Democracy Action is a San Francisco-based Democratic club and PAC providing members and volunteers the organization and support necessary to influence state and national politics. We are the San Francisco chapter of Progressive Democrats of America.

---

Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton are still duking it out, with Obama getting ever closer after his big May 6 win in North Carolina and a narrow loss in Indiana. 100 Years War McCain has clinched, and we're up against McCain's Hundred Years after Bush's Hundred Blunders, in effect a "third term" for Bush", and some strategic lying. Check out detailed election information and the candidates' contact information on the flip. Will the Super Delegates need to stage a mini-convention after the final June 3 primaries to resolve the delegate count and presumptive nominee before the August convention? DemocracyAction's staying out, ready to be a unifying force once we know if it's Obama or Hillary in the home stretch against McSame.


Evan Vucci/AP

April 22 - Pennsylvania: Hillary 55%, Obama 45%
May 6 - Indiana: Hillary 51%, Obama 49% - North Carolina: Obama 56%, Hillary 42%


The final rounds:
West Virginia (39) - May 13
Kentucky (60) & Oregon (65) - May 20
Puerto Rico (63) - June 1
Montana (24) & South Dakota (23) - June 3

Check out polling results for upcoming primaries. For delegate counts and popular vote, see ABC and Real Clear Politics ...

Read the rest ...

---

---

Alicia Wang, the California Democratic Party's Vice Chair for Northern California, and Democratic National Committee Member Christine Pelosi, author of the newly released Campaign Boot Camp, spoke to about 75 attendees at DemocracyAction's Fourth Annual Meeting, providing perspectives on their roles as Superdelegates and Christine also presenting some key points from her book and the campaign trail. See the pics by Phil Matiatos and Erik Wood. Steve Noetzel conducted the election of officers for the next year, resulting in the re-election of President Alec Bash, Treasurer Tracy Knott, Secretary Dave Massen, and Committee Chairs Eileen Foster for Electoral/Issues Action, Erik Wood for Communications, Jennifer Hammond for Election Reform, Linda Burke for Membership, and the election of Vice President Mark Cesare and Information Technology Committee Chair Trevor McNeil. Gearing Up for the Nov 4 Election included these ideas: visibility tabling to attract more volunteers and distribute our Presidential candidate's campaign buttons, bumper stickers and window sign house parties to attract more volunteers and raise funds for our Presidential candidate

Read the rest ...

---

---

Hundred Years War McCain continues to flub the basics in Iraq by linking Iran and Al-Qaeda. Iraq's in a civil war between Shiites and Sunnis, yet McCain repeatedly claims that Shiite Iran is allied with Sunni Al-Qaeda. McCain claimed the power of Shi'a militia leader al-Sadr was waning, and a week later had to reverse himself. McCain said the war would be "fairly easy" before it started, and now he denies ever having said anything about easy. McCain will continue McBush policies in Iraq with no plan to end a bloody and costly occupation which has brought virtually no political progress even after the Bush/Cheney "surge". McSame as McBush is a recipe for disaster. Many Democratic Congressional candidates and military people have endorsed A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq to

Read the rest ...

---

---

"Conservatives chose to invade Iraq on trumped-up charges of weapons of mass destruction. Now oil prices have skyrocketed, Baghdad has become a recruiting ground for jihadists, we're bankrupting ourselves, and American standing has never been lower in the world." Eric Lotke, Campaign for America's Future

San Francisco's MoveOn Council released new MoveOn.org polling numbers at an April 24 Iraq and Recession Rally, co-sponsored by DemocracyAction and San Francisco for Democracy-Federal Action, at Market & Montgomery Streets. Californians (62%) are worried about our sinking economy's impact on the state, and 50% believe getting out of Iraq would help our economy "a great deal". See the pics by Tom Brown. Given a choice, 69% would rather invest the billions we're dumping into Iraq every week on critical priorities here at home like healthcare and education. California's share of spending on Bush's occupation of Iraq would provide health coverage for 27 million people, Head Start placements for 8 million kids, 10 million scholarships to make college more affordable, 200,000 affordable housing units....and think of the green collar jobs to promote renewable, clean energy sources to counter the global climate crisis! The $500 Billion in direct military spending in Iraq and up to $3 Trillion in related costs is a central cause of the sub-prime banking crisis threatening the world economy and leading us into recession. Economists are starting to correlate Bush's War and Occupation of Iraq with our country's economic slowdown. This economic slowdown has brought MoveOn.org, John and Elizabeth Edwards, USAction, Americans United for Change, VoteVets, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Americans United for Change together in a multi-million dollar public awareness and lobbying campaign to publicize the link between the Iraq occupation and our weakening economy. Check out their first TV Ad from VoteVets.org. Progressive Democrats of America has started a companion Healthcare Not Warfare campaign. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine reports that a recent survey of more than 2,000 doctors found that 59 percent said they support legislation to establish a national health insurance program (which would eliminate the 30% administrative costs associated with insurance companies), while 32 percent said they opposed itd.

