Please forgive the bold text below, it's essential to the reception of the message

I was talking to Mom the other day on the phone and she told me about Congress imposing a ban on the manufacture of our traditional lightbulbs, a ban that will make us all use harsh white light producing mercury containing fluorescent lightbulbs within a few years.  As a libertarian and American I am against this measure.  We should be able to produce and manufacture the lightbulbs of our choice.  As a progressive who sees there is an urgent need for society-wide reform NOW, I am even more disappointed.  But I know what to do to change it.  We need a big ingenious American solution.

You can't fix the massive hemorrhage of our energy economy by causing a miniscule reduction in the amount of power used in one sector.  Second of all, we as Americans have the might and brains and know-how to create a solution within the next decade.

We keep thinking that we have a two party system: Democrats and Republicans. But take a closer look. There are actually three prominent parties: Democrats, Republicans, and Blue Dogs. Now I know most people believe that the Blue Dogs are really Democrats. Wrong.

Just at a time when the Democrats have the opportunity to finally put a progressive in the White House, we find there really are not as many Democrats as we think. And some of them are not really that solidly behind Obama. Hillary's "hard working white Americans" form the Blue Dog base.

The Blue Dogs are a de facto third party. They meet as a separate group. They have their own agenda.  In the House, as a block, they sometimes vote with the Democrats. But they also form a coalition with the Republicans. In this way the Blue Dogs wield a hell of a lot of power over the direction our nation takes, particularly on close votes, and they often oppose and obstruct the progressive agenda.

It was jarring to hear that Sen. Ted Kennedy—the liberal lion of the Senate—had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Kennedy was elected in 1962 at age 30 to the Massachusetts seat his brother, John, gave up when he was elected president. The kid brother of John and Bobby grew up the Senate, during the heady days of the New Frontier and the Great Society when the government was capable of great things such as Medicare and the War on Poverty.

Kennedy grew into the role of a progressive stalwart who would cross the aisle to make bipartisan deals that helped working families. If he’s heading into the sunset, other progressives need to step up to take his place.

Progressive Democrats must reject the free-market ideology that has ruled Washington for the past generation. Republican revisionists claim that George W. Bush veered from the Reagan formula, but don’t let the Great Communicator off the hook. George Bush I rightly called the supply-side schemes Reagan espoused “voodoo economics” in 1980, before Bush signed on as Reagan’s running mate. But Democratic Congresses kept Reagan and Bush I from fulfilling much of the neocon excesses.

I am as thrilled as anyone with the recent pickups by Democrats in solidly red districts. Winning MS-01 was really sweet. And it shows how Bush really has been the death the Republican Party. But I am also worried. There are two aspects of these recent wins that worry me (we should have more such worries!).

1.) The lie that the media used to spin the 2006 tidal wave of Democratic victories, that the new Dems are all conservatives who are more like Repubs, just may start to happen; and 2.) can we defend all these seats in red territory even as we have to win the Senate and the Presidency. Are we becoming overextended and over compromised? I don't think so, but I think the dangers should be considered.

Today's breaking news from New York that Governor Spitzer has been implicated in a Federal probe of high dollar prostitution shocked and upset me deeply. As a progressive Spitzer embodied many qualities that I had hoped to see more of in elected officials and so to see him fallen to such base behavior is not only an affront but also a grievous dilemma which demands a call for his immediate resignation and prosecution.

Yes, in honor of another stupid, counter-productive Nader ego trip I am asking everyone to donate, hopefully $25, in his honor...to effecting REAL change, not just feeding Nader's ego.

Growing up, I saw Nader as a hero. But by now I despise the man. The Greens did the right thing in 2004 by steering away from him...and they should just keep moving on away from Nader and form themeselves into something other than a Nader fan club.

But more importantly, we all have to reshape the left into something effective and a force to be reckoned with. Nader's way did nothing but further marginalize himself and the left. Below are my suggestions for donations in "honor" of Nader.

Rabbi Dennis Shulman, Demarast, New Jersey, is running for Congress in the NJ Fifth Congressional District.

http://shulmanforcongress.wordpress....

One cannot but notice that he is a rabbi. He is also a blind rabbi.

But not really so blind.

Following up yesterday's Courage Campaign mailing http://www.couragecampaign.org/...
and call for the censure of Feinstein for her betrayal of Democratic values, The California Democracy for America group that initiated this true grassroots effort, today sent out a letter that reads--

Feinstein: Three Strikes and You're Out!

Progressives need to tell the Democratic Party leadership that they no longer own our votes, and I'm betting Fox TV will help us tell them.

