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Congressman Mike Honda spent his childhood in a Japanese-American internment camp before becoming a teacher.

Now he’s one of the boldest progressives in Congress — a national leader for expanding Social Security benefits, requiring millionaires to pay their fair share, and protecting Net Neutrality.

This morning’s Election Watch reports, “Hondaai??i??s rival Ro Khanna (D) has refused to commit to expanding Social Security benefits, saying he wouldnai??i??t rule out cutting them for future recipients.”

Ro Khanna also opposes the congressional progressive budget that would tax millionaires, invest in jobs, and invest in education! (And he calls himself a Democrat?)

Today, we are proud to endorse Mike Honda for re-election. Please vote in the June 3primary — and share this blog with all local voters you know.

You can also help Mike Honda win by donating $3 to his campaign here.

And let Mike and others know you support him by endorsing him here.

Ro Khanna has been desperately “district shopping” for years. He even tricked people into donating to him when he was running in a different district — and now he’s using that money to run against popular Mike Honda!

Ro Khanna’s ideas are incredibly old. In criticizing the forward-looking progressive budget, he called for more “compromise and consensus” with House Republicans.

Has he been watching Congress lately? Does Ro Khanna actually believe the problem is that Democrats don’t compromise enough?

Mike Honda is right up there with Elizabeth Warren and Alan Grayson as a bold progressive who gets that the voice of the people has been lost — and yes, we need someone fighting for us.

Please pass this to every local voter you know because every vote counts on June 3.

And help Mike Honda win by donating $3 here and endorse him here.

Calling yourself a Democrat should mean something.

Progressive Congressman Mike Honda is facing a conservative primary challenger on June 3 who calls himself a Democrat — but is he really?

Honda’s opponent is open to cutting Social Security, wants more “consensus” with House Republicans, and opposes the progressive budget that would tax millionaires to invest in jobs and education!

He wrote: “U.S. Rep. Mike Honda…criticized the Republican budget and touted the alternatives offered by his Progressive Caucus. It’s time for a different approach in Washington that puts consensus and compromise ahead of demagoguery and division.”

Today, we officially endorse Mike Honda, Eloise Gomez Reyes, and Michael Eggman — three California progressives who need our help in key congressional races.

Eloise Gomez Reyes is the daughter of immigrant farmworkers who worked hard to build a life as a lawyer — and wants to make sure everyone has access to the American Dream. Her more conservative “Democratic” opponent supports the Simpson-Bowles plan to cut Social Security.

Michael Eggman grew up as an almond farmer and beekeeper, paid his way through college, and continues to run a successful farm. He is a progressive running against a vulnerable Republican incumbent who Democrats need to beat in order to take back the House. Due to unique California election rules, they will face off next month in a cross-partisan primary — and whomever comes out on top will have big momentum.

Congressman Mike Honda spent his childhood in a Japanese-American internment camp before becoming a teacher and serving as one of the strongest progressives in Congress.

All three are in tight races for Congress in California. They understand the plight of hard-working people, and support investing in jobs, expanding Social Security benefits, and holding Wall Street accountable.

On MTV in 2007, Joe Niederberger, a small business owner and former Internet engineer in New Jersey, asked Barack Obama a question about Net Neutrality. And he got a clear promise to protect Internet freedom. Now, that Internet freedom is under attack. Obamaai??i??s new FCC Chair ai??i?? a cable industry lobbyist — threatens to break that promise.

Watch the video:

Go to NoSlowLane.com and sign Joe’s petition to public officials!

With America having some of the slowest, most expensive Internet access in the world, the FCC should be making the Internet better — not worse.

The new FCC Chair should carry out President Obamaai??i??s promise and support Net Neutrality. If he wonai??i??t, he should step down so the president can appoint someone who will stand up for Internet freedom and make the Internet better for all of us.

Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren’s new book goes on sale.

She tells behind-the-scenes stories of her interactions with President Obama, top White House advisers, members of Congress, and Wall Street bankers.

