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Some of Rochester's progressive groups and activists got together to develop and publish the "Platform for a Progressive Movement," which is exactly what it sounds like: a general statement of common principals that the groups will work toward. They're asking residents to visit rocplatform.com and sign on in support.

The agenda includes calls for a fair economy and living wages, universal health care, strong public education and options for free college, affordable and accessible housing, development that respects neighborhoods and protects green space, better access to transit, support for immigrants and refugees, support for the LGBTQ community, and police reform.

The platform wasn't designed as a policy manual, so it doesn't call for specific actions, says a press release.

"The platform provides a clear messaging framework to unite the efforts and vision of progressive organizations in Rochester and Monroe County, bringing progressive policies to the forefront of electoral and legislative agendas and progressive actions to the forefront of public engagement," the release says.

The initial endorsing organizations are the Center for Democratic Values, the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, Rochester Area Democratic Socialists, the Finger Lakes Area Regional Chapter of the Physicians for a National Health Program, and ROCitizen, which is the group the formed out of Monroe County for Bernie Sanders.

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Progressives release platform - Rochester City Newspaper

Local progressives werent expecting U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., to radically change his views on issues like health care, abortion and President Donald Trump at his town hall sessions throughout the Southern Tier on Saturday, and the Republican congressman didnt surprise.

Although some felt Reed sidestepped their questions, they appreciated Reed holding the public meetings at all especially amid turmoil at other similar GOP sessions held across the country recently and were moderately optimistic about pushing their agendas in the future.

While he certainly said a lot of things that were troubling and problematic his regular talking points on a lot of issues he did say some things that led me to believe we might have some room for dialogue and lobbying and maybe coming to some places of agreement, said Chris Stanley, a St. Bonaventure University professor whose organized recent meetings for local progressives.

Reeds four town halls Saturday, which were attended by several hundred people, often turned into wide-ranging discussions with several moments of shouting and even confrontations between attendees with opposing views. Reed told the Olean (N.Y.) Times Herald after his Great Valley town hall that he felt the session, while chaotic at times, included real conversation.

While Reeds mostly fit Stanleys expectations, the professor said he was glad to hear Reed say prescription drug costs are a problem, that Social Security tax receipts should not be used for anything other than paying Social Security benefits, and that he supports refinancing student loans at lower rates.

Sometimes he simply stated his viewpoint and that was that, but there were a couple points where he tried to engage in more dialogue, particularly over Social Security and student loan issues, and I respected him for that, Stanley said.

Holly Scordo, an Olean resident who attended Reeds Great Valley town hall, said while she doesnt agree with the congressman, she was impressed he tried to discuss agreeable issues.

He certainly has some ideas hes not going to shift on and compromise on, his core beliefs, and that's OK, but I did feel he was trying to find the things most people could agree on, she said.

However, some felt Reed was unwilling to have discussions on other issues, like abortion. Jennifer Greenidge, a town of Olean resident who attended Reeds Great Valley session because she feels womens reproductive rights are being eroded, said Reed dodged a question about what hed do to ensure women can make personal reproductive health care decisions.

He turned it into why hes pro-life, which did not answer the question, Greenidge said.

Still, with some Republican congressmen refusing to hold town halls amid the testy political climate since Trumps inauguration, Greenidge said she gives Reed credit for showing up.

Jil St. Ledger-Roty, of Franklinville, left disappointed there wasnt enough time at the Great Valley town hall for other topics shes concerned about, like race relations, nuclear tensions, and potential threats to public education and the Environmental Protection Agency.

You cant do that kind of thing in an hour. There are just too many questions people had, she said.

Stanley wished for a more orderly discussion, rather than some resorting to yelling. The nature of the crowd led Reed to forgo answering written questions attendees filled out beforehand so he could speak with those who raised their hands or, in some cases, shouted out.

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Perhaps some of the people, who are not as vocal and whose thoughts and questions might have had good points, didnt get to be heard or answered, Stanley said.

However progressives were encouraged by the participation this weekend. Many said they and others had never before attended a town hall because, in a heavily conservative county like Cattaraugus, they feared they would be in the minority. They said something has changed locally since Trumps election, with a number of residents speaking out politically for the first time.

