Posts by: Marissa Barrow

Monday was one of the high points in the PCCC’s organizational history.

FIRST THIS HAPPENED…

“The phrase ‘debt-free college’ was hardly present in the national political lexicon until the Progressive Change Campaign Committee launched a campaign in January to push Democrats to support the idea.” [Bloomberg, May 8, 2015]

… AND THENAi??MONDAYAi??THIS HAPPENED ON CNN:

THESE HEADLINES WERE AMAZING:

MSNBC:Ai??Clinton’s sweeping new debt-free college plan

Wall Street Journal:Ai??Hillary Clinton Proposes Debt-Free Tuition at Public College

The Guardian:Ai??Clinton takes debt-free higher education from progressive dream to mainstream

(Help the PCCC’s effective activism continue. Make an impact with aAi??$3 donation to our presidential organizing.)

(Also,Ai??please sign the petition for debt-free college as the PCCC works to get more members of Congress and candidates on board…and have Democratic unity.)

CLINTON CREDITED THE PCCC’S ACTIVISM! DEBT-FREE COLLEGE IS NOW A CENTRAL 2016 ISSUE FOR DEMOCRATS — SUCCESS ON THE PCCC’S GOAL!

Clinton yesterday:Ai??”I’ve been traveling the country for months, talking to students and families, educators, legislators, and experts of every stripe — including youngAi??progressive activists whoai??i??ve put the issue of debt-free college and affordability at the top of the national agenda.”

Real Clear Politics:Ai??ai???Affordable,Ai??debt-free college is now an economic policy plank for all the Democratic presidential candidates,Ai??who believe it resonates across political parties, across economic strata, and with young people as well as with their parents and grandparents.ai???

Wall Street Journal:Ai??”The Clinton campaign views this proposal as a centerpiece of its domestic agenda, akin in importance to health care in 2008, and it is her most expensive proposal so far.”

Washington Post:Ai??ai???Tackling the high cost of college has emerged asAi??a central issueAi??in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.ai???

This was just …

Despite her absence, Clinton’s ghost defined much of the proceedings here. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts progressive who is beloved among the Netroots crowd, said in a speech on Friday that all the presidential candidates should move to stop the revolving door between Wall Street and the Cabinet, an applause line that was largely seen as aimed at Clinton. Many of the activists spoke about “moving Hillary to the left,” a common refrain among Democrats.

For Clinton, who is establishing her progressive credentials but has not yet managed to capture the imagination of the Netroots demographic, the key will be driving them out in heavy numbers to vote for in a general election. Sanders may know how to rile up the base. But if Netroots is a barometric reading of devotion, then Clinton may have some work to do.

“It’s a degree-of-enthusiasm question,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Democratic activists here will probably go out and vote for her. But will they go out to canvass for her, mobilize for her and make calls for her? It really depends on her.”

In a fiery speech at Netroots Nation, the country’s largest gathering of progressive activists, the senator from Massachusetts railed against Wall Street “banksters” who deserve to be in jail. She decried an economic system “rigged for the rich and powerful.” And she vowed to fight an “insider Washington” that doesn’t realize how progressive the country really is. …

“Progressives are looking for a candidate speaking Elizabeth Warren’s rhetoric and embracing her policies,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a Washington-based group whose agenda overlaps with Warren’s on issues such as debt-free college, expansion of Social Security benefits and Wall Street reform.

Taylor said that Warren’s “role right now is agenda-setting, policy-setting. When she picks a fight, it’s a signal it will be a major one, not only for her but for the party.”

In recent months, Clinton — the Democratic front-runner — has borrowed some Warren catchphrases, including her declaration that the economic system is “rigged” against working families.

But Adam Green, the other co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said it remains to be seen whether Clinton will move beyond slogans to champion bold policies.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren drew a red line on Friday for 2016 presidential candidates, calling for them to commit to end the so-called “revolving door” between Wall Street and the Cabinet. …

“Elizabeth Warren offered a framework for how Democratic presidential candidates can reduce Wall Street influence in key appointments,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee after Warren’s speech.

Unhappy with President Obama’s less aggressive approach to Wall Street, the Democratic left has searched for a liberal champion who can address issues like income inequality and campaign finance reforms and found some of its voice in Warren, a former Harvard law professor and consumer protection advocate.

