Meet The Backbone Campaign
Five Ways You Can Make this YOUR Campaign
* Volunteer - Join a Backbone Team and help with media, puppets, outreach, Progressive Cabinet, legislation and accountability tools, and more.
* Join the
Lumbar Club
* Donate stock or airline miles
* Invite your friends and host a house party
* Organize a fundraising event - benefit concert, art show, or party
What is the Backbone Campaign?
The Backbone Campaign is a grassroots effort to embolden citizens and elected officials to stand up for progressive values. We are expanding the political dialogue by providing creative tools for citizens and the progressive movement. The backbone symbolizes an interlocking agenda, a coalition, and the personal courage necessary to fight for a future worthy of our children.
The Backbone Campaign offers free tools to help unify the progressive movement, mobilize and empower citizens, build progressive leadership, and demand accountability.
Get involved now!
Conversations with the Cabinet
This popular conference-call and podcast builds relationships
between grassroots activists and the nation's most effective progressive
leaders (from Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn to Hunter Lovins and Byllye Avery).
Sign up to receive notice of future
Conversations, or check out one of several dozen podcasts/transcripts of these
informative and motivating events.
Progressive Cabinet
Nominate and elect leaders to the Backbone Cabinet, A Progressive
Parallel Government. This web-based "Shadow Cabinet" features hundreds of
proposed "replacements" for positions such as Secretary of Defense, Secretary
of Labor, Secretary of State, and Chair of the FCC--drawing from a diverse and
dynamic range of progressive thinkers, educators, authors, scientists, artists,
and historians.
Accountability Tools
Hold representatives accountable by using our "Thank and Spank" tools. These
include Spine Awards, Spine Thank You Cards, Spineless Citations, and the prestigious Backbone Award.
Progressive Platform
Our online interactive tool articulates and allows input into the progressive
agenda. Developed in collaboration with Progressive Democrats of America,
the Progressive Platform will be distributed as a template to platform committees
nationwide, so progressives can influence platform language. Add your voice and ideas to the agenda!
Visibility: Art, Metaphor, and Spectacle
Want the 70-foot Backbone puppet at your next march or public demonstrations?
How about the Chain Gang (prison-suited facsimiles of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld,
and Rice) on work release in YOUR town? Build a Community Backbone or a banner for your local freeway overpass. Cameras and people respond to strong imagery, so we use art, political theater, and ritual to earn media and fuel grassroots momentum.
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Download Page
Housing Discrimination and Reparations for African Americans
Featuring Andrew Valls
Andrew Valls is an assistant professor of political science and a nominee to Secretary Housing and Urban Development on the Progressive Cabinet. He's working on a book, Color-Conscious Liberalism: An Argument for Racial Justice, in which he will tackle one of the central paradoxes of democratic theory as it can be applied to the current American political system. How can a political theory grounded in egalitarianism accommodate public policies that treat citizens differently based on their race?
Listen to our discussion about race, inequality, and housing.
Be Progressive, Courageous AND Win!
Featuring Glenn Hurowitz
During this conversation, we picked the brain of a guy who advises candidates that having a backbone is a winning strategy. He gave us tips for our bird-dogging efforts to persuade candidates to stand up for bold progressive policies in 2008 and beyond.
The Doomed US Occupation of Iraq - Will Sadr Succeed, Where We Have Failed? Will Congress Ever Pull the Plug?
Featuring Phyllis Bennis
Phyllis Bennis is a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. She is also a nominee on the Progressive Shadow Cabinet for Assistant Secretary of State of Near Eastern Affairs and Ambassador to the UN. Click "Continue" below to learn more about this call and what you can do to end the occupation of Iraq.
MAY DAY ALERT: Take May 1 Off From Work
We are also joining with our friends at SNOW, America in Solidarity, and CISPES to organize a hospitality event between marches that will help people lend their support to all the activities of the day. NOW we need your help. Call the Backbone Campaign office 206-408-8058 and let us know when and where we can count on you - or ask where you'll be most needed.
URGENT: Pull the Rug Out From Under the Occupation In April!
