PDNC Annual Meeting, Dec 8th, 2007 - Morning Session
Key Points from Morning Session, PDNC Annual Meeting, Dec 8th, 2007
Ryan Eller: Winston Salem: CHANGE organization.
Reach young people
Give them authority in the party
Presidential debates engage people – but issues are missing
Ease of voting – on campus
On line is critical, Face Book,
Walt Caison:
Go after pillars of the empire like Aero Contracts
HB 1682 - anti torture bill
Focus on anti-poverty and anti-racism
We need a larger broader movement that is a peace movement too
Marisol Jimenez-McGee:
Clarify our shared values as a movement
How do we reflect privilege and oppression?
Crack the code of how we hold the line together
- erosion of civil rights – pushing for ID’s = code for undocumented
- prison industrial context
- NAFTA etc
- Reproductive justice – code for anti
Hold the line for others issues too
Don’t be wedged
Chris Estes:
Reach out to people with disabilities
Fight the paradigm that less government is good
Compute the costs of inaction: example: environment in west and east of state
Rep. Verla Insko:
Go to Health Care for All website
Do a week of HKonJ when the legislature is in session
Mark Kleinschmidt:
Look at internet – see Mark K’s blog as an example of the right’s blog power
We have to use modern communications tools
Home rule is critical
Telecommunications industry as example – bypass local officials
Al McSurely (NAACP)
Feb 12 2009 – 100th anniversary go for 50K
We need the big supper for the coalition – maybe a supper after HKonJ this year
Smithfield – most important labor campaign in South
Change to Win is committing organizers for HK on J
Collective bargaining for public employees
Prosecutorial misconduct – see NAACP website
Steve Owen:
Crisis of perception – how do we translate these stories and ground them
How do we get the information we need to engage people on the ground?
Walk and talk it
See Local Democracy Under Siege book
John Parker:
Look out for UNC tomorrow plan
18 out of 100 actually graduate from college in NC
Do a skills agenda: civics, econ, etc – sustainable economy
Green Jobs!
Tie the issues together
Discuss our values
Look at history re power structure
Grassroots education year round
Root activist values at home
Chase Foster:
We have to restore the possibility of government to hold the other interests accountability
Focus on public goods – parks and school
Imagine larger public goods – national health care – free tuition – imagine a larger notion of public school
Democracy reform work
Steve Dear
Progressives need to move beyond 185
Go rural!
Build in east of 85 - critical area
Build personal relationships
Local elected officials, local media
Media tours
Local TV and radio will cover
Progressive non-profits need to hold conference down east
Introduce activist there to each us – PEACE LEAP model
Hope Taylor:
Pitch our issues in human rights terms
Enviro agencies captured by polluters
It is a rights issue
Water privatization
Beyond reform – to rights agenda
No privatization
Build econ models that are enviro and socially responsible
Youth and green jobs
Do conservation utilities
Salidin Mohammed:
What is the core issue of our time – now?
Allow collective bargaining – empower the worker and their right
Right to public services and health care
Was seen as unthinkable – now there is a bill – legislators stepping up
Beyond uniting the leaders – empower people
Repeal 9598 – puts in context of the constitution and international law.
Workers saying: get in step with the world
Ideas from members:
Youth involvement is critical
Build locally and statewide
Need issue oriented agenda
See the communications
Better communications
Publicize what each other is doing
Work with co. human rights commissions
Go back into own communities and do what we are doing here – re HK on J
Being informed about issues before going to legislators on mass – go repeatedly
Go to our neighbors and find what is important to them
Constructing victory – 25 people 3 times - Dem party program
Networking communicating supporting each other
Rural outreach – in east –
Go to where the people are – find their interests – including sports cultural
Find the overarching concerns – human rights are critical
Do this kind of meeting at the local
level – it can difficult – but we have to be the folks that bring
people together re human rights
Energize the youth – use modern communications –
Not charging for coming – no costs
Get local get person to person
