Today we met in Baraboo, Wisconsin for the 8th annual Fighting Bob Fest. This is the 8th year that this Fest has happened to honor the legacy of Fighting Bob LaFollette, former Wisconsin Representative, 20th Governor, Progressive Presidential candidate and US Senator (1906-25). Knowing the craziness that is going on with the "9/12 Beckian Project" today, it was refreshing to be with a large group of actual progressives talking about the issues that really matter.
The morning was filled with great, motivational speeches by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and our local progressive, Ed Garvey.
Senator Tom Harkin was a fantastic speaker. He talked about following in the steps of Teddy Kennedy on the Health Committee, and how excited he was about his new position. He promised he was going to keep the fight going, and pass a bill in the Senate with a "strong public option" before Christmas. He also said we needed to help President Obama by continuing with the calling, writing and emailing our representatives in Congress. He reiterated how important it was to help the President and how we needed to keep him from getting wobbly knees, and buckling to the wrong kind of pressure.
A State Senator, Kathleen Vinehout, gave a rousing speech about "moving forward". She was a professor in Springfield, Illinois, crafting public health policy, before her family chose a new life path, and became Wisconsin dairy farmers. They chose to go without health insurance, and when her son needed expensive medical treatment, they needed to refinance their farm to afford it. Many Wisconsinites, and farmers all over the country, face similar issues every day. Kathleen is now a Wisconsin State Senator, and has crafted, with others, an important health bill for the State of Wisconsin. She reminded all of us that Tommy Douglas of Canada, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr, Mother Jones and others, all kept "moving forward" in the face of adversity, tiredness, delays, hopelessness and frustration. Even though we may think we have done enough calling our Representatives and Senators, we need to call again. We need to support those who fight for our cause, and pressure people who don't. We need to persevere and keep moving forward to change our history.
I know most Daily Kos readers are familiar with Wendell Potter and his story of being a whistleblower against the Health Insurance Industry. He spoke of his personal shame at having worked as an executive at Cigna, Humana and other health insurance companies over the years, and for personally helping to defeat health care reform during the Clinton Administration. All of the Frank Luntz talking points were originally created by workers in the health care industry to combat reform. A "Government bureaucrat between you and your doctor"? We must "fear socialized medecine"? A "slippery slope toward the creation of single payer/socialized medecine"? All creations of the health insurance industry. He told the story of many of our countrymen and women sleeping in their cars overnight, waiting in long lines in the rain, only to see a doctor in the dry comfort of farm animal pens on fairgrounds across our country. It is disgusting that in a country as rich as ours, as supposedly "religious" as ours, we continually, and systematically ignore the "least among us".
Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, followed. I've always been a big fan, and have heard him on the radio and television many times. In person today, he was fiery and angry. I was inspired, as were the few thousand progressives listening today, who were on their feet, cheering and screaming for everything he wanted to discuss. He told us again today, he would introduce a single-payer amendment to any upcoming Senate health bill. He went on to talk about the enormous crossroads our country is at; in health care, in energy, in global warming, in education, in our economic/financial industry. He spoke with passion about reforming our financial industry that is still allowed to do exactly what it did before the crisis, and acting with urgency in the quest to find new sources of energy, and create a green economy. Finally, he spoke of Afghanistan, and how we need to know exactly what our goals are there, and exactly what our exit strategy will be. He is a true progressive and he is up to the upcoming challenges.
This afternoon, many speakers, including Jeremy Scahill, John Nichols and many local politicians were continuing to speak the message of progressive causes. It was a wonderful day, and as I see the right-wing fringe marching on the National Capitol, I am encouraged that we, as thoughtful, intelligent and diligent progressives, can still make a difference. I believe this really is our time, and I hope that we really will achieve "Change we can believe in".