In her book, Warren highlights the PCCC’s “Draft Warren for Senate” campaign. She also says this about our successful push to get her appointed to set up the consumer protection agency:

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), under the leadership of Adam Green and Stephanie Taylor, organized a petition with the headline ai???Let Elizabeth Warren Police Wall Streetai??? in 2010. At least thirteen senators signed on to the petition, and as of August 6, 2010, the petition had collected more than two hundred thousand signatures.

We’re launching a national progressive book club, starting with Elizabeth Warren’s A Fighting Chance. The senator will join us for a national conversation after we’ve read her book!

In 2012, PCCC members rallied around Elizabeth Warren’s economic populist message and we were her #1 grassroots supporter.

In 2014, we’ll help her rise to #1 on the best seller list. This will help Warren continue to change the national conversation and signal to all Democratic candidates in 2014 that adopting Warren’s economic populist message is the way to excite the public and win.

MORE EXCERPTS

Obama and Wall Street bailouts:

“The president chose his team, and when there was only so much time and so much money to go around, the president’s team chose Wall Street…The lost opportunity still makes me want to scream with frustration…Small business owners, homeowners, men and women whose jobs had disappeared: these weren’t numbers on the page, these were millions of people who lost everything.”

PCCC’s “Draft Warren for Senate” campaign:

“The Progressive Change Campaign Committee signed on early with the petition encouraging me to run, and they stayed with me every …

Check this out. This is a media report from a newspaper in Arlington, Virginia:

“One would expect that most demonstrations outside IRS headquarters in D.C. involve calls for lower taxes. This afternoon, however, congressional candidate Del. Patrick Hope (D) held a press conference outside the IRS to call for higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans.”

Around this time of year, the right tries to dominate the news with an anti-government message. But not this year. PCCC co-founder Adam Green announced on MSNBC that progressives are fighting back:

“This week as Paul Ryan is talking about lowering taxes on millionaires, and cutting corporate tax rates, and cutting programs that would benefit jobs and education, we have progressive candidates across the country who are actively saying letai??i??s have millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share so that we can fund massive jobs and education programs.”

At media events across the nation, progressive candidates for Congress went on offense — delivering 36,000 petitions and calling on their opponents to support requiring millionaires to pay their fair share in taxes in order to invest in education and jobs. And their efforts paid off. Progressive candidates generated local and national news — changing the conversation around Tax Day.

Then, six of these candidates joined the PCCC for a Tax Day national media call with Rep. Raul Grijalva, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus in Congress to lay out a progressive vision for the country. Click here to listen!

We also made news in the Washington Post, the LA Times, Politico, NBC, and local papers from Maine to Wisconsin.

Imagine having these people in Congress!

Will you donate $1 each to reward these 11 progressive candidates for their boldness? Click here.

Earlier today, in a 5-to-4 ruling, the Roberts Supreme Court struck some of the last remaining limits on how much wealthy people can donate to electoral campaigns. With those limits gone, it will be even harder for everyday people to have their voices heard in Washington.

In response, PCCC is launching ads in Washington to make clear that not only should Congress pass a Constitutional Amendment to counteract the power of money in politics — it needs to pass the Government by the People Act, which would fit within recent Supreme Court rulings and would match small-dollar donations with public funds.

We need campaign finance reform to give us a better chance at winning against big corporate donors on issues like reforming Wall Street, making college more affordable, and fighting corporate polluters.

Click here to sign-on as a citizen cosponsor of the Government by the People Act to give voice to everyday people and reduce the influence of big money in our democracy!

Today, we are proud to announce our endorsement of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz for re-election in Hawaii.

Social Security is a defining issue in this race.

Brian Schatz was one of the first senators to endorse expanding Social Security benefits.Ai??His primary opponent refuses to rule out cuts.

When we asked our 4,285 Hawaii members who they support, the answer was overwhelming: By 4 to 1 they support bold progressive Brian Schatz.

