States demand a stop to Iraq Escalation

Posted by David Sirota at 7:57 AM on March 15, 2007.

Just another quick update from the Progressive States Network's Anti-Iraq Escalation Campaign. Two more states this week took strong steps demanding Congress use all its power to stop President Bush's escalation of the war in Iraq.

In Colorado, a massive crowd turned out for a hearing on the Anti-Iraq Escalation resolution, garnering front page newspaper coverage and top television news coverage throughout the state. To get a sense of just how emotional yesterday's events were in Colorado, check out the Rocky Mountain News's audio slide show. There was a spate of stories about this throughout Colorado. My favorite one was the Denver Post report that "mostly Republican lawmakers and staff" populated the rally opposed to the resolution.

State Sen. Ron Tupa (D), one of the sponsors, put the bill into perspective, when he said "All this resolution does is simply add Colorado's voice to a growing number of states calling on the president to change the direction of the war." The Rocky Mountain News confirmed that, pointing out that the resolution is part of "an organized effort by the Progressive States Network to pressure President Bush and Congress to change course." Following the hearing, the committee passed the resolution and sent it to the full Colorado Senate for consideration. Stay tuned.

On another front, in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe reports:

The Massachusetts Senate adopted a resolution yesterday to oppose the war in Iraq, specifically President Bush's plans to increase troop levels in the country. The resolution, sponsored by 13 Democrats and one Republican, was put to a vote without debate. The Senate typically avoids nonstate issues. However some Senators, citing the 3,100 Massachusetts National Guardsmen who have served in this Iraq war and the 320 who are there, said the resolution was an exception that looks out for the safety of the state's youth. "We are here to principally do state business, but there are times the action of the federal government has a direct impact on the people of Massachusetts," said Senator Stanley Rosenberg, Democrat of Amherst, one of the resolution's sponsors.

This campaign is heating up. Get involved by using the Progressive States Network's special website to get in touch with your legislators to demand they sponsor and support similar resolutions in your state. And, if you are inclined, make a donation to the Progressive States Network to help us continue building capacity on the Iraq campaign and all of our other campaigns.

This is what real progressive infrastructure looks like folks, and it's why I've dedicated so much of my personal time to building the Progressive States Network as one of its co-chairs. The successes Progressive States has had shows that when we engage in real grassroots movement-building - rather than only focusing on the palace intrigue of the Beltway - we can make a real impact on the national political debate.

Tagged as: surge, massachusetts, colorado, anti-escalation, anti-iraq escalation, state resolutions, state policy

David Sirota is a veteran political strategist and author of Hostile Takeover, a New York Times bestseller about the corruption of both political parties.