For Immediate Release Contact: Bill Moyer, 206-463-4784, bill@backbonecampaign.org

Following Inauguration, Citizen Group Urges New Direction for Democratic Party

WASHINGTON- On the day after inauguration a Seattle area group, The Backbone Campaign delivered a 70-foot spine to the Democratic Party headquarters asking the party leadership to take a more progressive approach to the country's challenges, and a stronger stance against what it calls the "Regressive policies" of the Bush Administration. The spine is the symbol of the Backbone Campaign, a citizen-driven project that seeks to embolden the Democratic Party.

"The backbone is our symbol for an interlocking agenda, a coalition, and the personal courage necessary to stand up for a future worthy of our children," said Bill Moyer, Executive Director of the Backbone Campaign.

As the group gathered in Folger Park on Friday morning, they called on the Democratic Party to elect new progressive leadership, adopt a bold grassroots strategy and articulate a clear progressive agenda.

Demonstrating their demands with symbolism, the group brought a 70-foot model of a human spine, with progressive agenda planks written on each vertebra. As the huge puppet rolled through the streets, festival artists led spectators singing and calling for a bold new direction for the Democratic Party.

"The Democratic Party has relied on progressives to swell its ranks, while we hold our noses and sacrifice our values to provide a united stand for the sake of elections," said Moyer. "Progressives are not a threat to the Democratic Party. We are its future, its only future. Without the support of the progressive base, the Democratic Party is doomed to irrelevance" he added.

The group urged voting members of the Democratic National Committee to honor their values and lifelong work by electing a leader who will be responsive to their base. They also urged Democratic members of Congress to introduce legislation to address the crisis of confidence in the electoral system with a Voter's Bill of Rights, and for Senate Democrats to vehemently oppose the "Piratization" of social security and right-wing cabinet and judicial Bush appointees.

The group is offering a Backbone Award, a symbol of courage, to those Senators who lead the effort to block the appointments of Condoleeza Rice and Alberto Gonzales. They claim that for the past three elections, Democrats have insisted that progressives have no better home than the Democratic Party, and griped if anyone considered voting for a third party candidate. However, according to the Backbone Campaign the Democrats have repeatedly put forth bland, ambiguous platforms and muted, losing candidates.

"The Democratic Party is at a crossroads right now. They can choose to either embrace or alienate their progressive base," said Bill Moyer. "The choices that the Democratic Party makes in the next month will resonate through history. They will either unite us or trigger an exodus of voters from the Democratic Party"

For more information and photos visit www.backbonecampaign.org.
For a high resolution version of the picture above, click here. (2.6mb photo)

DC, Press Release/Call to Action, 01/13/05  

January 13, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Bill Moyer, Executive Director, Backbone Campaign
(206) 463-4784/bill@backbonecampaign.org or
Amy Morrison, Managing Director
amy@backbonecampaign.org


Call for Participation: Deliver a Spine to DNC Headquarters

(Seattle, WA) The Backbone Campaign is asking progressives to join an action at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, Friday, January 21 starting at 11:30 AM at Folger Park, 2nd and D Streets SE in Washington DC. From there they will process to DNC Headquarters and make three demands of the Democratic Party: new progressive leadership, a bold grassroots strategy and a clear progressive agenda.

To symbolize these three demands the Backbone Campaign will bring its 70 foot puppet of a human spine, with progressive agenda planks written on each vertebra. As the puppet undulates through the streets, festival artists with the Backbone Campaign will lead citizens singing, dancing, and calling for a bold new direction. Specifically, they will be urging voting DNC members to honor their values and vision and and elect former Vermont Governor and Presidential Candidate Howard Dean to DNC Chair, to amend the Democratic Party Platform to include the Voter's Bill of Rights, and for Congressional Democrats to vehemently oppose privatizing of social security and dangerous cabinet and judicial appointments.

