Yah, yah, I know a lot of you are convinced he is the Enemy. But for a trustafarian white guy, Stoller keeps earning his progressive creds, no matter what else he may or may not do. From the blog post title of the year:

There are a lot of meetings going on, and that's one reason to be here. The media is here because it's their prom. But in terms of raw power dynamics, progressives are not particularly relevant. Hilariously, bloggers have actually been demoted; in 2004, we could actually see the stage at the Fleet Center, this time, online communications director Aaron Myers has secured us a room in the Pepsi Center with televisions in it.

Heh. Wake up, blogtopia. You're less than children to your masters, and they mock you for failing to grok that way back a couple of years ago, when they voted to condemn you. "But, but wait! I'm standing next to Steny! I must be important!" No, little rube, you're merely fodder for the media superstars who use you to make themselves seem more relevant. When you understand that, you're on the path to actually being Somebody. Not until then.

I am not worthy. Why can't I write pure Zen like this?

Martin Luther King Jr. walked down the middle of hostile streets, through crowds spewing hatred at him, howling for his blood; he faced down police bayonets and the power of the state. Now our modern-day heroes can't bear to allow a few critical words within 700 feet of their pampered selves.

He's talking about this, of course:

Protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Denver can be restricted to fenced-in areas, federal judge ruled on Wednesday, saying that security needs outweighed curbs on their rights...

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Democrats' platform shift on health care

Yet, at the national Platform Drafting Committee meeting in Cleveland at the start of August, the official reception was a bit frosty. When I arrived there early one morning and renewed a longstanding request for a minute or two to make a verbal presentation on behalf of the statement for guaranteed health care, the party's national platform director informed me candidly: "It's not going to happen."

But grassroots organizing continued.

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This is for the benefit of all those who don't think party platforms matter. Below is the text of Hubert Humphrey's speech to the 1948 Democratic National Convention in which he persuaded the party to put civil rights into the platform. Strom Thurmond walked out of the party and ran for President as a third party candidate on a segregationist platform.

Fifteen years later President Kennedy would sign the Civil Rights act and seventeen years later President Johnson would sign the voting rights act. The 1948 Democratic Platform was an important part that process.

Democrats convene here and reach a consensus on the party's platform

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, joined state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, in a news conference calling on the platform drafters to endorse universal, single-payer health care coverage.

The platform that will be submitted in Denver calls for the goal of universal coverage -- "a commitment that every American man, woman and child be guaranteed to have affordable, comprehensive health care" -- but falls short of the single-payer concept in which all Americans would be enrolled in a Medicare like system.

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Guaranteed health care key plank in Dems' platform

Advisers to Obama and Clinton both told the party's platform meeting they were happy with the compromise, adopted without opposition or without explanation as to how health care would be guaranteed.

In return for the guarantee, activists dropped a tougher platform amendment seeking a government-run, single-payer system and another amendment explicitly holding out Clinton's plan as the one to follow.

The party now declares itself "united behind a commitment that every American man, woman and child be guaranteed to have affordable, comprehensive health care."

The Democratic Convention Platform Must Include Guaranteed Health Care for All

Meanwhile, nationwide efforts are underway to bring grassroots views on health care into the 2008 Democratic Party Platform that will be adopted in late August at the national convention. In the mix is a "Statement in Support of Guaranteed Health Care for All."

Since it was launched by Progressive Democrats of America last week, the statement has already gained signers among convention delegates from more than 30 states. If you'd like to be part of this effort to move the national discourse on health care policy in a more progressive direction:

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Do you live in or near Cleveland? Are you busy this weekend?
Democratic National Committee Brings Party Platform Meetins to Cleveland this Weekend

On Friday, August 1, the Committee will hold a National Platform Hearing from 2:00 - 7:00 PM, during which national experts will contribute to the Party's platform on a host of issues, including the economy, health care and energy.

On Saturday, August 2, the Party will hold a "Listening to America Session" roundtable from 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM, during which regular Americans, including Ohioans and participants from the more than 1,300 community platform meetings, will discuss local economic and health care concerns with the committee members.

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Three cheers for the Philadelphia Democrats who took up Obama's invitation to help write the platform:

The Democratic Party should support HR 676 (Conyers Bill), which advocates a single-payer healthcare system that would provide coverage for all Americans. HR 676 has already been endorsed by the US Conference of Mayors, several thousand Union Locals, and is supported by 84% of the physicians in the United States. It is our belief that no one should be left at the mercy of the insurance industry and pharmaceutical companies where profit is more important than the welfare of the patient.

Well done!

REAL STEPS TOWARD SINGLE PAYER: HR676 CHAMPION MOVES THE CAUSE TO DENVER

Todd Beeton alerts us to Obama's offer to make us part of the platform writing process.

I hope local single payer groups will take him up on his offer. If he starts to hear pro-HR 676 activity on his own website, as part of his own process, it will have an effect even if it does not make it on to the platform.

Edit -
Platform Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008

This shouldn’t be so difficult, but it is. Even an “expert” can be confused by nomenclature and imprecise press releases; an interested but less than fanatic follower of the process has no chance to keep things straight.

A while back I wrote about a change in the DNC Rules and Bylaws Standing Committee, with a new membership that did not include Donna Brazille – good news, thought I. But as it turns out, I was wrong. And boy, am I embarrassed.

Gene Lyons

I thought it might be useful to know the members of the Credentials Committee