Take Back America Conference

So, I was unable to attend the Campaign for America's Future's Take Back America Conference for progressives, but I did watch much of it on C-Span. Watching it on C-Span is not nearly as exciting as being there in person, but a girl must work.

The Campaign for America's future has many of the speeches that were given at their conference available on their website. If you were unable to attend the conference and want to know how some of the progressives and Democrats are planning to take back America, I encourage you to check it out.

Many of the 'professional' bloggers who attended the conference have commented on the fact that the Democratic leaders such as Howard Dean and John Edwards didn't mention the Democratic stance on the war in Iraq. That is unfornate. Part of the problem with the Kerry/Edwards ticket was that their policy on Iraq was virtually indistinguishable from the rebublicans, and it appears, so far that Democrats as a whole are doing little to dispell that image. That does need to change, especially since the majority of Americans in recent polls are losing their taste for GWB's imperialistic governance. September 11 was the most horrifying event modern Americans have ever experienced and we do not want to experience another terrorist attack. But fear of another terrorist attack is not a reason to occupy and demoralize another country. And American's are beginning to see the war in Iraq for what it is. There are better ways we can protect ourselves and the Democrats need to stake out that territory, own it and communicate that clearly to the American people. They need to do that not because they see that is the current opinion trend, but because its the right thing to do. If Democrats want to retain the support of the progressive community and be the party of forward thinkers who can change the world for the better, they need to do this soon, like right now would be good.

Some things that I have been doing recently. Well, I've been reading a lot. I still meet with people that I worked with during the 2004 election cycle. I'm glad that we did not disban after the election. We have remained focused and are trying to educate our selves on the current public discourse and to help plan for the midterm elections in 2006. Here are some of the books we have been reading and discussing:

Don't Think of An Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
by George Lakoff

God's Politics: A New Vision of Faith and Politics in America
by Jim Wallis

Doing Democracy: The MAP Model for Organizing Social Movements
by Bill Moyer

America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty and Our Democracy
by Gar Alperovitz