{"id":2739,"date":"2016-12-31T13:10:06","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T13:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chesapeakecitizens.org\/?page_id=2739"},"modified":"2020-09-13T00:46:27","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T00:46:27","slug":"progressive-shadow-government-project","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/chesapeakecitizens.org\/?page_id=2739","title":{"rendered":"Progressive Shadow Government Project"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From 2005 to 2013, I co-hosted a podcast for a Progressive Cabinet Project. <\/em><\/strong>See some of our87 archived interviews for our \u2018Conversations with the Cabinet\u2019.\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

HERE\u2019s a brief video description\u00a0<\/a> from 2007 (starts at 4 minutes) of our Progressive Cabinet Project.<\/p>\n

By Diane Wittner, May 2008
\nTranscript from conference speech in Radford, Virginia about using a progressive gov’t structure for strategy, to pursue justice and WINS, across groups, issues, and, in election season, among political parties \u2013 progressive democrats and independents.<\/p>\n

As a former resident of the U.K., I had grown accustomed to robust debates about real policy alternatives. And I had left the Democratic Party in the wake of the first stolen election in 2000, and had begun to contact media and political progressives, requesting, amongst other things, a roundtable discussion on forming a shadow government. As the Backbone Campaign had also\u00a0independently already begun creative research<\/a> on a unified set of progressive policy alternatives, we joined forces. Our outstanding team also included: co-host and Backbone Director Bill Moyer, Sound Engineer Roger Fulton and others.<\/p>\n

Our objectives were bold: To model progressives moving from protest to policy, <\/strong>to demonstrate that progressives have a unified vision for government,\u00a0to define the specific policies needed, and to introduce leaders to people around the country. We used new technology and unusual partnership to be our own media, and to invite anyone around the country to participate.<\/p>\n

Our Progressive Cabinet Project articulated a solution-oriented unified policy agenda for government and for social movement building beyond\u00a0<\/em>class, race, culture and gender inequities, political party constraints, election cycles, and corporate media blackouts.<\/p>\n

In this\u00a0social sculpture<\/a>,\u00a0all participants constructed our media\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0our message. Our project was a creative experiment in systems design & cross country collaboration, research and new media \u2014 all for ecosystem sustainability, justice, fairness, and democracy.<\/p>\n

Our online tools for the nomination process were available to anyone with internet around the country<\/strong>. As an evolving and listening team, we identified, researched, and interviewed progressive policy experts, our \u2018nominees\u2019 for executive branch cabinet positions. We examined domestic and foreign policy, and our Conversations often pioneered new paradigm thinking.<\/p>\n

We created a Department of Peace, the position of Secretary of Sustainability, and we repeatedly explored other big changes needed \u2013 \u00a0renewable energy instead of fossil fuels, housing & quality education for all, moving taxpayers\u2019 dollars from war to domestic needs, and greater bioregional governance.<\/p>\n

Some of our outstanding nominees:<\/p>\n

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  • White Earth Land Recovery Project<\/a>\u2018s Winona LaDuke for Secretary of the Interior<\/a><\/li>\n
  • BALLE<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0White Dog Cafe\u2019<\/a>s\u00a0 Judy Wicks for Secretary of Sustainability<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Black Women\u2019s Health Imperative <\/a>founder\u00a0Byllye Avery for Secretary of Health and Human Services<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Farm Labor Organizing Committee<\/a> President Baldemar Velasquez for Secretary of Labor<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Visionary architect and designer Christopher Alexander<\/a> for HUD Secretary. See Conversation transcript<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Some of our podcast\u2019s big ideas are now part of the national conversation<\/strong>. Just three examples:<\/p>\n

    1. In 2007, we hosted two Health Care for All <\/em>\u00a0or \u2018single payer\u2019 Conversations before it became a hot topic.<\/p>\n

    2. In 2011 and 2012 we conducted two Conversations on free public higher education<\/a>\u00a0with outstanding stakeholder panelists.<\/p>\n

    3. In 2013, we were honored to host Conversations on restorative justice and healing with a much-needed twist, those most impacted in charge: \u00a0family and youth-led Youth Justice Reinvestment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

    In 2007, we held a\u00a0Progressive Cabinet Summit<\/strong> in Atlanta at the first ever U.S. Social Forum, with over 40 of our Progressive Cabinet nominees. \u00a0(above photo features Tom Goldtooth, Steve Cobble, Luis Cuevas, Holly Sklar and others.) Adrienne Marie Brown<\/a>\u00a0was our kind facilitator, and Spanish translation was offered. Here\u2019s a\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0report by Liberty News TV,\u00a0\u00a0our event brochure<\/a>, our press release<\/a>, announcement article<\/a>, and my\u00a0follow-up article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Progressive Cabinet Nominee for \u00a0Secretary of Peace and Secretary of Education,\u00a0Howard Zinn even endorsed our Summit<\/a><\/p>\n