Twenty-First Century Democrats - Blog

Steve Bullock (MT-AG) is on TV!

2008-05-08T01:12:00Z

Montana Attorney General candidate Steve Bullock recently released a trio of television spots ahead of his June 3rd primary:

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The ads highlight two of Steve’s most important endorsements. Former Montana Attorney General and State Senate President Joe Mazurek believes that Steve’s experience “sets him apart” from his opponents while Missoula Mayor John Engen praises Steve’s commitment to public safety.

<center> You can learn more about Steve and his campaign by visiting their website:
www.stevebullock.com
or
Help put these ad on TV by contributing today! </center>

Jennifer Brunner at 2008 Signature Gala

2008-05-05T15:56:00Z

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner discusses the need to encourage voter participation and ensure that all the votes are counted:

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Leaders In Action - Rep. Ellison and Sen. Raskin

2008-05-02T17:18:00Z

One of the most important issues discussed by the new members of our 21st Century Leaders In Action program was the importance of defending our constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin have been particularly dedicated to protecting civil rights and encouraging voter participation since they were elected in 2006.

Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-5) was fired-up when he took the stage and immediately expressed his frustration with the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Indiana's voter ID law. He identified the photo ID requirement for what it is: an attempt by Republicans to impose a back-door poll tax to suppress the vote amongst minorities, the elderly and the poor. Republicans claim that the law is intended to prevent voter fraud, but even the Supreme Court acknowledged that there are no reported cases of voter impersonation in Indiana’s entire history and the State has never prosecuted anyone for impersonation fraud. As Congressman Ellison rightly noted, “The only fraud going on is when they try to defraud legitimate voters, and trick them out of their right to vote through deceptive processes … there is no impostor voting.”

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More importantly, Congressman Ellison went on to stress the need for progressives to come together to oppose this Jim Crow era law and others like it. “I think that [the Supreme Court’s] decision must be viewed as a powerful shot across the bow, a wakeup call for us. Let’s get together and rededicate ourselves, dig-in and fight back.” Thankfully, strong progressives like Keith Ellison are digging-in and fighting back to protect the rights of our most vulnerable citizens and communities. Recently Congressman Ellison introduced a bill that would ban photo ID requirements to vote and just yesterday he sponsored legislation encouraging voter participation by allowing citizens to register on election day.

Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin (District 20) has also been an amazing champion of voter and civil rights. In just 16 months in office the Senator has already passed several important electoral reforms. Last April he sponsored and passed a law making Maryland the first state in the nation to commit to an interstate compact to cast all the State’s Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote (thereby making every American’s vote count in the Presidential election). More recently, Senator Raskin ushered through a bill that allows 17 year olds in Maryland to vote in the primary election, if they will turn 18 before the general election. These kinds of reforms are essential to improving our democracy and engaging every voter, most especially young people.

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I can’t think of two individuals more deserving of being honored as 21st Century Leaders in Action than Congressman Ellison and Senator Raskin. They have consistently stood up for the rights of the American people and fought to protect our constitution. They demonstrate why we do what we do at 21st Century Democrats: elect progressives leaders who will stick with their convictions and create public policy that builds a better America.

2008 Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award Winner

2008-05-01T23:00:00Z

Former United States Senator Harris Wofford presents the 2008 Paul and Sheila Wellstone Award for Political Organizing to Ohio ACORN’s Lead Organizer Katy Gall.

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An Evening with 21st Century Democrats

2008-05-01T00:42:00Z

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the 21st Century Democrats' gala celebration after winning the tickets at a drawing at the Take Back America conference. I attend a lot of Democratic and progressive events, but what struck me about both the conference and the gala was that they both provided a rare forum to come together to talk not just about who should win elections, but why we must win. Winning means affordable education, health care for all Americans, clean and fair elections across the country, the return of civil liberties and respect for the constitution, an end to the war in Iraq, and a serious effort to combat global warming. Throughout the conference and the gala people talked about issues, not candidates. At a time when many people are firmly entrenched in their candidate's corner, I think we sometimes lose sight of what is at stake and the chance that we have to concretely better the lives of others and our planet through electoral politics.

