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BALTIMORE The House Democrats gathered here fortheir annual policy retreat are scheduled to attend a session Wednesday on Rumors, Truths and Reality. Later, theyll discuss Fighting for Our Principles with leaders of major activist groups. And then theyll hearPerspectives from the vice president of Third Way, a prominent centrist think tank.

That last session, showcasing a wing of the party that dominated Democratic politics for much of the past two decades, would not typically gain much notice. But those days are over: Progressive groups are incensed that lawmakers will be hearing perspectives that they argue have been thoroughly discredited in the wake oflast years election.

For House Democrats to seek advice from a Wall Street-funded think tank that preaches timidity, that shows them learning the exactly wrong lesson in the Trump era, said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. I think Democrats need to fight more strongly, with backbone, and not let Trump steal the mantle of economic populism.

[Some Democrats push for an economic message that goes beyond trashing Trump]

Jim Kessler, Third Ways senior vice president for policy,is set to address the retreat Wednesday evening during a half-hour session where, according a senior Democrat familiar with his planned remarks,he will make the case that the Democratic Party needs to grow geographically, demographically and ideologically not move decisively to the left to regain power. That is a strain of thought that represented Democratic orthodoxy in the 1990s, when the business-friendly Democratic Leadership Council held sway.

But it has since fallen out of favor, especially among progressives who believe Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would have better captured voter anger toward the political establishment as the 2016 Democratic president nominee. And now, they say, Third Ways politics are notwhat Democrats need to hear.

In their view, 2016 was a thorough rebuke of establishment-mindedcentrism and giving Third Way a platform to advocate for it is not a recipe for winning.And their angry response to centrism being given a platform at a party event reflects the hardball tactics they are using to shape the future of the Democratic Party.

Basically youre deciding were going to figure out our path forward with a bunch of losers, said Charles Chamberlain of Democracy for America, another activist group.

Erica Payne, founder of the Agenda Project, called it illogical to the point of absurdity to believe that Third Way could lead Democrats out of their electoral abyss and compared it to Republicans calling on former Florida governor and failed presidential candidate Jeb Bush for advice.

Third Way spokeswoman Ladan Ahmadi said in a statement that the group was honored to be invited to address House Democrats at their retreat. The House Democratic Leadership has always valued hearing from a diversity of voices that make up the progressive movement and this year isnt any different, she said.

Democratic aidesinvolved with the planning of the retreat noted that there are numerous other panels that featureprogressive-minded speakers, including Center for American Progress chief executive Neera Tanden, political strategist Cornell Belcher, analyst Mark Huelsman from the liberal think tank Demos and numerous leaders from labor unions and leftist activist groups. Its our belief you have to hear from everyone to chart the best path going forward, one of the staffers said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered a message of party unity at a news conference Wednesday: Atthis conference, Democrats at the end will show our values are in harmony.

Third Way, it should be noted, has hardly acted like Wall Street lobbyists or Trump accommodationists. During the presidential campaign, the group was strongly anti-Trump, and it has advocated for tougher financial regulations and higher taxes on the wealthy. In recent days, their social media accounts expressed opposition to Trumps efforts to roll back the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and Trumps nomination of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary.

What appears to be particularly vexing to the activists is that Kessler is getting a session to himself rather than sitting on a panel where his views might find a counterpoint. But more than that, progressives are taking the view thatThird Way-style centrists have no place inthe Democrats tent, period.

Its not a wing of the party anywhere outside of Washington, D.C., Green said. There are not people in West Virginiaand Ohio and Michigan rooting for Wall Street to get away with murder again.

Chamberlain argued that it wasthe Elizabeth Warren wing fighters who won congressional races in 2016, citing the Senate campaigns of Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Kamala D. Harris (Calif.) and Tammy Duckworth (Ill.). More centrist candidates like Patrick Murphy (Fla.) and Evan Bayh (Ind.) lost.