Read the rest ...

---

---

The Cook Report rates Democratic and Republican chances in the many House and Senate Races. The Dems hold 12 and the Repubs 23 of the Senate seats up for election Nov 4 - 10 solid Dem seats & 13 solid Repubs.

South Dakota Tim Johnson and Louisiana Mary Landrieu are the only Dems in any jeopardy, while the retirement of Virginia John Warner (R) leaves his seat ripe for the picking by former Governor Mark Warner (D).

The Dems' five toss-up races include Congressmen Mark & Tom Udall, cousins, running for retiring Colorado Wayne Allard (R) and New Mexico Pete Domenici (R) seats, respectively; New Hampshire former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen vs. John Sununu (R); Maine Congressman Tom Allen vs. Susan Collins (R); Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkle (or Steve Novick) vs. Gordon Smith (R); Minnesota Al Franken or Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer vs. Norm Coleman (R); and Alaska Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich or former state Rep. Ray Metcalfe vs. Ted Stevens (R).


Read the rest ...

---

---

150 Dems and Progressives came together at the Jillian's Super Tuesday Primary Watch Party on February 5, and another 60 at Julie's Supper Club on March 11, including neutrals, Hillaryites and Obamiacs, all committed to winning the Nov 4 2008 election and taking back our country! "100 Year War McCain" meanwhile is globe-trotting and confusing Shiites with Sunnis and Iran with Al Qaeda.



Read the rest ...

---

---

January 19-20, the last weekend to Register to Vote before Feb 5th's Presidential Primary, started off calm and sunny - a great time to register voters. DemocracyAction (DA) volunteers set up at Haight & Masonic and 9th & Irving Streets and registered almost 400 people - with about 260 Democrat, 90 Independent, 20 Republican and 20 Green/Libertarian/Peace & Freedom/American Independent Party registrations....

Read the rest ...

---

---

Dec 7th about 65 people celebrated another year's work to take back our country. San Francisco's 2004 Presidential campaign volunteers created DemocracyAction looking towards the Nov 4, 2008 election. We're almost there after having done lots of good in the meantime. Hearty food, good wine and other beverages complemented the many good people gathered at Alec and Sharry Bash's home.



Joining us were Charlie (speaking above) and Jan Brown, looking good to win in their second effort after knocking ethically-challenged...



Read the rest ...

---

---

The City Hall steps bore witness to an Oct 30th mock trial of a Diebold touch screen voting machine for "Crimes Against Democracy". About 40 people gathered around the Raging Grannies, as they sang newly-inspired lyrics to traditional patriotic songs with coverage by several TV stations, to be part of a "jury" to hear testimony against secret, proprietary software in electronic voting machines. Witness Dan Ashby of the Election Defense Alliance led off for the prosecution.




Read the rest ...

---

---

DemocracyAction joined 30,000 others at San Francisco's Bring The Troops Home Now! Civic Center rally and march to Dolores Park. DemocracyAction is the San Francisco chapter of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), which endorsed this nationwide protest. PDA Chapters from East Bay www.pdeastbay.org, Sacramento www.sacramentofordemocracy.org, Sonoma www.pdsonoma.org and Marin marched together with DemocracyAction. It's Dave Massen with the peace sign.

    

Over 150 political, religious, labor and community groups came together to organize 11 major protests across the country in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, LA, New Orleans, NYC, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Jonesborough TN. Jim Forbes carried all the buttons.

    




Read the rest ...

---