Press Coverage

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee announced it’s sending a memo to members of Congress, including those whom the PCCC campaigned for, saying the progressive base overwhelmingly opposes military strikes Syria. According to a survey of its members, 73% of progressive respondents were not in favor of the president’s proposal for punitive action, while 18% supported the president’s decision.

“You now face a decision that involves life and death. This decision also involves billions of dollars. And it will send a signal to your constituents and the world about our nation’s morals and our ability to make strategic, goal-oriented decisions. This historic moment must transcend political party,” Adam Green and Stephanie Taylor, the group’s co-founders, say in the memo. “Your progressive base stands firmly against military action in Syria.”

A major progressive political action committee on Wednesday urged Democratic members of Congress to vote against any resolution authorizing airstrikes on Syria.

The nearly one million-member Progressive Change Campaign Committee circulated a memo to Democrats in the House and Senate spelling out its objections to the use of military force against Syrian President Bashar Assad, adding that PCCC members will make “thousands of calls to Congress and will make participate in local events” in the coming days to pressure lawmakers to oppose military action.

Democratic House and Senate members should oppose military action in Syria if they want to reflect the views of their base, according to a congressional memo being circulated Wednesday by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

“You now face a decision that involves life and death. This decision also involves billions of dollars. And it will send a signal to your constituents and the world about our nation’s morals and our ability to make strategic, goal-oriented decisions,” PCCC co-founders Adam Green and Stephanie Taylor said in the memo. “Your progressive base stands firmly against military action in Syria.”

A bipartisan coalition of libertarian conservatives and liberal doves is emerging in Congress to oppose a resolution for intervention in Syria.

The first major signal of an emerging bipartisan coalition came from the influential Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which circulated a memo to Democrats in the House and Senate stating why in its opinion a military strike against Assad was unjustified.

The memo urged Democratic members of Congress to vote against any resolution authorizing strikes on Syria:

“You now face a decision that involves life and death. This decision also involves billions of dollars. And it will send a signal to your constituents and the world about our nation’s morals and our ability to make strategic, goal-oriented decisions.”

President Obama heeded the call of members of Congress who were demanding a vote on military action on Syria, but Congress will not rush back to Washington to take that vote.

Obama and congressional leaders may well need the time to make the case to Congress to get enough members to support military action in Syria. Members of both parties have expressed skepticism about whether it’s justified.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal activist group, praised the president for seeking congressional approval. “After years of societal and international norms being thrown out the door — and things like torture, violations of civil liberties and war becoming normalized — today’s announcement is an important down payment on proper norms and regular order being restored,” said PCCC spokesman Adam Green.

Liberals who are often critical of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy are hailing his decision to seek authorization from Congress to strike Syria, even as many continue to oppose the military action itself.

“It’s great news that President Obama is seeking congressional approval for military action, an important precedent for all future presidents,” said Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, generally a critic of the president. “After years of societal and international norms being thrown out the door — and things like torture, violations of civil liberties, and war becoming normalized — today’s announcement is an important down payment on proper norms and regular order being restored.”

The incumbent Democrat has 49 percent support to 15 percent for opponent Ro Khanna, PPP says.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) holds a wide lead over his primary opponent, Ro Khanna, in a new Democratic poll of the competitive California race.

According to the survey, conducted by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) for Democracy for America (DFA) and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Honda takes 49 percent support among Democratic primary voters and Khanna takes 15 percent support.

Thirty-six percent of voters in California’s 17th district, which includes San Jose and Silicon Valley, are still undecided.

California Rep. Mike Honda has a commanding lead over high-profile Democratic primary opponent Ro Khanna, according to a new poll provided to POLITICO.

According to the survey, conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling, Honda has a 49 percent to 15 percent lead over Khanna. Thirty-six percent said they were undecided. The poll was commissioned by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a Washington-based liberal group that has been supportive of Honda. Democracy for America also paid for the poll.

Yesterday, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) – a national campaign committee fighting for progressive change – convened a discussion between professors, policy leaders and students to discuss Pay It Forward and ways to turn university classrooms into hubs of civic action.

PCCC has done incredible work to introduce professors and their classrooms to public policy work. This summer, for example, they organized more than 1,000 professors in support of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s student loan reform bill.