While the presidential debates spiral away from substance and the campaign trail gets increasingly muddied, the 21st Century Democrats' gala and the Take Back America conference provided the chance to collectively affirm our common progressive goals and remind us what winning back the White House and strengthening our representation at all levels of government really means. Let's hope that next year we can reconvene at these two events to celebrate all that we've accomplished and continue to push forward our progressive values!

Congressman Allen Calls for an Investigation into Fuel Price Fixing

2008-04-29T19:21:00Z

A report on Congressman Tom Allen’s call for a federal investigation into rising oil prices from WGME in Portland:
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More from the Bangor Daily News

Last Week in Washington State

2008-04-22T21:56:00Z

Politics is moving right along in the Puget Sound and in the rest of the state I might add. We were there in support of Darcy Burner, congressional candidate in Washington-8 and Governor Christine Gregoire, who is one of the few Governors with a reelection fight in 2008. No slam-dunk races here!

Both candidates have their work cut out for them. The key element in their elections will be how many doors the campaigns knock and then how many voters the campaigns actually talk to. Pierce County appears to be a major battleground county for them; partly rural but like so many other areas around the country filled with new growth as families move out of the city (Seattle) in search of better schools and just more space in which to raise their children.

These counties have trended Republican primarily in my estimation because the Democratic Party and its campaigns have not gone out to these places and talked with people about issues and candidates. Essentially we have written-off huge areas of the country and allowed the Republican Party a “free-ride” to build up their margins in statewide races and congressional contests. The good new in Washington State, at least, is that these targeted campaigns have agreed to work with our field program to seriously cut into those Republican margins in Pierce County and beyond as the cycle progresses. We’ll be working closely with the Coordinated Campaign and talking to voters throughout this county beginning in June.

The amounts of money necessary to wage campaigns in Washington State are just as huge as anywhere else where contested races are at stake. Christine Gregoire won by 135 votes after several recounts in 2004 and Darcy Burner lost her 2006 election by several thousand votes in what was decidedly a close call for the Republican incumbent. These are two races to keep an eye on as we move towards November.

I’ll be in Little Rock, Arkansas on Wednesday and Thursday addressing the People for The American Way foundation’s Young Elected Officials Conference. The Clinton Library in Little Rock is hosting the event and it should be a useful and productive time for all. I’ll be speaking on “How to Stay in Office Once You Are Elected” and holding individual meetings with young officeholders who are up for reelection this year and next. Our political staff is working extremely hard on projects such as the next round of candidate endorsements of which more next week.

As always, if you feel like it, give me a call at 202.626.5620 or e-mail me at dan@21stdems.org.

Weekend In Delaware - 21st Century Dems Style

2008-04-14T20:29:00Z

<caption>National Political Director Dan Lucas</caption>

This weekend we had the opportunity to meet with 70 Democrats who attended our first Organizer Training in Newark, Delaware. The Training was held at Clayton Hall at the University of Delaware in a very nice facility in the basement. We covered topics such as campaign planning, voter targeting and using the voter file. The training was enormously helped by staff members of the Delaware Democratic Party who showed our trainees how to access and use the Vote Builder system and use the map and address aspects of the system to promote good walk lists and contact efforts.

We spent a good deal of time discussing canvassing methods, phone bank protocols and using the new internet tools now available to activists. As the following pictures from the event illustrate everyone was engaged throughout the day in learning how to be the best they could be in talking to voters. Our political staff Dan Lucas (me), Wendy Davis and Mark Watson lead the group throughout the day. We were helped by 21st Century Democrats' intern Jay Herman who captivated everyone with his succinct and funny presentation on new internet tools. Thanks Jay!

Delaware’s Primary is September 9 so everyone who attended will be able to really put into practice the voter contact strategies they learned this weekend!