Everywhere we won, we won from the Warren wing, he said. And whenwe lost, we lost from the corporatewing. It is disgusting, it is a disappointment that the Democratic establishment is still wanting to hear from these Wall Street losers at their retreat.

But there are significant counterpoints to that view: Russ Feingold, a beloved progressive former senator, lost his bid to reclaim his seat in Wisconsin to incumbent GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, as did unabashedly liberal Senate candidates such as Deborah Ross in North Carolina and Ted Strickland in Ohio. And in a closely watched House battle between an outspoken progressive and a moderate Republican, New York University law professor Zephyr Teachout lost her race for an Upstate New York House seat.

Green questioned why no progressive organizing groups were invited to address Democrats. He said his group asked for a role in the retreat after it learned Third Way would be represented but was told by organizers that it was too late.

Their role is to paper over the lessons of the last election and urge Democrats not to be more robust in their critique of Wall Street and establishment power, he said of Third Way. That is not the lesson Democrats need to learn right now.

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A centrist is addressing House Democrats, and progressives are furious - Washington Post

Well, Sen. Elizabeth Warren managed to get herself squarely in the public spotlight again -- on the far-left spectrum of the Democratic Party where she's most comfortable.

In the process, Warren re-energized her progressive base, which had begun to doubt her liberal extremist credentials in light of her recent actions.

Always ready to manipulate the media when it suits her agenda -- and ignore them when it doesn't -- the senior senator from Massachusetts was at her grandstanding best on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday night, where she was unceremoniously silenced for her attempts to impugn the character of Sen. Jeff Sessions.

Sessions, an Alabama Republican, just happens to be President Trump's very capable and competent attorney general nominee. Senate Democrats have made it their business to extend the process of approving Trump's Cabinet picks for as long as possible, since as the minority party, they don't have the votes to block them.

So Warren took to the Senate floor Tuesday night with the apparent attention of assailing the character of this respected conservative senator -- continuing to do so even after being warned her conduct was out of order.

That occurred earlier in the evening after Warren read past statements from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had called Sessions a "disgrace to the Justice Department."

No, Warren didn't employ her own extremist blather to cut the legs from under a colleague.

Forewarned that she ran the risk of violating Senate "Rule 19," which prohibits senators from "directly or indirectly" impugning the motives and conduct of a colleague, Warren pressed on.

She later attempted to read a letter sent to the Senate nearly 40 years ago by Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King, opposing Sessions' bid for a federal judgeship, in which King alleged Sessions conducted "a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters" in Alabama.

That's when Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell asked for a vote demanding Warren cease and desist, calling her actions a clear violation of Senate rules.

And along party lines, the Senate did exactly that. Warren, feigning disbelief, couldn't understand why she was silenced. She instantly regained the allegiance of her adoring progressive wingnuts for her courageous stand.

Their faith had been shaken by her support for Scott Brown, the Republican she defeated to win her Senate seat, to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for her vote confirming former GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson as secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Obviously realizing her perceived ideological drift, Warren, whose political calculations revolve around her own ambitions, realized she needed a course correction -- a sharp left turn.

Sessions' nomination supplied that headline-grabbing opportunity.

It's too bad Democrats can't find a more measured instrument to voice their beliefs and concerns. They've allowed Warren to become the face of their party, which will remain out of touch with mainstream America as long as that's the case.

The rest is here:
Warren wins one for progressives, loses for the party - Lowell Sun

Even as 150 enthusiastic organizers of a new Franklin County League of Women Voters gathered on a recent Sunday at Greenfields Temple Israel, a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people showed up less than a mile away at the Guiding Star Grange Hall for the second general assembly of a new political action group calling itself Franklin Continuing the Political Revolution.

We thought wed have 100, said David Cohen of Greenfield, since 65 had shown up for its first general assembly just after the November election.

Were really tapping into people who are really afraid of whats happening right now, and they want to work on progressive issues, Cohen, a member of the groups eight-member coordinating committee, said recently.

