| From the Primary Season
H E A L T H C A R E
-Americans
for Health Care--This project of the SEIU seeks to build coalitions
and find solutions that will lead to affordable, quality health care
for all. A major focus is campaigns in New
Hampshire and Iowa "to
make affordable, quality health care the central issue in the upcoming
presidential election." The "purple people" have become a familiar sight
on the campaign trail in these key states (>,
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Modest resources are being put into a number of other states, such as Maine
and Oregon.
-Coalition
for the Advancement of Medical Research, formed in 2001 and comprising
over 80 patient organizations, universities, scientific societies, foundations,
and other entities, seeks candidates' views on stem cell research and therepeutic
cloning (Sept.
9, 2003 press release).
-Marijuana
Policy Project's Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana
E N V I R O N M E N T
-The League of Conservation Voters is "the political
voice of the national environmental and conservation community."
LCV/CLCV held a Presidential
Candidate Environmental Forum in Los Angeles, CA on June 26, 2003.
LCV also prepared an extensive presidential questionnaire which was due
by Aug. 4, 2003. On December 8, 2003 LCV released its "2004
Presidential Candidate Profiles." On January 24, 2004 LCV endorsed
Sen. Kerry for President, and it has since waged an independent expenditure
campaign on his behalf in a number of states.
-The Sierra Club "authorized actions short of endorsement"
and "made minor tweaks of presidential guidelines" during its June 19,
2003 Board
of Directors meeting in Bozeman, Mt.
Here is an excerpt from a letter by the Sierra Club's
Carl Pope to a Kerry supporter (posted on the Kerry campaign's blog on
Oct. 9, 2003):
"The Sierra Club has asked each of the Democratic
Presidential nominees to participate in our candidate review process, including
a questionnaire and an interview. We are carrying out educational activities
with our membership with regard to all of those who, so far, have completed
that process -- John Kerry, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, and Joe Lieberman.
"We are hopeful that the other Democratic candidates will
join these four in completing this process.
"The Club has never made an endorsement in a Presidential
primary. We are still open, this time, to that option, but we definitely
want to wait and see how the race, and the candidates evolve."
-The Carbon
Coalition has engaged in an active effort to raise the issue of
global warming during the New Hampshire primary campaign.
-The Apollo
Alliance, a joint project of the Institute for America's Future,
Center on Wisconsin Strategy,
Common Assets Defense Fund, Americans for Energy Freedom,
and Carol/Trevelyan Strategy Group, is advancing a "Ten-Point Plan for
Good Jobs and Energy Independence." To promote the plan, the Alliance
had small groups of young people dressed in orange astronaut suits appear
at many candidate events in Iowa and New Hampshire.
-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Chris
P. Carrot for President campaign promotes vegetarianism.
S O C I A L S
E C U R I T Y
The For
Our Grandchildren Social Security Education Project--a project
of the American Institute for Full Employment, a 501(c)(3) organization.
This initiative seeks to "educate the American people concerning the urgent
need for Social Security reform and the reform choices available,
and to ensure an honest and open debate of the facts." It has gained
some attention with activists dressed up in ostrich costumes at several
of the Democratic debates. (A flyer asserts that the nine Democratic
candidates "have their heads in the sand about the need for Social Security
Reform!") Michael Foudy is executive director, Leanne Abdnor is president,
and Denison Smith is chairman.
-National Center for
Policy Analysis--Team
NCPA Candidate's Corner
C H I L D R E N
The Every Child
Matters Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) established in January 2002,
is running campaigns with small offices in Iowa and New Hampshire.
This group seeks to "promote the adoption of smart policies for children
and families by making children's needs a national political priority."
Michael Petit, who served as commissioner of Maine's human services department
and as deputy director at the Child Welfare League of America, is founder
and president.
Starting in the latter part of October 2003 The Every
Child Matters Education Fund organized a series of forums at UNH "to discuss
issues critical to children, youth and families;" most of the presidential
candidate participated. WMUR-TV produced a one-hour program out of
the forums that it broadcast several times. The Every Child Matters
Education Fund is also planning a series of similar forums in Iowa in January
2004, at the Drake University Law School with the NPR affiliate at Northern
Iowa University as the broadcast partner. Every Child Matters Education
Fund has also run billboards
and newspaper
ads.
R I G H T S
-Arab
American Institute
-The
Planned Parenthood Action Fund is making efforts to raise the issue
of access to birth control and abortion in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire
primary campaigns. Additionally, the Planned Parenthood Federation
of America Planned Parenthood of Northern New England hosted a Presidential
Candidates Forum on Women's Issues in Manchester, NH on November 5,
2003.
-Human
Rights Campaign's Campaign 2004 page includes questionnaire responses
and a transcript of the Presidential Forum: Speaking of Equality hosted
by HRC on July 15, 2003.
-National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Policy Institute --report: The
2004 Democratic Presidential Candidates on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender
Issues (May 28, 2003).
N A T I O N A L
S E C U R I T Y
-The Nuclear
Threat Initiative, a group founded by Ted Turner and Sam Nunn in
January 2001, ran a Safer World project in advance of the Iowa and New
Hampshire first in the nation contests. It launched an ad campaign
on September 17, 2003 that continued until the day before the caucuses/primary
in January 2004. NTI placed two paid organizers in each state who
coordinated visibility efforts and additional activities.
B U D G E T / F I S C A L
-The National Taxpayers Union Foundation released
a report on January 19, 2004 that found that "EVERY Democrat Presidential
Candidate's Platform Would Raise, Not Lower, Federal Budget Deficits."
NTUF Policy Paper 148, "The
Return of Fuzzy Math and Risky Schemes: How Presidential Hopefuls Would
Deepen Deficits."
G O O D G O V
E R N M E N T
-Judicial
Watch--the public interest group filed a lawsuit in Superior Court
in Montpelier on December 3, 2003 seeking access to some 400,000 records
from Dean's gubernatorial years. Upon leaving office Dean negotiated
an arrangement with the state archivist to have the papers sealed for 10
years. The suit charges that Dean's secrecy was motivated by "future
political considerations." Further, the lawsuit states, "This is
not a legitimate basis for refusing to release public documents."
-National Taxpayers Union
--letters
(2)
sent to members of Congress who are candidates for President or other offices
on unexcused absences and pay (June 2, 2003).
-American Conservative
Union --complaint
against the Edwards campaign (May 30, 2003).
U N S O R T E D
-Americans for Jobs, Health Care and & Progressive
Values --a Section 527 organization, former Congressman Edward Feighan,
President. "Our mission is to inform and educate citizens as to the
various presidential candidates' stands on critical issues facing American
families related to jobs, healthcare and progressive values." Ran several
controversial ads
against Gov. Dean during the early primary campaign.
-Committee for a Unified
Independent Party--Choosing
an Independent President 2004 (Questionnaire)
-Association
of Performing Arts Presenters --Pledge
for the Arts (January 2004).
-The Leadership Council
of Aging Organizations developed a survey
questionnaire to solicit the views of presidential candidates from
the two major political parties. The survey addressed six issue areas--health,
income security, long-term care, community services, federal rights, and
taxes--and had a deadline of December 15, 2003. |
