Posts by Rick Jacobs

Rick Jacobs chaired Howard Dean's 2003 presidential campaign in California. He is currently Chair and Founder of the Courage Campaign, a progressive political organization in California.

Fidelity for Gay Marriage? Ask Ken Starr and Bill Clinton
Posted by Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign on February 18, 2009 at 6:22 AM.

California’s Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on 5 March on two questions about same-sex marriage:

1. Is Prop. 8, which passed by a slim majority in November, an amendment to the constitution or is it a revision? Our friends at Lambda Legal, ACLU and other great legal organizations have laid out a clear case that taking away the rights of a minority by a majority in such a fundamental area as marriage is a revision of the essential nature of the constitution, not something that can be imposed by a majority on a minority. James Madison worried greatly about the tyranny of the majority in the Federalist papers, concerned that the American system not allow such.

2. Shall the 18,000 same sex marriages conducted between May and November of 2008 remain valid? The court ruled eloquently in May that same-sex marriage is legal. Marriages took place. Family unions were legally recognized. Then came Prop. 8. And no other than Ken Starr argues that those marriages shall be destroyed.

The court will decide both questions by 5 June 2009.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Stop Arnold from Slashing CA State Workers' Wages
Posted by Rick Jacobs, Brave New Films on July 31, 2008 at 8:12 AM.

Imagine trying to pay your bills on $6.55 an hour. Now imagine what will happen to over 200,000 vital service workers forced to live on poverty-level wages.

On Monday, July 28, the Courage Campaign delivered the signatures of 28,016 outraged Californians to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. But it's not over. Arnold is still threatening to slash worker pay.

So take action today: www.couragecampaign.org

Health "Insurance Jive": Do You Speak Insurance?
Posted by Rick Jacobs, Brave New Films on June 20, 2008 at 10:00 AM.

Based on the true story of Patsy Bates, this TV ad is for anyone who has had their health insurance denied, dropped or delayed.

The ad launched yesterday, as thousands of people poured into the streets of San Francisco outside the insurance convention, and in 19 other cities across the country, to protest the insurers and to advocate for guaranteed healthcare, such as HR 676 and SB 840, the federal and state bills for an improved and expanded "Medicare for All."

To report your complaint, go to:

Ad created and funded by: California Nurses Association PAC: http://www.calnurses.org

Courage Campaign: http://www.couragecampaign.org

Daily Kos has more a great diary of the day's demonstration.

GOP Stealing California's '08 Electoral Votes From Right Under Ahnold's Nose
Posted by Rick Jacobs on September 7, 2007 at 7:00 AM.

This post, written by Rick Jacobs, originally appeared on The Huffington Post

Is Arnold Schwarzenegger really just a Simpson's cartoon? Sadly, it's starting to look that way. Have a look at the Courage Campaign video (it's to your right) including the trailer of the Simpson's movie, starring our governor, who believes that he is here to "lead not read."

Ten days ago, he said that he had not read the so-called presidential reform act initiative, which is really a dirty trick designed simply to steal twenty electoral college votes from California's fifty five possible votes. So last Friday, Courage Campaigne strategist and blogger Julia Rosen delivered 2,148 copies of the initiative -- sent courtesy of Courage Campaign members -- to the Governor's Sacramento office so that he could read it over the Labor Day weekend. It takes about five minutes to read, even if English is your second language.

The pressure seems to have had some effect. In an interview yesterday on KABC, the governor said:

"I feel like if you, all the sudden in the middle of the game, start changing the rules it's kind of odd, it almost feels like a loser's mentality, saying I cannot win with those rules, so let me change the rules... I have not made up my mind yet in one way or the other, because I haven't seen the details on it."

Oddly enough, our governor will be joining many of those "losers" this weekend in the desert at the California Republican Party convention. And what are his Republican cronies doing to prevent this cynical ploy to change the rules, lock down the White House, and keep us in Iraq for another four years?

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »