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DFA Progressive Values group name change to Empathy Cafe.

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Aug 10, 2009 11:19 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Take Back Red California, Courage Campaign, California for Democracy, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , DFA Night School

Greetings

The DFA What are Progressive Values? group
has not had much activity for some time. I wanted to let you know I've just
changed the group name to Empathy Cafe. http://democracyforamerica.com/groups/2285-empathy-cafe

From my work of interviewing people about progressive values I've come to see empathy as a core progressive value. It's also the value that Obama ran on. See this compilation video I made from Obama's speeches on empathy.
http://progressivespirit.com/Empathy/Obama/ObamaOnEmpathy.htm

So with that in mind I've been refocusing my work on supporting Obama's call for standing in each other's shoes. Below is some of the work we've been doing. More to come shortly.
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I wanted to let you know the video of the June 25th Empathy Healthcare Cafe is now online. I've created a 10 minute overview video of the Cafe. If you want to see more detail, there are 13 other clips of the event on Youtube as well. Please do forward the link to anyone that may be interested in viewing it. The overview video is located here:

Empathy Healthcare Cafe - Overview (1 of 13)

You can see full event videos here.
http://progressivespirit.com/Empathy/Projects/Empathy-Cafe/6-25-2009.htm

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I'm still getting this campaign up and running...

Written by: Jim Nichols on Aug 5, 2009 8:06 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Georgia for Democracy, Blogs United, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew, Democracy for GA's 3rd, Jim Nichols for GA State House

I'm looking for a volunteer to head up my DFA campaign group to keep people informed on the site about our efforts to get a DFA activist elected to the Gold Dome.

For now you can follow my personal blog: www.JimNichols4.com

We are working to get the website up soon: www.JimN2010.com

Any questions, comments, contributions... JimN2010@gmail.com or 770 312 6736

Please tell your networks we have a progressive blogger running for GA State House!

Thanks!

Jim

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Bill Kristol admits the obvious on health care

Written by: Jim Nichols on Jul 30, 2009 12:14 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Democracy for GA's 3rd, Stockbridge Progressives, Henry County for Democracy, Blogs United

I posted on my blog about Kristol's statement on Jon Stewart...

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Jim in 2010? Not without your help!

Written by: Jim Nichols on Jul 25, 2009 3:13 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Blog For America, Democracy for America - Georgia Chapter, Stockbridge Progressives, DFA Campaign Academy Alumni, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew

Every day I go in to my job at UPS where I load trucks. I watch my co-workers show up to work at 3:45am and work hard for the next 4 hours. From there they go on to second jobs, schools, or home to try and raise their kids the best they can. They are doing their best to play by the rules, yet they continue to fall farther behind and they know it.

They have no faith that politicians will ever represent their interest over those with the money to "buy" campaigns.

From work, I head up to GA State where i'm working on a degree in Philosophy. On campus I see young people struggling to pay for school, get good grades, and start a career--while they work part time and take on student loans that swallow the next decade of their income. I see returning students like myself who are trying to get a degree after the fact--playing catch up in an economy that can quickly leave you behind--with jobs, family, and obligations that stretch them thin. But they stay up that extra hour studying because they want to provide a better life for their families.

For the past year as Chairman of the Henry County Democrats I met hard working citizens all over Henry County who keep asking for better transportation, better education for their kids, and a better economy that lifts all boats.

Working as a legislative aide the past two years I've seen up close and personal the gridlock at the Gold Dome that has allowed our state to fall behind. And I'm fed up...

That why I decided that despite the odds I had to run for State House.

As a member of Democracy for America I'm passionately committed to grassroots activism, I've been trained on how to win campaigns on the ground, and having run a State Senate Campaign last year I know what it takes.

But I can't win alone. I can't change the fact that 9 out of 10 races are won by the candidate that raises the most money.

I can only ask for your support. Together we can bring Georgia one step closer to a more equitable economy that protects and empowers its citizens. Together we can start to rebuild trust in our government, that it can represent working families and strengthen our middle class.

Why am I asking for your support?

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All i'm going to say is...

Written by: Jim Nichols on Jun 28, 2009 10:26 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Henry County for Democracy, Blog For America, Blogs United, Democracy for GA's 3rd

Running for office is stressful...

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Jim Nichols for State House... social media... and what people want to see on a website

Written by: Jim Nichols on Jun 27, 2009 4:04 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Democracy for GA's 3rd, Democracy for America - Georgia Chapter, Blog For America, Henry County for Democracy, Blogs United

A commentor stated that I'm not going to bring anything other than platitudes to the Gold Dome when I'm elected

So I responded @JimN2010 What I have to offer? and gave both a broad answer, with a few concrete examples to boot.

In response I get a "thats all he's going to offer" response--must have missed the "a few concrete examples" part?

But going with my question about what a new media politican will look like and what challenges must be overcome I wanted to "think outloud" about what my campaign website should highlight?

What issues and hot topics need to be addressed? I think most people don't know enought about State Government. Shoot, most people don't know the name of their State Rep! Part of my campaign is about bringing people back into the process and helping to empower them to be more informed and articulate public citizens. I see the job of State Rep to be both a representative of the citizens of their district and also someone who helps empower the citizens so that they can better understand and articulate the issues they face and how they as active citizens can resolve them.