I cant tell you how many people I have met and spoke to in the last three months who have never done anything politically (but now) because they're just horrified they cant keep quiet anymore, said St. Ledger-Roty, who resolved after Election Day to do something political, like attending rallies, making phone calls and writing letters, once a day.

Stanley joked Trump was the best thing that ever happened to progressives in our area. Stanley, who organized anti-war meetings during the Iraq War, said the response to Trump tops anything hes seen in his 17 years in the Olean area.

I think it does give a sense of hope and empowerment to those of us who clearly seem to be of a numerical minority in this county and a sense that we can work together for good and not simply have to sit back and feel weak and powerless, he said.

Stanley said he hopes to work with local conservatives by appealing to their needs, admitting he feels the Democratic Party has for years neglected the working class and the poor.

Both progressives and conservatives, he said, need to stop making assumptions about each other and look past their ideological blinders. At Saturdays town hall in Great Valley, Stanley was approached by a Trump supporter who accused him of being a baby killer because hes a progressive.

I said, No, not at all. Im anti-abortion. I really support Catholic social teachings. Im not a Catholic, but I really agree down the board with Catholic social teachings. He said, You do? Stanley recalled. I think one of the problems with our current system is people on both sides speak this kind of way about each other of being mindless people following their leaders. I said, Im a thoughtful person and youre a thoughtful person. We dont need to talk about each other that way.

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Progressives moderately optimistic after Reed town halls - Bradford Era

Fleeing to Canada is no longer an option

Liberals are supposed to be antiwar, right? I went to college in the 1960s, when students nationwide were rising up in opposition to the Vietnam War. I was a Young Republican back then and supported the war through sheer ignorance and dislike of the sanctimoniousness of the protesters, some of whom were surely making their way to Canada to live in exile on daddys money while I was on a bus going to Fort Leonard Wood for basic combat training. I cant even claim that I had some grudging respect for the antiwar crowd because I didnt, but I did believe that at least some of them who were not being motivated by being personally afraid of getting hurt were actually sincere in their opposition to the awful things that were happening in Southeast Asia.

As I look around now, however, I see something quite different. The lefties I knew in college are now part of the Establishment and generally speaking are retired limousine liberals. And they now call themselves progressives, of course, because it sounds more educated and sends a better message, implying as it does that troglodytic conservatives are anti-progress. But they also have done a flip on the issue of war and peace. In its most recent incarnation some of this might be attributed to a desperate desire to relate to the Hillary Clinton campaign with its bellicosity towards Russia, Syria and Iran, but I suspect that the inclination to identify enemies goes much deeper than that, back as far as the Bill Clinton Administration with its sanctions on Iraq and the Balkan adventure, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the creation of a terror-narco state in the heart of Europe. And more recently we have seen the Obama meddling in Libya, Yemen and Syria in so called humanitarian interventions which have turned out to be largely fraudulent. Yes, under the Obama Dems it was responsibility to protect time (r2p) and all the world trembled as the drones were let loose.

Last Friday I started to readan op-edinThe Washington Postby David Ignatius that blew me away. It began President Trump confronts complicated problems as the investigation widens into Russias attack on our political system. It then proceeded to lay out the case for an aggressive Russia in the terms that have been repeatedad nauseamin the mainstream media. And it was, of course, lacking in any evidence, as if the opinions of coopted journalists and the highly politicized senior officials in the intelligence community should be regarded as sacrosanct. These are, not coincidentally, the same people who have reportedly recently been working together to undercut the White House by leaking and then reporting highly sensitive transcripts of phone calls with Russian officials.

Ignatius is well plugged into the national security community and inclined to be hawkish but he is also a typicalPostpolitically correct progressive on most issues. So here was your typical liberal asserting something in a dangerous fashion that has not been demonstrated and might be completely untrue.Russia is attacking our political system!AndThe Postis not alone in accepting that Russia is trying to subvert and ultimately overthrow our republic. Reporting fromThe New York Timesand on television news makes the same assumption whenever they discuss Russia, leading to what some critics have described as mounting American hysteria relating to anything coming out of Moscow.