The Next Two Weeks Are Critical. NOW is the time to organize house parties, town halls, church meetings, Congressional office visits, letter, email and phone campaigns to defund the occupation of Iraq. Our friends at Democrats.com have organized many peace organizations to promote the Iraq Town Halls.
The "mark-up" (process of changing or amending legislation) in the House Appropriations Committee will most likely happen the week of April 14th and will probably present the best opportunity for shaping the bill with one or more amendments before the bill comes to the House floor in early May.
By the time it comes to the House floor, the House Democratic Leadership may already have decided to block any floor amendments being offered (as they did last year). Bottom line:opponents of the Iraq war and providing any additional $ for other than fully-funded redeployment need to be mobilizing now to maximize prospects of being able to offer one or more amendments and get recorded vote(s) in order in committee and/or or on the House floor.
The leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus has requested that we specifically ask Members of Congress to:
- Cosponsor H.R. 5507 and H. Res. 1028
- Pledge to vote for version of H.R. 5507 to be reformatted as an amendment to the impending FY08 Supplemental Appropriations Bill. It will require redeployment of all U.S. troops and military contractors out of Iraq within 1 year of the date of its enactment.
Call the Congressional switchboard at
1-877-851-6437
Mark the 4,000th American Death in Iraq by Asking Congress to the Watch Winter Soldier TestimoniesOn March 13-16 Iraq Veterans Against the War hosted a solemn series of testimonials by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions and occupations. Under the banner of Winter Soldier Iraq & Afghanistan, these testimonials provide a heart wrenching reality-check for America. These testimonials, delivered by American service members awaken compassion for the the young Americans who fell prey to those who championed, allowed or profited from our disastrous foreign policy and the illegal, unnecessary and immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Now it is time to listen to the stories of the young people whose innocence was stolen from them - replaced with a lifetime of nightmares. Listen to the story of Kristofer Goldsmith (pictured to the left) and others from across this country, regardless of how painful it may be. More importantly, let's join together to make our politicians listen. They owe this to America's veterans and to all of us. It is only fair that we insist that our complicit Congress witness some portion of the consequences of their action or inaction. They must see what has been inflicted on our own young people. Then we must all consider that however horrifying these stories are, they are most certainly dwarfed in number and loss by the millions of Iraqi stories we will never hear.
Congressman Robert Wexler Awarded Backbone Award For Defending the Constitution
On Monday, March 10 at the Deerfield Democratic Club in Broward County Florida Congressman Robert Wexler, who represents the 19th Congressional District of Florida, was honored with the our prestigious Backbone Award. Sheldon Packer and Luis Cuevas of Progressive Democrats of America collaborated with the Backbone Campaign to organize the presentation. Rep. Wexler was very pleased to accept the Award. The large and pleasantly surprised crowd of over 100 persons responded with a standing ovation. The Award was presented after Wexler's speech to the group. "He was both eloquent and passionate," said Luis Cuevas of Progressive Democrats of America. "He promised to help enact a universal healthcare bill on the first day of the 2009 Congressional session and vowed to continue to push for impeachment hearings and to bring Dick Cheney to justice," said Cuevas. Wexler was nominated for and awarded the Backbone Award for his leadership in the House Judiciary Committee.
WE DID IT! Together We Launched the Procession for the Future
The Portland debut of the Procession for the Future was a huge success. All the hard work paid off. Thank you to everyone who has helped out so far. YOU made the Procession Possible.
Check out the great photos in the Procession for the Future slide show here.
All the beautiful imagery was complimented with cutting edge activist trainings and inspirational speakers. Click "continue" below in for audio and video of the speakers, the Procession or read more about the inspirational effort in Portland.
Thank you again to everybody who helped realize this dream and created this visibility and educational tool for our movement. Keep the momentum rolling by inviting us to march forth in your town.
Bill Moyer
Backbone Campaign
PS - We are still interested in adding imagery for Election Integrity, Dismantling Oppression, Housing, Transportation, Education and more, so call if you have ideas or would like to sponsor a particular piece.
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Putting the Heat on Lomborg -- UPDATED by dickbell
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Taking the Bait in Iraq by dickbell
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The Backbone Campaign P.O. Box 278, Vashon, WA 98070 206-408-8058 ©2007 Backbone Campaign