CDP CONVENTION REPORT

The 2008 CDP Convention was a mixed success for the progressive movement.  The Caucus meeting was an overwhelming success, with over 400 participants, and standing room only. The agenda included a special welcome from the new Speaker of the Califonia Assembly, Karen Bass.  Committees reporting were the Outreach Committee (Ahjamu Makalani), the Election Integrity Committee (Don Goldmacher), the Poverty Committee (Susie Shannon), the Peace/Anti-War Committee (Karen Bernal), the Education Committee (Ricco Ross) and the Healthcare Committee (Jo Olson). Brad Parker reported on the state of Progressives in California and announced the Immigration Townhall. To read more of Brad Parker's rabble rousing, go here.

The meeting began with a heartfelt message from our Northern California Co-Chair, Mal Burstein.

"As progressives, we know that no president, by him or herself, is likely to, or can, adopt progressive policies.  As Jesse Jackson reminds us, we need a combination of an enlightened president and an energized electorate – that’s us.  But we can’t afford to get bogged down in what is becoming an increasingly bitter fight between Hillary and Barak partisans; marked by increasing invective.  Already partisans of one are starting to say they will not vote for the other (recent Oregon survey)." Read the rest here.

Mayme Hubert (Progressive Caucus Secretary) had this to add about serving the California Democratic Party:

" The Progressive Plan outlines a new structure for the Party -- bottom up, not top down.  It defines a structure that challenges us to show up and stand for elective office.  For months many of you have been working to get progressives elected to County Central Committees." Read the rest here.

The work of the Progressive Caucus was witnessed during two major events, the Platform Committee Meeting and the Immigration Townhall. On Friday night, the Platform Committee approved an astonishing plank statement in support of a publically financed, single payer healthcare system for California, thanks to the work of members of the Progressive Caucus. The final wording in the 2008 Platform is as follows:

"California Democrats believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. The CDP recognizes the health
and well-being of Californians cannot continue to be based on arbitrary private and public financial
decisions and therefore advocates legislation to create and implement a publicly funded (single-payer),
privately delivered, fiscally tractable, affordable, comprehensive, secure, high-quality, efficient, and
sustainable health care for all Californians."

Very special thanks to all of the platform members who helped put this statement of belief on the record for the California Democratic Party.

The Platform Committee also confirmed it's support of the LGBT community's pursuit of marriage equality in the following section of the "Equality of Opportunity" plank:

"We support the LGBT Community in its quest for the right to legal marriage as well as the clergy’s
complete religious freedom to solemnize marriages in accordance with their beliefs. "

Special thanks to the Platform Committee's Co-chair Norman Chramoff for his remarkable efforts on this statement.

Committment to the elimination of poverty was re-confirmed without changes in the platform, and 6 platform Committee Members voted to include a plank supporting abolition of the Death Penalty in California. Although this did not garner enough votes to be added to the platform, it generated an exciting dialogue about the subject, and helped promote the Death Penalty Survey distributed at the Convention to assess the DSCC's position on the Death Penalty.

To read the entire 2008 CDP Platform, please go here.

Conceived by the Progressive Caucus, the Immigration Townhall was a mixed success.

"On the positive side: for the first time a broad spectrum of caucuses collaborated on an important and controversial issue. Together, nine caucuses presented their consensus positions at an open to the DSCC delegates Town Hall, during a general session. This was followed by a brief amount of comment form the floor by the delegates. That’s the good stuff. Following are the curious shortcomings of the event." Please read the rest of Brad Parker's report here.

The Progressive Caucus gained more members at the Convention, and is growing faster than ever. If you have not joined, please join here.

The next CDP EBoard meeting will be the host to the next Progressive Caucus Meeting, and will be in mid-June. Stay tuned for further details.