New (progressive) Coalition Aims to Keep Democrats in Check

From Truthout:



New Coalition Aims to Keep Democrats in Check
By Jim Kuhnhenn
The Associated Press

Monday 22 January 2007

Washington - Democratic lawmakers who stray too far from the party line could find themselves facing primary opponents financed by unions, trial lawyers and political activists eager to put the new congressional majority to the test.

After two weeks of near perfect unity, congressional Democrats now move into more divisive territory that will test party discipline on such issues as the war in Iraq, worker rights and health care.

Anti-war activists led by groups such as MoveOn.org and Win Without War have already mobilized, pressuring Democrats and Republicans to denounce President Bush's troop boosting plan for Iraq. But they also want tougher action, arguing that the elections that put Democrats in power were a referendum on the war.

This week, an influential group of organizers from labor and the liberal movement are banding together to hold Democrats in line on populist issues such as expanded health care, trade restrictions and worker protections.

"The idea is that this election was a watershed," said Steve Rosenthal, one of the main organizers of the new labor coalition. "There is a great opportunity to begin moving America in a new direction of economic populism and fairness."

The coalition has organized two entities - a lobbying wing called They Work For Us and a campaign arm called Working for Us PAC - that will target lawmakers who don't support their agenda of raising wages, increasing jobs, providing more affordable health care and preventing job losses to foreign countries.

"Our PAC will encourage Democrats to act like Democrats - and if they don't - they better get out of the way," Rosenthal wrote in a memorandum describing the organization. ....(more)

The complete article is at: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012307L.shtml