Just over twelve years ago, an energized group of progressives met in Roxbury, MA. to launch a new grassroots political action committee called Progressive Democrats of America (PDA). This organization was unlike anything attempted before or since, because it was dedicated to reforming U.S. politics and promoting an ambitious progressive agenda through an inside-outside electoral and direct action strategy.

Today, this bold experiment in participatory democracy succeeds because of your strong support, through small donations and an energized volunteer network. To succeed, PDA remains focused on specific issues, supporting key progressive candidates, and sustaining efforts such as the Healthcare Not Warfare (HNW) campaign that directly challenge destructive neoliberal and neoconservative policies.

We hope you will sign up with Mike "Phone Guy" Fox to make easy but important calls from your own home, or contact PDA Field Director Judy Hess to help build chapters in your state or locality. No time to volunteer? Then please invest in progress with a generous donation right now. Signing up to make an automatic monthly donation would help most, but we gratefully welcome any donation. Read Donna Smith's blog It's Not Enough to Remember 9/11.

War Is Not The Answer

We Need Your Help Now to Promote Peace
and Achieve Progress on Healthcare for All

I'm honored that PDA Founder Tim Carpenter chose me to co-chair the HNW effort. Today, you can help support PDA's work for peace as well as for healthcare as a human right. For peace: Please donate whatever you can here to support Medea Benjamin's book tour. For Healthcare: Please contribute generously to support PDA's efforts on behalf of ColoradoCare.

Money tight? Then please contact me, Donna Smith, if you can join us in Colorado working for ColoradoCare. We can help find you housing, and get you knocking on doors to help us win this critically important effort! Can't make it to Colorado? Then sign up to volunteer with Mike "Phone Guy" Fox to make easy but important calls from your own home. We need you to pitch in to win!

Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of Code Pink and activist/author, has written a new book, Kingdom Of The Unjust: Behind the Saudi-US Connection. We're sponsoring a national book-signing tour for her, and we hope you will help us help her speak with and inform activists all across the USA. All this travel will cost $thousands. We need your help right now. Please donate whatever you can to support Medea Benjamin's book tour.

As a Coloradan who's endured horrific experiences trying to deal with our broken healthcare system, the ColoradoCare campaign is very personal to me. That's why I'm so honored that Lyn Gullette, a leader with the Campaign Team for ColoradoCare.org says:

PDA and Donna Smith, both nationally and at the state level, have been strong supporters of Colorado's efforts to pass Amendment 69 and secure universal health care. PDA walks the progressive walk and we've watched them skillfully, tenaciously, and powerfully fight against the multi-national corporate profiteers and advocate for the people and for the basic human right to have health care. Colorado is grateful for PDA.

August 24, Bernie Sanders announced that he and his new organization support ColoradoCare. He's joining PDA, National Nurses United (NNU), and other national organizations, as well as local Coloradans who know healthcare is a basic human right. We know that Medicare for All will help save lives (and money), and we expect that when Colorado passes Amendment 69 in November, other states will follow soon after.

Please say we can count on you to help our Autumn 2016 Healthcare Not Warfare efforts! For peace: Please donate whatever you can here to support Medea Benjamin's book tour. For Healthcare: Please contribute generously to support PDA's efforts on behalf of ColoradoCare.

In solidarity,

Donna Smith for Judy, Mike F, Mike H, Janis, Deb, Dan, and Kim, your PDA National Team

P.S. We're here to help you make progress in your state and locality! If you need any help organizing a new PDA chapter or energizing your existing chapter, please contact PDA Field Coordinator Judy Hess. Judy is a smart, friendly, and supportive person who can empower you with progressive DVDs to show, help posting your meetings and events onto the PDA calendar, and otherwise make your chapter thrive! Don't delay, start organizing now to make a real difference where you live! We're here to help!

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