"A handful of questions on issues of key importance to the progressive movement" omits any mention of climate, the single greatest issue for this and the next few generations.
"A handful of questions on issues of key importance to the progressive movement" omits any mention of women's issues, nicknamed by front page authors as the "war on women."
"A handful of questions on issues of key importance to the progressive movement" omits any mention of LGBT issues.
Those are the most glaring omissions from the new Orange to Blue questionnaire.
Look, we already know that environmentalists don't matter to the Obama administration, but we do expect progressive candidates to have views on climate, energy, and environment. And a progressive institute of the stature of DailyKos needs to ask them. At a minimum:
8.
a. Do you accept the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming?
b. If so, what do you propose to do about it? (Note: I don't see the need to ask the other followup question re "and if not, why not?" - a "no" to the first question is GAME OVER.)
c. do you support an end to subsidies for oil companies?
Parts a. and b. are the same questions asked by the Washington Post this week, and part c. is an issue that has taken up a great deal of political effort in the last weeks. Climate hawks can propose an additional 50 questions fleshing out the details of a candidate's positions on clean energy tax credits, ethanol subsidies, high speed rail, fracking, Arctic offshore oil, and more. Treehuggers can also ask about Wild Lands, Congressional exemptions to the Endangered Species Act, and still more. But the questionnaire is a starting point.
And this question is short, simple, and goes to the heart of issues of government control over people's lives:
9. Do you support a woman's right to choose?
Progressives believe in human decency. Discrimination against people based on who they love is as wrong as discrimination against people based on how long ago they came to this country. While the people who wrote this questionnaire high-five each other on an end to DADT, the LGBT community may feel that more work needs to be done. I'll gladly defer the wording of this question to another, but for now:
10. Do you support an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation?
11. Do you support marriage equality?
Update: per Clarknt67, simply ask:
10. Do you support DOMA repeal?
Questions can be asked on everything from marijuana legalization to foreign policy. However, these three issues take up a great deal of progressive, and DailyKos, activism. Questions reflecting the issues need to be asked.
So please revise the f*cking questionnaire!
Update 2: Markos has responded, of sorts, on Twitter:
How many good Dems don't believe in climate change? RT @drgrist: Daily Kos's new questionnaire for candidates doesn't have a single Q about climate or energy
And his response misses the point. Get the candidates to commit to the basic fact so that we can weed out any anti-science climate zombies infiltrating the Democratic Party, then
ask them what they will do about it. And listen to the answer.