This blog is written by Jeff Blum, Executive Director, USAction

Yesterday, I had the privilege of watching an impressive panel roll out the Next New Deal agenda to a national collection of bloggers and activists at the 2008 DNC convention. Our program director, Alan Charney, did an excellent job explaining how America is at a crossroads. Our next president will not only sit in the Office, but will determine the direction this nation will go in over the next four years.

We need to give our people the security of healthcare so they can live satisfactory and productive lives, not faced with devastation simply because our country does not see healthcare as a human right. Four decades ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remarked on this shortcoming when he said, “Of all the forms of inequality, inequality in healthcare is the most shocking and most inhumane.”

We need leaders with the bold vision to implement a Next New Deal for the 21st century. Our economy has to be built upon twin pillars of economic and environmental sustainability. There can be no economic security without energy independence. Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison made an eloquent case for moving from a minimum wage to a living wage society, indexing the minimum wage to inflation so people can keep up with the cost of living. This is the kind of bold economic thinking we need from our leaders in Congress.

In the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, our greatest need is to invest in our people to enable them to compete at a higher level. We need to guarantee a quality education – college or its equivalent to every young person in this country, just as in the 20th century, an elementary education became guaranteed for our children.

Over the past two years, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research has conducted polling showing that a growing majority of Americans now favor such a bold agenda. And as I sat listening to the panelists speak, I wondered about the role USAction can play in creating such an agenda. At our founding convention in 1999, we asked ourselves, “What is our purpose? What will we be known for?” Will we be known as the people who helped bring health care for all to this nation? As those who helped guarantee high quality public education for our young people? Or as those who helped safely end the war in Iraq?

I believe that we are making real progress, but the next two years will test this organization at a whole new level. Not only do we have to question who we are, but how much we listen to our partners, our affiliates, and millions of progressive activists across this nation. There is a fine line between active listening and providing bold, concrete leadership in moving forward with programs and strategies in how to improve lives in a public democracy. I feel both challenged and humbled by what we have to do as an organization, but also feel that together, we have what we need to live up to tomorrow’s challenges.

Here is the third installment of this convention week from William McNary, USAction/TrueMajority.org president:

This week we’ve been in Denver talking about the Invest in America’s Future plan, which we’re also calling the Next New Deal.

Today I want to talk about a key component of that plan – a proposal to provide quality, affordable health care for all.

Some of you may have heard of a coalition USAction helped assemble. It’s called Health Care for America Now! The groups that make up this coalition – labor, online groups, small businesses, women’s groups, civil rights entities and many, many others – are calling for the same things we call for in Invest in America’s Future:

• Create a national standard for comprehensive health benefits that covers what people need to keep healthy and to be treated when they are ill. Health care benefits should cover all necessary care including preventive services and treatment needed by those with serious and chronic diseases and conditions.

• Offer a choice of doctors, health providers and public and private plans, without gaps in coverage or access, and a delivery system that meets the needs of at-risk populations.

• Ensure a watchdog role on all plans to assure that risk is spread fairly among all health care payers and that insurers do not turn people away, raise rates or drop coverage based on a person’s health history.

There’s more – much more. But these are our guiding principles. If you’d like to join us in calling for quality, affordable health care for everyone, please visit our new web site, www.NextNewDeal.org and sign up!

I’m on the ground for the Democratic Convention in Denver with the USAction/TrueMajority team covering all the exciting action in and around the Pepsi Center. There’s a palpable sense here that 2009 is going to be an incredible opportunity for progressives to pass an aggressive agenda to benefit the American people.

One of the most exciting and stimulating places at the convention is the Big Tent where over 500 bloggers and activists have converged to cover the action and have panel discussions on topics important to progressives. To get a sense of what it’s like here, check out this photo from georgia10 at DailyKos. Yours truly is in the background engaged in conversation.

Yesterday, USAction/TrueMajority.org hosted a panel discussion on our plan for a positive progressive agenda - the Next New Deal. The conversation featured our  William McNary from USAction and Citizen Action Illinois, Alan Charney - the Program Director of USAction, Anna Greenberg - a nationally renowned pollster with GQR, and progressive champion Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN).

Alan kicked off the discussion with a bit of history on the original New Deal passed by FDR in the 1930’s and the impact it had on developing the middle class and a social safety net for all Americans. And, of course, there’s the matter of the right wing’s attempts to tear down all this progress for the past 30 years.

Anna Greenberg from GQR  followed him with a fascinating insight into their findings from recent polling. Turns out the American people are not only accepting of a Next New Deal - they’re actually demanding this type of progressive vision from their elected officials.

