Pinch Me.

Is this really me, signing my book - right next to Amy Goodman?

This trip has exceeded any expectations I could have possibly had.

I have met so many incredible people - activists, bloggers, progressives of all kinds - both high-profile and regular-profile (like me!) I feel like I'm dreaming.

Ahem.

Need I say more?

And - I gave him my book!

Netroots Nation, Las Vegas - Day 2

Right now: listening to the inspirational Van Jones. Last night: heard Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.

I've been enjoying hanging out with great online friends who I have known for a long time through blogging and Second Life, and finally met in person. It is an amazing feeling to tap into the real progressive energy and passion that is here at Netroots.

Plus, they are going to let me sell my book at the bookstore booth here!

Van Jones: "If wind power goes wrong, we won't have a 'wind slick'"

Van Jones: "When it gets harder to love...love harder."

Netroots Nation!

I'm heading to Vegas for Netroots Nation! Looking forward to meeting progressive friends in person. Maybe I'll see you there!

MarcyWatch 2010 - Winograd for Congress June 8 - A Candidate of Conscience

Last Sunday, I was honored and thrilled that Marcy invited me to sing a song at the concert that her campaign held for her volunteers, the People's Concert for Winograd. Honestly, the celebrity level of the performers was way above mine - the lineup included Vonda Shepard, Chris Schifflet, the unbelievably amazing Lili Haydn, and others who are way more high-profile than I am, but Marcy was generous enough to include me. I sang the song that I sang at the launch of her campaign, Sam Cooke's "Change Gonna Come", because that is what I fervently hope, pray and work for; and getting Marcy Winograd into Congress will be a strong move in that direction.

The concert was incredibly inspiring, uplifting, and upbeat, but before it was over, Marcy interrupted the festivities to tell us about the Israeli military attack on the ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to immediately denounce the attack.

Love her or hate her, Marcy Winograd is a candidate of conscience.

From Marcy's press release:

"Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. Enough, we must stop this, and adhere to the laws that have been established by the international community. Working for peace and human rights for all is the only way forward. As a Jewish woman of conscience, I invite my opponent, Jane Harman, another Jewish woman, and all of Congress to join me in denouncing this kind of barbaric violence, demanding an end to the blockade, and seeking an international investigation into these murders. I recommit myself to working towards a true, just, and lasting peace."

Those of you who read me may notice I don't write much about the Israel/Palestine conflict. I try to write about matters on which I have some authority to speak, and while I certainly have my views on the subject, I do not feel qualified to pontificate on them. I have Jews in my family who have lost uncounted relatives to the Holocaust, and I have close Jewish friends, some of whom see Marcy's views as a betrayal of the Jewish people. As Marcy herself states, she has been vilified by many in the Jewish community for these views, and taken a lot of political heat for them. And, in a congressional race where she faces a wealthy, long-time Democratic incumbent, it could possibly mean the difference between winning and losing that race.

Marcy is a peace activist, first and foremost. She is a founder of L.A. Jews for Peace, and she believes down to her very bones that all people are entitled to live in peace - including Palestinians. This view does not always endear her to what, as a Jewish woman, would be considered her 'base'. It is not a politically convenient view to hold or support. But Marcy Winograd is a woman of principle, and these core principles are not negotiable, nor are they for sale or barter.

And in this morass of bought-and-paid-for politicians which is our current Congress, a candidate of convictions, a candidate of conscience, is a candidate who we desperately need in office. We have too many Democratic members of Congress who 'talk left, and move right', if they talk left at all. We need a Congressperson who can make some dents in the armor of corporate-cash-controlled policy. We need someone to represent for the people, not the profit margin. We need someone who knows that if you truly believe in freedom, you cannot ask for freedom for yourself and deny it to others.

We need Marcy Winograd, a candidate of conscience, in Congress.

To learn more about the Winograd For Congress campaign, visit Winograd for Congress website: http://www.winograd4congress.com/ - or - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WinogradForCongress

This week is crucial! You can support Marcy by donations, phone-banking, precinct-walking, or - just tell a friend. Pass the word along.

