Category Archives: Local Races

11/7 News Roundup – Bernie: Trump Doing Exact Opposite of What He Promised, Progressive Leaders Respond To Paradise Papers & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Happy Tuesday TPW readers! Welcome to the new folks (if you have any issues, you can send them to the tpwhelpdesk@gmail.com) and a big thanks for continuing to come back for those who have been here before. Starting the day off with Bernie and I tend to do:

As President, Trump Doing Exact Opposite of What He Promised on the Campaign Trail by Bernie Sanders

When Donald Trump campaigned for president, he told the American people that he would stand up for the working class and take on the political and economic establishment. One year since his election, he has repeatedly reneged on his promises by supporting the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working families.

During his campaign, candidate Trump said that he was going to “drain the swamp.” Now that he is president, Trump has brought more billionaires into his administration than any president.

While campaigning, Trump told the American people he was going to provide health “insurance for everybody.” As president, he supported a disastrous bill that would have thrown millions off of health insurance, substantially raised premiums for older workers and defunded Planned Parenthood.

As a candidate, Trump said he understood the pain of working families. His budget would slash funding for affordable housing, college financial aid and Head Start.

And while Trump wants to make devastating cuts to programs that working families desperately need, he is working overtime to provide a massive tax break to billionaires like himself.

..

In other words, Trump as a candidate promised the American people one thing, as president he is doing the exact opposite.

But simply stopping Trump’s agenda is not enough. We can join every other major country and guarantee healthcare to all as a right. We can demand that the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations start paying their fair share of taxes. We can create millions of decent paying jobs by rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure. We can reform our broken criminal justice system and pass comprehensive immigration reform. We can raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and make public colleges and universities tuition-free.

Together we need to build a government and an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%.

More news/videos/tweets/etc. in the comments, including:

*Bernie Sanders’ stepdaughter considers running for office
*How it became a crime to be poor in America
*The indefensible Republican response to the Texas mass shooting
*Children Sue Trump Admin for ‘Reckless and Deliberate Indifference’ to Climate Threat
*2018 Candidate Updates/Media
*Pipeline news, Water Protector Updates & More

Ginger Jentzen’s Campaign For Minneapolis City Council Ward 3

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

From Ginger Jentzen’s Official Website::

My name is Ginger Jentzen. I was the Executive Director of 15 Now, the grassroots campaign that led the way in making Minneapolis the first Midwest city to pass a $15 minimum wage. Now I am running for Minneapolis City Council because our city needs a political revolution. For too long, City Hall has been dominated by developers and big business, while housing prices skyrocket, economic and racial inequality grows, and social services go underfunded.

Like Bernie Sanders, my campaign is not for sale. I don’t accept any money from corporate executives or big developers. As a city council member I will only accept an average worker’s wage, and will donate the rest of my $80,000/year my city council salary to support social justice movements. Last election, tens of thousands of dollars of corporate cash flowed into Ward 3. I don’t think politicians can serve two bosses – working class people and wealthy corporate donors.

…

Minneapolis is at a crossroads. Nowhere is this more evident than in Ward 3, where US Bank stadium sits on one edge while working people and people of color are increasingly being priced out of the city. A $15 minimum wage is just one step in dealing with the devastating inequality in the Twin Cities.

Our campaign is about building a new kind of politics, based on the needs of people and the environment, not what’s acceptable to the billionaire class and big business. Let’s make $15/hour the first chapter in a new history for Minneapolis, where working people are empowered to shape society in our own interests. To do this, we need elected representatives and a new party who fight for working people and the oppressed, and who use their office to work together alongside social movements, community organizations and labor to win real progressive gains.These campaigns can be a step towards a new party that organizes to change society not only in elections but also in our communities, workplaces and campuses.

I want to live in a democratic socialist society—a city, nation and world free from racism, sexism, corporate greed and exploitation. A society based on cooperation and solidarity, where everyone can work and live in dignity.

If you agree and want to fight against the billionaire class and for a better kind of society, please join us.

Just a few of the issues on Jentzen’s Priorities Page

*Affordable Housing & Rent Control
*Tax the Rich
*$15/hr and Workers’ Rights
*Environmental Justice and Green Jobs
*Black Lives Matter

Ginger On Twitter
Jentzen On Facebook
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Donate To Ginger

10/11 News Roundup – Progressives Push For A Primary Challenge For Feinstein, The Fight For “Tuition Free College” & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Hello friends!

Starting off with the TheProgressives Push for A Feinstein Primary Challenge:

Progressives are gearing up to challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) after the long-time senator announced Monday that she will run for re-election next year.

Confirming her bid on Twitter, Feinstein vowed to keep working on “ending gun violence, combating climate change,” and addressing “access to healthcare.”