Then it was Representative Ellison’s chance to discuss the legislative steps it will take to make the Next New Deal a reality (that’s the Congressman in the photo above). Rep. Ellison went straight to the heart of this issue. He pointed out that the Next New Deal is not merely a set of policies, its a comprehensive approach to building a progressive America.

“We need to talk more about how we are all in this together… Part of the Next New Deal is a frontal assault on the bigotries that divide us.”

Our President William McNary highlighted this same point when he discussed the importance of the plan.

“This is more than a set of policies. It is a political program that wraps these policies into a coherent and popular platform for progressives to run on and win.”

What followed was a stimulating conversation on a real progressive agenda for 2009. Rep. Ellison and Alan Charney spent a while discussing the need for real universal health care - passed in next two years. No surprise there. Looking out at the audience, there were a number of folks wearing “Health Care for America Now” stickers and the first audience question was about fighting back against insurance company attempts to stifle any health care reform. I’ll have more on this later - after today’s Health Care for All rally with over a dozen leading advocacy groups promoting meaningful action on health care in 2009.

The panel ended with William passionately making a case for ending the war in Iraq responsibly and investing in America’s future instead. The audience roared with approval at the thought of taking the $10 billion we’re spending monthly in Iraq and using that money to invest in education, health care, infrastructure and a real energy policy here at home.

Folks went home excited and wearing Next New Deal buttons as William and Alan went downstairs to have conversations with some local bloggers about the opportunity ahead of us. All in all- an exciting and energizing panel that really put the opporunities ahead in context and left everyone energized for 2009.

Here is the second installment of this convention week from William McNary, President, USAction/TrueMajority.org:

Greetings from Denver. As we told you yesterday, we are busy promoting our plan to Invest in America’s Future, which we also call he Next New Deal. This plan moves us past short-term, patchwork solutions to a bold and timely agenda to address our economic crisis.

We currently are in an economic cost crunch crisis and it is spreading from one economy to another. Think of it as similar to what happens when a house catches fire – it spreads from room to room, and ultimately, you have to leave the house entirely to be safe.

Working Americans pay more at the gas station. High gas prices mean food costs more. High fuel and food prices mean Americans have less money to spend on disposable income, which makes other industries – particularly the service industry – lay off workers. This causes a spike in the unemployment rate, which hurts states and local entities dependent on various forms of tax revenue.

Invest in America’s Future is more than a set of policies. It is a political program that wraps these policies into a coherent and popular platform for progressives to run on and win.

In order to deal with this economy, we need to move beyond a cultural of the immediate and the expedient. We need an agenda that looks at where we want America to be in the next 20 years. But in the meantime, there are some things we can do today.

First and foremost, we can provide funds for infrastructure – levees, highways and jobs. In addition to providing a wise investment, such infrastructure will create new jobs for folks who need them. These are good-paying, non-exportable construction and inspection jobs. You can’t repair Minnesota bridges in China. You can’t truck Iowa bridges to Mexico and you can’t inspect North Carolina bridges in India.

And while we’re at it, we can also provide fiscal relief for states whose pocketbooks have been hard hit by the economic downturn. We can pass a 13-week extension of unemployment insurance because Americans are losing their jobs, and in this day and age, it’s hard to find new ones. And we can provide more in the way of food stamps, because rising food costs have hit lower-income folks the hardest.

All of these things represent a sound investment in America’s future – and the beginning planks of the Next New Deal.

In closing, let me say that the excitement of this convention is contagious. Last night was truly a great night for progressives. It’s an honor to be in Denver with friends like Reg Weaver of the National Education Association and Tom Balanoff, president of Illinois SEUI.

I’ll be back tomorrow to talk about one of the most important parts of our Invest in America’s Future agenda – ensuring quality, affordable health care for all. Meanwhile, if you want to sign on to our plan, please visit www.NextNewDeal.org.

This week some of our colleagues are in Denver at the Convention. They’ll be telling you about what they see, hear and do while in the Mile High City. To start things off, here’s a comment from William McNary, president of USAction/TrueMajority.org:

I’m in Denver this week at the Democratic National Convention and there’s a sense of excitement in the air. People are hungry for change. The question is what kind of change are we going to get?

We at USAction are spreading the word about an exciting new plan. The plan is called Invest in America’s Future. Our shorthand way of referring to it is as the Next New Deal. We’ve known for some time that Americans are hurting. Many are losing their jobs, homes and health care. Others are maxing out their credit cards just to keep their heads above water. Things seem to be getting worse and people are looking for leadership and answers.