Vote for Marcy this coming Tuesday, June 8

Memorial Day

Remembering and honoring the men and women who have given their lives in service to their country.

MarcyWatch 2010 - Winograd for Congress June 8 - Why I Support Marcy Winograd, and Why You Should, Too - Even If You Don't Live In California

Today is the day of Marcy Winograd's fundraising goal - the campaign is aiming for $50,000 towards a final media effort to get Marcy on TV, radio and the Internet in these closing weeks before the election.

We have less than two weeks until June 8.

I contributed today to Marcy's campaign, even though we are squeezed financially. Some things are worth biting the bullet for, and right now I can't think of a cause that's more important than getting a true progressive leader - Marcy - into Congress.

Right now, our country is being hobbled by Democrats who are not acting like Democrats. We cannot begin to slow down, much less repair, the damage that has been done to America by eight years of George W. Bush and the complete implementation of conservative and neoconservative political and social values unless we change course. The election of Barack Obama, while definitely preferable to a McCain presidency (and the possibility of a tragic snowmobiling accident), has not been the waving of a magic wand.

What we have seen so far with a Democratic majority and a Democratic president has been Republican-lite - corporatist Democrats who are bought and paid for by the same interests that own Republicans, and are afraid (or not permitted) to put forth any ideas that might meet with disfavor from the very industries that have brought America to its knees - the banking industry, the credit-card industry, the oil industry, the coal industry, the defense industry, the health industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the insurance industry. These Democrats are afraid to take a stand with Democratic values, and instead are seeking to appease those industries, hoping for their approval so they won't have to fight.

Sorry, Dems - that's not going to happen.

I understand the rationale to a certain extent, even though I don't condone it. It's like this: the reality of politics is that getting into office and staying in office, as our system is set up now, depends upon corporate money and corporate influence. Even well-intentioned Democrats find that it's not so easy to stick to your guns when you're asked to look at an issue from the perspective of the businesses and industries who offer the huge amounts of money necessary not only to get elected, but to stay in your office. And not only that, if you choose not to support the corporate view, but the view of those who can't afford that sort of largess - regular American people - not only will you not receive the money for your campaign chest - but these corporations will look for and support your opponent! It becomes easier, you say to yourself, to go along with those who control the purse-strings and try to do what you can within those parameters - after all, your opponent might not be as progressive as you are. If you brand yourself as hard to do business with, you won't be chosen for any important committees, and left out of the sphere of influence.

And, with the revolving door between political office and corporate lobbying, you will be cutting yourself out of any chance at money and influence when you leave office if you don't have good relationships with these corporations. This is more than just running for office; this is a lifetime lucrative career in Washington - in and out of office. Your connections as a Congressperson are coin of the realm on K Street.

This is the harsh reality of politics and government. And until we can fundamentally change the process of running for office and running for re-election, this is how most politicians end up doing business - Democrats and Republicans alike.

There are only a handful (with fingers left over) of Congresspeople who have the independence and the courage to stick to their progressive values in the face of this kind of pressure - Dennis Kucinich, Al Franken, Bernie Sanders, Alan Grayson, Donna Edwards, Barbara Lee (and my namesake sister, Georgia State Representative Alisha Morgan, an up-and-coming young progressive leader - watch for her!). Love them or loathe them (and I love them - but, then, I'm a liberal), they stand up for their values regardless of convenience and so-called 'bi-partisanship'. It is time to add one more name to that list:

Marcy Winograd.