Franklin Continuing the Political Revolution bills itself as nonpartisan, although its leaders clearly are politically engaged and liberal. Many recruits are political novices recently energized by the election of Donald Trump. There are 225 dues-paying members, many of whom arent enrolled in any party and some of whom, Cohen says, havent been politically active before.

People want to talk and know What can we do? said Susan Triolo of Sunderland, another coordinating committee member, adding that using social media, the group has brought in people who havent done anything, ever, in their lives politically, who are terrified or depressed or desperate, or who just believe in democracy and want to do more than just show up for demonstrations.

FCCR, a grass-roots effort that morphed out of the Pioneer Valley for Bernie (Sanders) organization last summer, turned its emphasis from get out the vote to long-range issues.

We said, Well stick together and work on issues long-term, said Cohen.

Seven task forces have been meeting every couple of weeks to actively advance their seven areas of concern, including civil rights, education, electoral politics and workers rights.

A task force on single-payer health care, said Judy Atkins of Greenfield, is insisting that Massachusetts in the face of Republican efforts at the national level to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and do away with Medicaid should move toward a full single-payer health plan, as prescribed in a bill now before the Legislature, and as called for on the state Democratic platform for years.

That task force, of which shes a member, is researching how much area towns would save on employee health insurance if such a plan were in place, to create what Atkins calls a groundswell of support.

A campaign finance reform task force, meanwhile, is working on efforts to get big money out of lobbying. The Climate Crisis Task Force is working to help Franklin County towns move toward the statewide coalition Mass Power Forwards goal of 80 percent renewable energy generation, supporting the campaign to divest the states pension fund away from fossil fuel investments and promoting greater use of public transportation.

The Education Task Force, which worked initially to defeat the charter school ballot question on last falls ballot, is focused on issues like high-stakes testing, on separating test results from teacher evaluations and promoting free higher education.

The Electoral Politics Task Force will encourage progressive candidates to run for local and state office, said coordinating committee member Ferd Wulkan of Montague. Were not going to just support somebody because theyre slightly better than their opponent.

In this, FCCR appears willing to take its revolution moniker seriously.

Wed expect that if somebodys running for, say, state rep and they say they support single-payer, but the leadership of the Democratic Party doesnt want to push it, wed expect that person to buck him, and not say, Ill go along with what the leadership tells me, Cohen said. If they run on a platform of things people need, we expect them to fight and raise a little hell in the statehouse over those issues. We have to openly say, Yes, we have a political system that doesnt work and is dominated by the interests of corporate donors. To have a true democracy wouldnt depend on people who have been in there a long time and have toed leaderships line. Theres a real problem with that.

The task force also hopes to provide basic information and support on how to run for town office, or for becoming a delegate to the state party convention.

General assembly meetings are open to members and nonmembers, and nonmembers can go online to http://www.FCCPR.us to join and learn when task forces are meeting or the time and location of the next general assembly meeting, on March 26.

There are also plans for theater, music and arts activities, as well as seeking town meeting resolutions on issues from sanctuary for refugees to campaign and finance reform.

With plenty of work to do, the local groups hardly work in a vacuum, but Triolo said, Were trying to stay focused locally and not get distracted by Donald Trumps daily tweets.

Cohen reiterated state Rep. Paul Marks message at the Jan. 19 Greenfield pre-inaugural rally that The federal government is not going to be there for us for the next two to four years or maybe longer. Massachusetts has always been a leader, and nowhere more so than western Massachusetts. It is our duty now to set an example for the rest of this country, to lead as weve always led. Whether its same-sex marriage, whether its health care for all. We need to lead and we need to go beyond where weve been able to go so far.

Rather than standing apart as a group, these gray-haired veterans of the labor movement and other social issues said, FCCR has also attracted anti-pipeline activists as well as members of Western Massachusetts Jobs For Justice, Social Justice Rising, Not in Our Town and even some founding members of the new League of Women Voters chapter.

