January 31, 2006
The press conference, which came on the morning of the president's State of the Union address, was followed by two in-depth panel discussions in which CPC members discussed how to move the country in a new direction and presented concrete ideas for achieving change. The panels - moderated by individuals from event-sponsors, The Nation and Institute for Policy Studies - covered issues ranging from how to bring our troops home from Iraq and ending the Republican culture of corruption and cronyism to healthcare reform, rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and achieving broad-based economic growth.
The Progressive Caucus news conference and panel discussions highlighted progressive priorities embodied in a set of twenty articles published by the Members of the Caucus in a special issue of The Nation magazine: Paths to Renewal which is now available on newsstands and at www.thenation.com.
The Caucus' 62 members include 10 who are in line to become Committee Chairs should the Democrats retake the House in November 2006, and 35 who would head House Subcommittees.
The following are Congresswoman Lee's introductory remarks (as prepared) from the event:
"I would like to thank my Progressive Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, for her courage and her leadership. I would also like to thank our friends at The Nation and the Institute for Policy Studies for all of their work in helping make this event a reality and demonstrate that there is a clear alternative to the corruption, the abuse of power and the indifference to working families that has come to dominate Washington under Republican rule.
"Our nation faces a crisis, and we stand at a crossroads. Will we continue to be a nation of laws, or a nation where the executive claims the privilege of lawlessness? Will we be nation run for the benefit of big corporations and wealthy donors, or a nation of opportunity, where people who work hard are rewarded and everyone has a shot at the American dream?
"Tonight, the President will take to the stage to try to put a good face on a year of failures. One thing you won't hear him talk about, however, is the price of his reckless, unnecessary war in Iraq. You won't see him include the cost for the war in the budget that he submits to Congress next week either. You see, the President doesn't have the courage to level with the American people about just how long his "stay-the-course" policy will keep us in Iraq, and just how much it will cost. One nobel prize winning economist has projected that the war may cost as much as $2 trillion. If the President believes in his policy, he should spell out how long it will take and what it will cost, and ask the American people to sacrifice for it. I believe our continued occupation of Iraq undermines our security and our standing, which I have joined Congresswoman Woolsey in calling to bring our troops home, and why I have introduced legislation to prevent the establishment of permanent military bases in Iraq.
"Hurricane Katrina was a shock and a wake up call for our nation. Not only was it clear evidence of the incompetence of an administration that prioritizes patronage and politics over real policymaking, hurricane Katrina exposed the moral bankruptcy of the so-called "ownership society."
"Since President Bush took office, the number of poor people in America has grown by 17 percent, growing at a rate of more than 1 million each year. In 2002-2003 the number of children alone living in extreme poverty grew by half a million.
"This is the real state of the so-called "ownership society." And it is unacceptable. The Bush administration's zeal for cutting taxes for the wealthy while cutting the programs that reach the most vulnerable helped lay the groundwork for this disaster.
"Ideas have consequences, and the aftermath of Katrina has demonstrated the bankruptcy of the Bush administration's idea of the role of government. It was not simply the failure to respond to the hurricane in a coherent or competent manner, it was the tragic failure to acknowledge the massive structural crisis that poverty and inequality pose for our nation and the stubborn refusal to conceive of any constructive role for our government in addressing it.
"That is why I have introduced a package of three bills designed to make eradicating poverty a national priority. The first calls on the President for leadership, asking him to submit to Congress his plan for eradicating poverty. The second calls on Congress for accountability, and would require the Congressional Budget Office to report on the poverty impact of legislation pending before Congress. The third calls for establishing priorities, and would roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest five percent of Americans to help pay for poverty alleviation.
"According to the conventional wisdom, the Republicans may have a massive problem with corruption, and the President may have a problem with the abuse of power, with an unnecessary, immoral war in Iraq and his failed response to hurricane Katrina, but there really isn't any alternative vision coming from the Democrats.
"Well, we are here today to tell you that the conventional wisdom is wrong. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest and fastest growing caucus here on Capitol Hill. Among our 62 members are 10 members who will become committee chairs, and 35 members who will become subcommittee chairs when the Democrats retake the House of Representatives.
"The Congressional Progressive Caucus has clear ideas on how we can move America forward, and restore a government that is worthy of the public trust. Rather than list them all, I direct your attention to the most recent issue of The Nation, where 21 members of our Caucus spell out practical solutions for issues ranging from healthcare and protecting our environment to immigration, good government and getting out of Iraq.
"These pragmatic proposals represent more than a list of policy fixes. They represent a set of core principles that stand in stark contrast to the cynicism and corruption of the Bush administration and Republican controlled Congress.
"In the face of a culture of corruption, we represent a deep belief in serving the public trust.
"In the face of abuse of power, we represent the democratic insistence on accountability, checks and balances and the rule of law.
"In the face of a reckless unilateralism that has squandered our nation's standing and left us alone and vulnerable in the world, we represent robust international leadership.
"In the face of an indifference that abandoned the poor people of New Orleans and America long before hurricane Katrina tore back the curtain, we represent the belief that every American deserves the opportunity to take part in the American Dream."