Rachel Maddow is another favorite of mine when it comes to talking real humanitarian feel good stuff out one side of her mouth while beating the drum for war from the other side. In abravura performanceon January 26thshe roundly chastised Russia and its president Vladimir Putin. Rachel, who freaked out completely when Donald Trump was elected, is now keen to demonstrate that Trump has been corrupted by Russia and is now controlled out of the Kremlin. She described Trumps lord and master Putin as an intense little man who murders his opponents before going into the whole Trump stole the election with the aid of Moscow saga, supporting sanctions on Russia and multiple investigations to get to the bottom of Putins attacks on our democracy. Per Maddow, Russia is the heart of darkness and, by way of Trump, has succeeded in exercising control over key elements in the new administration.

Unfortunately, people in the media like Ignatius and Maddow are not alone. Their willingness to sell a specific political line that carries with it a risk of nuclear war as fact, even when they know it is not, has been part of the fear-mongering engaged in by Democratic Party loyalists and many others on the left. Their intention is to get Trump whatever it takes, which opens the door to some truly dangerous maneuvering that could have awful consequences if the drumbeat and military buildup against Russia continues, leading Putin to decide that his country is being threatened and backed into a corner. Moscow has indicated that it would not hesitate use nuclear weapons if it is being confronted militarily and facing defeat.

The current wave of Russophobia is much more dangerous than the random depiction of foreigners in negative terms that has long bedeviled a certain type of American know-nothing politics. Apart from the progressive antipathy towards Putin personally, there is a virulent strain of anti-Russian sentiment among some self-styled conservatives in congress, best exemplified by Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Graham hasrecently said2017 is going to be a year of kicking Russia in the ass in Congress.

It is my belief that many in the National Security State have convinced themselves that Russia is indeed a major threat against the United States and not because it is a nuclear armed power that can strike the U.S. That appreciation, should, if anything constitute a good reason to work hard to maintain cordial relations rather than not, but it is seemingly ignored by everyone but Donald Trump.

No, the new brand of Russophobia derives from the belief that Moscow is interfering in places like Syria and Ukraine. Plus, it is a friend of Iran. That perception derives from the consensus view among liberals and conservatives alike that the U.S. sphere of influence encompasses the entire globe as well as the particularly progressive conceit that Washington should serve to protect anyone threatened at any time by anyone else, which provides a convenient pretext for military interventions that are euphemistically described as peace missions.

There might be a certain cynicism in many who hate Russia as having a powerful enemy also keeps the cash flowing from the treasuring into the pockets of the beneficiaries of the military industrial congressional complex, but my real fear is that, having been brainwashed for the past ten years, many government officials are actually sincere in their loathing of Moscow and all its works. Recent opinion polls suggest that that kind of thinking is popular among Americans, but it actually makes no sense. Though involvement by Moscow in the Middle East and Eastern Europe is undeniable, calling it a threat against U.S. vital interests is more than a bit of a stretch as Russias actual ability to make trouble is limited. It has exactly one overseas military facility, in Syria, while the U.S. has more than 800, and its economy and military budget are tiny compared to that of the United States. In fact, it is Washington that is most guilty of intervening globally and destabilizing entire regions, not Moscow, and when Donald Trump said in an interview that when it came to killing the U.S. was not so innocent it was a gross understatement.

Ironically, pursuing a reset with Russia is one of the things that Trump actually gets right but the new left wont give him a break because they reflexively hate him for not embracing the usual progressive bromides that they believe are supposed to go with being antiwar. Other Moscow trashing comes from the John McCain camp which demonizes Russia because warmongers always need an enemy and McCain has never found a war he couldnt support. It would be a tragedy for the United States if both the left and enough of the right were to join forces to limit Trumps options on dealing with Moscow, thereby enabling an escalating conflict that could have tragic consequences for all parties.

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Why Do Progressives Like War? - Center for Research on Globalization

PORTLAND Progressive Portland is keeping score, and it doesnt like the results.

