Who Made This Salty Soup?

It’s hard to believe, but a month has passed since the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Alan Grayson spent much of his time there at “Progressive Central,” an alternative convention organized by the Progressive Democrats of America. We Grayson supporters raised the money to pay for the venue. After the Convention, Alan wrote this note to PDA members:

I was one of the people fortunate enough to attend the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., last month. And for a certain number of us, the highlight of the Convention was not a loud speech on the convention floor, or a liquor-soaked, lobbyist-subsidized late night party, but rather a gathering of like-minded friends called Progressive Central.
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It wasn’t held in a luxury, high-rise penthouse; it was held in a church. It wasn’t at the center of that temporary nexus of power and money in downtown Charlotte; it was well out in the suburbs. People did not come to it in limousines; they came to it in taxis and compact rental cars. And it wasn’t self-congratulating; it was a call to action.
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Progressive Central, an all-day event hosted by the Progressive Democrats of America, brought together those of us in the Democratic Party who don’t measure our success by elections won, but rather by mouths fed, by children educated, by homeless families sheltered, and by jobs for the jobless. The ones among us who recognize that the Democratic Party is not just an excuse for partying, but rather the only hope left in America for justice, equality and peace.
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So we got together at Progressive Central, we folks with a conscience, and as I mixed with people 500 miles from home, I somehow felt that I was home. I was among people who brought the same energy, idealism and selflessness to their lives as I try to bring to mine. I was among friends.
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And I was among friends with a common purpose. We all want full employment. Universal healthcare. Progressive taxation. Higher education for every student who wants it. Pensions and sick leave and paid vacations. An end to corporate welfare, the military-industrial complex, discrimination and poverty. Money out of politics and government. And peace.

When I joined Progressive Central in Charlotte, and ate the modest fare (turkey and swiss on whole wheat – hold the caviar), I was reminded of a Joni Mitchell song called “Banquet”:

Some get the gravy,
And some get the gristle.
Some get the marrow bone.
Some get nothing,
Though there’s plenty to spare. . . .

Who let the greedy in?
Who left the needy out?
Who made this salty soup?
Tell him that we’re hungry now,
For a sweeter fare.

Progressive Central brought together a lot of people who are hungry now, for a sweeter fare. Not just for themselves, but for everyone. They are my friends.
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Courage,

Alan Grayson

P.S. (from the Grayson campaign): If you would like a chance to be chosen to join Alan Grayson and Nancy Pelosi in Orlando for lunch this coming Thursday, then click here. We promise “a sweeter fare.”
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