Blogging the CDP Convention: Day 1

So here I am at the CDP Convention. Unfortunately they didn't have WiFi in any of the caucus rooms yesterday, so I wasn't able to update. But there is wireless in the convention hall, so things should go better today.

What is exciting to me is that convention delegates here are passionately attending to the concerns of this state. You would expect a political convention in this charged time for the Democratic Party to have at least some focus on the Hillary-Barack pie fight. However, I was pleased that many of the speakers at the Progressive Caucus, when they weren't talking about superdelegates, were keying in on the $16 billion dollar budget deficit and the ridiculous 2/3 requirement that keeps lawmakers from being able to do their job. Susie Shannon, who heads up the poverty committee, argued that the state not balance its budget on the backs of the poor and the needy, as is de rigeur. Karen Bass put this at the top of the list when she addressed the Progressive Caucus, too. This state is in trouble, and we need the energy and effort of these attendees to be harnessed and focused on that. For too long the needs of the state have been abandoned by people who could be working to ameliorate it. I'm seeing a real change in the air.

In addition, the fact that the platform committee accepted a single payer healthcare plank is ENORMOUS news. I can't say this for certainty, but does any other Democratic platform in the country include single payer? This sets a goal for California progressives to shoot at, and now any meaningful healthcare reform is just a way station to that ultimate goal. With the right governor in 2010, we may even see a single payer system signed into law, although of course what happens at the federal level will inform our choices here. But this gives some momentum nationally for a comprehensive solution to the healthcare crisis.

I hope to catch up with some of our challengers who have a chance to take out Republicans at the state and federal level in November. So far I've chatted with Bill Durston (CA-03), Mary Pallant (CA-24), Nick Leibham (CA-50), Charlie Brown (CA-04), Hannah-Beth Jackson (SD-19), Greg Pettis (AD-80) and Manuel Perez (AD-80). I continue to be very impressed with Manuel Perez; he is a transformational and not a transactional candidate, someone who doesn't just check the boxes of the single-issue groups and vote the right way, but really changes the conversation and fights for progressive change.

There are a bunch of speakers in today's morning session, but the interesting stuff happens off the convention floor. We'll keep bringing it to you.