Many democrats think quitting the party could hurt Democratic prospects in 2008. Nothing could be further from the truth. The current Democratic strategy of minimalist politics, of continued war funding, and of keeping impeachment "off the table," risks handing the White House and Congress to Republicans next year.

Too many people don't vote in primary elections. Then they complain if the Democrats aren't representing them. The time to focus on which Democrats represent you is during a primary, for goodness sake. Don't wait for the general. And some elections go almost completely under the radar despite their importance. People complain about the judicial system, then they don't bother to vote in judicial elections.

Well, WE choose our judges and WE choose our Democratic candidates. If we vote. TUESDAY SEPT. 18th is a PRIMARY ELECTION in NYC. What follows is a rundown of the three judicial races I know about with links to more info. The expected voter turnout is abyssmal. Realize this: in such a low voter turnout election, every single vote counts. If you live in Brooklyn and are a Democrat, vote Tuesday or shut up about not liking the judicial system. Read on for more info.

Here I am in my comfy chair, indulging in my usual lazy Sunday afternoon/evening ritual - sipping my cocktail and making smart-assed comments in other people's diaries.  Could I relax and enjoy it?  Nooooooo!

I'm sick of the war between Edwards and Obama supporters.  I'm tired of the "I Hate Hillary and Will Never Vote for Her" bullshit.  In fact, I'm so sick and tired, that I felt compelled to write a diary about it.  A bitchy diary.  You've disrupted my lazy Sunday, and now you must pay.  In my best step-fatherly voice: Take a time out, think about what you've done, and meet me on the other side, pronto, if you know what's good for you!

Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Mark Lotwis and I'm the Executive Vice President of 21st Century Democrats. I share your frustration with much of the direction that the Democratic party has taken over the past several years – especially in being too cautious and proposing only incremental solutions to vast problems. But I believe that we can put our party back on track and effect real, progressive change. That's why I work with 21st Century Democrats, and that's why I'm reaching out to the progressive netroots.

April 2007 is National Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Care Month

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

On April 4, 2007, the anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, please join PDA and Healthcare NOW! in honoring his life and legacy by calling your Congressional representative to sign on to the only national plan to end this injustice - H.R. 676, the "National Health Insurance Act/Expanded and Improved Medicare for All."

Sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (MI) and Rep. Denis Kucinich (OH), H.R. 676 will provide comprehensive universal coverage through a single-payer system of privately-delivered, publicly-financed healthcare - giving all Americans better healthcare at less cost. It will cover all medical expenses – doctors, nurses, hospitals, dental, optical, mental health services, prescription drugs and long-term care.

The Progressive Democrat Newsletter grew out of the frustration of the 2004 election. Originally intended for New York City progressives, its readership is now national. After much pressure from readers, this email newsletter is now going the blog route. I update the blog once a week focusing on both national issues and issues of interest to particular regions or states. In general, NYC, New Jersey (corrected!), Virginia and the Midwest get special attention simply because those are the areas where I seem to have the most readers. Get me more readers in your area (and let me know about it!) and I will focus there too.

I have started to publicize my blog more widely to increase readership, so I will be posting updates here. This week I discuss Nancy Pelosi's ideas for the opening of the next Congressional session, some paranoia on the part of the White House having to do with Elmo, and Democratic Corruption in Louisiana. I also have local stuff for people in New York, Iowa, Michigan, and California. Enjoy!

This is a bit of a reflection on being both a Democrat and a participant in various antiwar/pro-peace events. While there is often tension between a left leaning counterculture and an establishment party that often tends to move toward centrism, I believe that it is possible, and in fact, necessary, to place one foot in each camp. The trick is to keep from falling down when one's feet are pulled in different directions.

My weekly Progressive Democrat Newsletter is into it's second year with a growing readership around the nation. The Progressive Democrat grew out of the 2004 election. I began organizing a group of people to protest the Republican convention in NYC, providing information on actions covering every day of the convention and making sure no one I was leading got arrested. I found that those who I helped organize looked to me for some leadership right up to the election and then for solace after the dubious defeat of Kerry November 2004. Out of this period of writing people to cheer them up and keep them active I started the Progressive Democrat Newsletter. It was originally an email newsletter but has since become a blog. Readers range from former Congressional candidates from around the nation, some elected local politicians and even some isolated progressives in the heart of red Tennessee and Texas. My goal is to facillitate activism and to keep people inspired.

Here is this week's newsletter: (Introduction with links to the main blog)

It may make sense, tactically, to support a Democrat for House or Senate who is not part of the party's progressive wing, but it doesn't do progressive politics any favors to start pretenting every Democrat's a liberal.