So we came together at USAction/TrueMajority.org and wrote our plan – Invest in America’s Future. The plan is both bold and simple. It calls for guaranteeing quality, affordable health care for everyone in the U.S.; expanding access to education, from early childhood to college; and investing in a clean energy economy while declaring our independence from foreign oil. We’re expanding our plan to include a section on stabilizing our banks and other financial institutions. And we’re going to create jobs and at the same time strengthen our country by repairing our bridges and levees, fixing our highways and doing the things that need to be done to keep our country strong.

At the same time that we work on our physical infrastructure, we’re going to work on our digital infrastructure. To provide opportunity for all and to keep our country competitive, we need to make the Internet accessible to more people, regardless of one’s income or where one lives. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, a (digital) house divided cannot stand! You can check out our plan (and sign on as a supporter!) by visiting www.nextnewdeal.org

Every day this week we’ll discuss a specific element of the plan. We’ll be talking about stimulating our economy, providing quality and affordable health care and achieving energy independence, for example. And at the close of the week, we’ll be discussing where we go from here. We know that this election we’re on the verge of historic change. We believe that the Next New Deal represents the change that people want. We think it’s time for a Next New Deal. Please join us in making this plan a reality.

Alan Charney, USAction Program Director, speaks to the Machinist News Network about the Next New Deal and our need to Invest in America’s Future.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia currently face budget deficits totaling $48 billion, and things aren’t expect to improve any time soon. The report estimates that three more states (Missouri, Texas, and Washington) will experience budget shortfalls during the next fiscal year. Unlike the federal government, the vast majority of states cannot run a deficit for an extended period of time and are unable to borrow enough to cover their expenses; their only option is to cut costs. Cutting government costs rarely impacts those with cushy government contracts; instead it means cutting access to necessary services residents rely on every day.

The report mentions thirteen states that have implemented or are seriously considering significant cuts to health care.  Coupled with that are the seven states that have slashed funding for the elderly and disabled.  Eleven states have already enacted or are close to enacting drastic cuts in their K-12 education programs, sixteen states have implemented or proposed large reductions in their college/university systems, and fifteen states have or plan to make cuts in their government workforce, resulting in wage decreases and substantial unemployment hikes.  All of these cuts will further hurt our economy, and as the economy continues to falter, by 2010 nearly two-thirds of the states will face cuts.

Our democratic government was founded under the principle that it exists to protect and serve its people.  Unfortunately, under the Bush Administration, the government failed this directive by ignoring Wall Street’s miscalculations and crimes that set us on this economic downward spiral.  But now Congress has the opportunity to stop, or at least slow, the country’s financial frustrations by passing an economic recovery package that includes direct support to state governments.

Meanwhile George Bush talks about waiting to see how “things” play out, stating that we can’t afford to help state governments (while we do have the funding to bail out BareSterns, Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae).  But in 2003, with the country reeling from the tech bubble bursting, Congress passed, and President Bush signed, a recovery package which included $20 billion in total fiscal relief.  This begs the question; why would Bush support state fiscal relief in 2003, but not in 2008?

Now is not the time to play hypocritical, political games.   Increased state deficits will mean further hardship for American’s and further damage to our economy.  Passing a comprehensive economic recovery package should be a top priority for Congress and President Bush.

In August, Iowa Citizen Action Network held the third in a series of Listening Posts around Iowa. At the event residents had the opportunity to talk about what real economic justice looks like.

This event was held in the county seat community of Decorah. This is an interesting community that is really the urban center of that area. There are no large cities or major roads near by. Those in attendance were quick to agree that we need to “take back the government”, not that government is bad. There were lots of opinions on long-term economic recovery and a consensus that a grassroots movement is necessary to move Washington.

The premise of the meeting is: Our families and our economy need sensible solutions and a plan to get our economy back on track. Some of the comments from the meeting included:

Infrastructure: Bridges are in dire need of repair. Money for the repairs are tied to the gas tax which is declining due to the drop in use of gas. We need to go back to the WPA and give people jobs working on infrastructure issues.

Conservation/Energy: We need solar energy; railroad systems; a right-of-way for electrical transmission, more wind generation. The cost of energy (gas, heating, electricity) punishes the most vulnerable families (for example: cost of energy efficient light bulbs – when you are low on money, you choose the 50 cent light bulb not the $7 energy efficient one). We need to develop energy storage methods. We need to build the market for local foods to make them affordable for low-income families; being able to use Food stamps at Farmer’s Market is a great step. One barrier is ways to process and store the foods at the local level.

Education: Tuition needs to be affordable. We need to offer more vocational classes at the high school level. Junior colleges need to be more than a stepping stone for the university level-they should offer more job training.

