Friday, November 8, 2002

Public Citizen / New Minority Leader QUOTE OF THE DAY "There is nothing beyond the reach of ordinary citizens doing the daily work of democracy, and no problem too great to tackle with the power of active citizenship." - - Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen RHINO HERE: The right leaning Democrat, Dick Gephardt, stepped down as House Minority Leader today so next week there'll be leadership elections in the House. A good leader in that role could bring the Dems together. In October, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) broke ranks with Gephardt on the Iraq war resolution. and persuaded more than half of the House Dems to vote against it. She's great on the environment, on women's rights, and civil liberties. She could remind the party what it's supposed to be about. Her heaviest challenger is Rep. Martin Frost (D-TX), who told the New York Times today that the Democrats need to move right. Yeah Marty, beat the Republicans by being Republicans. Where's he been the last two elections? If you're feeling like shoving on the democratic drift, which seems to be flapping in the breeze right now, please call your Democratic Rep and/or your state Democratic Committee and tell them they need strong principled leadership like Nancy Pelosi. They need a new direction, so shove left! Give 'em hell. http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.htm Many are aware of the consumer advocacy organization, Public Citizen... http://www.citizen.org ...founded by everyone's favorite spoiler, Ralph Nader, in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts. For over three decades, they've been fighting for democratic accountability in government, for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts; for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources; for social and economic justice in trade policies; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; and for safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and health care. From seat belts and airbags, to campaign reform, HMO's and the WTO, Public Citizen has been the benchmark of never-give-in activism, and I guess they've decided now is no time to fold. Below is their "Post-Election Analysis" including a list of the key issues they're working and on, and a list of the swing members of the 108th Senate that can prove they're either our worst nightmare or our best hope. 7:03:53 AM    comment

Public Citizenís Post-Election Analysis: Nov. 7, 2002 "Handful of Senate Moderates Now Hold Key to Protecting Consumer Interests" Tuesday's congressional election was a big win for corporate America, which poured hundreds of millions of dollars in campaigns, and a major challenge for the public interest. President Bush and the Republican leaders in the Senate and House have shown a strong allegiance to the wishes of CEOs and corporate lobbyists and a disdain for the interests of average Americans. Public Citizen prides itself on being a non-partisan organization fighting for the interests of consumers and has worked over many years with bipartisan coalitions on a wide range of issues, such as campaign finance reform, auto safety, patients' rights, access to generic drugs, fair trade and opposition to corporate welfare. We look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan manner. However, we believe that decades of pro-consumer achievements are now at risk with the presidency and both houses of Congress controlled by very conservative leaders. A full agenda of affirmative measures needed to enhance public safety and improve people's lives is likely to be shelved for the next two years. In addition, it is likely that the president and Republican leaders in Congress will seek to reward their big business campaign contributors by pursuing corporate America's radical, anti-consumer agenda: fewer consumer remedies, less regulation of business, more pollution, more corporate subsidies, privatization of Social Security and Medicare, and lower taxes for corporations and the rich. Our only hope for defeating this misguided agenda now lies with the U.S. Senate, which requires 60 votes to overcome a threatened filibuster. Strong Democrats need to act like their forebears and stand up for people against the greed of powerful special interests. Moderate-to-conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans in the Senate now hold the balance of power and must wield that influence to prevent the further erosion of public interest safeguards and fight for new consumer and investor reforms in the wake of the repeated corporate scandals of the past year... To see a list of key issues Public Citizen is working and on, and a list of the swing members of Senate that can make the difference, go to: http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1265 Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). All copyrights belong to original publisher. "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. Feedback is encouraged and can be emailed to him at: rhino@kifaru.com RHINO'S WEB SITES: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103207 (RHINO'S WEBLOG - PRESENT & PAST) http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) 7:00:15 AM    comment

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