Discussion Draft
The Political Program of the WDRC for the 2012 Election

The 2012 election will be a watershed event in American life. At stake will be the heritage of the 1960's, the New Deal, and even the Progressive Movements of the early 1900's. Social Security, Medicare, Women's Rights, Gay Rights, and Voting Rights, environmental protection will all be up for grabs if the Republicans win the Presidency, the Senate, or extend their control of the House.

• Will the physical and social infrastructure of the country continue to deteriorate?
• Will there be investment in green technology and jobs?
• Will there be restraints placed on the financial system?
• Will the wealthy pay their fair share?
• Will there be a possibility of reducing the military budget and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
• Will our nation lead in the climate change struggles?
• Will there be a positive role for government in our country?

Those are the issues at stake.

The recent fight over the debt ceiling revealed two things. The first is that the Republicans are prepared to use any tactics to shrink government and dismantle our safety net and social programs. They seek to deprive us of every collective tool for addressing the nation's problems and would cruelly place the burden of the economic crisis on those who can least afford it.

The second is that too many Democrats are willing to retreat on critical issues. It is clear that a Democratic Party label does not guarantee a progressive vote. We need a capacity to put more pressure on elected politicians. Grassroots movements that can popularize and create organized support for certain critical issues are necessary to counter the relentless push from Big Money and the Tea Party.

We believe it is necessary for us to change the way we do electoral work.

In 2012, the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club will work to maintain a Democratic White House, win back the House and strengthen the Democratic majority in the Senate. However, in doing so, our club will give priority to those candidates whose campaigns highlight critical issues and enable us to galvanize and public support for programs that defend the needs of the poor, the working people and middle class and that point the way out of the current crisis.

In this regard, the WDRC will focus its efforts on:

• Helping to elect Norman Solomon to succeed Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.
• Helping to elect Dr. Ami Bera, who is again running against the Tea Party incumbent Republican Dan Lundgren in the area east of Sacramento.
• Reinvigorating our voter registration program.
• Support California initiatives that will help close the state budget gap by raising revenue from the rich and wealthy corporations.
• And, in local politics, setting a high standard for Sandre Swanson's successor in the 16AD as well as working in the various initiative campaigns that will arise.
  

The Club will continue and intensify our grassroots efforts in supporting Single Payer health care in California, defending Social Security and Medicare, advocating tax justice and restoring our infrastructure, and working for an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will participate in all efforts to make jobs and growth the principal priority of government policy

America's future is at stake in this next year.

The Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club will be part of that fight.