The Congressional Progressive Caucus unveiled an 18-point agenda this week, and it sounds like they’re largely on the right track.
The Progressive Caucus on Tuesday night unveiled its agenda for the 109th Congress, including few surprises in an outline ranging from plans to end the Iraq war to universal health care, in its attempt to move the Democratic Party toward the group’s point of view.
The 59-member group launched “The Progressive Promise: Fairness for All” with three priorities of economic justice and security, protection of civil rights and liberties and promotion of global peace.
As part of that, the caucus specifically calls for 18 policy actions including: health care and Social Security benefits for all Americans, reaffirmation of rights to organize with labor unions, an end to expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act, expansion of the Voting Rights Act, a plan to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq and a rebuilding of U.S. diplomatic relations.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairwoman of the Progressives, said the agenda reflects the views of “a majority of America.” She said by working with outside organizations — from labor to civil rights groups — the Progressive Caucus will create a drumbeat across the country.
At a minimum, it’s good to get an agenda like this out into the public. For every suggestion that the left doesn’t have specific policy goals, there’s an agenda like this one to disprove the claim. And since this agenda appears to reflect pretty mainstream concerns — Dennis Kucinich’s plan for a cabinet-level Department of Peace, for example, is noticeably absent — it’s not as if this is going to become some kind of political liability.
On the other hand, the Congressional Progressive Caucus may find it difficult to “create a drumbeat across the country” if no one can actually read its agenda. Unfortunately, for reasons that are unclear, the CPC doesn’t appear to have a website. Well, the caucus has a site, but it hasn’t been updated in over four years.
The caucus has members, co-chairs, and even an experienced full-time policy advisor, but lacks something as basic as a website? It’s not a good sign.