The Progressive Democratic Movement
There is a reason to be optimistic about the future of this country. We see a new liberal movement forming out of the conservative failures of the last thirty years. The rapid growth of liberal thought can be seen in Gallup polls:
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90% of Americans support stronger gun control
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58% support same sex marriage
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80% oppose any cuts in Social Security and Medicare
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80% support investing in good paying domestic jobs
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70% support a halt in climate change
The exit polling after the election demonstrated that there were 21% more liberal voters than in 2008. Even in red states, liberal men and women voters came out strongly against candidates who attacked women's rights. In addition, the turnout of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American voters were all up, and they voted over 75% Democratic. The overall voter turnout was down—the majority of the voters in the remaining groups felt that Washington, D.C. was not meeting their concerns. Over 60% were to the left of Washington, DC. The conclusion is apparent—the time for a new liberal movement is now.
Democratic Party heads in D.C. have spent the past six years doubling down on their bets on right-wing candidates in red states, in the vain hopes they would win. They had even advised DAPAC to not support John Yarmouth from Kentucky as he was too liberal for the red state. Yarmouth ran against the hand picked D.C. candidate in the primary, with Yarmouth being out raised 2 to 1. Yarmouth went on to win the primary and the general, showing that a strong liberal candidate can win in a red state.
Strong, stable, and sound liberal Democratic candidates can win in red states. The Republican Party has been taken over by polarizing right-wing extremists. These right-wing candidates tend to be highly flawed—failing to understand what the American people want and expect from their candidates. For example, in Missouri’s last election for Senate, Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill and Republican nominee Todd Akin were in a very tight race. Then Akin made his infamous comment about pregnancy never being a result from “legitimate rape”. McCaskill won re-election by about 15%. These type of ridiculous, flawed right-wing Republican candidates are no match for strong liberal Democratic candidates.
With our economy still in shambles, the number one issue for 80% of Americans is good-paying jobs. Increased investment in the middle class to create good paying jobs is imperative. Investments in education, infrastructure, science and renewable energy can restore the United States to the economic powerhouse it has been in the past.
We support minority, women's, and gay rights. To treat any as a “states' rights” issue is to deny freedom for the very people the states exist to protect. Civil rights should never be held hostage to local prejudice. In addition the Hyde amendment, which restricts government funding to abortion services, needs to be overturned because voters should not be able to restrict a women's right to health care services.
We support families in immigration policy. Families need to be reunited. Families need the opportunity to be documented here, have a path to citizenship, and naturalized citizens should be allowed a path to bring their families to this country.
We support Social Security and Medicare. Working Americans have paid into these programs for decades. These are insurance contracts mandated by the federal government—and are in surplus. To not honor this contract puts the credibility of the federal government in jeopardy and certainly challenges the full faith and credit of the United States to most people.
We understand the science behind climate change and support environmental protection. 22 homes were destroyed with the one pipeline break in Missouri. The Keystone pipeline produces approximately one thousand times the oil with ten thousand times the natural gas mixed in to thin the oil to travel through the pipeline. A spill from this larger pipeline would destroy 2,200 homes and have a potential inferno from the ignited highly flammable natural gas that could destroy around an 100,000 acres.
DAPAC is pleased to announce the endorsement of four new candidates. We have Bruce Braley for US Senate in Iowa, Robin Kelly for IL-02, Jim Graves in MN-06, and Ed Markey for US Senate in Massachusetts. All are all strong, promising, liberal candidates that DAPAC believes in. You can read more about them online or in our attached newsletter. We are also continuing to review candidates in California and Texas.
These are just a few issues our true liberal progressive candidates are fighting for. Please join our fight for social and economic justice and donate here so we can have our values in the policies of the United States. Thank you for your intelligent consideration.
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