We're extremely happy to add Russ Feingold to the long list of esteemed progressives to grace the Netroots Nation stage. He'll give the opening address on Thursday, June 16 in Minneapolis.
The Wisconsin Democrat has long been a fighter for progressive values. Now, as head of the new Progressives United, he's continuing his effort to change government for the better by combating corporate influence in politics, an extremely timely message for kicking off this year's conference.
David Dayen at Firedoglake has more after the fold.
With the events in Madison over the past month sparking a new mass movement on the progressive side, Feingold is a good choice. He has involved himself in the Wisconsin labor protests and marched with protesters at one point, and practically every rally in Madison has included some variant of a “Feingold for Governor” sign. If the labor-progressive alliance builds enough momentum to launch a recall of Governor Scott Walker in January 2012, that opportunity could open up earlier than expected. Feingold would probably have attended no matter the political situation, but the potential for an early comeback adds some resonance to this speech to a natiional audience of opinion leaders.
A quick reminder that Netroots Nation is June 16-19 in Minneapolis. You can click here to register.
More from Feingold, who broke the news for us in an e-mail:
If you’re following what’s going on in Wisconsin, then you’re seeing what I’m seeing: the ever-increasing, corruptive power of corporations that continue to invade our system of government.
And that’s why I just launched Progressives United, a new organization that will bring together progressives like you to fight back against that corporate influence [...]
Change won’t come easy. We’ll need to support candidates who will work for the people. We’ll need to call out the media — something the Netroots does well — when they hide from the real story. And we’ll need to keep the pressure on Congress and those in Washington who oppose real change.
The Netroots have long fought for clean elections and good government, and I’m truly looking forward to working together, United, to continue that fight.
This is the first time Feingold has been able to join us at Netroots Nation. Will you be there too?
Then follow this link and register already!
We'll be announcing lots more panels, keynotes and training sessions soon, so keep an eye out for more announcements.