Why am I Progressive and why should you support my campaign for Congress?

Robert Dobbs stated, “I guess it all begins with my roots, which are very similar to "Fighting" Robert "Bob" La Follette, Sr., also a fellow Wisconsian and Progressive. Both of us began in the Republican Party, we both come from humble beginnings, and soon realized what happened to the Progressives? Bob La Follette is best remembered as a proponent of progressivism and a vocal opponent of railroad trusts, bossism, World War I, and the League of Nations. La Follette has been called arguably the most important and recognized leader of the opposition to the growing dominance of corporations over the Government.

So here I am, call me an idealist but this is who I am and what I believe. I believe a country should do the best that it can to be like a good family and as all good families, we were taught to look out for each other, to take care of the ones who were unable to care for themselves, and give a helping hand to those who fell on hard times. My dad, Allan Dobbs, always told me, "Don’t forget who you are and where you came from, take care of your family and friends, they will always stand by you."

I believe in an America that takes care of its own people first; that focuses on protecting American jobs; that doesn't put warfare before the personal sacrifices all Americans endure everyday; an American that believes we have all schools #1, not ranked 1 to 50; that all Americans deserve representation in government, not corporations; and that ensures all Americans have health care and not at the advantage of the corporations. America is one of the richest and most powerful nations in the world, yet so many Americans fall through the cracks and don't get the care they need and deserve. I like La Follette believe the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, similar to WWI, would be financed not by the industries who stood to profit the most, but by American taxpayers who could afford it the least.

I joined the U.S. Army to fight for the rights of all of America and to protect what America really stands for, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The preamble of the Constitution didn't put a condition of wealth, race, color, creed, religious belief, or social status upon its citizens. It stood to protect America and put its citizens first, something our government has forgotten and desperately needs to be reminded of.

I want to break the combined power of the private monopoly system over the political and economic life of the American people and I want to end any discrimination between races, classes, and creeds of America. We need to end the Imperialistic attitude of American towards the world and end our military solutions to everyday problems. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword! Call me an idealist, but this is who I am and why I am Progressive and why I seek the PDA endorsement. The Progressive Democrats of America represents these beliefs and is the last stalwart between what is wrong in American politics and what is right. I ask you to join me in this fight and join my campaign. We can achieve success just as Bob Lafollette and stand for what is right!"

Robert Dobbs, a veteran of the U.S. Army, is running for Congress in South Carolina’s First District.

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Miller: Let's End Paying Wall Street Bonuses With Our Money

It's shocking. Yesterday, I learned that the same unit at AIG that helped lead the entire financial industry off the cliff will be paid $100 million in bonuses.

Worse still is the fact that Joe Wilson went out of his way to protect those bonuses. The only reason AIG functions today is because they were bailed out by taxpayers in 2008--a bailout that you and I funded with our tax dollars and that Joe Wilson supported.

When taxpayers asked for greater accountability to make sure our money was being used to increase lending to consumers and businesses, Joe Wilson stood with the Wall Street bankers and overpaid CEO's and voted no.

Join me in signing my Main Street, not Wall Street petition. Let's demand that Washington politicians like Joe Wilson stop protecting corporate bonuses and start focusing on the citizens of the 2nd District of South Carolina.

Joe Wilson's votes for Wall Street are just another example of the misplaced priorities of both Congressman Wilson and Washington, DC. Instead of giving high-rolling financial executives unwarranted bonuses, Congressman Wilson's priority should have been providing small-business loans to his own district in South Carolina.

Will you join me? Let's start taking care of the middle class.

Semper Fi,

Rob Miller

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Drinking Liberally this Thursday

We'll be at Webster's in Litchfield by the Sea starting at around 5:30. Our "Giving Liberally" program to benefit the Baskervill Food Pantry continues.

This month - think "heart healthy": rice, grains, pasta, beans, etc. Also, this Saturday, Feb. 6th, I am organizing an Adopt a Highway trash pickup in Pawleys Island on behalf of the Waccamaw Neck Democrats. We will meet at 10 am in the parking lot of 811 Steak and Seafood (at Egret Run Lane where the PI pharmacy is). Wear sturdy shoes and gloves. I'll have bags and orange "safety" vests for us. The more, the merrier! Any questions, just reply here.

Mark your calendars for Feb 20 at 10 am. That's the Democratic Party's precinct reorganization meeting at Winyah Gym in Georgetown. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get politically involved at the neighborhood level. Any questions, contact Hannah Cromley at HannahAnnCromley@aol.com.

See you Thursday, Rita

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McLeod Vows to Veto New Grocery Tax

Recently, several influential South Carolina lawmakers, including Senator Larry Martin (R - Pickens), have floated the idea of reviving the state's sales tax on groceries. The tax was repealed three years ago.

Today, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod pledged to veto any attempt by the legislature to tax groceries.

"This tax is regressive. It hurts working families who struggle to pay their bills. Taxing groceries is like taxing people for being alive. I'll veto this the minute it hits my desk," McLeod said.

Proponents of the tax say the revenue is needed to make up shortfalls in the state budget. McLeod says that Columbia politicians should not balance their books on the backs of working families buying food.

"People who work hard and play by the rules and still have a hard time feeding their children shouldn't be punished when they buy groceries. The career politicians and lobbyists in Columbia are out of touch and continue to fail the people of this state," McLeod added.