Were making it clear: Were not out to supplant them, Cohen said. Were trying to add more people into this large struggle for civil rights and against racism.

Because were seen as an active group, actually doing stuff, the work were doing is giving people hope, said Triolo. Thats how we got 200-plus people to show up on a Sunday afternoon for two hours. Were alive People can actually be involved with doing something.

On the Web: fccpr.us

You can reach Richie Davis at rdavis@recorder.com

or 413-772-0261, ext. 269

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Local progressives continue working toward 'Political Revolution' - The Recorder

Republican Donald Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States was a shock for Albany County progressive Chris Lowry.

But the left-leaning Wyoming native in an overwhelmingly Republican environment isnt looking to lie down and accept an executive branch thats taking the nation in a direction that contradicts some of his core values. Instead, Lowry said he and fellow Albany County progressives are feeling energized.

It was disappointing, but I would say it gave me incentive to work even harder, Lowry said of the November election that saw Republicans take control of Congress and the White House. It definitely seems the opposition feels inspired to work together against a common threat to what people on the left feel are important to them.

Lowry, 33, came to Laramie to pursue a chemistry degree at the University of Wyoming. Today, hes a chemist at Western Research Institute and a single dad of two younger children. Since the April primary where more than 1,000 local Democrats cast their votes in the Democratic caucus, Lowry has attended monthly meetings of the Albany County Democratic Party.

The number of people that were there was really impressive, he said of the caucus. Wyoming people wanted to have a voice even though Democrats are outnumbered by more than two-to-one.

Looking forward, Lowry said he plans to remain active politically.

If a position in the (Democratic Party) leadership happens to open up and the rest of the county delegates think that Im a good choice, then Ill accept a leadership position, he said. But I plan on remaining active and involved and aware of whats going on.

Laramie resident Adrienne Vetter, 34, also said shes been inspired by the enthusiasm local progressives displayed during and since the election cycle. Like Lowry, Vetter said she was a supporter of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who ran on a democratic socialist platform to the left of Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Though shes volunteered some time and effort to the Albany County Democratic Party in the past, Vetter said shes also potentially upping her commitment in the near future.

Ive definitely been interested since the caucus section of the election, she said. Its kind of that realization, If not me, then who? We have to step it up and be more involved in political systems.

Vetter said she let the Albany County Democrats know she wants to put her name in the hat for the State Committeewoman position.

Im planning on being more involved, she said. Im not entirely sure Ill get it, but its important enough for me to fight this apathetic mood by taking a risk and putting myself out there.

One of Lowrys first acts of 2017 was attending the Wyoming Womens March in Cheyenne on Jan. 21 to voice dissent regarding Trumps policies that he said he opposes.

I think it was uplifting and inspirational, he said.

I feel like it was empowering to a lot of people that were there and for me, too just to have something to kind of register dissent of the results.

Albany Countys Democratic representatives in the State House and Senate were able to keep their seats in November, but werent able to come up with any victories from newcomers. With a Senate seat and four house seats up for grabs, only Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, and Rep. Charles Pelkey, D-Laramie defeated their challengers. Pelkeys race was the closest as Republican challenger Tom Schmit had the lead with 12 of 13 precincts reporting before the final precinct, but early and absentee votes put Pelkey over the top.

However, since the election, some local progressives have been pleased to have some younger blood looking to fill leadership positions, said Pam Mathewson, Albany County Democratic Party chair.

We have a whole lot of new faces and we have a lot more precinct committee spots filled, Mathewson said. Weve been engaging some more young people and people who previously havent been politically active, or at least not recently. Were trying to get their viewpoints, get them into the process and part of our organization so we can be more inclusive, get more viewpoints and what they want to see for the future of Albany County and Wyoming. Were getting new faces and new enthusiasm, and thats always nice to see.

Forward Wyoming is a nonprofit organization based in Laramie dedicated to progressive causes. Though the group is officially nonpartisan, Executive Director Marc Homer said it is aligned with progressive ideals.