CA-12 Special Election Results

2008-04-09T11:05:00Z

Remembering Dr. King

2008-04-04T20:16:00Z

April 4, 2008 - On this day 40 years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was felled by an assassin’s bullet on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was there to march with sanitation workers demanding a better wage. Harry Belafonte, actor/activist shared a story once of how Mrs. Coretta Scott King, upon learning of the assassination, called only Mr. Belafonte into her room and quietly asked him to help lay out the clothes Dr. King would wear. It was a very intimate moment during which she shared her concern for the country and what could result from this horrific event. She softly admitted that she was not sure of what she should do. Mr. Belafonte respectfully reminded her of why Dr. King had gone to Memphis and how the people would be waiting for some direction. Mrs. King courageously decided that she would lead the sanitation workers march in her husband’s stead.

Today, 21st Century Democrats salutes the life of Dr. Martin Luther King who paid the ultimate price and to Mrs. Coretta Scott King for continuing the fight for the progressive ideals that form the core of our mission. 21st Century Democrats pledges to never relent in our charge to elect progressive populist Democrats who will stand up for America’s working families and to be leaders on Capitol Hill, State Legislatures, counties, and cities across the country.

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Dr. King speaks at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - August 28, 1963</center>

Bullock Picks Up Important Union Endorsement

2008-04-02T15:21:00Z

Yesterday, Montana Attorney General candidate Steve Bullock was endorsed by by the Teamsters Local No. 190. “Through his legal work and his efforts to increase the minimum wage, Steve has stood side-by-side with working families across Montana and we are proud to stand with him,” said Teamster’s 190 Secretary/Treasurer Joe Dwyer in the endorsement announcement. “Steve has the experience and the vision to be a truly outstanding Attorney General.”

<center> Click here for more about the Endorsement
or
Click here to listen to Secretary/Treasurer Dwyer talk about the endorsement </center>

WaPo Highlights "Responsible Plan To End The War In Iraq"

2008-03-29T14:13:00Z

<caption>Darcy Burner unveils the Plan at
Take Back America</caption>

On Friday, the Washington Post featured an article about the “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq”. Thus far, the plan has been endorsed by Darcy Burner, Chellie Pingree and 40 other congressional candidates. Darcy first unveiled the plan earlier this month at the 2008 Take Back America Conference in Washington, DC. You can learn more about the “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq” by visiting the website, www.responsibleplan.com.

Read the full WaPo article here.

Endorse the Plan here.

Jackie Speier's Journey

2008-03-27T23:15:00Z

Few candidates have faced the kind of adversity that Jackie Speier has overcome. After completing law school, Jackie went to work as an aide for California Congressman Leo Ryan and accompanied him in November of 1978 when he traveled to Jonestown, Guyana to investigate Rev. Jim Jones and the People’s Temple. As their delegation was preparing to leave it was ambushed by armed cult members who killed Congressman Ryan and five others. Jackie was shot five times and had to wait 22 hours for help to arrive.

Jackie’s experience in Guyana helped to shape her philosophy and taught her about “the fragility of our existence and the importance of making every moment count.”

In the years since the tragedy at Jonestown, Jackie has built a tremendous record of accomplishment – first as a member of San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and then in the California Legislature. She has made the most of her time as an elected official and few politicians have been as consistent in promoting progressive values. Jackie has authored and sponsored legislation to expand access to affordable health care, protect Americans’ human and civil rights, improve consumer and privacy protections, combat government waste and build a more fair and just society. Please support Jackie’s campaign and help her continue to work on these critical issues in the United States Congress.

Darcy Burner Wants Some Advice

2008-03-27T15:47:00Z

Cross posted from www.darcyburner.com

Darcy Burner just released a new spot featuring a great 21st Century Democrat:
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Special Election Endorsement - California's 12th

2008-03-23T22:15:00Z

21st Century Democrats is proud to endorse former California State Senator Jackie Speier in the 12th district special election to replace the late Congressman Tom Lantos. She has overcome incredible adversity to become an exceptional progressive leader in her community and in the California Legislature. Now, we need to support the Speier Campaign and make sure that Jackie is the next representative from California's 12th Congressional District.

<center> Learn More About Jackie

Donate To Her Campaign </center>