Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 284

Happy New Year to all my readers out there. Time to work on the Liberal resurgence in America.

Get ready for a tough year. The right wing extremists are going to be in power and will be trying to shut down the government at every turn. Bush Republicans are in charge of the House now, and the Senate is more evenly split than before. America will see an attempt at reviving the very Bush policies that got America into the mess we're in. It's all going to be about more and more for the rich and less and less for the rest of us. Hopefully Obama and the Senate can hold the line, but we are not going to see the kinds of progress we saw the last two years. In the last two years the Democrats did manage to get us (over the whining objections of Republicans):

The Auto Industry Bailout which saved 1.4 million jobs
Infrastructure Investment
Green Energy Investment (largest investment in green technology in history)
Raised fuel standards after years of stagnation and objection
A modest Healthcare bill
SCHIP expansion of healthcare to poor children
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
Repeal of DADT
Two extensions of unemployment benefits
A tax cut for the middle and working classes
Help for 9/11 heroes (something they have waited for for a LONG time)
START treaty
Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights
Largest investment in college aid in history
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act

All in only two years and with CONSTANT obstructionism by Republicans, EVEN for the aid to 9/11 heroes, expansion of healthcare coverage for children, and investment in America's infrastructure.

Look, I also wish more had been done. We needed even more infrastructure and Green Energy investment. We NEED single payer healthcare. A fair amount of this took too long and wasn't taken as far as I would like. But I still have to admit a LOT was done in 2 years and only by the Democrats with no help from the Republicans.

Now the Republicans have taken one house of Congress and have strengthened their position in the other house. And they vow to expand their obstructionism, vowed to continue to be the Party of Hell No. This will be a tough year for America because the Republicans think they can go back to screwing us all over for their personal profit the way they did under Bush. I sure hope Obama and the Democrats in Congress fight hard against the return to Bush policies.


The Liberals Strike Back 2012

2010 was expected to be the resurgence of the Bush Republicans. And it was. But now we have the chance to make 2012 be the resurgence of the Liberals. But only if we start now and work towards it. In 2004 many of us started to build for 2006 and 2008 and our efforts went a long way to the big wins those years. In 2008 the billionaires invented the Teabagger movement (reminder: that was THEIR word for themselves) with the express purpose of reimposing a Bush agenda in 2010. They worked hard at it while we squabbled like only leftists can and so they won big in 2010. Time to do again what we did in 2004.

I have an Actblue page that highlights several progressive and liberal groups that have an excellent track record of winning. I also want to start targeting specific key races. In particular, there are already three Senate races that demand attention, two on offence and one defense. These Senate races are based on the latest popularity polls looking for the most vulnerable Senators. Of course it is early and probably more races will emerge, but for now these are the key targets. The results from Daily Kos are:

Approval ratings, candidates facing re-election in 2012, Lowest three:

Joe Lieberman (I-CT): 33/54 (-21 net approval)
John Ensign (R-NV): 41/48 (-7 net approval)
Bob Casey (D-PA): 36/40 (-4 net approval)

These will be the top three Senate races we can predict now. Which makes Connecticut, Nevada and Pennsylvania key battle grounds. And, of course, Nevada and Pennsylvania have become key battlegrounds anyway, making it well worth fighting every district in those states.

Please help us defeat the Bush Republican/Teabbager anti-working class and anti-middle class agenda and help the liberals fight back.

Start off 2011 right with a donation (small or otherwise) towards a big Liberal resurgence in 2012.

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Liberal Shopping/Consumer Guide

Top Democratic and Republican Donors in 2010

Some Important History From Daily Kos: Celebrating the Confederacy 150 later

And from last week: Beware of Bank of America: screwing the customer as a business model

California Focus: Green Power Switch

Orange County, CA Focus

Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley/San Gabriel Valley, CA Focus

San Diego, CA Focus

Silicon Valley Area, CA Focus

California 11th District Focus: San Joaquin, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties

Northern California Focus: TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA

Southern California Grassroots Alliance

CALIFORNIA FOCUS

Brooklyn, NY Focus

Manhattan, NY Focus

Bronx, NY Focus

Queens, NY Focus

Suffolk County, NY Focus

Rochester, NY Focus

New York 19th District Focus: Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties

NEW YORK STATE FOCUS

Illinois Focus: Green Power Switch

Illinois Focus: Democratic Accomplishments Highlighted by Bill Foster

Chicago/Cook County, IL Focus

ILLINOIS FOCUS

Florida Focus: Green Power Switch

Tampa/Hillsborough County, FL Focus

Orange County, FL Focus

Broward County, FL Focus

Pinellas County, FL Focus

FLORIDA FOCUS

Wisconsin Focus: Green Power Switch

Milwaukee, WI Focus

Madison, WI Focus

WISCONSIN FOCUS

Virginia Focus: Green Power Switch

Charlottesville/Albemarle County, VA Focus

Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania County, VA Focus

Stafford County, VA Focus

Hanover County, VA Focus

VIRGINIA FOCUS

Austin/Travis County, TX Focus

Houston/Harris County, TX Focus

Dallas County, TX Focus

Texas 10th District Focus: Bastrop, Lee, Burleson, Washington, Austin, Harris, Waller Counties

Texas 15th Congressional District Focus: Hidalgo, Brooks, Duval, Live Oak, Bee, Jim Wells, Karnes, DeWitt, Goliad, San Patricio, Refugio Counties

Texas 21st District Focus: Travis, Kerr, Real, Bandera, Kendall, Comal and Blanco Counties

TEXAS FOCUS

Pennsylvania Focus: Green Power Switch

Philadelphia, PA Focus

Lancaster Co. PA Focus

PENNSYLVANIA FOCUS

Minnesota Focus: Green Power Switch

Minneapolis, MN Focus

Olmsted County, MN Focus

MINNESOTA FOCUS

Washington State Focus: Green Power Switch

Seattle/King County, WA Focus

Spokane County, WA Focus

Thurston County, WA Focus

WASHINGTON STATE FOCUS

New Jersey Focus: Green Power Switch

Sussex County, NJ Focus

Warren County, NJ Focus

Passaic County, NJ Focus

New Jersey 7th Congressional District Focus

NEW JERSEY FOCUS

Arizona Focus: Green Power Switch

Phoenix/Maricopa County, AZ Focus

ARIZONA FOCUS

Georgia Focus: Green Power Switch

Atlanta, GA Focus

Coweta County, GA Focus

Fayette County, GA Focus

GEORGIA FOCUS

Michigan Focus: Green Power Switch

Detroit, MI Focus

MICHIGAN FOCUS

North Carolina Focus: Green Power Switch

North Carolina Focus: NC-5 District Focus (Stokes County, Statesville, Surrey County, Iredell County, Watauga County, Yadkin County)

North Carolina 11th District (Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Macon, Swain, Jackson, Transylvania, Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Polk Counties)

NORTH CAROLINA FOCUS

Colorado Focus: Green Power Switch

Denver, CO Focus

Boulder County, CO Focus

Larimer County, CO Focus

Douglas County, CO Focus

COLORADO FOCUS

Tennessee Focus: Green Power Switch

TENNESSEE FOCUS

KANSAS FOCUS

Nevada Focus: Green Power Switch

Las Vegas, NV Focus

NEVADA FOCUS

SOUTH CAROLINA FOCUS

Iowa Focus: Green Power Switch

Davenport/Scott County, IA Focus

IOWA FOCUS

Arkansas 1st Congressional District Focus

Arkansas 3rd Congressional District Focus

Oklahoma County, OK Focus