Progressive Democrat Newsletter Issue 286

I think there are three very important headlines from the past couple of weeks that we can't forget:

On inspiring and uniting the nation: Obama's Triumph of Unity & Palin's Failure to Divide

On jobs: More Jobs In 1 Year Under Obama Than 8 With Bush

And on the deficit: Obamacare reduces the deficit

Obama is a centrist. Always has been and has never pretended to be anything else. We are just so used to right wing extremists setting the political dialogue that it was easy to believe a centrist was a leftist. So to many leftists there is a sense of betrayal which isn't really fair on Obama. We can and should push for a more liberal government and continue to reject right wing trickle down extremism and racism. But we also need to realize that Obama and Congressional Democrats, despite a certain weakness and vascillation, actually accomplished more in 2 years than Republicans accomplished in a decade.

Keith Olbermann has left MSNBC, representing a further decline in American television. MSNBC still has the excellent Rachel Maddow Show, and I do recommend people watch that. But beyond that there isn't much on mainstream American television worth watching. For information I recommend Current TV (which has excellent news as well as entertainment shows), BBC News, Salon.com, NPR and local Progressive Radio Stations. I include info on these in the local pages in the newsletter, highlighting particular local stations wherever possible. They are the best media around these days. I can also recommend news journals like The Nation and the Progressive Populist. Sadly, it seems MSNBC is in decline after a brief period of being superior to any other mainstream American news channel.

Darwin Day is coming up (Feb. 12, 2011). So I have started adding any Darwin Day events I find in the states I cover. If you know of any I have missed, please let me know.

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Better Banking and Better Credit Cards

An interesting article from a fellow Culture Kitchen blogger: Critical Thinking and the African Identity

A chilling discussion from Daily Kos of right wing violence and America's denial of the problem: Right wing's murderous denial

New York Focus: Green Power Switch

Brooklyn, NY Focus

Manhattan, NY Focus

Queens, NY Focus

Bronx, 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

California Focus: Green Power Switch

Silicon Valley Area, CA Focus

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

Orange County, CA Focus

San Diego, 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

New Jersey Focus: Green Power Switch

Sussex County, NJ Focus

Passaic County, NJ Focus

Warren County, NJ Focus

New Jersey 7th Congressional District Focus

NEW JERSEY 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

Dallas County, TX Focus

Houston/Harris County, TX Focus

Austin/Travis 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

Florida Focus: Green Power Switch

Tampa/Hillsborough County, FL Focus

Orange County, FL Focus

Broward County, FL Focus

Pinellas County, FL Focus

FLORIDA FOCUS

Pennsylvania Focus: Green Power Switch

Philadelphia, PA Focus

Lancaster Co. PA Focus

PENNSYLVANIA FOCUS

Illinois Focus: Green Power Switch

Chicago/Cook County, IL Focus

ILLINOIS FOCUS

Washington State Focus: Green Power Switch

Seattle/King County, WA Focus

Spokane County, WA Focus

Thurston County, WA Focus

WASHINGTON STATE FOCUS

Michigan Focus: Green Power Switch

Detroit, MI Focus

MICHIGAN FOCUS

Minnesota Focus: Green Power Switch

Minneapolis, MN Focus

Olmsted County, MN Focus

MINNESOTA FOCUS

North Carolina Focus: Green Power Switch

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

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

KANSAS FOCUS

Arizona Focus: Green Power Switch

Phoenix/Maricopa County, AZ Focus

ARIZONA FOCUS

Georgia Focus: Green Power Switch

Atlanta, GA Focus

Fayette County, GA Focus

Coweta County, GA Focus

GEORGIA FOCUS

Wisconsin Focus: Green Power Switch

Milwaukee, WI Focus

Madison, WI Focus

WISCONSIN FOCUS

SOUTH CAROLINA FOCUS

Nevada Focus: Green Power Switch

Las Vegas, NV Focus

NEVADA FOCUS

Oklahoma County, OK Focus

Iowa Focus: Green Power Switch

Davenport/Scott County, IA Focus

IOWA FOCUS

Arkansas 1st Congressional District Focus

Arkansas 3rd Congressional District Focus

Tennessee Focus: Green Power Switch

TENNESSEE FOCUS