Progressive Groups Gather in Washington, D.C. to "Take Back America"

Interview with Robert Borosage, co-founder of Campaign for America's Future, conducted by Scott Harris

Progressive activists who have been on the defensive since the 2000 presidential election, recently assembled in Washington, D.C. for the "Take Back America" conference sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future. Some 1,500 delegates came out in early June to attend issue workshops and hear speeches from Democratic party presidential candidates and well-known political figures such as Jesse Jackson, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, NOW leader Kim Gandy, author Barbara Ehrenreich and public television's Bill Moyers.

Press accounts of the gathering emphasized what many see as a split within the Democratic party between its centrist wing represented by the Democratic Leadership Council and those on the left who attended the "Take Back America" conference. In fact, while many speakers at the conference attacked the policies of the Bush administration, criticisms were also directed at the Democratic party leadership, which many believe have been too timid in challenging the White House on its radical right positions on foreign and domestic issues.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with veteran political organizer Robert Borosage, co-founder of the Campaign for America's Future, who talks about the conference and some of the strategies he believes should be adopted to build a new progressive majority to defend human and civil rights and fight for jobs, energy independence and access to heath care.

Contact the Campaign for America's Future by calling (202) 955-5665, or visit their website at www.ourfuture.org

Related links

"Building to Win," by Robert Borosage, The Nation, June 9, 2003

"The Crackup of Crackpot Conservatism," by Robert Borosage, www.ourfuture.org, June 3, 2003

"Acceptance of America's Future," Speech by Bill Moyer, at the Take Back America conference, June 10, 2003

"How Badly Do you Want to Win?" Speech by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, www.alternet.org, June 5, 2003

"Progressive Conference Highlights Democrats' Split," Dan Balz, Washington Post, June 6, 2003

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

http://66.175.55.251/btl062003.html

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).

*

betweenthelines@snet.net

*

©2003 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.

**