Were working to develop the next generation of progressive advocates, Homer said.

During the 2016 election cycle, Forward Wyoming worked with affiliate organizations to support Democratic candidates running for seats in the Legislature. Homer said Forward Wyoming is moving on with the Grassroots Institute, a free program offered to community members looking to learn how to enact political change. He said many Democrats as well as Republicans and Independents think the Trump administration is out-of-step with their values and could unite to oppose policies they find objectionable.

There used to be a time where conservatives and liberals wanted the same things, Homer said. We are teaching young people to organize so they can go in their communities, they can begin to protect the rights that they know they should be having as American citizens and they are going to try to develop public momentum behind ideas that are simply trying to level the playing field and give everyone a slice of the pie.

In addition to the Womens March for which Forward Wyoming chartered a bus that transported dozens of Laramie residents to Cheyenne Homer said there are more actions coming from progressives looking to make their voices heard in Wyoming.

I think its wonderful people are finally taking this seriously maybe a day late and a dollar short but they are going out, he said. Well see more of these rallies, and well do our part in helping to sustain them.

Wyomings Legislature is also on Albany County progressives radars, Lowry said.

Im worried about losing access to public lands, Im worried about government overreach into public bathrooms, Im worried about bills that are titled Religious Freedom but actually protect Christian beliefs more than allowing non-Christians to have an opinion, he said. I make phone calls and send emails, and Im donating and volunteering.

Mathewson said local Democrats are happy about the defeat of House Bill 135, titled Government Nondiscrimination Act, which opponents said would tie the governments hands in protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. However, she said they are still concerned about bills regarding abortion and concealed carry of firearms.

Those are bills at the top of the list wed like to see if we can keep from passing, she said.

With all the disagreements between liberals and conservatives in Albany County and across the nation, Lowry said he thinks its important especially for people on the left to listen to different and opposing viewpoints. The violence that broke out when Breitbart News editor and right wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to come to the University of California, Berkeley, campus Feb. 1 was counterproductive way for progressives to express themselves, Lowry.

We have to find a way to build some consensus, he said. Some of the ugly rhetoric Ive seen from people not just online, but in person, like the riots in California is probably not the best action to take. The violence and destruction of property is not going to help win elections and change.

Homer said the best way to forward for progressives is registering more people to vote.

Hopefully politicians who are ethically challenged maybe the only thing they listen to is the zero-sum result of whether they win or lose, he said. So, we have to keep getting more people registered to vote so they will keep that pressure up.

Link:
County progressives moving forward after elections - Laramie Boomerang

Hours after Senate Democrats failed to block Betsy DeVos' nomination for education secretary, they shifted to trying to stop Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., from becoming attorney general.

Democrats plan to use the same tactics they employed unsuccessfully in the DeVos fight: late night speeches in the Senate, petitions from the many progressive organizations and voters who oppose President Trump's nominees, telephone calls, and social media posts urging senators to vote "no."

In doing so, the Senate minority is heeding the call from Democratic voters to stand up to Trump, despite the risk of promising the progressive base things they can't deliver with their current numbers.

But progressives are making it clear they aren't yet happy with the aggressive Democratic effort. Green Party 2016 presidential nominee Jill Stein, who won over a million votes by arguing Democrats weren't sufficiently progressive, actually blamed Democrats for DeVos' confirmation.

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"Why would we have a tie on such an egregious nominee?" Stein asked on Twitter. "Because Democrats serve corporate interests."

That criticism ignored the fact that there are only 48 Democratic senators, and all of them voted against DeVos. The education secretary pick was confirmed because 50 Republicans supported her and Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote in his constitutional capacity as president of the Senate.

Yet Democrats still faced criticism for not doing enough to make wobbly Republicans fear supporting DeVos.

