The Progressive

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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Laura Bonham, PDA Communications Coordinator
Laura@pdamerica.org, (435) 336-2123
Tim Carpenter, PDA National Director
Tim@pdamerica.org, (413)-320-2015

House Judiciary Chair John Conyers to Address Progressives at October 1 Hill Reception

Lobby Day Planned for October 1

WASHINGTON

The two co-chairs of Progressive Democrats of America's Healthcare Not Warfare Caucus, Norman Solomon and Donna Smith, have written to members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus asking them to change their ways.

"Many PDA members--and millions of other progressives--were disheartened by the course of events with healthcare legislation," write Smith and Solomon. "We saw that most of the CPC threw down the gauntlets about minimally 'robust' reform, but later picked them up, acquiescing to corporate interests and White House pressure. Please, do not do that with Social Security. Please, do not do that with Medicare."

PDA's letter also goes after CPC members for their weakness in opposing war funding and urges them to all cosponsor Congresswoman Barbara Lee's H.R. 6045 which would restrict military spending on Afghanistan to paying for U.S. withdrawal.

A lobby day has been planned for October 1st. Members and allies of PDA will lobby their representatives for an end to wars, investment in jobs, and commitments not to cut, weaken, or privatize Social Security.

Headquarters on October 1st from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will be Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2226.

A reception is planned with the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Barbara Lee, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, PDA Board Members Bill Fletcher, Jr and Medea Benjamin, and Co-Chair of Strengthen Social Security Nancy Altman.

House Judiciary Chairman the Honorable John Conyers has confirmed he will also attend.

The reception is October 1st, 4-5 p.m., at the Capitol Visitors Center.

The march on Washington planned for October 2nd and covered in Tuesday's New York Times has added a demand for an immediate end to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and a transfer of funding from the war/military budget to jobs, housing, and green energy.

Visit: https://www.onenationforpeace.org

LINKS:

Read the letter from PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare Co-chairs Norman Solomon and Donna Smith.

See additional background material.

Progressive Democrats of America was founded in 2004 to transform the Democratic Party and U.S. politics by working inside and outside of the party by working to elect empowered progressives and by building the progressive movement in solidarity with with peace, justice, civil rights, environmental, and other reform efforts. For more information about PDA, please see PDAmerica.org.