Winning Progressive

For this weekend’s reading list, we have articles on strategy for liberals, government subsidies to corporations, how John McCain never really was an independent maverick, the steps needed to improve service sector jobs, and how Bush v. Gore played a role in stopping the GOP’s voter suppression efforts in 2012.

A Strategic Plan for Liberals – a collection of essays from leading liberals about how we can build more political power and move the country to the left over the coming years and decades.

As Companies Seek Tax Deals, Governments Pay High Price - an in-depth investigative report by the New York Times about the approximately $80 billion per year that state and local governments spend in corporate subsidies in a desperate attempt to lure businesses away from other communities. The article includes an interesting interactive map of the subsidies, and a video report about the costly subsidies battle between Kansas and Missouri over businesses located in the Kansas City area.

The Man Who Never Was – as Senator John McCain (R-AZ) continues his outlandish battle against Susan Rice, this 2010 article reminds us that it is questionable whether the independent maverick that many people view McCain as ever really existed.

Economic Recovery and Social Investment - a report detailing various steps that need to be taken to transform the service sector of our economy into one that provides good jobs.

The 2012 Voting Wars, Judicial Backstops, and the Resurrection of Bush v. Gore – a law review article on the legal battles regarding the GOP’s voter suppression efforts and how the Supreme Court’s infamous Bush v. Gore decision was relied on by courts to find such efforts unconstitutional.

(By Joanne Boyer, cross-posted at Wisdom Voices)

It’s taken me a few days to just drink in the beauty of what happened here in Minnesota on Election Day 2012.  Lost in all the (legitimate) whoops and hollers of joy that resonated nation-wide, we here in Minnesota did something amazing.

Not only did we turn back a constitutional amendment on defining marriage as between one man and one woman, we romped and stomped on the “voter ID” amendment that was put on our ballot by a Republican legislator who is the Minnesota chairperson of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  That measure is nothing short of a victory of, by and for the people.  Never have I seen such hard work by a group called Our Vote/Our Future.  Minnesotans could never repay the debt of gratitude that is owed them.

This “voter ID” constitutional amendment started out at an 80 percent approval rating when it was first “introduced.”  Down the homestretch, this fabulous organization worked its collective butt off – hundreds of thousands of phone calls, door knocking, organizing and never, ever giving up hope that this horrible amendment could be defeated.

By the weekend before the election, the favorable rating for the “voter ID” amendment had dropped from 80 percent approval to 46 percent approval and it failed when Minnesotans went out and voted it down.

And as great as the work of one organization was, the individual work of former Republican Governor Arne Carlson cannot go unrecognized.  He was relentless in his efforts to educate Minnesotans about what this voter suppression was all about.  He traversed the state and gave unselfishly of his time and energy.

The individual and group efforts reminded me of something Sister Simone Campbell (Nuns on the Bus) said during an interview with us earlier this summer.

“I had a meeting with Paul Ryan, and he said the only reason he talks about individual responsibility and not about community is because the ‘other side’ talks about community,” Sister Simone said.  “But you see, I can talk about individual responsibility. We have an individual responsibility to build up community.  We are in relationship with everyone else. That’s how it works.”

Boy, did we prove that here in Minnesota.

For this weekend’s reading list we have articles on the impacts of voter suppression efforts, election victories for working families, Romney’s failed GOTV effort, how tax cuts provide little boost to economic growth, and George McGovern’s grassroots Presidential campaign in 1972.

A Victory Over Suppression - an essay on how last Tuesday’s election results demonstrated that the GOP’s voter suppression efforts failed to achieve their goal of stealing the election, but still hindered many people from exercising their right to vote.

What Election 2012 Means for America’s Working Families – a report from the AFSCME union detailing the significant victories that working families achieved at the federal, state, and local levels in the 2012 elections.

The Unmitigated Disaster Known as Project ORCA – a conservative blogger provides an insider account of the colossal failure that was the Romney campaign’s GOTV effort.

