Anti-War Resolution Passes California Democratic Party Convention

[Kevin Spidel]

News from the Global Appeal/Iraq project:

Anti-War Resolution Passes California Democratic Party Convention

LOS ANGELES. April 17. Two thousand California Democrats passed a resolution calling for termination of the Iraq war and occupation, including a US troop withdrawal "at the earliest possible time", at their annual convention in Los Angeles this weekend.

The resolution was devised by grass-roots Democratic peace activists, including the newly-formed Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), who fought an intense three-day battle before the party platform committee and on the floor. They faced severe pressures to water down or derail the resolution by more hawkish Democrats, including delegates associated with the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) who tried to "pull" the resolution from the party platform report, according to PDA executive-director Tim Carpenter. Delegates representing former presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark also tried unsuccessfully to weaken the resolution, Carpenter said.

The California resolution represents a far stronger position than that taken by the national Democratic Party during the 2004 presidential campaign. In addition, the struggle for its passage is a potential model for parties in other states as the national party seeks to contain anti-war forces among its rank-and-file. Carpenter, who began as a grass roots California party volunteer almost thirty years ago, has become a respected practioners of "outside/inside" strategies and tactics to pressure politicians.

In a significant development, the same progressive forces passed a resolution denouncing the Central American Free Trade Agreement, revealing growing and effective links between anti-war and anti-NAFTA-CAFTA-FTAA forces in the party.

Party chair Howard Dean, whose rise as a national candidate was based on his opposition to the invasion of Iraq, avoided any mention of the war and occupation in several appearances during the convention, though delegates from the Dean campaign supported the anti-war platform overwhelmingly. At the national level, leading Democrats have failed to unify in opposition to the war, leaving senators like Edward Kennedy and representatives like Lynn Woolsey, author of a resolution favoring withdrawal, on the margins.

Carpenter, PDA national chair Mimi Kennedy and local chair Marcy Winnograd predicted the success would inspire local peace and Democratic activists to increase the pressure at local levels to influence Congressional behavior. Not far off are the 2006 Congressional elections and the 2008 presidential primaries.

"Democrats can't hide and wish the war will go away, commented former state senator Tom Hayden, who spoke before a PDA gathering at the convention. "Rumsfeld has recently bragged that the US doesnt have an exit strategy, only a victory strategy. That should worry a majority of Americans who are seeing one billion of their tax dollars wasted every week in Iraq, who have seen 2000 Americans killed and unknown numbers of Iraqis, and who are ashamed of policies that have permitted rampant torture at Abu Graib, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. The Bush Administration still plans a permanent occupation and permanent bases in Iraq, and will have to be forced to leave by domestic public opinion, anger over budget priorities, unrest among military families, and the continuing collapse of the so-called "coalition of the willing"

[Kerrytravelers]

1. The hawkish Dems are driving away other leftists who didn't vote for Kerry

because he supported the war. They can't seperate the vote Kerry cast when he wanted to believe that * wasn't bold-face lying with the more war-loving Dems in our party. I discovered this fact as I was working for Kerry in Swing States.

[Clark Bayh 2008]

2. Oh yeah... this will really help bring us wins in red states..

great strategy.... we're all against war, but if Republicans control everything what say will we have?!

I worked for Kerry in Fla & Ohio. I'm sorry but if the hard left is going to be as inflexible as the hard right, we will never see another Democrat president.

Or maybe the Greens think Kucinich/Nader will garner 270 electoral votes in 2008. Idealism is wonderful - can't we also have some common sense in the Democratic party?

[cally]

4. There is no way that a vote by the California Democratic Party

hurts our chances in Red States. You can't expect all of us to become red staters. We have to be a bigger party. California is one of the money states so what this does is put candidates on notice that California Dems want more from our candidates. I'm proud we passed a progressive resolution.

