2008 Primary: April 2007 Archives

Having Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton strongly praise California's environmental leadership was a welcomed acknowledgement of our effort to set the standard for good environmental stewardship. She also told the crowd at the Democratic convention that she regularly points to California as the example the rest of the nation should be following in this effort.
Speak Out California was in attendance at the press conference Senator Clinton held after her speech to the Convention. I was able to ask her whether she was prepared to help California get back some of its tax dollars, since we are the biggest "donor" state in the country. (California pays over $50 Billion more in federal taxes than we receive in federal programs and services, which is equal to getting 78 cents worth for each dollar we contribute to the federal coffers in taxes). She responded by saying, "We have the same problem in New York. The states that have a lot of wealthy people, like California and New York do, . . . we don't get our fair share back." She said she would "look at" that issue as president, but that her focus would be in making sure that Health Care and Education are funded equally throughout the country.

The bad news...
No other presidential candidate had a press conference following their presentation to the general convention, so we did not have a chance to ask any of them what they will do for the people of California if elected president.

The good news...
I was interviewed for NPR speaking for Speak Out California, so listen for it in the coming days.

Speak Out California is present at the Democratic Convention in San Diego! We have a table and have listened carefully to all the speakers. Those presidential candidates who have the "head and heart" of the Californian people have spoken.

We're conducting an informal "Presidential Straw Poll" here to get a sense of how those attending the Convention
feel about the candidates, particularly after hearing them speak in person. We'll be following up on this at the end of the convention and will keep you posted on just where the general sentiments seem to be--at least at this point in the campaign.

During her speech to the general convention, Hillary Clinton spoke powerfully about her commitment to a national universal health care system.

Barack Obama electrified the crowd as he empowered each person in the audience to have a "can do" attitude. He further emphasized that it is the voters who decide what the elected members must do.

After telling the audience that he was one of the few candidates who spoke Spanish, Christopher Dodd reminded us of the importance of fixing the nation for the benefit of the next generation.

Toward the end of the afternoon, Dennis Kucinich came and briefly continued his open support for the impeachment ofPresident George W. Bush.

We will be here again tomorrow as we wait to hear John Edwards. And check in later this week to see the results of the Convention Straw Poll.

Leading democratic presidential contenders will hit the hustings in San Diego this weekend, vying for votes and trolling for support from conventioneers. The accelerated presidential primary calendar will give California more influence over who is nominated, but it also favors those who amass the most in campaign contributions, so they can get their message out in multiple media markets at once.

All the more reason why those of us who hunger for change in Washington need to be on our toes, researching the candidates and their positions, and choosing wisely. We need to look beyond the race for dollars, get involved and active earlier, and make sure that whoever earns the nomination has a real depth of support and staying power.

What can you do to help ensure a progressive candidate wins?

Participate in town hall meetings. Volunteer in campaigns. Walk precincts, write letters to the editor, spread the word to friends and neighbors, put up signs, slap a bumper sticker on your own car, staff a table at your local farmer's market, leaflet at a favorite sporting event, contribute online, and/or join up with friends to do phone banking.

You don't need reminding how high the stakes are. You are already more then motivated. Just get out there and do it.

As Joan Blades of MoveOn.org has printed on one of her favorite T-shirts, "Politics is NOT a spectator sport!"