Multiple CRS Reports Show That Ending Tax Cuts for the Rich Will Not Harm Economic Growth - an overview of a series of studies from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service finding that reduced marginal tax rates and capital gains tax cuts have little correlation to economic growth, and that tax cuts are the least efficient policies for maintaining economic recovery.

McGovern ’72: An Oral History – insiders reflect on the grassroots Presidential campaign of George McGovern in 1972.

For this weekend’s reading, we have the New Yorker’s endorsement of President Obama, interviews with our President, the threat GOP obstructionism poses to our democracy, and a profile of the man behind their voter suppression efforts

The Choice – The New Yorker magazine’s comprehensive and compelling endorsement of re-electing President Obama.

Obama and the Road Ahead: The Rolling Stone Interview – a wide-ranging interview of President Obama about his thoughts on the campaign, what he would do with a second term, Multiple Choice Mitt’s constantly changing views, and how Ayn Rand’s writings are not emblematic of “what’s best in America.”

Dear Republican Friends – A great explanation of why anyone who cares about our democracy should use their vote to reject the GOP’s cynical obstructionism of the past 4 years.

President Obama Releases Transcript of Register Interview – the transcript of President Obama’s initially off the record interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register.

Who Created the Voter-Fraud Myth? – a profile of Hans von Spakovsky, who has been a front line leader of conservative efforts to suppress voter turnout in Democratic areas.

While re-electing President Obama should be the top priority for progressives throughout the country this fall, we must also remember that there are many important candidates and issues that will be found further down the ballot on November 6.  One of the most important categories of down-ballot issues is ballot initiatives, which provide voters the opportunity to have a direct say on major policy matters.

This year, states have a plethora of ballot initiatives pending for a vote in November.  Below is Part 1 of our two-part guide to the initiatives of biggest importance to progressives this fall, along with links for how to get involved in supporting the progressive position on each initiative.  Here in Part 1, we will address ballot initiatives regarding marriage equality, reproductive freedom, criminal justice, estate taxes, and death with dignity.  In Part 2, we will highlight initiatives regarding worker’s rights, government, and education.

If you live in a state with one of the ballot initiatives, please get involved by speaking with your family, friends, and colleagues; by volunteering; and by writing a letter to your local newspaper editor.  If you live out-of-state, please contribute what you can to support the efforts of the progressive organizations who are working on these initiatives.

Marriage Equality

2011 was a banner year for advancing the cause of LGBT equality. However, the issue of marriage equality has yet to win majority support any time when it has been placed on the ballot.  We have a great opportunity to change that track record this November in Washington State, Minnesota, Maine, and Maryland.

Washington Referendum 74 – vote Yes to uphold the state legislature’s approval of marriage equality

* Washington United for Marriage  * Contribute  * Volunteer  * Facebook page  * Washington newspaper links

Minnesota Same-Sex Marriage Initiative – vote No on constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality

* Minnesotans United for All Families  * Contribute  * Volunteer  * Facebook Page    * Minnesota newspaper links

Maine Same-Sex Marriage Question – vote Yes on 1 to repeal Maine’s ban on marriage equality

* Mainers United for Marriage  * Contribute   * Volunteer  * Facebook Page   *Maine newspaper links

Maryland Question 6 - vote Yes to uphold the state legislature’s approval of marriage equality

* Marylanders for Marriage Equality  * Contribute  * Volunteer  *Facebook Page  * Maryland newspaper links

Estate Tax

Oregon Measure 84 – vote No on this proposal that would eliminate Oregon’s estate tax, which applies to estates valued at greater than $1 million.  As we’ve explained previously, the estate tax is the fairest and most meritocratic kind of tax there is. For more on why Oregon’s estate tax is good for that state, check out this fact sheet from Tax Fairness Oregon. And then send a letter to your local Oregon newspaper urging people to vote No on Measure 84.

Reproductive Freedom

Florida Amendment 6 – vote No on this proposal, which would prevent state courts from reading the Florida Constitution’s right to privacy to provide any rights to choice that are broader than provided under the federal Constitution, and forbids the use of any state funds for abortion except as required by federal law (i.e., in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother).