If Portland got to pick the president, we would have elected President Bernie in a landslide, organization co-founder Steven Biel said in a Feb. 16 press conference. So why do we have a city council that consistently votes for landlords over renters and handouts for wealthy developers?

Biel, who is a former campaign treasurer for Councilor Pious Ali and the husband of Democratic City Committee Chairwoman Emily Figdor, announced findings that councilors voted in a progressive fashion only 57 percent of the time in 2016.

Like all scorecards, this document by itself is insufficient to evaluate the performance of any elected official, Progressive Portland noted in its report. By sticking to objective, hard data, we are unable to factor in less quantifiable but often very important aspects of councilors work, such as constituent service or leadership on key issues.

Biel, former School Board candidate Bill Linnell, Marena Blanchard, Michael Langenmayr and Patricia Washburn, who is secretary emeritus at the PDCC, form the steering committee that released the report.

On two items used to score councilors, the committee refers to results from a PDCC poll released last October.

Mayor Ethan Strimling was scored the most progressive, at 83.Former Councilor Ed Suslovic ranked lowest at 37. Among current councilors, Nick Mavodones scored lowest with a 42.

We could be bolder, more progressive, Strimling said Feb. 16 in response to the rating. I want to help the council step into that.

The scorecards were based on 19 council votes last year on development, tax policy, land use, public health and LGBTQ issues.

We consulted about two dozen people in developing the scorecard, including multiple members of the council, media, activists, and even some Republicans who we knew strongly disagreed with most of our positions, Biel said.

Mavodones and current Councilors David Brenerman, Belinda Ray, Justin Costa, Jill Duson and Spencer Thibodeau were scored. None of them were contacted by Progressive Portland, they said Feb. 16.

I didnt know anything about it, said Duson, a Progressive Portland member who scored a 56.

Strimling was contacted, and said two of his vote suggestions were rejected.

Brenerman, who scored a 44, said the votes were more accurately a reflection of how a council should work.

Good government requires compromise sometimes, and not everything is a black-and-white issue, he said.

Councilors were given negative scores for moving forward on and eventually passing a budget that shifted care for patients with AIDS and HIV from the India Street Public Health Center to Greater Portland Health. They received positive scores for an amendment that retained other services at the city-run India Street center.

In some instances, councilors were ranked for voting on issues that were not on specific agendas.

On Jan. 20, 2016, councilors approved rezoning land at 1945 Congress St. for office development. Five councilors and Strimling were found at fault on the scorecard because the property will not be a residential development.

Mavodones opposed the order, saying he preferred housing, butno firm proposal from a housing developerexisted. Rezoning opponents, including Linnell, had drafted conceptual residential plans as a suggested alternative.

We think the council could have left that property zoned for housing and should have made a greater effort to find a plan, Biel said.

On Sept. 19, 2016, a tax increment finance zone granting $374,000 over 12 years to assist biotech company Immucells expansion near Riverside Street was approved.The TIF agreement is anticipated to add $232,000 in tax revenues to the city.

Progressive Portland criticized councilors for allowing a loss of city revenue, and because there were no provisions governing construction labor practices.

Strimling wanted requirements for labor practices, but never introduced any as an amendment. Instead, Brenerman promised the council Economic Development Committee would review TIF regulations.

The fact is, it will yield high-paying jobs and will keep a business in Portland, Brenerman said of Immucells expansion.

Strimling opposed the TIF. He and Biel said it should have been amended.

We disagreed and thought the correct progressive vote was no on the no-strings-attached TIF for ImmuCell for the reasons in the vote description, Biel said.

On Feb. 15, Washburn, a former journalist, said the way the scorecard was developed, it was too difficult to learn how councilors voted. Votes are listed on the city website, and added to agenda listings after councilors approve meeting minutes.

This is information the voters need to know, but the city doesnt exactly make it easy to find, Washburn said.

Progressive Portland did not link the specific agenda texts or available backup material used as criteria to its online scorecard.

Thats a good idea, Biel said. We hadnt thought of that.

Mayor Ethan Strimling topped the list at 83 percent for his votes on 19 items last year in a scorecard released Feb. 16 by Progressive Portland.