This is the first time Warren has decided to engage in the presidential election, which activists tried for months to get her to enter. Instead of asking candidates to endorse one of her particular policies on bank reform or student loans, Warren is focusing on the personnel who will implement those policies. It’s a notable choice that dovetails with Warren’s interest in ensuring that executive branch appointments will not tip the scales in favor of Wall Street or private industry, seen most directly in the fight to block Antonio Weiss from the No. 3 position in the Treasury Department. …

Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee responded to Warren’s remarks by saying they “offered a framework for how Democratic presidential candidates can promise to reduce Wall Street influence in key appointments.” The PCCC added that they would “ask all Democratic presidential candidates to make specific commitments—and to make down payments on that promise by ensuring progressive economic thinkers are on their campaign policy teams.”

With Bernie Sanders drawing huge crowds with his fiery socialist-y speeches, Hillary Clinton leaning further left than any Democratic frontrunner in decades, and Martin O’Malley pitching himself as the wonk of the people, it’s been an all-out contest in the Democratic Party to claim the mantle of progressive hero.

But on Friday, Elizabeth Warren wanted to make one thing clear: I was the original. …

Even if many other Democrats here are not yet sold on Clinton, it’s clear the former secretary of state’s recent leftward lurch has been appreciated. …

“I think we’ve seen progress,” said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “I do think that she’s made some stabs toward economic populism.”

The various Draft Warren campaigns, in concert with the Massachusetts senator’s rapid rise in the party, leave her in a unique position to influence the direction of the presidential primary debate. Warren cashed in some of those chips during her speech Friday, issuing a direct challenge to presidential candidates (read: Hillary Clinton) to support specific legislation that would curb some of the financial sector’s influence at federal regulatory agencies. …

Activists are ready to take up Warren’s charge, however—the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and Americans for Financial Reform began circulating a petition demanding that a specific list of financial regulatory positions, along with presidential campaign staffing, be staffed by people “a strong commitment toward holding Wall Street accountable.”

Demos, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the American Federation of Teachers will announce today a six-point “Debt-Free College Checklist” designed “to assess any debt-free college proposal” put forth by 2016 presidential candidates and members of Congress. Strictly speaking, “Debt-free college means all students in America should be able to graduate without debt.” Such a policy plan, the groups say, should: apply to all undergraduate students at public colleges and account for all college costs, ensure that aid is directed toward the least privileged students, and avoid economic hardship for families and academic hardship for students.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Demos, and the American Federation of Teachers is releasing a new “checklist for debt-free college,” listing a series of policies that the groups will use to judge the Dem presidential candidates’ commitments to expanding the availability of higher education, a key progressive cause that’s gaining momentum.

Progressive groups such as Democracy For America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee are ramping up the pressure on Hillary Clinton to support reinstating Glass-Steagall, another sign the left is remaining vigilant for any signs of a weak commitment to Wall Street reform.

The Democratic front-runner lambasted a marketplace she said is too obsessed with second-to-second stock trading and quarterly earnings reports, at the expense of long-term growth and stability in a speech that was heavy on politics and light on policy specifics.

Clinton even took a veiled shot at President Barack Obama’s administration for failing to prosecute individuals for banking crimes in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn.

She accused hedge funds and high-frequency traders of “criminal behavior,” and promised to “prosecute individuals as well as firms” when they break the law — which liberals have long clamored for, but the Obama administration largely didn’t do. She also said she’d seek to expand on the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law designed to prevent future economic crises.

“‘Too big to fail’ is still too big a problem,” Clinton said.

The assault on Wall Street pleased liberal groups that have often criticized Clinton. “There were notable overtures to the Elizabeth Warren wing of American politics, and nothing major for the dwindling DLC corporate crowd — which shows that Clinton sees a rising economic populist tide in our politics and wants to be part of it,” said Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee who has at times been a thorn in Clinton’s side.

Regarding Wall Street, Clinton said that the financial sector has an important role to play in the economy, but added that she would not tolerate the kind of “criminal behavior” that sometimes occurs and lamented when executives are let off the hook.

“We have to go beyond Dodd-Frank,” she said of Obama’s Wall Street reform law. “Too many of our major financial institutions are still too complex and too risky.” …

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee praised Clinton “for the first time … acknowledging that corporate criminals often escape accountability while pocketing ill-gotten gains,” as the group’s co-founder, Adam Green, said in a statement.

“Martin O’Malley’s belief that debt-free college must be accessible to all students, and must apply to all public colleges and universities, is spot on and we look forward to seeing the plans of others,” Adam Green, co-founder of PCCC — which is expected to announce its own debt-free college plan at the annual Netroots Nation progressive confab next week — told BuzzFeed News in an email.

Green said he hoped O’Malley’s rivals will unveil plans that rival the former Maryland governor’s. For now, the debt-free plan puts O’Malley in the progressive spotlight, even against Sanders.

