Evangelicals Undertow Drowning Republican Bastion

This video interview of author Frank Schaeffer by Rachel Maddow is worth a listen to if you want some insight into the Evangelical power hold over the Republican Party.

It was aired back in September in the lead up to the November election. In it, the former Evangelical turned critic Schaeffer describes the cultish undertow drawing the Republican Party away from what many of us call reality into “La-La land.” Schaeffer says he knows of no Republican brave enough to bark down the mad dogs for whom anything good is bad because they seek negative feedback to reinforce their belief that America is being punished for its “sinfulness”.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Congressman Cao Breaks from Republican Ranks Even Before Election

Polidoc interviewed Representative Cao (R-LA) on the day of his election last December and snatched a quick interview with him in this video. (this is a revised video from one posted earlier today)

Joseph Cao, Congressional Representative from Louisiana has an independent streak and won’t buckle down to Republican Party rhetoric. As seen in this video on the day of his landmark election in December 2008, this lawyer hopes to represent his community even in areas that aren’t considered Republican today.

On November 7, 2009, Cao, a lawyer and the first Vietnamese Representative in the history of the United States, demonstrated his willingness to break from the Republican Party rhetoric by voting for a landmark healthcare reform bill. While progressives suspect the bill will be a boon to the healthcare industry rather than the reform it had hoped, Cao’s break sharpens points of difference between the teabagging Constitutionalist Party leaning Republicans from more moderate voices who might be willing to consider a different definition of conservative.

Cao, who ran as independent in a previous election, was the first Republican to win this district since Reconstruction. As the Representative of a majority black community, Cao had asked to join the Black Caucus but was denied.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Van Jones Says We Should All Stand Up and be A**holes

Van Jones, Barack Obama’s czar of green jobs, handed in his resignation on a quiet Labor Day weekend, on the eve of two of President Obama’s speeches, after talk show host Glenn Beck targeted the civil rights activist for attention.

Jones, an eloquent and charismatic spokesperson who, last year alone, won high profile recognition as one of Times magazine 100 most influential people, considered himself “radical” as a young man. Since then, he adopted a pro-capitalist perspective focused on elevating the working-class poor through the employment in green jobs. Then, in 2004, Jones, along with many other Progressives, signed a petition calling for a public investigation of the events of 9/11. The controversy regarding the petition surrounds the 9/11 Truthers, considered broadly to be a conspiracy group who suspect a degree of federal administration culpability in the attacks of that fateful September.

Using these elements of Jone’s life, Beck, with McCarthian hysteria, decried Obama for having “invited” a “radical” “Communist” into the White House. To those of us leaning towards progressive values, terms like “radical,” “communist,” and “socialist” are not scary, but a part of the glossary of words, including “libertarianism” “patriotism” and “capitalism” with which we can evaluate a government’s responsiveness to its people.

In this report, The Young Turks, a progressive news/op ed channel, air a “controversial” piece of video which Fox News and Beck has used to hammer Jones’ reputation. While at a public forum, a progressive in the audience asked Jones why Republicans were able to see their policies enacted but Democrats were not able to assert their policies despite holding the majority power in the two houses as well as the executive. Jones’ asserted that the Republican party gets its policies through by sheer brute force that Progressives have to stand unyeildingly and that a man named Barack Hussein Obama could not do that for them. He called the Republicans a dirty word but also applied the same term to himself and suggested that we all toughen up.

Referring to the wailing Republicans, Young Turk host, Cenk Uygur said “They’re not interested in being polite.”

Brave New Nation presents this background interview of Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club and Van Jones at the Ella Baker Center. Jones describes the fight he pursues as “not left vs. right but right vs. wrong.”

references:
Huffington Post: “Thank you Glenn Beck”
Fox News: “Obama ‘Green Jobs’ Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy”

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Fair Elections Now Act in Deliberation

Americans have lost faith in the political system because of the influence of big money. An elected freshman spends 20 per cent of their time trying to raise money for the next election, rather than doing their job of legislation.

The Fair Elections Now Act is currently being deliberated in both houses. In a citizen-funded “Fair Elections” system, qualified candidates who take no contributions larger than $100 can run for Congress on a blend of small donations and public funds.

The system has been tested with great success in three states: Arizona, Maine, and most recently Connecticut. Altogether, seven states have implemented Clean Elections for some of their statewide offices.

For decades, big business money fawned over Republicans. Democrats raised money from ordinary voters and labor. However, after the Democrats lost both the Presidency and the majority in the Senate in 1980, the DNC opened the way for big PAC money to waltz in. Since then, campaigns have gotten longer, more expensive and less substantive, offering fewer and fewer truly liberal candidates and pulling the center more to the right.

References:
Common Cause
Open Congress

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Giacomini Fired Up About California’s Need for a Constitutional Convention

The empowered parties and lobbyists have wreaked havoc on California government and nothing short of a Constitutional Convention can create a long-lasting solution to this state’s problem, according to Andrew Giacomini, lead counsel for the organization Repair California. Giacomini hopes that the populist rage and involvement will fuel voters to adopt Repair California’s strategy to create a people’s convention.