Now, they’ve created a case study out of Pay It Forward to demonstrate how professors can develop classes that empower students to tackle real world problems. After all, it was Professor Barbara Dudley’s determined Portland State University class that put Pay It Forward on the national stage and successfully passed Oregon’s pilot program legislation, with the help of the Oregon Working Families party.

There’s been a lot of coverage about what members are hearing from their constituents about immigration during this recess, and rightly so. But there’s another huge decision Congress must make this fall: funding the government and avoiding the debt ceiling. These negotiations have always produced talk, from both Democrats and Republicans, about cutting safety net—and members of Congress are hearing from their constituents on that, too.

Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive groups—including the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, Credo Action, MoveOn.org, Progressives United and Social Security Works—have mobilized to back a plan from Senators Harkin and Mark Begich to actually boost Social Security benefits.

This campaign reared its head in Kentucky this week, where the PCCC released an ad calling on Mitch McConnell to support an expansion of benefits.

Polls say Americans are concerned about National Security Agency surveillance. According to a progressive group’s survey, many want to see a top intelligence official punished for giving Congress inaccurate answers about the NSA’s efforts.

An internal NSA audit, released Thursday by The Washington Post, found that the agency has violated privacy rules thousands of times every year since 2008. But even before those revelations, a majority of voters in five state-level polls said that James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, should be prosecuted for giving Congress a “clearly erroneous” answer about NSA surveillance.

The five polls were conducted by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which has raised money for NSA leaker Edward Snowden’s defense fund.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is the latest to pile on Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is facing a contentious re-election, with a new ad launching Thursday hitting the Kentucky Republican over Social Security benefits.

In the ad, auto worker Kirk Gillenwaters talks about the financial challenges he’s faced, and why he’s relying on the entitlement program as part of his retirement planning.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is launching a new television ad pushing embattled Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits.

The ad features Kirk Gillenwaters, a Louisville, Ky., worker who has been employed at a Ford plant for decades.

“We work hard for these companies and we’re promised a secure retirement in return,” Gillenwaters says. “But our pensions are being cut and we need Social Security.”

“When Sen. Mitch McConnell supports cutting Social Security, he’s breaking a promise – and he’s hurting our families,” he continues.

A progressive group targeting Mitch McConnell of Kentucky released a television ad Thursday, calling on the Senate minority leader to expand Social Security as the powerful Republican fights to hold on to his seat next year.

The 30-second spot features Kirk Gillenwaters, who says he started working at the Ford plant in Louisville when he was 18.

The ad from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee will run into next week on Louisville broadcast. The group says it spent $21,000 on the initial buy, adding to the $100,000 it has already spent against McConnell in Kentucky.

There is no longer any doubt that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lied to Congress. Likewise, there is no doubt that his lie runs afoul of federal law. And, of course, there is no doubt that in terms of its implications for oversight, constitutional precepts and privacy for millions of Americans, his lies were far more serious than those that have gotten other people prosecuted for perjury. The question now is whether his brazen dishonesty will become a political issue — or whether it will simply disappear into the ether.

As evidenced by President Obama this week attempting to promote Clapper to head an “independent” NSA reform panel, the White House clearly believes it will be the latter. But a set of new polls out today suggests such a calculation may be wrong.

Commissioned by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Credo and conducted by Public Policy Polling in five ideologically diverse states, the surveys find that huge majorities want Clapper prosecuted.

Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) punched out an email blast to Democratic Primary voters in New Jersey asking them to vote for U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12).

“On the merits, Rush Holt deserves to be a U.S. Senator,” said Green, a Central Jersey native. “But today’s Senate race won’t be decided on the merits. It will be decided by who has the highest name recognition on a sleepy summer Election Day. We all know who that is, and that’s why the PCCC did not get actively involved in this election.”

