DPDC President Bob Peirckert On 2012 Elections

The Know Nothings Know No One

by Cathy Sewell

Last week I wrote about Newt Gingrich and how, in the mid-90s, he ended a long-standing tradition of educating incoming legislators through a week-long seminar conducted by Harvard University. Newt wanted to keep his Republicans away from the Harvard liberals. He even went so far as to tell the young public servants to get out of Washington as often as possible.

The result? Goodbye to the era of Reagan/Tip O’Neill friendly adversarial relationships.

In its place, we have no give, only take. Witness the pledge, provided by Grover Norquist and signed by tea party and other conservatives, to never under any circumstances raise taxes. Better to take the country to the brink of disaster than to give an inch.

I saw Senators Durbin and McCain on the Senate floor debating during the debt "crisis," going back and forth in a friendly way and thought, this is what it should be like all the time. Mitch McConnell is intent on failure for our President, and vows to people the debt commission with hard line conservatives. Our only hope in this environment is that there will be enough "noise" from their constituents that will lead to pressure resulting in compromise. Don't bet on it. With all the big money involved with these campaigns from anonymous donors and the usual suspects—Dick Armey, Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers—conservatives know where their bread is buttered.

The hope I have is that ordinary people will become the force for change in this country. By raising our voices and being heard in town halls, community meetings, door to door, neighbor to neighbor, we will win for the middle class and those less fortunate.

Be sure to call our office if you want to help: 630-629-1125. We need all hands on deck to create the future we want for our country.

Cathy Sewell is First Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County

What Does "We The People" Mean To You?

by
Tom Wendorf,
Operations,
Milton Township Democrats


The Constitution begins, “We the people of the United States. . .” I’ve been thinking a lot about “we the people” lately. Like many others, I feel that our political system is broken. I believe that to examine the cause we need to go back to the beginning.

What does “we the people” mean to you?

Our politicians treat us like we are nothing more than the sum of our entitlements. Take me, for example. I’m an English-speaking white male (which, politicians think, means I’ll vote to keep out the non-white immigrants), middle class (I’m over-taxed, so I won’t vote for new or higher taxes), retired (Social Security & Medicare benefits sacrosanct), homeowner (mortgage-deduction sacrosanct).
Because politicians believe that I will only vote my economic self-interest and their primary interest is re-election, they act like they can’t touch these items. I believe they are selling “we the people” short.

To fix our debt problem and move the country forward, “we the people” must start by defining priorities and the values that drive those priorities. For me, the discussion will be driven by my belief in shared sacrifice, equal opportunity, and service to the common good. We are a country of immigrants. We must create an immigration policy that grows the nation, not one that prevents immigration and punishes immigrants. Increase my taxes, as long as those better off than I share the sacrifice through repealing the Bush tax cuts, eliminating loop holes and simplifying the tax code. Make the needed changes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. These programs serve the common good. I’ll give up my mortgage deduction, if business gives up their deductions.

I believe we cannot move forward unless every government program is available to change. I believe that every citizen, given the facts, would feel the same. We spend more than we take in. We must elect politicians that understand that “We the People” get it. We are willing to share the sacrifices and work together for the common good to create equal opportunity for all. It’s time to stop defending favorite programs and start talking to each other and our elected officials in both parties about solving the problems we face. Let the discussion begin.

No Camp Wellstone? Sign up now to keep it in Chicago!

If you have any intention at all of running for office, running a campaign or running a community organization, Camp Wellstone may be the best money you ever spent.

But, if you don’t sign up today, Camp Wellstone may not come to Chicago this year. We need 59 more people to sign up right now by clicking HERE.

Camp Wellstone will be held in Schaumburg the weekend of September 9th, 2011

* Friday from 3 PM to 9 PM

* Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM

* Sunday from 9 AM to 3:30 PM

but only if you commit to keeping the program on track by registering now!

Learn from the masters how to work at all levels of the political spectrum.Inspired by the legacy of the late US Senator Paul Wellstone and Sheila Wellstone, Camp Wellstone is an intensive weekend training program for people interested in gaining practical skills in progressive political action. Since 2003, over 16,000 people have graduated from the camps.

Camp Wellstone participants select one of the three tracks: Candidate, Campaign, Activist. If you have the desire to organize around issues that matter, help build campaigns for the future, and elect progressive candidates to office, here is where you can get further details and to register:

www.wellstone.org/training-calendar/camp-wellstone-illinois

Don’t let money stop you! If you need financial help, please contact us at info@dupagedemocrats.com right away!!

Amy Rohrer
Executive Director

What's the truth about Perry's job creation?