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Victory for Europe's centre-right

Written by: Jim Nichols on Jun 8, 2009 1:02 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Blogs United, Blog For America, Stockbridge Progressives

So much for the right-wing "sky is falling fear" that capitalism won't survive on its own because of threats from a radical left wing--if they didn't worry about it, they wouldn't use the Socialist Propaganda "what is happening to America" narrative so common to their talking points.

For those of us who trust that markets work, trust the democratic process, and understand basic principles of what capitalism is in the real world the elections in Europe that tilted rightward is another reminder of why the "socialist" rhetoric from the right wing is nonsensical.

There is no Left-wing conspiracy, there is no radical European idea that is sweeping onto our shores. The Europeans trust market systems--why don't conservatives in America? Probably because Europeans have a higher quality of life, but I digress....

Although glancing at the national review today at the bookstore reminds me on how conservatives are knee deep in Trotsky/Lenin ideology--keep in mind many if not most of the neo-conservatives were reformed Trotskyites--which probably explains their fear of communism.

For those of us who got the memo about the fall of the Soviet Union and the failure of central planners this can be quite baffling from time to time...

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Obama is a Socialist...

Written by: Jim Nichols on Jun 4, 2009 12:36 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Blogs United, Blog For America, Stockbridge Progressives

This post was on the fly. I just posted (MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SAME MINDSET) I thought it might be good to reflect on some of the "Obama is a socialist" meme that is very "in" on conservative talk shows and tv.

David Boaz from CATO write on how Obama isn't a socialist...

Is Barack Obama a socialist? Not really. Is George W. Bush a free marketer? Not hardly. In fact, right now they both seem to be pursuing policies that are neither socialist nor laissez-faire but rather corporatist.

I've posted on this before, Obama is not the problem... underfunded government and a heath care crisis are... part deux and French vs. American Market systems... as well as many other times. But this meme is still very popular....

Many of the people I talk to who are worried about Obama talk about how they look back and want the economy they knew when they were younger, or that their Parents, or Grandparents had. Keep in mind, taxes were higher, government intervention in the economy was higher, unions were stronger, protectionisms on and on down the line.

Government intervention in the economy? How about the GI Bill of Rights that sent a generation of unemployed young men to get their college degree's. It almost single handedly created the middle class... (the government stimulus spending plan called World War II didn't hurt either... nor did the Marshall Plan...)

Its also based around a fundamental misunderstanding of what real world capitalism--rather than some Philosopher's conception of it--is. As i've noted many times before.

Longing for the days of freewheeling entrepreneurship that never existed is not an argument that has any validity when it comes to a policy debate rather than some Ivory Tower debate in some philosophy department detached from the real world concerns of working people.

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Thank you DFA....

Written by: Jim Nichols on May 29, 2009 10:50 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Henry County for Democracy, Blog For America, DFA Campaign Academy Alumni, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew, Stockbridge Progressives

I've had many different phases as a blogger and as I've passed through different phases of my life so has my blogging. My home now sits and www.JimNichols4.com but I can't help but reflect on the beginnings.

Tuesday March 26, 2002. 1:16 in the A.M. A 21 year old sit at his computer and writes:

I don't know what i'm doing here. Intentional obfusication of observation, pedantic self-servering diatribes. Or just something to kill time extending to the outside the internal rumblings of the inside, something to scream out loud and clear across the land that I can't spell and have no trouble thinking all at the same time (its a tough job). And maybe i'm here cause i'm too lazy to write in my journal, too infuriating (to others) to email friends on those random things that hit me at 1:13 in the morning, and too self-obsessed to sing sonic youth songs over and over to myself and not share with the group. This may turn into an utterly embarassing failure to create something interesting (once again) but as Woody Allen said "If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."

It was my first blog post. I called the blog Blame the extended Gestation after I had read some science article saying that the gestation period for humans was longer than other primates and therefore allowed us to have more highly developed cognitive capacities. The title quote reads:

"If I start describing what I want to do, i'll end up not seeing the point in doing it." Blogging on Politics, Music, and culture...

At the time I had no clue that blogging would become just as much a part of my day as eating, sleeping, and reading the newspaper. Back then I was "left-er than thou" and never would have imagined that I would be knee deep in Democratic Party politics, or running for public office. You can pretty much blame Democracy for America for my political involvement. Before I attended their Campaign Academy I had the frustration--dare I say anger?--and energy to be a political activist, I just didn't have the tools and skills I needed to make it happen.

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More jobs from Government intervention in the "Free Market"

Written by: Jim Nichols on May 5, 2009 10:44 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Blogs United, Henry County for Democracy, Blog For America

More jobs from Government intervention in the "Free Market"

Georgia auto parts plant hiring 100 workers

Need we forget?

In 2006 the Korean car maker Kia decided to build a $1.2 billion plant in West Point, Georgia. To land the project, the state offered a $420 million incentive package that included free land (bought from the previous owners at about 2.5 times the market value), tax-funded employee training, and a new $30 million Interstate interchange. Altogether, the subsidies amounted to roughly $168,000 for each of the 2,500 jobs at the plant.

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