by Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
August 14, 2010
Dear Mr. President:
Your Press Secretary has recently been quoted as strongly criticizing those
of us Democratic Party activists who feel that you have failed in some of
the most important promises you made, stated or implied, during your
campaign and that you are not steering our country in the right direction.
He dismisses us as the "professional left" as if we were the ones making a
living from politics.
We worked very hard for your election as we do for all candidates who seem
able and willing to work for progressive social change, and to make a better
life for our citizens and for the world. Your rhetoric often suggests that
you share this goal, but your actions frequently prove otherwise. We do not
simply disagree with you on a single small issue. Unfortunately our
unhappiness and disappointment has a broad scope. To name a few examples:
You promised to work for meaningful health care reform - we got a woeful
compromise. You committed to seek to rein in an out-of-control financial
sector - we got third best. You seemed to be in favor of winding down
unnecessary and increasingly inept and unwinnable foreign adventures - we
got an escalation of an untenable and unending war. You promised to close
Guantanamo and end don't ask, don't tell - neither has seen much of your
efforts. You campaigned against the Bush imperial presidency, and then you
expanded it. We could go on.
In our opinion you have failed, in whole or in part, to deliver on many of
your commitments. Instead, you have continued and supported some of the Bush
policies that many hoped and believed, based on your utterances, you would
quickly terminate. At best, the many who supported you and believed that you
were going to bring about great change are confused and disappointed; at
worst, they find themselves less motivated to continue their support for
you.
The Republican policy of lock-step unthinking resistance to any meaningful
change is, of course, in large measure to blame for our disappointment. But
when we see you capitulate in advance of negotiations by submitting far less
than the public needs and deserves (health care, financial regulation,
public education, women's reproductive rights) or affirmatively go in the
other direction (civil liberties, the war in Afghanistan, to name a few
instances), we are deeply offended. Then, to add insult to injury, your
Press Secretary, Mr. Gibbs, publicly castigates and belittles us as the
"professional left", whatever that means, and suggests that we need to be
"drug tested".
But we are not a "professional left." On the contrary, we are among those
volunteers from around the country who campaigned, raised and contributed
money, and voted for you. We were, and are, active in your Democratic Party;
indeed, many of us were active in it long before you arrived on the scene.
We take issue with the fact that apparently Mr. Gibbs has no qualms about
insulting us and diminishing our hard work and years of faithful support. We
resent being vilified and dismissed by your Press Secretary as if our
opinions were not representative of a large number of your voters and
supporters and as if we were as truly hostile to your program as the "just
say no" Republicans.
We don't, however, make the mistake of seeking to shoot the messenger. Mr.
Gibbs (and even Emanuel) is not the real problem, Mr. President. We fear you
are. We demand that you do a better job of exercising your powers as
President; that you represent us better; that you cleave to your promises to
us with more fidelity; and that you refrain from sending forth your minions
to attack our right to disagree. Our country is in grave danger on many
fronts and we respectfully reserve the right to continue to insist that you
adhere to your promises to the American people, and your supporters without
being told that we are your real problem.
Indeed Mr. President, you have enemies that wish to see you fail but we
would hope that your administration has the clarity of vision to recognize
that we are not the enemy.
Respectfully,
The Officers of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party:
Karen Bernal, Chair
Mal Burnstein, Vice-Chair
Dotty LeMieux, Secretary
Ralph Miller, Treasurer
Jeffrey Killeen, Parliamentarian
Mayme Hubert, Officer-at-Large
Dr. Bill Honigman, Officer-at-Large
J Brian Washman, Officer-at-Large
info@ProgressiveCaucusCDP.org
Karen Bernal, Chair
Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic
Party<http://www.progressivecaucuscdp.org/>
***
From: "Jan Goodman" <janjerry2@gmail.com>
UNIQUE BOOK FAIR AND SALE
Books, Books, and More Books
What do Masses and Mainstream, Yiddish Humor and Blueberry Sal all
have in common? They are among the hundreds of books and pamphlets
which will be sold at the Paul Robeson Community Center's First Ever
Book Fair and Sale. You will be so happy to get to this book sale
early!
Saturday, August 28, 2010-- 10 am to 4 pm
Paul Robeson Community Center
6569 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles
The Paul Robeson Community Center has been the recipient of the book
collections of its progressive and radical supporters over the last
twenty years. So much so, that the Center is bursting at the seams.
Members of the public will be the beneficiaries of this over-endowment
of books, because the Center has decided to sell the books which don't
fit into their collection. , many of which will go on sale at 10 am on
Saturday, August 28, 2010, at the Paul Robeson Community Center.
These BOOKS MUST GO!
Hard Bound: $1 each
Fat / Thick Paperbacks: $.50
Thin Paperbacks: $.10
Students and Seniors: 1/2 price.
Childrens' books: Free to Kids and their parents
(Bring some boxes & bags to take home the books--extra special prices
to those who want large quantaties!)
biography ( From Rock Hudson Moynahan, Joseph Conrad, Armand
Hammer, Truman Capote, Russel Baker) * gay
culture (history, fiction, non-fiction * philosophy
* fiction --Scott Turow, James Ellroy, Philip Roth , Saul
Bellow * classics (Shakespeare, Balzac, Collections, Leon Uris)
NON-FICTION: Carl Sagan, Alvin Toffler,
kids books * history /political science/social science
Bernard Segal, Tim Greene, Woody Allen, Irving Stone *
cook books (joy of Cooking, Jewish cooking and more * sociology,
psychology,
Shakespeare to Lenin, from Kids Books to Cook Books, Karl Marx to Mark
Twain other authors: Joan Didion, Moynahan, Bill Maher, Tolstoy,
Isherwood, Dimitrov, There are also several boxes hard bound, mint
condition, hard bound books relating to all things gay -- from
fiction, to humor, to science to politics to pictures.
Jan Goodman
(310) 458-7213 or (310) 729-2394
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