Texas Governor Rick Perry has entered the Presidential race bragging about record job creation in his home state. The truth is, as always, far more complicated. One-third of the 1 million jobs created were in government. More than half of the private sector jobs were in education. Expected cuts in the budget will likely eliminate a number of those jobs. Have a family to support? You won't likely do it on a job created by Mr. Perry. Texas and Mississippi lead the nation in the number of minimum wage jobs created.

Read all about it here.

79 Percent of Americans Are Dissatisfied With US Political System

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/10/poll-79-percent-of-americans-dissatisfied-with-u-s-political-system/

The place where you have a choice about which person will run for your party is the Primary. What we've been handed by DC is the perfect reason to do your homework and get to the Primary elections.

All the best, if you vote for it,

Dan

Perry Calls for Less Spending on Education

Rick Perry, a likely presidential Republicaan candidate, calls for greatly reduced spending on education. Here's the story from Education Week

Perry Calls for Less Spending, Smaller Federal Role in K-12

August 10, 2011 by Sean Cavanagh

Rick Perry, a strong critic of federal involvement in schools, speaks before a national gathering of state lawmakers, amid speculation that he will run for president in 2012.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2011/08/rick_perry_on_education_spending.html

© 2007 Editorial Projects in Education

Was the S&P downgrade based on an error?

Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C, had this to say about the S&P downgrade of the US credit rating, writing in MRZine, a Monthly Review online 'zine:

The decision by Standard & Poor's to downgrade U.S. government debt reflects its own failings as a credit rating agency. It says nothing about the creditworthiness of the U.S. government.

The Treasury Department revealed that S&P's decision was initially based on a $2 trillion error in accounting. However, even after this enormous error was corrected, S&P went ahead with the downgrade. This suggests that S&P had made the decision to downgrade independent of the evidence.

It would be difficult to find any basis for questioning whether the United States will be able to repay its debt. With investors willing to hold trillions of dollars in long-term U.S. debt at interest rates well below 3.0 percent, the financial markets certainly do not seem to share S&P's concern. It is also noteworthy that interest rates fell in the wake of S&P's decision, providing further evidence that the markets do not take S&P's assessment seriously.

read the entire article here...

The Know-Nothing Congress

by Cathy Sewell

I think I understand one of the reasons the tea party folks elected in 2010 seem so uneducated about government and governing. Time was, incoming freshman representatives and senators were expected to attend a weeklong seminar on governance, conducted at Harvard, prior to taking their seats representing the people. The seminar provided basic insights into the system of governing. Doesn't this seem like a reasonable first step in becoming a public servant?

Unfortunately, this small but important informational seminar hasn’t been provided to incoming congresspersons since the mid-nineties. Why? You might have guessed, based on the time frame, that it was Newt Gingrich who put the kibosh on this practice. He didn’t want Harvard’s “liberal” influence tainting the congressional newcomers. He also told the newbies to go home as often as possible. He didn’t want to have them forge any friendships with liberals. So, the era of Reagan/ Tip O'Neil friendly adversarial relationships was over. Thank you, Newtie, for creating an environment where "know-nothings" flourish.

Lawmakers who don’t know the inner workings of the system can’t get it right when huge decisions are necessary; i.e., the raising of the debt ceiling. Tea party and other right-wing conservative newbies signed a "pledge" provided by Grover Norquist, that they would never raise taxes. They refused to budge. Such simplistic thinking took the country to the brink of disaster.

We can’t let the know-nothings continue to frame the debate.

We need to become activists in our own communities to ensure we elect Democrats in 2012 who share our ideals of fairness for all. Be sure to call our office if you want to help: 630-629-1125. We need all hands on deck to create the future we want for our country.

Cathy Sewell is First Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County

One Wheaton combats Wheaton College's least LGBT-friendly environment

This week, the Chicago Huffington Post featured an article about Wheaton College, announcing the schools repeat win as the least LGBT-friendly school in the nation. At a time when our state is moving forward on LGBT rights with the approval of civil unions, it is sad to see that the change is not fully reflected here in our community.

As Democrats, we are people who care about all our community members. It is important to us that everyone be accepted. As we fight for laws that reflect this, we should also remember that we must work right here in our own community to open the hearts and minds of our neighbors.

I applaud the work of OneWheaton, the student-run activist organization for LGBT issues on campus. I extend an invitation to this group and other LGBT organizations in DuPage County to join our political work here so that we may help each other.

Check out the article here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/03/wheaton-college-again-ran_n_917342.html

Don't Let Camp Wellstone Happen without you; snag a spot before August 9

Those of you who’ve been around since Operation Turn DuPage Blue helped move the DuPage Democratic Party into the 21st century, will remember what an incredibly successful event our Camp at COD was. Don’t miss it this time around!