However, during her five terms in the U.S. Senate, the 84-year-old has also riled many progressives with her opposition to a single-payer healthcare system and her support for laws such as the Patriot Act and the FISA Act.

In a recent piece for Splinter, formatted as an open letter to the senator, Emma Roller captured a growing sentiment among California progressives:

Let’s face it: You are a hawkish, centrist Democrat in a state full of voters that have become much more liberal than you have shown yourself to be. Perhaps now would be a great time to retire and make way for a candidate who better reflects the views of your constituents?

Now that Feinstein has committed to running, though, constituents and even some other California lawmakers are calling for more progressive candidates to challenge her.

The article goes on to talk about potential challengers and such, but fails to mention that Feinstein already had a primary opponent for months, proud Democratic Socialist David Hildebrand:

More news/video/etc. in the comments section, including:

*Puerto Rico/US officials privately acknowledge serious food shortage
*Heart of disaster: California wildfire evacuees return to a wasteland
*2017 on course to be deadliest on record for land defenders
*A Bernie Sanders campaign veteran advises a surging opposition movement in Russia
*Despite GOP Dereliction, Warren Vows to Fight for Program That Insures 9 Million Kids
*Pipeline Updates, Water Protector News & MOre

10/3 – “It’s Long Past Time To Act On Gun Safety”, Human Impact On The Planet Reaches A New Scale & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Sanders: It’s ‘long past time’ for Congress to act on gun safety

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday urged Congress to take action in the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas.

The Vermont senator in a statement said his thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.

Sanders also thanked the first responders, who he said “did an outstanding job responding to this tragedy, saving many lives.”

“Last night’s attack is the deadliest mass shooting in our country’s modern history, and this year there have been more mass shootings than days in the year,” Sanders said.

“In light of the terrible tragedy in Las Vegas and mass shootings across the country, it should be clear to all that we have got to do everything we can to stop guns from falling into the hands of people who should not have them,” he continued.

He added: “It is long past time for Congress to take action on gun safety to save innocent lives.”

More news/video/etc. in the comments, including:

*Americans want better gun laws. We can’t let lobbyists stop us
*Florida Democrats return from aid trip to Puerto Rico ‘in tears’
*Catholic church to make record divestment from fossil fuels
*‘I can get my soul out of prison’: the art made by Guantánamo detainees
*Fayrouz Saad Wants to Be the First Muslim Woman in Congress
*Kathie Allen: I’m not a ‘Nancy Pelosi Democrat’
& More

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Vincent Fort And Why He Should Be Atlanta’s Next Mayor

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

As some of you may be aware Bernie Sanders is travelling to Atlanta on Saturday to support former state Sen. Vincent Fort’s race for mayor. As the linked article notes Fort was a Bernie backer in the primaries and also:

Polls show his popularity has soared, and his policy priorities are gaining traction. He was the lone sponsor of a bill to provide universal healthcare four years ago. He introduced a similar version this month that attracted 16 co-sponsors – about one-third of the chamber’s Democratic caucus.

Knowing all this I still did not feel I knew enough about Fort so went and educated myself. What I’ve found will be scattered through this post and then in the comments section. Conveniently enough, we can start with a video titled ‘Who Is Vincent Fort?’.

Some of Fort’s Priorities

•Fair & Affordable Housing
•Marijuana Decriminalization
•Protecting Public Schools
•Police Accountability
•Preserving our Environment
•Defending Equality for all People
•Investing in the Arts
•Expanding MARTA
•2-Year College for High School Grads
•Fighting Atlanta’s HIV/AIDS Crisis
•Supporting a Living Wage

Vincent Fort For Mayor
Fort On Facebook
Fort On Twitter
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More on Fort beyond the link below.

9/25 News Roundup – Van Jones & Nina Turner Champion Medicare For All, Sanders Urges A ‘Global Resistance’ & More

The Progressive Wing Posted on by

Good morning friends, starting things off with Van Jones & Nina Turner’s weekend speeches on Medicare for All and then the rest of the news will be in the comments.

The video is a bit clipped and Van Jones starts around the 8 minute mark and then Nina Turner follows… and wow, what a speech:

Also in this news roundup:

*Our Bad Foreign Policy
*“Medicare for all” could be cheaper than you think
*While Trump Stokes Division, Warnings Against Ignoring Ongoing Crisis in Puerto Rico
*Outlets That Scolded Sanders Over Deficits Uniformly Silent on $700B Pentagon Handout
*Obama: ‘The world has never been healthier, wealthier or less violent’
*The Man Taking On Ted Cruz Talks Sanders, Single-Payer, and Beowulf
*Why Is Stephen Jaffe Trying to Unseat Nancy Pelosi?
& Much More