* Vote No On 6   * Contribute   * Volunteer    * Facebook Page    * Florida Newspapers

Criminal Justice

California Proposition 34 – vote Yes to help California become the 16th state to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole.  As we’ve explained previously, the death penalty is barbaric, ineffective, biased, and costly.  The evidence shows that the death penalty costs taxpayers more than life in prison without parole,  does not deter violent crime, and is marred by significant racial bias and far too frequent ineffective legal representation for those who are charged with capital crimes.

* Yes on 34     * Contribute     * Volunteer    *Facebook Page

California Proposition 36 – vote Yes to reform California’s three-strike law.  Under the current three-strikes law, individuals who have been convicted of two previous “serious or violent” crimes automatically receive a sentence of life in prison if they are convicted of a third crime, even if that third crime is non-violent.  Proposition 36 would reform the law by requiring life in prison only if the third crime is “serious or violent,” thereby saving the state approximately $70 – $100 million per year due to reduced prison populations.

* Committee for Three Strikes Reform   * Contribute   * Volunteer   *Facebook Page

Civil Liberties

Massachusetts Death With Dignity Initiative  - vote Yes on Question 2 to make Massachusetts the third state that allows terminally ill patients to choose to end their lives with dignity.  As we’ve explained previously, our current system that forecloses death with dignity in all but two states is simply unbearable for far too many people facing terminal illness.  One way to help reduce or alleviate these painful situations is to allow a terminally ill individual to get medical assistance in hastening their death, but only through a highly regulated system that includes multiple doctor sign offs, waiting periods, and other precautions to ensure that sick people are not being pressured into assisted suicide.  The Massachusetts ballot initiative would do exactly that, thereby allowing Massachusetts to join Oregon and Washington State in authorizing death with dignity.

* Dignity 2012    * Contribute   * Volunteer   * Facebook Page   * Massachusetts Newspapers

Voting Rights

Minnesota Voter Identification Amendment – vote No on the proposal in Minnesota to require individuals to obtain and present photo identification in order to be able to exercise their right to vote.  Supporters of the voter ID proposal pretend to be responding to rampant voter fraud, but a five-year long investigation by the Department of Justice under President W. Bush found “virtually no evidence of any organized effort” to fraudulently impact federal elections and other analyses have similarly found no evidence of fraud.  What the proposal, which would continue conservative efforts to restrict the voting rights of as many as 758,000 eligible voters, is actually designed to do is to make it as difficult as possible for Democratic-leaning groups to vote.

* Our Vote Our Future  * Contribute   * Volunteer   * Facebook Page  * Minnesota Newspapers

For this weekend’s reading list, we have reports on conservative plans to bully voters on Election Day, the facts on who doesn’t pay federal income taxes and why, how state tax codes can be used to reduce poverty, the Obama Administration’s regulations aimed at greatly reducing sexual assaults in prisons, and increasing segregation in our schools.

Bullies at the Ballot Box - a report on the plans of True the Vote and other right-wing organization to hinder voting by people of color and other Democratic-leaning groups through overly aggressive and unfounded Election Day challenges to the eligibility of voters in Democratic precincts. For more on this voter suppression effort, see this New York Times article.  And to help defend the right to vote, sign up for the Democratic Party’s election protection efforts.

Misconceptions and Realities About Who Pays Taxes - in the aftermath of the revelation of Mitt Romney’s offensive comments about people who owe no federal income taxes, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has released a report explaining which groups of people don’t pay federal income taxes and how much in other types of taxes most of those folks do pay.

State Tax Codes as Poverty Fighting Tools - a report documenting how state tax policies, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and child care tax credits, can be used to help reduce poverty.

Prison Rape: Obama’s Program to Stop It – A review of how we can greatly reduce the 209,000 sexual assaults that occur in US prisons every year, and how the Obama Administration’s recently finalized standards for reducing sexual assaults in prison are expected to be successful.

E Pluribus . . . Segregation: Deepening Double Segregation for More Students – a report on how schools in the US are becoming more racially segregated and how government could take action to reduce such segregation.