I first became aware of Marcy when she challenged Jane Harman in the last 3 months of the 2006 Congressional race. A complete unknown, a high-school teacher and peace activist, she garnered close to 40% of the vote against the extremely wealthy and entrenched long-time incumbent, the hawkish Jane Harman, who has called herself the 'best Republican in the Democratic Party.' As I had begun blogging in 2004, I found myself needing to become active on a local level as well as on the Internet, and I started by joining Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, of which Marcy was the co-founder and president at the time. I phone-banked for Marcy, and the more I found out about her, the more certain that I was that here was a real progressive worth getting excited about. Marcy's mother Teddi Winograd was a longtime progressive activist, and Marcy proudly followed in her footsteps and forged her own path in public service - real public service, not government glad-handing. Teaching, caring for the environment, supporting labor, working for peaceful solutions to conflict - this has been Marcy's way her entire life. From a young age she was active in progressive causes, and has always 'walked the talk' - not with an eye on public office, but a dedication to making working people's lives better, working for peace, social justice and a healthy planet - all of those 'old-school' liberal values that seem to have fallen out of fashion in the national discourse and derided as 'socialism' even by those who are most damaged by their absence.

But Marcy is so much more than progressive ideas - Marcy is a fighter. Her life demonstrates that her values are not for sale to the highest bidder; she is not looking to enrich herself, but to fight for what she knows to be right. Marcy knows that we need jobs, not wars; healthcare, not wealthcare. She knows that we must rebuild our nation from the bottom up - the poor, the working class, the middle class - not shower money on those at the top and hope that it will trickle down. We have seen what happens when we do that - they take care of themselves and give the rest of America the middle finger. And if you don't believe that, try getting a loan modification.

As I have gotten to know Marcy over the last four years, I am more and more impressed with her integrity, her determination, her willingness to take a politically uncomfortable or unpopular position and stand up for it. I am also impressed with her compassion, her ability as a community leader to work with people in all walks of life to get things accomplished, and her formidable leadership skills. She fights hard for the things I care about. Her honesty, integrity, and passion for justice make her a force to be reckoned with - a force that we so desperately need in the Democratic Party, and in Congress.

You do not have to live in California or Los Angeles to support Marcy! As a Democratic member of Congress, Marcy will be able to be a progressive voice for all Americans - and she is one of the very few people that I know I can count on to be who she says she is, to fight for us - for jobs, for the environment, for health, for peace, for justice - even in the face of the pressure of the go-along-to-get-along Washington status quo.

Wherever you are, if you are a progressive (or even if you aren't - you'll benefit too!) please consider supporting Marcy Winograd for Congress with a contribution to her campaign. Or, you can volunteer - you can phone-bank from your cell phone; if you're local, you can canvass the district - contact the campaign for more information. There are so many ways you can give Marcy support! Marcy does not take corporate contributions, so we need your help to get the word out to the people of California's District 36!

This is the time to take out Blue Dogs, and replace them with real Democrats - a fighting Dem like Marcy Winograd.


I was honored to be asked by Marcy to sing at her campaign kickoff, and I can't wait to see this campaign culminate in victory - not just for Marcy, but, more importantly, a victory for America.

Marcy's Website

About Marcy

Marcy's Stand on the Issues

Meet Marcy; Volunteer!


Donate to Marcy's Campaign at ActBlue

Marcy on Facebook

MarcyWatch 2010 - Winograd for Congress June 8 - Help Us Get to $50,000 by Tomorrow

Marcy is on the home stretch! 

We have two weeks left before the election; two weeks to defeat Jane Harman in California's 36th congressional district.

In these final days before the June 8th election, my campaign must make key decisions, which you can put into action. We're making one final push to have the best fundraising month yet and we're so close.

Please help us raise $50,000 by donating to my campaign before midnight tomorrow, May 26th. It's time to get rid of Blue Dog Jane Harman!

Jane Harman has had her chance, and in the past 15 years hasn't had much to show for it. Being best buds with Wall Street, Big Pharma, and weapons manufacturers may help with someone's re-election, but it doesn't do much for the American people.

I have kept my promise to run a people-powered campaign and have refused to accept one cent from corporations. It's time to inform the rest of our great district about what is really at stake in this election. It's time for me to get on TV, radio, and all over the internet to get the word out!

Help me spread my message to the people of District 36 by contributing by tomorrow. With your help, we will end Harman's reign and elect the People's candidate - Marcy Winograd - to join the ranks of Sestak and Halter.

June 8th is just around the corner and we have plenty left to do. With a little effort and your support, we can do this.

Onward to victory!



Marcy Winograd