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Groups to Work Together for Fast Action on Pelosi's 100 Hour Agenda, Call Initiatives a 'Down Payment' on Larger Program for Change

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 /U.S. Newswire/ -- More than 100 leaders, speaking for dozens of progressive organizations, assembled today to organize a campaign to back major portions of the House Democrats' early legislative agenda. The attending groups represent an expansion of a regular meeting of progressive leaders known as the "Tuesday Group." Organizers said support for key elements of the agenda represents a down payment on a more ambitious agenda for change promised by the new majority in Congress.

More than 40 groups, led by Americans United, U.S.Action and the Campaign for America's Future, met to outline plans to press House and Senate members to vote for a minimum wage increase, negotiating for lower drug prices, student loan interest rate reductions, and a repeal of tax benefits for the oil and gas industry to pay for public investment in alternative energy sources. These agenda items are part of House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi's agenda for the first 100 legislative hours of the House next month.

The groups devoted almost their entire meeting to building participation and momentum for the coalition effort, known as CAN - Change America Now. The campaign is growing as groups turn their post-election attention to moving an immediate agenda, which they see as a down payment on a larger agenda for creating an economy that works for working people.

"Democrats ran the most populist elections in memory," said Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future and a co-chair of today's Tuesday Group meeting. "We need to make sure the Democrats deliver on their promises, and that the 100 Hours Agenda is just the first step in creating an economy that works for working people. The 100 Hours Agenda gives Democrats a chance to show that we support positive policies for change, and we're not just against the Republican agenda."

Borosage opened the meeting with a presentation that highlighted polling data showing that large majorities of Americans support the 100 Hour Agenda initiatives. According to a Newsweek poll, 68 percent of Americans believe increasing the minimum wage should be a top priority for the new Congress. A Yale University study found that 90 percent of the public supports requiring Medicare to negotiate lower drug process and polling from Hart Research found 78 percent of Americans support a prescription drug plan direct from Medicare.

Americans United Communications Director Brad Woodhouse presented details of the CAN campaign's plans to today's Tuesday Group meeting. Woodhouse said the campaign would target "the walking wounded" who narrowly won re-election, mounting an offensive in targeted districts with media events, town hall meetings and other tactics.

"Democrats had a mandate for change," said Woodhouse. "Now is the time to show what that change means."

MoveOn Washington Director Tom Matzzie also discussed MoveOn's successful campaign to rally its 3.2 million members as a guide for building the coalition's campaign for supporting legislation that will ensure that our economy works for working people. CAN is already uniting the efforts of many national and local organizations, leveraging all the activity around these issues into one massive campaign effort.

So just who makes up this group? The usual suspects, of course...