"Access to affordable, high-quality health care would be universal. Social Security benefits would be protected, along with private pensions. The minimum wage would be raised, and workers' rights to form unions would be protected. Expiring sections of the Patriot Act wouldn't be renewed, and Congress would fight media consolidation.
U.S. troops would be brought home from Iraq "as soon as possible,'' and the government would work to "restore international respect for American power and influence.''
All these points are part of the "Progressive Promise,'' an effort by the 59-member caucus of liberal House Democrats and one independent to reinvigorate the 15-year-old organization and make it more of a player in a capital city where conservative Republicans are solidly in charge. The effort also includes hiring the caucus' first full-time staff member, veteran congressional aide Bill Goold, and reaching out to a variety of groups for support.
Behind the attempt to revitalize the organization is the feeling, also reflected in the election of the outspoken former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean as Democratic national chairman, that the party must provide a sharp alternative to President Bush and the Republican Congress."-from the article in Tuesday's San Francisco Chronicle.
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