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In This Section:

How Much Lying Will It Take To Break Your Confidence?
Weiner: Giving Up Single-Payer Was 'Real Politics'
10 of the Nuttiest Statements Elected Officials Have Made in the Health Care Battle
I'll Bet the 10.2 Percent Can't Keep What They've Got
The African World: A Personal Look at Healthcare Reform
Lessons Learned in VA, CA and NJ: Is Rahm Emanuel Orchestrating 2010 Democratic Massacre?
Hoyer: House Vote May Be Pushed Back
Health Care Reform 2009: No Bill is Better Than a Bad Bill
Fans of House Health Option Cite Rights, Hopes, But Risk Big Defeat
Thousands of Right-Wingers Rally at Capitol to Hear Lies About Health-Care Reform, Courtesy of Bachmann and GOP Leaders
War In Afghanistan Must End
Horror at Fort Hood Inspires Horribly Predictable Islamophobia
Mass Shooting Indicates Breakdown of Military
And the Winner in Honduras is ... the United States?
No Floor Vote--Stop Calling Congress on Weiner Amendment

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National Leadership Conference Big Success

March 24, 2007, Washington, DC

Seventy PDA activists from coast to coast gathered Saturday in Washington D.C. for a full day of speakers, panels and nuts and bolts workshops on fundraising, database management, media outreach, and local and statewide organizing.

The day kicked off with a fascinating panel, chaired by PDA director Tim Carpenter, focused on how to build progressive clout on Capitol Hill, among Democrats and among the grassroots. The panel incuded Maryland State Democratic Chair and PDA advisory board member Terry Lierman, top Congressional staffers Jim Clarke (for PDA board member Rep. Diane Watson) and Glenn Miller for (PDA board member Rep. Raul Grijalva) and Bill Goold, executive director of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC).

The jumping off point for the discussion was yesterday’s House vote on the war. The Congressional staffers said that progressive members are ready to renew efforts to bring the Iraq occupation to a close – quicker than the 18 month “deadline” in the House bill. Party chair Lierman encouraged PDA to keep organizing and building. He had no criticism of the PDA strategy of challenging Democratic incumbents: “Contested elections are good for the party.”

During lunch, there were breakout sessions on PDA’s Issue Organizing teams:

• Iraq and Oversight/Accountability/Impeachment: PDA board members Medea Benjamin (Code Pink), author David Swanson, and impeachment activists Mike Zmolek and John Judge
• Healthcare for All: Marilyn Clement of HealthCare Now!, and Joel Segal (staff member of Rep. John Conyers, PDA board member)
• Economic Justice: Diane Shamis(PDA field coordinator), Leutisha Stills (Congressional Black Caucus Monitor), Kenny Barnes (ROOT), and PDA State Coordinators Luis Cuevas (FL) and Bill Shaw (RI).
• Clean, Fair and Transparent Elections: author Steve Freeman, Greg Moore (PDA board member). NY PDA Election Integrity activist Allegra Dengler.

In the evening, activists screened two movies such as The War Tapes, a movie about Iraq shot by soldiers stationed in Iraq, and a documentary produced by Rhode Island PDA on the Jan.27 anti-war rally in DC.

The conference concludes on Sunday. PDA activists are energized and armed with additional skills and knowledge to return home to build PDA and allied coalitions for peace, justice, environmental sustainability and full democracy.