Among current councilors, Nick Mavodones scored lowest in the eyes of Progressive Portland, at 42 percent for 19 votes last year.

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Portland city councilors don't shine on progressives' scorecard The ... - The Forecaster

Trump supporters wave flags and signs on the Ketcher Road bridge over I-25 on Presidents Day, Monday, February 20, 2017. Wochit

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner speaks at a press conference at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch on Wednesday, December 14, 2016. Colorado will receive $252 million in federal funding for Highway 34 repairs.(Photo: Valerie Mosley/The Coloradoan)Buy Photo

A group of Fort Collins progressives plan to answer a question Tuesday night that few would have thought of six months ago: What happens when you throw a town hall for a senator and he doesn't show up?

There's enough interest in what a U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner-less town hall looks likethat IndivisibleNOCO, the organizing group, closed registration for attendance due to space concerns, member Tara Morton said. The Colorado Republican's Fort Collins office has played a front-and-center role in the spate of protests that erupted here since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. His staff here and in Washington, D.C., have also grappledwith an explosion of emails, phone calls and social media messages.

How EPA's first big moves could play out in Colorado

The groupdoesn't feel Gardner is paying enough attention to their concerns, Morton said. They acknowledgethe event is political theaterbutsay they invited Gardner himself or staff. The event will be structured like a town hall, with pointed questions, and plans to turn to Gardner's record and previous statements to suss out how he might respond, she said.

"If he's not here, we'll let his own words and talking points speak for themselves," Morton said, adding, "If we can't have a conversation, how are we going to move forward?"

IndivisibleNOCO plans to submit the questions to Gardner's office as well and hopes for responses. They'll also stream the town hall and submit video to Gardner's office.

Morton noted how some other town halls or constituent meetings have turned rowdy and joked that she doesn't necessarily blame Gardner for avoiding it. Even so, the groups wants some avenue to make sure its concerns are heardand demonstrate it can hold a town hall that maintains order.

"How do you hold your elected leaders accountable when they still have four years to go?" Morton asked, noting that it applies to both Gardner, elected in 2014, and Trump. "We need Cory Gardner to respond to why he's voting lockstep with Trump."

1 injured in east Fort Collins stabbing

Morton said this is the first of four planned town halls for Gardner, with the other three set forDenver, Boulder and Colorado Springs.

Alex Siciliano, a spokesperson for Gardner, said the senator has been using the in-state work period while Congress is in recess to hold meetings and roundtables focused on specific topics, such as small business growth and controlling health care costs. Gardner has also held telephone town halls with constituents in the state. People who call his offices can ask to be included on the tele-town hall lists when they happen in their districts.

His office did not respond to questions about if staff plans to attend the town hall Tuesday night. It is planning to hold a tele-town hall soon, with future plans to stream them online and allow constituents to sign-up online to participate.

Colo. senators still slammed with calls, emails

Morton said her group has also asked for town halls with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Jared Polis, both Democrats. Laurie Cipriano, a spokesperson for Bennet, said he will have a tele-town hall sometime in March, though the date is still being decided.

Like Gardner, Bennet hasmetwith constituents on specific topics. Bennet spent the recess traveling to Cuba and Colombia to discuss trade, human rights, migration and more, Cipriano said in an email.

She said his office has also met with some of the groups that organized protests to better understand their concerns.

"Michael views the recent surge in protest activity across the country as a sign that people care deeply about America and democracy," she said.

Polis is planning to host a March 12 town hall in the Fort Collins-Loveland area, though the location hasn't been determined yet. Polis also held two tele-town halls in the past week, as well as a digital roundtablevia YouTube Liveon the Affordable Care Act, his spokesperson, Jessica Bralish, said.

Clarification: A previous version stated Gardner's office did not respond to questions about future town halls. Gardner's office is planning a telephone town hall, but hasn't hashed out the details.

IndvisibleNOCO, a Fort Collins progressive group, organized a town hall for U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, in lieu of unmet requests for one in Northern Colorado. The venue will be full, but it can be streamed online.

When: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

More information: indivisibleNOCO.com

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Progressives host town hall for Cory Gardner, without him - The Coloradoan