“To her credit, Hillary Clinton has mentioned debt-free college multiple times on the campaign trail, and Americans await a bold policy speech on debt-free college in the near future,” Green said. “We hope Bernie Sanders and others endorse this game changing goal of debt-free college as well.”

Mr. O’Malley’s plan — to make college free of debt for all, as well as enhancing public education systems — won praise from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which is closely aligned with Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat and a champion of the left. The committee had stirred up interest in the issue of debt-free college over many months …

“Martin O’Malley’s belief that debt-free college must be accessible to all students, and must apply to all public colleges and universities, is spot on — and we look forward to seeing the plans of others,” said Adam Green, who co-founded the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and described debt-free college as crucial to “what our economy needs to grow.”

While Mr. Green noted that Mrs. Clinton had also discussed the issue on the campaign trail, she had said she would lay out her policy proposals in the coming weeks.

O’Malley’s plan sets a goal “that all students have access to a high-quality, debt-free college education within five years, attainable at any in-state college or university,” according to a white paper on the candidate’s website.

Liberal groups such as the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) have spent months calling on Democratic candidates to work on reducing student debt. The group, in a Wednesday statement, hailed O’Malley’s proposal as “the most progressive plan to tackle crippling student debt offered so far on the presidential campaign trail.”

“To her credit, Hillary Clinton has mentioned debt-free college multiple times on the campaign trail, and Americans await a bold policy speech on debt-free college in the near future,” said PCCC co-founder Adam Green. “We hope Bernie Sanders and others endorse this game changing goal of debt-free college as well.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has thrust anti-big bank policy into the 2016 presidential Democratic primary, presenting a new political challenge for front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Warren’s re-introduction on Tuesday of Glass-Steagall, which would require big banks to split up commercial and investment banking, is popular among the liberal base. …

Adam Green, co-founder of the liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said that the bill’s re-introduction “is great news and a reminder the Wall Street’s irresponsible actions deprived millions of people of their homes and life savings.”

“Wall Street reform should be among the economic populist issues at the center of the 2016 debate, we hope to see bold proposals from presidential, Senate and House candidates,” said Green, who is pushing for Democratic candidates to adopt a more progressive agenda, similar to Warren’s.

Sanders is not just persuading progressives to open their wallets: he has a rabid fan base showing up to campaign events as well, drawing larger-than-expected crowds across the country. At a rally on Wednesday night, Sanders sounded almost taken aback by his welcome – nearly 10,000 supporters attended the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin, to hear him speak. …

Adam Green, co-founder of Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group that has hailed the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren as its “north star”, said that Sanders is hitting the right notes for his left-wing base with ideas on how to unburden college students from massive debt and tackle wage inequality – and that Clinton would be wise to pay attention.

“Bernie Sanders is smartly taking advantage of the rising economic populist tide,” Green said. “And the path to success for Hillary Clinton is to be bold and populist in her campaign platform.”

Hillary Clinton hinted that she would be rolling out a policy that’s near the top of liberal wish-lists during a fundraiser today in Austin, according to a donor in attendance.

While the Democratic front-runner didn’t go deep into details, she said she wants to unveil a “debt-free” college plan — language that was greeted enthusiastically by liberal activists when her campaign manager used it in a recent television interview. Both Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders have talked about their own wishes to make higher education debt-free, and liberal groups like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee have tried to push Clinton toward offering her own plan. She has yet to publicly embrace the idea on the campaign trail, making her private remarks to donors notable as a harbinger of things to come.

In a move which could potentially place pressure on front-runner Hillary Clinton to interact with her field of Democratic rivals sooner than expected, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee has made initial inquiries to Democratic campaigns about holding one or more additional debates, beginning as early as this August.

The PCCC, an ardent cheerleader of the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party, is advocating what they’re dubbing an “open debate” format, in which questions would be formulated by voters rather than media figures.

They’ve even begun a dialogue with conservative groups to organize a similar venture among Republican candidates, and are floating the idea of holding an “open debate” for the general election.

The initial test, though, will be whether the liberal group can foster agreement to participate from all camps on the Democratic side.

“Debates are absolutely essential if we want a race to the top with them racing with each other to support big ideas,” PCCC co-founder Adam Green says. “There’s going to be broad support among most progressives for more debates, not less.”

Nothing in the president’s second term has better demonstrated his lame-duck status than his uphill fight for Trade Promotion Authority, a political reality that is being effectively hammered home by his erstwhile allies in the progressive movement who are determined to beat him and are no longer concerned that they could weaken a fellow Democrat in the White House.