"Democrats blew what was arguably their best shot to take down one of President Donald Trump's nominees when secretary of education nominee Betsy DeVos won confirmation in the Senate on Tuesday," wrote VICE News' Alexandra Jaffe. "Democrats were spinning it as a win, but it's hard to read DeVos' confirmation as anything other than a fumble for Democratic lawmakers and grassroots groups, who were given a near-perfect set of circumstances to derail her nomination and still fell short."

DeVos received poor reviews for her performance at her confirmation hearings. She had two Republican defectors and no Democratic supporters. She was opposed by Native American groups in states with GOP senators. Suburban Republican voters haven't always been much more enthusiastic about school choice for low-income children than the teachers unions railing against DeVos.

Also from the Washington Examiner

Under the Congressional Review Act, lawmakers can undo rules finalized within 60 legislative days.

02/08/17 6:44 AM

By contrast, Sessions' confirmation hearings went better. He has at least one Democratic supporter and no Republican opponents. Democrats changed the filibuster rule to get rid of the 60-vote threshold for ending debate on executive branch nominees and most federal judges. Under the old rules, Democrats could have blocked most of Trump's nominees.

Having failed at stopping DeVos, the prospects for derailing Sessions are even worse. Nevertheless, many Democrats believe this is a necessary battle in a larger war against the Trump administration.

"These fights are energizing our communities and reminding them of the power of their voice," said Scott Simpson of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the organization that delivered 1 million signatures on an anti-Sessions petition.

"Every fight prepares constituents to be more strategic, more organized, and more engaged than the last," Simpson said. "These nominees and executive orders are very out of step with the country and we expect that this is only the beginning of the pushback from constituents."

Progressives are spoiling for a fight. Many of Trump's moves have triggered a massive backlash among rank-and-file Democrats, and progressives were demanding a more combative Democratic Party even before Trump won, as evidenced by Bernie Sanders' stronger than expected campaign against Hillary Clinton.

Also from the Washington Examiner

Sen. Jeff Sessions is on the verge of achieving the ultimate personal vindication.

02/08/17 12:41 AM

Clinton's loss to Trump confirmed to many of these voters that confrontation is more politically effective right now than "New Democrat" triangulation and compromise.

Trump's election has galvanized many black and Hispanic Democrats who were not supportive of Sanders in the presidential primaries, potentially creating a more diverse progressive electoral coalition.

"Senate Dems may not be able to block [Trump's nominees] but they should continue to use hearings as an opportunity to cement the narrative that Trump and his administration is one run by a dictator who is being influenced by a bunch of billionaire Wall Street people," said Democratic strategist Bud Jackson. "The anger and fear among the Democratic grassroots base is real. They must continue the resistance on their own track."

Even some Democrats who are more conciliatory by nature have responded to this fear and anger.

"[Sessions] would be wrong at any time because of his record on immigration, civil rights and voting rights, but particularly wrong now because we need someone who has some degree of independence from the president," declared Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Some Democrats fear replicating the climate within the GOP where activists demanded congressional Republicans do things to stop President Obama that they didn't have the numbers on Capitol Hill to do, and then mounted primary challenges against party members who failed to go along. But others note that the Tea Party helped Republicans win some elections.

"With a low turnout in an off-year congressional election, Dems must keep pushing to please the activists who will vote in 2018," said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon. "The Berniecrats could do for the Dems what the Tea Party did for the GOP in 2010."

Republicans re-took the House that year, ending a nearly three-fifths Democratic majority. Four years later, they captured the Senate.

"Our goal must to sustain the different communication channels now being used to ensure Americans are aware of Trump's behavior and overreach," Jackson said. "On the legislative front, I firmly believe an important and achievable goal is keeping the fire so hot that Republicans will feel forced to split from Trump. It's not a question of when, but how long."

Top Story

Sen. Jeff Sessions is on the verge of achieving the ultimate personal vindication.

02/08/17 12:41 AM

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Progressives push Democrats to fight Trump's picks even harder - Washington Examiner