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN SUMMIT COUNTY
HUDSON ROTARIANS INVITE SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE
ADVOCATE DR. WILLIAM KECK AND SPAN-OHIO
By Steve and Jodie Smith, Summit County Span-Ohio Coordinators
May 21, 2008
Dr. William Keck, Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Community Health Sciences at NEOUCOM, and former Director of Health for 27 years for the City of Akron, in a softly-delivered but strongly-worded speech to the Hudson Rotarians, supported the Healthcare for All Ohioans Act and the Conyers H.R. 676 on May 21, 2008 at the group's breakfast meeting held at Laurel Lakes Retirement Community in Hudson. (READ)
Ohio Rep. Betty Sutton Takes
Lead in Stopping "Stop-Loss"
By Michael Carano, PDA OH State Co-Coordinator
May 26, 2008
On May 6, 2008, Representative Betty Sutton (Ohio CD-13) introduced a resolution along with nine initial cosponsors, urging our military to end its “stop-loss” program. This much needed and forward-looking resolution succinctly calls for the immediate implementation of “a new stop-loss policy to ensure that no member of the Armed Forces who has completed a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan is subject to a stop-loss order.” (READ)
Debilitating Deference
A Column by Bill Onasch
July 13, 2008
HCAN -"Working under the guise of universal health care"
PDA Ohio commentary before you read Bill's article:
Interestingly, Progress Ohio, a supposedly progressive organization is pushing HCAN in Ohio instead of HR676..PDA-Ohio has been on to Brian Rothenberg's organization for quite some time. You see, Progress Ohio hides under the shield of progressivism when it is only just an adjunct to the Ohio Democratic Party in its efforts to rally progressives and liberal Ohio grassroots around Democratic candidates in order to win elections. We like to see Democrats win, too - mainly progressive Democrats who speak out with courage on issues like the war, single-payer health care, election protection, Labor issues, etc.,. That's okay with us.. We are Democrats, too. I just wish Brian Rothenberg, (who happened to be on public TV today {July 20th, 2008} with statements mirroring Obama's health care plan that keeps insurance companies firmly planted between patient and physician) would stop deceiving those who visit his web-site and stop pretending Progress Ohio doesn't have a close working relationship with the Ohio Democratic Party.
A chronic malady afflicting the labor and progressive movements in the USA erupts in to acute flare-ups every four years. Delusional symptoms of class subservience syndrome include the offer of sacrifices to one of two contending rivals to serve the gods of capital.
Now, Bill's insightful article ...,
Not only treasure is involved in these offerings–though there’s plenty of mammon spread around. Principles are tossed on ritual fires as well. We have recounted in past columns the deference shown to our masters on questions of war and environment. This past week fealty was expressed in an area even more basic to our day to day functioning, affecting every contract negotiation, sometimes posing literally life and death questions. (READ)
New Issue of FAIR's Magazine Extra!
Your subscription to FAIR's bimonthly magazine Extra! is a big part of what keeps FAIR going--helping us provide free services like the action alerts on this list. Please click here to subscribe today!
Find out what our Canadian friends have to say about the danger of privatizing public utilities.
Please check out the articles at www.PublicValues.ca and let friends know about the site. PublicValues is the first online newsmagazine dedicated to the subject of privatization and the fight to preserve public services, resources, spaces and enterprise.
Launch of Grassroots Statement by Delegates For Platform to Guarantee "Health Care for All"
July 24, 2008, Washington, DC
Rep. John Conyers, a leader for health care reform on Capitol Hill, is the first Democratic National Convention delegate to sign a new statement urging that the convention adopt a plank in the 2008 party platform to "guarantee accessible health care for all."
Launched by Progressive Democrats of America, the grassroots statement aims to gather hundreds of signers among delegates to the party's national convention before it opens in Denver in late August. Encourage convention delegates to add their names as signers. Delegates can do that online here.
The brief document--titled "Statement in Support of Guaranteed Health Care for All as a Plank in the Democratic Party Platform of 2008"--was drafted by two co-chairs of PDA's Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign, Congressman Conyers and Norman Solomon. Both are Obama delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Also signing the statement prior to its national launch on July 23 was Rep. Jim McGovern, a Clinton delegate and PDA board member. [more]
Democratic Party Platform 2008: Incorporating Language for a Progressive Democratic Agenda
7/20/2008
Rationale: In order to roll back the 8 year assault on our nation, our traditional values, our Constitution, working Americans, the rule of law, and our moral integrity as a people, we engage the Democratic Party to strongly create a pointed, forward-looking, and progressive platform that moves our nation in a direction of true change. By firmly stating what these principles are, we seek those writing the Democratic Party Platform to not be timid in the scope and thrust of this platform, and for it to truly make progressive change the skeleton upon which this platform hangs. (READ PDA-OHIO's DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM HERE)