“Labor unions and progressives will be around for many election cycles to come. And President Obama won’t be on the ballot anymore,” is the pointed message of Adam Green, one of the most effective and influential progressive leaders in Washington. Green is cofounder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a 950,000-member organization that grew out of MoveOn.org. PCCC is one of several liberal groups that will hold what Green calls “a massive day of action” on the trade fight Wednesday, to include the release of 2 million signatures opposing TPA.

Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley blasted social injustice and Wall Street excesses as he launched a White House bid on Saturday, casting himself as a younger, more liberal alternative to Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

“Powerful, wealthy special interests here at home have used our government to create, in our own country, an economy that is leaving a majority of our people behind,” said O’Malley, opening his 2016 presidential campaign with a rally at a waterfront park in downtown Baltimore.

Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group trying to push Democratic candidates to the left, praised his speech, saying he was so far “the only candidate to be outspoken about accountability for Wall Street bankers who committed crimes and crashed our economy.”

Many toward the left end of the Democratic Party spectrum are happy to see O’Malley join the presidential fray.

“Martin O’Malley’s entrance into the race will be one more factor that incentivizes a race to the top on economic populism issues,” the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which claims nearly one million members, said in a statement. “He has already taken strong stands in favor of debt-free college, expanding Social Security benefits, and Wall Street reform – and so far is the only candidate to be outspoken about accountability for Wall Street bankers who committed crimes and crashed our economy. The more Democrats compete to be the biggest hero on popular issues like these, the better it will be for Democrats and for America.”

Nine additional Democratic senators on Wednesday came out in support of a resolution calling for debt-free public college, bringing to 20 the total number of Senate Dems who support the measure, introduced only a month ago by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). …

The Guardian wrote on Wednesday that increased support for the Democrats’ plan “adds pressure on potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidates to either endorse the resolution or come up with a plan of their own, with supporters of the debt-free college measure particularly interested in seeing where Hillary Clinton will come out on the issue.”

As Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), one of the liberal groups driving support for the measure, told The Hill: “[T]he beauty of debt-free college is that it is a game-changing policy in millions of people’s lives and it is a tremendous winner for Democrats with voters. Our goal is to have it be a central campaign issue in 2016. When voters go to the polling booth, we want them to be thinking about debt-free college as one of the main things.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for making higher education “as debt-free as possible” on Monday, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed a bill to make public colleges tuition-free on Tuesday.

“We have to deal with the indebtedness — to try to move toward making college as debt-free as possible,” Clinton said on the Iowa campaign trail. The statement brings her a step closer to endorsing so-called debt-free college, an idea brought to the forefront of the Democrats’ 2016 race by national progressive groups in recent months

As the Progressive Change Campaign Committee stated the goal in a recent paper, co-written with the progressive think tank Demos: “All students should have the ability to attend public colleges and universities and graduate without debt.” The group noted that means aid to cover both tuition and cost-of-living expenses — and also urged efforts to lower the underlying costs of higher education.

The PCCC started pushing to make debt-free college a mainstream Democratic position in January, according to a Bloomberg report. This week the group applauded Clinton’s statement.

“It’s great news that Hillary Clinton is talking about a national goal of debt-free college, and we look forward to hearing more specifics from her soon,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the progressive group.

Huge news. Monday in Iowa, Hillary Clinton talked about moving toward debt-free college for the first time. Take a look at the video.

Bloomberg News reports:

“The phrase ‘debt-free college’ was hardly present in the national political lexicon until the Progressive Change Campaign Committee launched a campaign in January to push Democrats to support the idea.”

The more public support presidential candidates see for big ideas, the more they will make them central to their campaigns.

Watch the video. Then, join 320,000 of us on the petition urging Clinton and other candidates to make debt-free college central in 2016.

Inside Higher Ed reports:

“After a concerted push over the past several months from liberals and progressive groups, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign appears to be on the cusp of embracing a debt-free college plan.”

PCCC has partnered with Democracy for America, Daily Kos, Demos, the AFL-CIO, NEA, the Working Families Party, Credo Action, MoveOn, and Americans for Democratic Action.

Here is a summary of PCCC members’ activism together:

In January, debt-free college rose to the top of the Progressive Change Instituteai??i??s ai???Big Ideas Project.ai???
On the day of the State of the Union, PCI released polling data of 2016 likely general election voters that showed federal investment in debt-free college is 71% to 19% popular. It is the #1 issue that Democrats who didn’t vote in 2014 said would have motivated them to vote.
In February and March, PCCC lobbied Congress. And sent field organizers to Iowa and New Hampshire.
In April, 5,000 political leaders signed the Ready For BoldnessAi??statement to urge all Democratic presidential candidates to run on …