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Robert Dobbs Responds to President Obama's $708 billion in Defense Spending for 2011

Congressional candidate Robert Dobbs (SC-1, D) responds to the proposal of President Obama to spend a record $708 billion on defense for 2011.

Robert Dobbs stated, “During these troubling economic times when families are worried about jobs, the economy, foreclosures, paying their bills, and putting food on the table; the administration is proposing a record level of spending for the Department of Defense, $708 billion. For American troops and their families, this means there will be more separation and devastation due to the continuation of the War in Afghanistan, there will be more troop casualties, an increase in civilian casualties, and the likelihood that the Afghanistan conflict could be become a quagmire far worse than Iraq. We need to end our military involvement in Afghanistan, bring our troops home as soon as humanly possible, and to redirect funds to meet the economic challenges abroad and at home.”

The proposal includes:

• $1 billion in funding for local commanders in Afghanistan to bribe Afghans into supporting U.S. forces;
• $33 billion in additional money for the expansion of the War in Afghanistan;
• $159 billion to fund U.S. military missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan;
• $112.8 billion for weapons procurement;
• $76 billion for research and development

Dobbs also stated, “As we consider the condition our economy is in, it is quite clear that Congress must assert its authority over the President with the Defense Budget. Americans need jobs, Americans need a stable economy, Americans need to be able to take care of their families, and Americans need health care reform. It is a well known fact that prolonged high levels of military spending will hurt the economy.”

Robert Dobbs, a veteran of the U.S. Army, is running for Congress in South Carolina’s First District.

http://www.electdobbs.com

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McLeod: Video From the Road

As we begin a new year, I’d like to thank you for your support during
the past year. With your help, we raised almost a half million dollars
and traveled to every corner of the state. Our message of bringing
real change to Columbia is creating excitement everywhere we go. I am
very grateful for your generosity and willingness to help our
campaign. As the June 8th Democratic primary draws closer, we are
definitely fired up and ready to go!

Last week, I kicked off 2010 by speaking to the Charleston County
Democratic Women. You can see my remarks by clicking on the video below.

Please help spread our message by forwarding this link to your friends
and family who share our desire to change the way business is done at
the State House. If they like what they see, encourage them to sign up
for email alerts and follow our campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

With your help, we can defeat the career politicians and powerful
lobbyists who block the change we need.

Sincerely,

Mullins McLeod

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David Mack radio show: A Chance for Progressives

Lowcountry Democrats and Progressives often complain about the vicious conservatism of local talk radio. Now they can pick up a phone on Monday evenings from 6 to 8 and do something about it by calling Rep. David Mack’s new show on WLTQ AM 730 at 843-225-7307. The callers on WTMA have become so extreme an ugly continent of fear, prejudice and anger can now be seen to the right of Rush Limbaugh and Fox. It’s a landscape no decent person would want to visit, often frankly racist. It’s no longer recognizable as the lively community forum station I grew up listening to and whose studios I sometimes visited to go on air. That’s OK, WTMA has the right to broadcast what they like. What we end up hearing says more about our community than the station. That terrifying noise is coming from people who are really out there. We need to make sure that other people are heard. David Mack, pictured left, (a member of the SC State Legislature) and Claudia Collins like taking calls, but their first few shows have required them to fill up a lot of air time between when the phones are ringing. They do a commendable job talking about local and national issues and supporting community initiatives, however the progressive, liberal and Democratic Lowcountry is not fully utilizing the opportunity to connect and be heard. Now that the holidays are over, it is time to make those phones ring. If we want social justice, decency, fairness and understanding on the air in the Lowcountry, this show needs our support starting next week. Call in for yourself, your candidate or your cause. If you are a candidate, make a call yourself. It’s unreasonable to expect people to staff phone banks for you if you won’t call in for yourself.

Call David Mack's Radio Show Mondays 6-8 pm

In your call bring a few facts, some current gossip or some lively speculation. Disagree about Obama? That’s OK. It’s already a theme of the show. The show claims a broader variety of views in its calls than right wing radio. David and Claudia do all the hard work. They’ve mastered the complex business of putting phone calls in the radio, which I’ve done myself. It is more complicated than you think. All you have to do is pick up your phone or flip open your cell phone and call 843-225-7307. How many things can you do for a more just society in South Carolina which work from your sofa at home and cost nothing? The goal of the right wing sledgehammer which pounds us daily in local media is to obtain silence from the left. This is what DeMint is talking about when he talks about “breaking” Obama. It isn’t “Waterloo” that the right wants. It is the surrender which follows. We need to support this show through it’s developmental period with tweets, emails and facebook activity. We need to talk it up to friends and at events. Once we get the chatter started, it won’t stop David is on Facebook and if you “friend” him, he will update you on the show. If you have friends out of state that are active on our issues, invite them to call in as well. The station doesn’t have an internet signal yet, but the calls can still contribute to the discussion. Connect with David Mack on Facebook David Mack and Claudia Collins have an excellent time slot, positioned at 6-8 pm Monday evening when we can discuss, preview and pick apart all the political activity ahead for that week, including meetings, projects, the state legislatures activities and city politics. This will work well if we use it and we need to start using it next Monday evening. Get out your cell phone now and put in an appointment to call in next Monday to 843-225-7307 between 6 and 8 pm. Be heard. Make a difference by helping reclaim local talk radio for peace, justice and decency.

Patrick C. Labbe
SC PDA State Coordinator

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