[davidinalameda]

3. didn't realize that there were delegates representing Clark

this seems like some sort of pre-emptive strike at the General

[Kevin Spidel]

5. They were delegates from WestPAC

[Kevin Spidel]

6. Dem Convention Passes Anti-War Res/Brad's Speech/Mimi's Notes

PDLA'ers - (from Marcy)

You won't read about it in the LA Times, but the truth is progressives in the CA Democratic Party are making headway -- At the CA Dem Convention in LA last weekend, delegates passed resolutions calling for the rapid termination of the war on Iraq, opposition to CAFTA, support for Clean Money, Civil Marriage, and the Right to Choose. Progressives met before and after the floor vote to discuss strategy and network. They also packed our PDA hospitality suite to hear Hayden, Lee, and Waters on ending the occupation.

Below is the speech PDLA's VP Brad Parker made on the floor of the convention, right after the Iraq war resolution was pulled from the consent calendar by someone who wanted to debate the wording. (Mimi's organizing strategy follows Brad)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I’m Brad Parker from the 41st AD, Valley Democrats United and the
Progressive Democrats of America. I rise in support of the Iraq
resolution, 45A, as written.

California is the Conscience of the Nation.

The California Democratic Party should be the Conscience of the
Democratic National Party.

That is why I urge you, my fellow delegates, to support this
resolution, the third highest resolution in votes counted.

Over 100 Americans have died in Iraq since the much bally-hooed
election, which has failed to form a government. The highest percentage
of all casualties in Iraq is from California. If the Party really
believes what is up there, "Protects Real People", then we must end
this madness.

American corporations are building Water and Power plants with the
instructions on them written in English not Arabic. They don’t know
where they are but we know where they are.

We must send a message. You my fellow delegates have the opportunity
to do what the Congress has failed to do, with the exception of members
like Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey from California, and support HR35.

This is only the beginning in a long struggle. We have, a long road
ahead of us, much, much further to go.

I urge all the delegates to pass this resolution, today.

The Whole World is Watching.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Mimi Kennedy ...
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE IRAQ RESOLUTION PASSING THE CONVENTION!

I just called Erin Prangley in Brad Sherman's office to tell her the Resolution passed -- and told her how: that, after one man from the Hall of delegates had "pulled" the resolution NOT A SINGLE PERSON MORE came to the microphone to support his opposition to it. (I told her we'd heard Art Torres had encouraged the "pull" - and confided my personal view that no matter how it happened, the move was politically canny because it allowed a show of the unquestionable unity of CA's rank-and-file Democrats against the occupation. I told her the opposing voice had cited fear of terrorism to justify military occupation, and -- whatever the variety of views in the Hall - no one had seconded that. ) She kept saying, "Wow" and "what a tremendous victory." She said she was "blown away" -- and that she would tell her boss. She understood completely the implications.

I repeated my invitation to go to Arlington West with Congressman Sherman and suggested Memorial Day weekend Sunday. She said that would be the best. We agreed it would be wonderful to have them al there: Berman, Sherman, Waxman and Schiff. It might happen.

Please self-organize to call your representatives' offices with the news that our state party found only one voice in the delegates' Hall on Sunday to support continued occupation of Iraq. Please invite them to Arlington West in co-ordination with their fellow Democratic reps from the LA area, and that we're hoping it might be possible on Memorial weekend Sunday.

Peace,

Mimi
National Board Chair, Progressive Democrats of America
CA-27th Congressional District (Brad Sherman)
CA-40th Assembly District (Lloyd Levine)
CA- 21st State Senate District (Jack Scott)
Member, PDLA
Valley Democrats United

[xxqqqzme]

7. gee, I thought the resolution

reiterating GAS' veto of legislation 2 set up training programs 4 coaches 2 counsel and hep thletes avoid the steroid trap and calling him 2 task 2 actually sign such legislation was an even better stick in his eye.

[MontecitoDem]

8. Re Clark

My understanding of the Clark pull was that they wanted to add one word - RESPONSIBLE to the resolution.

There were a number of pulls I believe, and they weren't all Clark supporters. Can someone enlighten me on this?

I supported Clark (and still do) but my AD committee passed a similar resolution as strong as the one that passed the convention!