The five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District special election will participate in an online debate Saturday, Aug. 10, sponsored by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. The debate starts at 11 a.m. and can be seen on www.opendebatequestions.com. The five candidates are state Sens. William Brownsberger, D-Belmont, Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, and Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, state Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Medford, and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian. They are looking to fill the seat Edward Markey vacated after he was elected to the U.S. Senate in June.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said in a statement to Civil Beat, “Every week, we hear about corporations that cut the pensions they promised to workers. As a result, Social Security has never been more important. Senator Harkin’s bill, which Senator Brian Schatz was among the first to support, will expand Social Security benefits for our grandparents and veterans. And by requiring the wealthy to pay the same rate into Social Security as the rest of us, Harkin and Schatz would pay for the benefit increase and have trillions left over to keep Social Security strong for decades.ai??? Last week, the group pushed the idea at rallies in Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas.

It was Democrat versus Democrat at times during Iowa Senator Tom Harkinai??i??s event in a Des Moines retirement center Tuesday. But a womanai??i??s emotional plea for help is what captured the attention of room full of dozens of retirees.

Harkin hosted the event with a number of Democratic-friendly groups, including the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, Progress Iowa, The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy For America, MoveOn.org, Social Security Works, and Credo Action.

Harkin, as well as some speakers expressed frustration with President Barack Obamaai??i??s previous push to change the way the government determines the yearly increases in social security benefits.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee will be running a unique online debate on Saturday featuring all five Democratic candidates in the 5th Congressional District.

The debate, which will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, will be run through the website OpenDebateQuestions.com, which the PCCC is debuting for this event. The public will submit questions and then vote on which questions they like. Massachusetts voters will pick the top 50 questions, and moderators will choose from those questions to ask the candidates. The candidates will participate via video from remote locations. So far, people have submitted more than 300 questions.

A progressive group announced Tuesday morning theyai??i??ll be hosting a ai???first of itai??i??s kindai??? debate in Massachusettsai??i?? 5th congressional district, where five Democrats are vying to replace the seat now vacated by Sen. Ed Markey.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee says their ai???Open Debate,ai??? where all questions will be submitted and chosen by the public, could serve as a model in future races and someday (they hope) presidential races.

ai???Open Debates, where the public submits and votes on the questions, will hopefully be a game changer in our political process. What starts here in Massachusetts will hopefully become the norm for local, state, congressional, and even presidential debates in the future,ai??? said PCCC spokesman Matt Wall.

Five Democrats who are running to fill an open seat in the Fifth District of Massachusetts will participate in a novel interactive online debate format this Saturday, thanks to the efforts of a progressive group that’s been pushing to change the passive broadcast format of televised political debates for the past six years.

The five Democrats are running to fill Democratic Senator Ed Markey’s old seat in Massachusetts, an area that encompasses the suburbs to the north and west of Boston. They’ll be participating in a debate format that will include live questions from Massachusetts residents whose questions had been submitted online and voted up Reddit-style. Adam Green and Stephanie Taylor, co-founders of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the organizers of the event, will moderate, and they’ll invite those whose questions received the most votes to participate.

Democratic New Jersey U.S. Senate candidate Cory Booker said he supports expanding Social Security and Medicare hours following a press conference Thursday where his opponents challenged the popular Newark mayor on the issue.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee held a morning rally in Trenton with Booker’s opponents, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Rush Holt and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver pressing Booker on the Social Security issue. Later Booker took to Twitter to say that he wants to expand, not cut Social Security and Medicare, and that he opposes raising the retirement age. A week ago Booker told NorthJersey.com that he would consider voting to raise the retirement age for those in their 20s or younger.

A coalition of liberal groups has launched a new push to increase Social Security benefits, defying President Obamaai??i??s call to cut the program.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), Democracy For America (DFA) and other groups announced the pushAi??on Wednesday.

They cited a new poll from the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling showing majority support for increasing Social Security benefits and 62 percent support for raising taxes on higher-income earners to pay for it.

Now, as Obama prepares to deliver a major speech on the economy today, the scrappy activists who were until recently playing defense against cuts are turning around and pushing to increase Social Security benefits.

ai???Social Security is the most effective anti-poverty program in history. Forget cutting it ai??i?? we need to double down on success and make it even stronger,ai??? Jim Dean, the chair of Democracy for America will say in an email to supporters today.

The coalition of leading progressive groups, including the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, Credo Action, MoveOn.org, Progressives United, and Social Security Works, are joining together to back a plan introduced by Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin and Mark Begich to boost benefits and shore up Social Securityai??i??s finances for the better part of the next century.