Health Care: Everyone knows someone who needs health insurance; we need a system that will control costs, especially administrative costs. We are in a health care crisis: we need more nurses and CNA’s, but the cost of the education makes it hard for low-income people to pursue those careers. Many hospitals repay college loans, but you have to have the money to start with Mental health issues are also very important and often over-looked. Many 18-25 year olds are without health insurance because after high school graduation they are dropped from their parent’s policies unless they go to college.

Early Childhood: One of the comments made is: “It shames me that 1 out of every 100 of our citizens ends up in jail.” This shows a real need to invest in people at the start of life by investing in early childhood development.

War in Iraq: We need to end the war in Iraq and redirect our resources.

Conclusion: We need to end the war and reinvest in our priorities. We need to find affordable ways for low-income people to pursue education and job training and then have living wage jobs for them. We also need to find ways to help with energy costs. We need a grassroots movement to take back the government so it works for us and doesn’t reward the rich, but provides for all. We are looking for the Next New Deal.

As history continues to repeat itself, whose responsibility is it to learn from the past? The 1973 Arab oil embargo crippled oil supplies across the world and highlighted the vulnerability of energy dependent countries. The United States instituted a barrage of short-term fixes to make it through the crisis, and were back to our old gas guzzling ways soon enough. Other countries, such as Denmark, learned their lesson, and took proactive steps to invest in long-term infrastructure that has really paid off.

In Saturday’s New York Times, Tom Friedman hails the Denmark transformation from total energy dependency to near total self sufficiency:

What was the trick? To be sure, Denmark is much smaller than us and was lucky to discover some oil in the North Sea. But despite that, Danes imposed on themselves a set of gasoline taxes, CO2 taxes and building-and-appliance efficiency standards that allowed them to grow their economy — while barely growing their energy consumption — and gave birth to a Danish clean-power industry that is one of the most competitive in the world today. Denmark today gets nearly 20 percent of its electricity from wind. America? About 1 percent.

And did Danes suffer from their government shaping the market with energy taxes to stimulate innovations in clean power? In one word, said Connie Hedegaard, Denmark’s minister of climate and energy: “No.” It just forced them to innovate more — like the way Danes recycle waste heat from their coal-fired power plants and use it for home heating and hot water, or the way they incinerate their trash in central stations to provide home heating. (There are virtually no landfill here.)

In the last 10 years, Denmark’s exports of energy efficiency products have tripled. Energy technology exports rose 8 percent in 2007 to more than $10.5 billion in 2006, compared with a 2 percent rise in 2007 for Danish exports as a whole…Frankly, when you compare how America has responded to the 1973 oil shock and how Denmark has responded, we look pathetic.

Clean energy economy? Job creation? $10.5 billion in energy exports? Sounds like the economic boost Americans desperately need.

Denmark’s investment in the future fostered an environmentally friendly culture citizens embrace. Nearly 50% of the population bikes to work/school/the airport with dedicated bicycle lanes on all major roads, and even toilets are set to energy saving mode.

If we can take a page out of history, it is time for the United States to follow a good example and not repeat the same mistakes. Off-shore drilling is a short-term fix that does not provide a solution to the real problem—reliance on oil and fossil fuels. We all need to sacrifice and do our part to reduce our emissions/waste, while the government must lead by example and invest in long-term solutions for a better, energy independent future.

George W. Bush will go down in history as one of this country’s worst presidents ever. But there is at least one thing we can genuinely thank him for: He has succeeded in bringing moderates, liberals, and progressives closer together than at any time in decades. But do the many political connections created since Bush took office actually add up to something that can be called a (or “the”) “progressive movement”?

The short answer is - it depends on who you ask. Over the past five or six years, I have been struck by the wide range of answers to this question within progressive circles. Some progressives believe it is premature to talk about the existence of a singular “progressive movement” - as opposed to the existence of a number of separate but related progressive movements. Some even dismiss the importance of the question to begin with - considering the issue either irrelevant or of secondary importance.

The question of whether or not we constitute “a movement” cuts to the very core of just who “we” are at the present moment. How we answer it is bound to shape the programs and strategies we develop in the months and years ahead.

Throughout this decade, progressive groups large and small have significantly increased their connections to each other in all sorts of ways unimaginable just ten years ago. One excellent example of this is the recently formed Health Care for America Now coalition that includes many of the leading unions and progressive organizations in the country, such as ACORN, AFSCME, SEIU, MoveOn, USAction, and The Campaign for America’s Future.

More on this article from In These Times at this link.