PCCC member Gerald, in Honolulu, recently told us, “Brian is the real deal progressive… He’s the clear choice to endorse!” Ai??We agree.

In addition to being a Social Security hero, Brian Schatz is one of the Senateai??i??s top leaders on the climate crisis. He recently led an all-night Senate debate that made big news and thrust progressive solutions into the national conversation.

Like Elizabeth Warren,Ai??Sen. Schatz is a true partner to progressives.Ai??He recently came to our PCCC candidate training to mentor new candidates.Ai??And tonight, he will welcome our PCCC team into his campaign headquarters as we start immediately organizing volunteers on his behalf.

Will you donate $3 to Sen. Schatz to help keep this bold progressive in the Senate?

First, progressive Senate candidate Shenna Bellows out-fundraised Republican Susan Collins.

Now, Shenna is profiled by US News & World Report and The Hill!

Check out below. Then please donate $3 to help win this huge Senate race.

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT:Ai??

Democrat Shenna Bellows, a former American Civil Liberties Union leader who grew up without electricity or running water until the fifth grade, is attempting to cobble together a unique coalition of liberals and libertarians to try and upset Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

But while sheai??i??s been dubbed ai???the Elizabeth Warren of Civil Libertiesai??? by the liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee, she also finds herself seeing eye to eye with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on issues of national security and foreign policy…

Bellows is campaigning on repeal of the U.S. Patriot Act and wants to severely curb the National Security Agencyai??i??s bulk data collection program ai??i?? two issues that resonate with the left wing of the Democratic Party as well as libertarian-minded voters who propped up Ron Paulai??i??s strong showing in the 2012 presidential caucuses there.

ai???What I think we need is targeting based on individualized suspicion, reasonable suspicion that people are engaged in criminal or terrorist activity,ai??? she says in response to a question about what she thinks the NSA should be able to monitor.

Bellowsai??i?? candidacy was being largely ignored by national media until she revealed earlier this month she had raised more money than Collins during the last quarter. Now, sheai??i??s trying to capitalize on that news with a press blitz highlighting a grassroots campaign focused largely on local organizing in Maineai??i??s 500 towns.

Help Shenna Bellows continue the momentum! Click here to donate $3 and help Shenna defeat Susan Collins.Ai??

Then, share this great article on Facebook …

UPDATE:Ai??Ed Schultz has joined the PCCC in opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline!Ai??Watch him say “I was wrong” and come out against the pipeline.

PCCC Co-Founder Adam Green was recently asked by Ed Schultz for his thoughts on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Click here to listenAi??to Adam discussing the issue:

ai???We see whatai??i??s happening in West Virginia right now when polluters have their way and entire rivers and water lines get polluted. There are these explosions, you can Google and see, pipelines erupting and causing huge fireballs in communities and we know thatai??i??s part of the risk. As Michael Brune [Executive Director of the Sierra Club] was saying, we donai??i??t have to choose between two bad options. The obvious path forward is to find clean energy sources and not kind of checkmate ourselves into, do we transport this toxic stuff to our communities by rail or by pipeline? We need a third choice.ai???

Adam also noted how disagreements over Keystone has the potential to create fractures within the Democratic coalition which plays into the hand of Republicans:

“I just donai??i??t like a ai???process of elimination’ argument; I donai??i??t like feeling boxed in to making a horrible choice. If there is a legitimate reason, Iai??i??m interested in hearing that, but the net effect ai??i?? looking at this in a big picture perspective ai??i?? is I see a Republican advantage to dividing labor vs. the environmentalists. Thereai??i??s so many bad things that we need to be united against that I just see this as a huge wedge issue and I think the default should be taking it [Keystone XL] off the table, not approving it.ai???

Rather than focus on the pipeline, Adam urged the Democratic Party to champion an aggressive clean-energy jobs agenda:

ai???Imagine a situation where the president said, ‘We are going to …

Tell Congress it’s time to act on a minimum wage increase.
Click here to sign our petitionAi??thenAi??share this image on Facebook.