If you have any intention of running as a candidate or running a campaign . . .

If you are interested in social movements and organizing citizens for advocacy . . .

You should click here right now.

Camp Wellstone is among the finest and least expensive campaign consulting and grassroots training programs on the planet. Inspired by the legacy of the late US Senator Paul Wellstone and Sheila Wellstone, Camp Wellstone is an intensive weekend training program for people interested in gaining practical skills in progressive political action. Since 2003, more than 16,000 people have graduated from the camps.

We need at least 35 more people registered by August 9th so tell all your friends!

Camp Wellstone will be held in Schaumburg the weekend of September 9th, 2011
* Friday from 3 PM to 9 PM
* Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM
* Sunday from 9 AM to 3:30 PM

Camp Wellstone participants select one of three tracks: Candidate, Campaign, Activism. Anyone who has any desire to organize around issues that matter, help build campaigns for the future, and elect progressive candidates to office, here is where you can get further details and register:

www.wellstone.org/training-calendar/camp-wellstone-illinois

Amy Rohrer

Executive Director,

Democratic Party of DuPage County

Views of Congress, tea party reach new low in poll

Americans' views of Congress and the Tea Party have reached new lows, according to an NBC poll.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/views-congress-tea-party-reach-low-poll-135728798.html

From Truthout.org: Hope for the Hell of It

This is one of the best lists of activist accomplishments and reasons not to surrender that I've seen in a decade:

http://www.truth-out.org/hope-care-and-feeding/1312210173

Read on, and take heart.

All the best,

Dan Stafford
York 112 PC

Keep the Tea Party out of DuPage in 2012!

The recent debt ceiling fiasco is one we must not let happen again. The Tea Party is already gearing up for 2012 and will be heavily financed by those who want the rich to get richer and the rest of us to pay the bills. WE CAN NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. Please read Kathleen Parker's article calling for the end of the Tea Party http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_18579371.

Our best chance to avoid this in the future is to elect responsible Democrats at the local levels of government. In DuPage County, we have a chance to do just that. But, we need your help.

Our organization has grown because of you. We have now expanded our operations to include: social media outreach, a Young DuPage Democrats organization, a recruitment and training program for precinct representatives and candidates, community outreach activities, additional paid staff, our Wake Up DuPage newsletter and website, and many more. We need these to continue and grow if we are to compete in 2012.

Please send us a contribution today for $20.12. Help us prevent the Tea Party from getting any traction in DuPage. We must add to the three Democrats we now have on the county board. We can do this if you help. A small contribution of $20.12 will go a long way. Keep up with us by going to our website www.dupagedemocrats.com; or to our new www.WakeUpDuPage.org website. Communicate with us through this blog (http://dupagedems.blogspot.com/) or on Facebook.

Illinois is one of the 10 best states to make a living

According to Money-Rates.com, Illinois is one of the 10 best states to make a living. At $41,986.51, Illinois had the best adjusted-average income in the nation. The unemployment rate in Illinois is not notably low, but the state benefits from relatively high average wages, a low state tax rate, and a below-average cost of living. As an added plus, you can make good use of your money once you earn it in Illinois. Even though the unemployment rate is still hovering around 10% in the Chicago region, the Illinois Department of Social Security reports that local unemployment rates are at their lowest since 2008. Read more about that at http://www.ides.illinois.gov/page.aspx?item=1785

This is good news for our state. It's been a long hard road to begin this recovery and we have a long way yet to go. We give credit to our Governor and Democratic legislators for this fine work!

Brenna Conway
Associate Executive Director
Democratic Party of DuPage County

Increase our chances of turning DuPage blue: Help us expand our cyber-outreach

by Amy Rohrer

Clearly, one of the real beauties of the internet is its ability to disseminate information at an extremely rapid rate. Anyone who has seen a Flashmob video can truly appreciate how charming the viral spread of such things can actually be.

So it is with Democratic outreach within DuPage County. For years we had a semi-managed Facebook site that generated maybe 350 members. Just a few months ago, those seriously dedicated to the valuable--no,imperative--nature of social media (namely Tom Castillo, working on FB) brought our friend count to nearly 1200 and have increased our postings to several times daily. At the very least,

that means our image, our message and our events are repeatedly splashed on to hundreds of walls everyday reinforcing that we are here and growing.

Our blog, too, has increasing traffic every week where people in DuPage can get plugged into local, state and Federal items of import.

