At least he's got a better chance of getting elected President than Dennis Kucinich.
Posted on 07/28/2007 6:05:40 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Wisconsin's annual Fighting Bob Fest has spread -- to Illinois.
Inspired by attending Bob Fest at the Sauk County Fairgrounds in Baraboo, Hal Snyder, co-chair of the Progressive Democrats of Illinois, brought the idea back to his state.
"Last year and the year before, I had a rip-roaring good time at Bob Fest, and I wanted to share with my fellow flatlanders," Snyder said in a phone interview.
"Sometimes we feel we are hanging on by our fingertips as Progressive Democrats of Illinois, so we wanted to kick back, share stories, organize and re-energize."
The result was the inaugural Progressive Festival of Illinois last October, and the second annual is set for Oct. 13 this year at the Marvel Davis Farm near Big Rock.
Only about 40 people attended last year's Illinois event, which featured Richard Whitney, the Green Party candidate for governor. Snyder and Progressive Democrats co-chairman Dan Stafford conceded that the event was poorly organized because so many people were exhausted from political campaign efforts.
"We are starting off earlier and issuing press releases," Stafford said. "We have invited Dennis Kucinich and e-mailed an invitation to Stephanie Miller of Air America. This will be just like Bob Fest; we expect this to grow slowly over time."
Wisconsin's Bob Fest, named for Progressive leader Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette, drew thousands of people last year to hear speakers, to network and be entertained.
This year's event, which marks its sixth anniversary, is set for Sept. 8.
Snyder also hopes that some of the activists who launched Bob Fest in Wisconsin will make their way to the Illinois event.
The Progressive Democrats of Illinois have about 15 active members and 80 people in all. The organization started right after the 2004 election. Several had been working on campaigns, including the Kucinich campaign for president.
The group meets meet once a month at the International House of Pancakes in Wheaton.
Several members also belong to other progressive groups, such as the Illinois Peace and Justice Coalition, the Progressive Forum, World Can't Wait and Democracy for America.
Stafford, 45, is a telecommunications technician who lives in Plainfield, a far west Chicago suburb.
Snyder, 56, lives in the northern Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights and does software engineering for large computer networks.
Stafford, who went to high school at East High in Madison, said membership in the Progressive Democrats of Illinois has been driven by fear about the actions of the Bush-Cheney administration.
"We feel like the U.S. government is mostly for billionaires and not the people. We are not happy with wide open free trade. We are not so thrilled with corporations that seem to be running more and more of everything, and with vast wealth disparity. We are concerned about the environment and global warming," he said.
"We also strongly agree with conservatives and libertarians on civil rights issues. We are very much for the constitutional interpretation of civil rights and are much worried about the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and the last couple of executive orders. George Bush is trying to push the United States into a police state. He is stepping on the rule of law with a big heavy boot," Stafford said.
Bush and Cheney have inspired more people to get into politics than anything else in the last 50 years, he alleged.
"They scare the hell out of us," Stafford said. "A lot of us are concerned about the future of our country as a constitutional democracy."
Snyder said his main concern is that people should be more important than profits.
"We should be investing in our youth through education and taking care of sick people, not starting wars of aggression based on lies," he said. "We should have clean air and drinkable water."
The Oct. 13 festival in Illinois -- tentatively scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- will likely feature a musician, food vendors and an open microphone. Groups will network and provide informational tables.
"It's more about lifting people's spirits up, so they realize they are far from alone," Stafford said.
"It's rest and recovery. That's the mood I got from Bob Fest," Snyder added. "It was a contagious positive spirit. People weren't just there to bash the bad guys. They were talking solutions and sharing ideas."
Big Rock is northwest of Chicago between Sugar Grove and Aurora. The farm is at 47 W. 066 Jericho Road.
“...and the last couple of executive orders.”
Which, like, Man...we can’t even name, LOL!
The words “Progressive Democrats” = Socialist / Marxist / Stalinist / Maoist; In other words a stray dog’s calling card left on a hot summer’s sidewalk.
Progressive Democrats? WTH is that? Are there any other kind?
I mean, are there conservative liberals or something else equally Orwellian?
Sheeze!
Guess all the nuts are not in California after all.
At least he's got a better chance of getting elected President than Dennis Kucinich.
Hot damn! A must see event.....Be there or be square!
“Progressive” is a term in politics that goes back to Teddy Roosevelt. Originally “Progressives” were a variety of Republicans, and probably could trace their roots to the “Radical Republicans” from the period of the Civil War on. They were the ones who urged the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and after the assassination of Lincoln, rammed through the “Reconstruction” of the South, which left scars on the face of the former Confederacy that took over a hundred years to heal.
The issue of what constitutes a “real” Republican continues to this day, as the Republicans shed more and more of their “radical” elements. But not until FDR rose to power, did the “Progressives” have an alternate home. All through the Great Depression, the “Progressives” voted with the Democrats, but during that period, they were riddled with Communists and Socialists of every sort. When the “Progressives” ceased to exist as a political party sometime after WW II, only then did the Democrat party re-emerge in Wisconsin, as there had not been a state Democrat party since about the time Teddy was President.
There is still a broad “progressive” stripe within the Republican party today, as identified by the acronym “RINO”. You all know them, worked next to them, sometimes even had conversations. But no intelligent Conservative ever wants to get into political discussions with one of them. Within three exchanges they are down to name-calling, innuendo, and character assassinations, and it does not stop. The will call you in your home late at night after they have been out drinking, they will jeer at you on the street, and they will not allow their children to come over to play with your children any more. It is something of a relief when they finally change their registration to Democrat. Even better when either you or they move away and finally lose all touch.
Funny thing is about those Progressive Republicans of the 1910s, while most were liberal on economics, by today’s standards, on most moral and social issues, they’d be well to the right of many Conservatives today. It is rather telling just how successful the left and amoral left in moving this country in that direction.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.