For more information, go to RepairCalifornia.org

Future Meet-up dates:

Thousand Oaks Constitutional Convention Town Hall
Monday August 3, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

San Francisco: Repairing California: Time for a Constitutional Convention
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Orange County Constitutional Convention Town Hall
September 2, 2009
7:30 a.m. Breakfast | 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Program

Sierra Nevada Constitutional Convention Town Hall
August 21, 2009
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (tentative)

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Fixing the World is Fun with the Yes Men

Activists and filmmakers Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno have disguised themselves and entered into the private enclaves of corporations with seriously unsustainable practices: Dow Chemical, Exxon, Halliburton for example. In their new documentary, “The Yes Men Fix the World“, we watch the team infuse humor and sarcasm into their feats.

The documentary premieres tonight on HBO with a US theatrical release date in October. For more information, go the Yes Men website.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Reverand Billy Changehalleujah’s San Francisco 2008

Another Great recycled piece. Please enjoy some Changehalleujah! Reverand Billy Talen is running for New York City Mayor as a Green.

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Reverand Billy Changehalleujah’s San Francisco 2008

Another Great recycled piece. Please enjoy some Changehalleujah! Reverand Billy Talen is running for New York City Mayor as a Green.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Homestretch for Illinois Congressional Seat Election

Candidates for Illinois' 5th Congressional District Seat

Article and Photo by Kevin Gosztola

On February 23, 2009, the 5th District of Illinois held al candidates’ forum which included more than 20 people vying for the Congressional seat vacated by Rahm Emanuel who took the post as President Obama’s White House Chief of Staff early this year. This special election has been a circus, with Democrats, Greens and Republicans eagerly jockeying for the coveted office. And while Democrats presumed to battle between themselves, it was the “fringe candidates” who offered a breath of fresh air from the conventional wisdom.

Organizers separated the forum into two segments: the first featured only Democrats; the second included Republicans and Greens. Despite this segregation of parties, it proved suprisingly effective in highlighting the key issues and solutions that differentiate them from one another.

It was Green Party candidate Matt Reichel’s response to a question on Section 8 housing during which the forum took a spontaneous turn. Reichel suggested that domestic issues could be solved once we end the wars and cut the military budget. This was the first time that the Middle East Wars had been brought up. The audience broke out in uproarious applause while the moderator struggled to regain control by asking  Reichel to “answer the question.”

Fellow Green Party candidate Deb Gordils seconded Reichel’s answer and added that it was time that people suspend their loyalties to the Democratic Party and vote Green. She too was told by the moderator to “answer the question.”

During the course of the forum, the independent Republican Jon Stewart (no relation to Comedy Central), had surprised listeners with his support for untraditional Republican solutions, including amnesty for illegals and single-payer health care. When he also agreed with Reichel and said you can take care of domestic problems by ending the killing of people, the crowd applauded loudly. Ironically, the moderator’s efforts to gain control and stifle the enthusiasm only instigated further laughter.

Other Green candidates in attendance were Matt Fredrickson and Simon Ribeiro; other Republican candidates included Greg Bedell, Tom Hanson, and Daniel S. Kay.

Kevin Gosztola studies documentary filmmaking at Columbia College in Chicago and is a YP4 2009 Fellow. He is an At-Large Senator for the Student Government Association and is working to create a Student Civic Collective and increase funding and resources for political and social student organizations on campus. He has also served as a researcher and Production Assistant on several documentaries during the course of the 2008 election, including Polidoc Productions’ “Seriously Green.”

Leahy Gains Ground for Truth and Reconciliation Panel

“If I was a cynic, I would say it was hypocritical, but being a kind, benevolent person, I’ll just call it forgetful.” - Patrick Leahy

The rising tide of angry voices calling for an investigation of the Bush Administration have pushed Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) to call for a Truth and Consequences Panel. In this Rachel Maddow interview, Leahy said it may not be a perfect way, but it may be the only way to get the truth out and to assure that future administrations will behave in a more transparent manner. Leahy, a former prosecutor, suggests that he would offer immunity from prosecution to those willing to testify to all that they knew, inferring that those who do not come forward or who fail to disclose everything are open game.

Leahy said that Republicans with whom he spoke said it would be terrible to investigate a former President’s Administration, that they would never do it. He quickly countered that Republicans had spent six years and tens to hundreds of millions of dollars to investigate the former President Clinton Administration. “If I was a cynic,” Leahy said, “I would say it was hypocritical, but being a kind, benevolent person, I’ll just call it forgetful.”

Democratic leaders, John Conyers and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, said that they are open to the idea and would pursue prosecution if it is apparent that crimes were committed. Maddow suggests that there appears to be an emerging consensus amongst the Democratic leadership; whether it is an attempt to expose crimes or silence the disgrunteld public is yet to be seen.

Here is a petition launched by Leahy to gather signatures asking for the commission.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.