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welcome

For too long, progressives have either been silent — or needlessly defensive — in important debates over what matters. That era is over. There's a new network of people who know that progressive values and practical politics are a winning hand. Welcome to Progressive Majority.

From this site, we intend to build a growing network of new leaders and regular folks who share progressive values — and who understand the practical steps necessary to implement our principles. We invite you to learn, join, take action and tell us how we can be better.

This is the time to be bold. The answer to "compassionate conservatism" is not timid progressivism. A majority of Americans support Progressive Majority's common sense agenda for Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Universal Health Care, Quality Education, Environmental Protection and Reproductive Freedom.

Join us. To elect champions to office. To stop ceding control to the right.



what's new

12/5/03 -- Today, Progressive Majority launched a campaign to find out who in the White House revealed the name of a CIA operative in the name of political hardball.

Click here to link to the campaign immediately.

George W. Bush and John Ashcroft’s Justice Department have had five months to investigate this matter. But they say they still don’t know who leaked. We don’t think that’s much of a surprise – and we don’t think they’re going to get to the bottom of this.

We don't need to wait for Ashcroft and Bush to find the leaker on the loose. One man knows. Robert Novak is the conservative who published the name in a July 14, 2003 column. He should come clean.

Take Action Today

December 2003 -- HELP WANTED! Progressive Majority Networkers Needed Immediately for the 2004 Elections.

Progressive Majority Networkers are the backbone of our political program -- they provide the critical resources our candidates need to put together strong campaigns and effectively counter their better-funded opposition. It's simple:

- Individuals join Progressive Majority and we use their membership contributions to track candidates' positions on key issues and identify the top races in the country;
- We distribute candidate bulletins and information about the candidates to Networkers and the broader progressive community;
- Networkers and other small donors write checks to the candidates of their choice, or make a contribution on-line, and send them through Progressive Majority;
- We bundle the contributions together and send them to the candidates with the message that the support comes from progressives who expect them to champion our issues once elected.

Networkers are a major political force -- just 20,000 people, giving $50 each, can raise $1 million! Become a Networker (if you haven't already) and help us recruit more progressives into the Network.

11/13/03 -- Progressive Majority launches PROPAC, a Unique Program to Recruit, Train and Elect the Next Generation of Leadership

Progressive Majority is focused not just on the next election, but on bulding a progessive political movement that will elect an enduring majority for years to come.

Through PROPAC, Progressive Majority will build a "farm team" of progressive candidates ready to run for election. This will be accomplished by:

- Identifying the strongest progressive leaders;
- Recruiting them to run for office;
- Training them on how to campaign, raise money and articulate a clear, compelling progressive message;
- Delivering real political campaign assistance;
- Assisting them with raising money to get their message out; and
- Connecting them to a broader network of elected officials, progressive advocates and other candidates so they will be strong, committed and well-connected officeholders.

Bush Got $500,000 From Companies That Got Contracts, Study Finds Executives, employees and political action committees of the 70 companies that received government contracts for work in either Iraq or Afghanistan contributed slightly more than $500,000 to President Bush's 2000 election campaign, according to a comprehensive study of the contracts released on Tuesday.

Build from the Grassroots

Under the motto “A Future Worth Fighting For,” Progressive Majority is focusing not just on the 2004 election, but on cultivating a progressive movement that can change the face of politics from the bottom up. Arguing that progressives have left candidate recruitment to conservative and moderate Democrats for too long, Progressive Majority has developed a strategy to recruit and develop progressive candidates at all levels.

“We don’t want to set up a third party,” Gloria Totten, Progressive Majority’s executive director says. “We believe the most important thing the progressive movement can do is gain a governing majority.”

To establish an infrastructure for building a “farm team” of progressive candidates, Progressive Majority will create state candidate advisory councils composed of local progressive leaders who will seek out grassroots leaders. The first advisory councils will be formed in five states that are typically presidential battlegrounds. From those, Progressive Majority will expand its efforts each election cycle.

Progressive Majority also will provide training through the recently formed Wellstone Action (see Survival Guide, page 45) and other organizations in campaign strategy, fundraising, public presentations, and staffing. Candidates will receive mentoring from progressive politicians and advisory council members and access to the Progressive Donor Network. And Progressive Majority will help the candidates connect to one another and to a national coalition of progressive organizations.

Through building state-level infrastructure and national-level coordination and support, Progressive Majority hopes to make the progressive agenda a permanent part of the political environment.

This common sense strategy has been met with enthusiasm, and Totten suspects others will soon seize upon her model and begin to develop progressive infrastructure in states around the country. Indeed, Totten encourages activists to do just that. “Don’t wait for us to come to your state,” she says. “Go ahead and start organizing for yourselves.”

Yes! Magazine, Fall 2003 by Krista Camenzind

Progressive Majority is seeking interns. Become a Progressive Majority Intern!

Progressive Majority needs your financial support! Only with your help can we build a strong nationwide movement of citizens to stand up and fight for a true progressive agenda! Your support today allows us to recruit and run progressive candidates at all levels, and provide the money, campaign support and technical assistance they need to win on Election Day. For more information, please call our office at 202-408-8603. Better yet, Make A Contribution Now.