Question: Progressive Democrats for America? Where? Who? How?

[Selwynn]

WASHINGTON - July 20- A new political organization will be officially launched next week in Boston, at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention. The group, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), will reflect a broad desire by many within the Democratic Party to champion progressive issues, along with working to defeat President George Bush. PDA has already won the support of well-known activists and political figures such as Tom Hayden, and actors Ed Asner and Mimi Kennedy.

"The Democratic Party needs our help to regain its soul," said Kennedy, who has been a supporter of grassroots efforts. "If this is to be the party of peace, of universal, single payer healthcare, of fair trade, then it needs people to speak out on those issues." PDA will work to mobilize supporters within the Democratic Party on behalf of progressive office holders, including public servants and Democratic Party officials.

"There are many progressives, newly energized by the Dean and Kucinich campaigns, who are also new to the Democratic Party. We're going to do the hard work of integrating them into the party and shifting the balance of power in the progressive direction," adds Charles Lenchner, acting director of PDA.

....

"Our goal is to win back the presidency from the Republicans," says Spidel, "and also to wrest the Democratic Party from the free trading, Iraq invading, Patriot Act supporting leadership it has now," PDA will campaign to transform the Democratic Party and resurrect the spirits of Theodore Roosevelt and Kennedy.

(more)
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0720-06.htm


Does Progressive Democrats for America have a website? I can't find anything. Did this ever turn into anything?

[Selwynn]

1. Ummm hello? Can someone help please?

[calimary]

2. I think this was the group to whom I sent an email when I saw that item.

Never heard anything back. But then again, I didn't necessarily expect to...

Will be on the lookout.

[calimary]

6. Found this:

http://progressivenation.typepad.com/progressive_nation/2004/07/progressive_dem.html

[madfloridian]

3. Here is a repost of all the groups I could think of.

There are many indications that the progressive/liberal groups within the party are getting very involved. I am seeing now that the progressive label for all intents and purposes stands for "change" from the rightward swing of the party. It is an attempt to get us back to what we once were, not so beholden to corporations and big business. As Conason mentions in his new article at Salon today, they are working together to get Kerry elected right now. However, they may continue in new ways after November.

A quote and link to Conason's article:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2004/07/30/john_ke...
SNIP...."At the Royal Sonesta, meanwhile, the labor, minority and community organizations gathered behind the banner of the Campaign for America's Future and Progressive Majority, were laying their own plans. They too were looking beyond November as they talked about recruiting a new generation of candidates and building grass-roots pressure on a prospective Kerry administration to carry out the candidate's progressive promises -- and go further. Their model might be the Christian Coalition, which used modern campaign techniques a decade ago to build a grass-roots right-wing movement at the base of the Republican Party, and won substantial influence over the GOP in the process. "Take Back America," the title of CAF's conference at the Royal Sonesta, could just as easily have been the slogan of the religious right a decade ago. For now, the differences between the donors at the Four Seasons and the organizers at the Royal Sonesta matter far less than their shared goal of ousting the Bush administration.

Here are a few I have compiled, all a little different in purpose, but many supporting the same candidates and ideals.

Take Back America
http://www.ourfuture.org/projects/convention/index.cfm

A group, founded by Howard Dean, supporting various local candidates who share the values of the progressive movement:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com /
And the blog and other links:
http://www.blogforamerica.com /

And the congressional leaders at the Progressive Majority:
http://www.progressivemajority.org/leadership/index.asp
Home Page
http://www.progressivemajority.org /

And the group that is connected to many Kucinich supporters, and at which I see various DFA groups signing up:
http://www.pdamerica.org/sponsors.php

This was an interesting paragraph from a comment at the Dean/DFA blog:
SNIP..."Dean talked at a number of events about joining with like-minded groups. He even hugged Dennis Kucinich at an event yesterday! I think "we're all in this together" no longer applies to just Dean people. DFA is actively joining with other progressive groups, and so should we...."END SNIP

In addition, I think there is a www.progressivevote.org

Talking to the overflow at the Take Back America conference.

[Selwynn]

4. Woo! thank yas... pdamerica.org is the site I was trying to find

Thanks for all the others, I've got most of those already and love them. I really like progressivemajority's lay out and their easy to access and well written mission statement.

[madfloridian]

5. You are welcome.

I just sort of put them all together for easy access.