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Barbara Lee and Progressive Caucus Offer Alternative State of the Union, Concrete Plans for Change in America
(Washington, DC) - Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus were joined by other Caucus members in presenting a clear alternative, inclusive, and uplifting vision for the United States of America during a press conference on Capitol Hill today.The press conference, which came on the morning of the president's State of the Union address, was followed by two in-depth panel discussions in which CPC members discussed how to move the country in a new direction and presented concrete ideas for achieving change. The panels - moderated by individuals from event-sponsors, The Nation and Institute for Policy Studies - covered issues ranging from how to bring our troops home from Iraq and ending the Republican culture of corruption and cronyism to healthcare reform, rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and achieving broad-based economic growth.
The Progressive Caucus news conference and panel discussions highlighted progressive priorities embodied in a set of twenty articles published by the Members of the Caucus in a special issue of The Nation magazine: Paths to Renewal which is now available on newsstands and at www.thenation.com.
The Caucus' 62 members include 10 who are in line to become Committee Chairs should the Democrats retake the House in November 2006, and 35 who would head House Subcommittees.
The following are Congresswoman Lee's introductory remarks (as prepared) from the event:
"I would like to thank my Progressive Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, for her courage and her leadership. I would also like to thank our friends at The Nation and the Institute for Policy Studies for all of their work in helping make this event a reality and demonstrate that there is a clear alternative to the corruption, the abuse of power and the indifference to working families that has come to dominate Washington under Republican rule.
"Our nation faces a crisis, and we stand at a crossroads. Will we continue to be a nation of laws, or a nation where the executive claims the privilege of lawlessness? Will we be nation run for the benefit of big corporations and wealthy donors, or a nation of opportunity, where people who work hard are rewarded and everyone has a shot at the American dream?
"Tonight, the President will take to the stage to try to put a good face on a year of failures. One thing you won't hear him talk about, however, is the price of his reckless, unnecessary war in Iraq. You won't see him include the cost for the war in the budget that he submits to Congress next week either. You see, the President doesn't have the courage to level with the American people about just how long his "stay-the-course" policy will keep us in Iraq, and just how much it will cost. One nobel prize winning economist has projected that the war may cost as much as $2 trillion. If the President believes in his policy, he should spell out how long it will take and what it will cost, and ask the American people to sacrifice for it. I believe our continued occupation of Iraq undermines our security and our standing, which I have joined Congresswoman Woolsey in calling to bring our troops home, and why I have introduced legislation to prevent the establishment of permanent military bases in Iraq.
"Hurricane Katrina was a shock and a wake up call for our nation. Not only was it clear evidence of the incompetence of an administration that prioritizes patronage and politics over real policymaking, hurricane Katrina exposed the moral bankruptcy of the so-called "ownership society."
"Since President Bush took office, the number of poor people in America has grown by 17 percent, growing at a rate of more than 1 million each year. In 2002-2003 the number of children alone living in extreme poverty grew by half a million.
"This is the real state of the so-called "ownership society." And it is unacceptable. The Bush administration's zeal for cutting taxes for the wealthy while cutting the programs that reach the most vulnerable helped lay the groundwork for this disaster.
"Ideas have consequences, and the aftermath of Katrina has demonstrated the bankruptcy of the Bush administration's idea of the role of government. It was not simply the failure to respond to the hurricane in a coherent or competent manner, it was the tragic failure to acknowledge the massive structural crisis that poverty and inequality pose for our nation and the stubborn refusal to conceive of any constructive role for our government in addressing it.
"That is why I have introduced a package of three bills designed to make eradicating poverty a national priority. The first calls on the President for leadership, asking him to submit to Congress his plan for eradicating poverty. The second calls on Congress for accountability, and would require the Congressional Budget Office to report on the poverty impact of legislation pending before Congress. The third calls for establishing priorities, and would roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest five percent of Americans to help pay for poverty alleviation.
"According to the conventional wisdom, the Republicans may have a massive problem with corruption, and the President may have a problem with the abuse of power, with an unnecessary, immoral war in Iraq and his failed response to hurricane Katrina, but there really isn't any alternative vision coming from the Democrats.
"Well, we are here today to tell you that the conventional wisdom is wrong. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest and fastest growing caucus here on Capitol Hill. Among our 62 members are 10 members who will become committee chairs, and 35 members who will become subcommittee chairs when the Democrats retake the House of Representatives.
"The Congressional Progressive Caucus has clear ideas on how we can move America forward, and restore a government that is worthy of the public trust. Rather than list them all, I direct your attention to the most recent issue of The Nation, where 21 members of our Caucus spell out practical solutions for issues ranging from healthcare and protecting our environment to immigration, good government and getting out of Iraq.
"These pragmatic proposals represent more than a list of policy fixes. They represent a set of core principles that stand in stark contrast to the cynicism and corruption of the Bush administration and Republican controlled Congress.
"In the face of a culture of corruption, we represent a deep belief in serving the public trust.
"In the face of abuse of power, we represent the democratic insistence on accountability, checks and balances and the rule of law.
"In the face of a reckless unilateralism that has squandered our nation's standing and left us alone and vulnerable in the world, we represent robust international leadership.
"In the face of an indifference that abandoned the poor people of New Orleans and America long before hurricane Katrina tore back the curtain, we represent the belief that every American deserves the opportunity to take part in the American Dream."