Marcy Winograd, teacher, peace activist and president
of Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, has announced her decision to challenge 36th District Rep. Jane Harman in the Democratic Party primary!
The 36th congressional district areas of West LA, Mar Vista, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, West Carson, Lomita, Wilmginton and San Pedro.
Harman, as we know all too well, has been a Republican in Democrat's clothing in her years in the House, a supporter of the Iraq war, the Patriot Act, new nuclear weapons development, and illegal government wiretapping of private American citizens. Harman, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, remained silent for over a year after being briefed on the Bush administration's violation of federal wiretapping law (FISA) and recently told "Meet the Press" that she deplores the New York Times for informing the American people that the Bush Administration ignored the law.
Winograd is a teacher, literacy expert and longtime opponent of the Iraq war and occupation.She was instrumental in getting an anti-war resolution passed at last year's California Democratic Convention and worked with Assemblyman Paul Koretz to draft a resolution calling for a moratorium on depleted uranium weapons systems. Playing a leadership role to protect our vote, Winograd helped establish the California Election Protection network, a grassroots organization that successfully lobbied for State Senator Debra Bowen's bill requiring a paper trail for electronic voting recounts. In her position as Media Reform Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party, Winograd hosts "They Say/We Say" -- a public access television show which highlights the plight of returning veterans and underscores the importance of citizen activism.
As a congresswoman, Marcy would immediately join the "Out of Iraq" caucus in Congress, vote to de-fund the war, and lobby to spend the war billions on social programs for education, health care, housing and the environment. "The best intelligence, the most effective defense against terrorism," says Winograd, " is to craft a sound foreign policy and build strong social networks that unite, rather than divide, the world community. Pre-emptive wars that kill and main thousands of innocent Americans and Iraqis will only create more terrorists and undermine our security. It is time for a new vision and a new leader in the 36th Congressional District."