"Progressives need to seize this opportunity to say, 'We will not be taken for granted!'" says Bill Moyer, Executive Director of the Backbone Campaign. "The DNC has relied on progressives to swell its ranks, while we hold our noses and sacrifice our values to provide a united stand for the sake of elections. Enough is enough. Progressives are not a threat to the Democratic Party. We are its only future. Without the support of the progressive grassroots, the Democratic Party is doomed to irrelevance."

"Members of the Backbone Campaign will be amongst those protesting the disastrous policies of the Bush administration on Thursday, January 20th, but few are in the streets, calling for the Democrats to recognize their failed strategy of vague , so called "Centrism" and capitulation," says Moyer. "Our rally and procession on Friday the 21st is important because many progressive organizations are not going after the Democrats. It's right that we resist the criminally regressive Bush Administration, but if we are willing to protest against a Party that will never see us as constituents, shouldn't we also engage our creative tactics toward a Party, whose constituents are amongst us and sympathetic to our calls? Some progressives feel too disenfranchised to invest their hopes in the Democratic Party, but we don't think our children can afford for us to be cynical or accept disenfranchisement. We and our friends at Progressive Democrats of America and Grassroots for America recognize the crossroads at which the Democratic Party stands. We see that the choices that are made in the next month will resonate through history."

For more information visit www.backbonecampaign.org and click on DC Action. The event begins at 11:30 with a rally at Folger Park and continues with a procession with the puppet and marching band to the DNC Headquarters. Join the fun, creativity, and spectacle. For more information contact amy@backbonecampaign.org or bill@backbonecampaign.org or (206) 463-4784.

The Backbone Campaign is a grassroots effort to support the progressive movement and to embolden the Democratic Party. We seek to fire up the grassroots with artistic imagery, positive messaging, and a vision for a progressive future. The backbone symbolizes an interlocking agenda, a coalition, and the personal courage necessary to fight for a future worthy of our children. (Fact sheet below)



Backbone Campaign Fact Sheet

The Backbone Campaign is a grassroots effort to embolden the Democratic Party by providing creative tools to the progressive movement. We seek to energize the grassroots with artistic imagery, positive messaging, and a vision for a progressive future. The backbone symbolizes an interlocking agenda, an interdependent coalition, and the personal courage necessary to fight for a future worthy of our children.

The Backbone Campaign was formed in January 2004 by artists and activists on Vashon Island, WA who wanted to use their creativity to put forth a positive agenda and to thank elected officials who show spine and stand up to the Bush Administration.

Some of our projects and tools include:

• 70 Foot Spine Puppet: A Giant Backbone Puppet delivers the Backbone Campaignýs message of progressive values, with each vertebra of the puppet symbolizing a piece of the Platform with a Backbone. Festival artists working with the Backbone Campaign bring the puppet to marches across the country.
• Backbone Cabinet: The Backbone Campaign, the Progressive Government Institute, and a coalition of grassroots organizations have initiated a process to empower citizens to nominate and elect a Progressive Parallel Government. The presence of this vocal group of leading progressives, with substantial expertise in the areas represented by the President's cabinet, will serve as a critical focal point for countering regressive policies, dismantling spin, and articulating and developing the vision and strength of the progressive movement.
• Awards: Backbone Awards are presented to courageous elected officials in recognition of their willingness to take principled progressive stands at politically lonely moments. Recipients include Representative Jim McDermott, Governor Howard Dean, Representative Dennis Kucinich, Representative Cynthia McKinney, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, Journalist Amy Goodman, and others. Spine Awards are a plaque version of the Backbone Award and are presented to local public officials, progressive activists, and politically courageous citizens.
• A Platform with a Backbone: The Backbone Campaign has created an evolving platform as a tool to aid progressives in framing our message and in transcending single-issue politics by presenting an interlocking agenda. The platform is available on our website, www.backbonecampaign.org.
• The Backbone Campaign offers creative tools to grassroots organizations, such as Spine Cards to thank politicians, journalists, and others who stand up for progressive values, placard puppet templates for groups to create their own version of an interlocking backbone cardboard puppet, and Spineless Citations, humorous and attention getting postcards to ýspanký violators of the Democratic Party platform.