THE WORD IS SPREADING about turning DuPage blue...do your part to pass it on today. Sign up to follow our Blog or Twitter feed today. Recommend to several of your friends that they join our Facebook page. Last, but not least, feel free to submit ideas for blog posts or, even better, become a guest blogger.

Amy Rohrer is Executive Director of the Democratic Party of DuPage County

From The Denver Post, Kathleen Parker Calls For "Throwing The Tea Party Overboard"

Posted on Behalf of Amy Rohrer:

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_18579371

And so the backlash on the minority that held the USA hostage begins.

Dan

Now Call Judy Biggert

This just came in from BoldProgressives.org. Scroll down to click for a script and number to call.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Stephanie Taylor, BoldProgressives.org" <info@boldprogressives.org>

Date: August 1, 2011 12:44:52 PM CDT

To: "Janice Lindegard" <jmlindy422@sbcglobal.net>

Subject: Unacceptable

Reply-To: "Stephanie Taylor, BoldProgressives.org" <info@boldprogressives.org>

---

Janice,

Last night, President Obama agreed to a deal with top Republicans that is widely seen as a big victory for the Tea Party.

It has trillions in spending cuts that will hurt poor and middle-class families and no taxes on the rich. It also lines up Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits for future cuts.

To pass, this deal will need both Republican and Democratic votes, and ABC News reports that many Republicans are planning on voting no.

We don't often ask you to call your Republican Representative, but this time it's different. Can you call Judy Biggert right now? Tell her to vote NO on this bad deal -- click here for the number and a script.

Here's what folks are saying about this deal:

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri, Black Caucus Chair): "This deal is a sugar-coated Satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see."

Paul Krugman, Nobel economist: "The deal itself...is a disaster, and not just for President Obama and his party. It will damage an already depressed economy...The worst thing you can do in these circumstances is slash government spending, since that will depress the economy even further."

Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary: "Anyone who characterizes the deal...as a victory for the American people over partisanship understands neither economics nor politics. The deal...puts the nation's most important safety nets and public investments on the chopping block...the largest threat to our democracy is the emergence of a radical right capable of getting most of the ransom it demands."

Rep. Biggert needs to hear from constituents right now. Click here for her number and a script.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Stephanie Taylor, Adam Green, Jason Rosenbaum, Jeremy Feigenbaum, and the PCCC team

P.S. Paul Krugman also points out that if this deal goes down, President Obama can do "legal maneuvering to sidestep the debt ceiling, using any of several options." This includes the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which allows the president to unilaterally pay our nation's debts.

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Call Sen. Durbin Now To Stop the Debt Ceiling Deal

CREDO has put out a call to action, urging Democrats to call on their senators to stop the proposed debt ceiling deal. Click here to go directly to CREDO's call to action page. You'll find Senator Durbin's phone number and a script of what to say when you get a staffer on the line. All you have to do is pick up the phone.

A sad tangerine and a sad state of affairs

by Cathy Sewell

The funniest thing I have heard out of all the debt crisis talk was Jon Stewart with a photo of John Boehner looking awful this past Wednesday. Stewart remarked "he looks like a sad tangerine". Thank goodness for humor during this depressing time.

It's not so funny to the jobless, the homeless, those in need who are disabled and will have to wait for checks. When did we, in our society, come to warfare on the poor and disenfranchised? Worse than that, when did we come to a time when we have giveaways to the richest 1 per cent of our country on the backs of those who can least afford it? Has our society turned its back on fairness and rooting for the underdog? Those two principles are the foundation (Rs like to cite "individualism") of our American society--or they used to be.

Republicans like to say that Democrats are stirring up class warfare and that President Obama is "anti-business". To those of us in the Progressive camp, our President has done more for business than we thought he would ever do. He has given small business tax breaks, among other things, favorable to business in general.

We are an inclusive group, we Democrats, and we believe that all boats should rise with the tide, not just some, so small businesses should flourish, too, like the middle class, which has made this country unique and powerful. Most disastrously, our middle class, under W, has eroded so that the rich are now richer and the middle class is losing ground.

President Clinton has encouraged President Obama to use his executive power under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States to raise the debt ceiling. That is a bold and decisive move. We will hear calls for impeachment from the other side, but it will rally the people, who according to most polls, are in favor of the President's approach. Like he did with Osama bin Laden, the President needs to take the risk and save this country from those who would destroy our society as we know it.

We are at a point where we need everyone to pitch in to elect Democrats in 2012 so that this nonsense stops and we can keep moving forward in creating a society that creates a place for all to flourish. If you would like to get involved in supporting our Democratic values, email me at candj.5@comcast.net or call me at 630-629-1125. I know you will be able to make a difference in the 2012 election.

Cathy Sewell is First Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of DuPage County