[Sosfbay-discuss] CA Dem Convention PDAers Place Impeachment Cards on Pelosi Dinner Table

[JamBoi]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_miriam_r_070504_group_places_impeach.htm

May 4, 2007 at 06:14:32

Group Places Impeachment Cards on Pelosi Dinner Table

by Miriam Raftery     

Groups believe impeachment is 'more on the table than
people think'

While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has famously stated
that impeachment proceedings against President Bush or
Vice President Cheney are "off the table," many
activists feel that the tide is beginning to turn.

For a previous report on this past weekend's
California Democratic Convention in San Diego, RAW
STORY obtained responses about impeachment directly
from Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and 2008
candidates New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and
former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel. A blogger present
at the convention also helped pose the question to
Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and former North
Carolina Senator John Edwards (full article at this
link).

While Gravel indicated that impeachment "will come, in
due course," Dodd told RAW STORY that having "been
down that road" before with former President Clinton,
he believes that "[i]t sucks all of the oxygen out of
the air.”

However, on Sunday, April 29, California delegates and
state party members sent a powerful message to Pelosi
and Congressional Democrats. “In a resolution affirmed
by the full state party convention Sunday, the
Democrats called on the U.S. Congress to use its
subpoena power to investigate misdeeds of President
Bush and Vice President Cheney – and to hold the
Administration accountable 'with appropriate remedies
and punishment, including impeachment,'" a letter to
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) members
obtained by RAW STORY states.

The letter continues, "The delegate insurgency was
coordinated by Progressive Democrats of America and
its allies. While Speaker Pelosi had declared
impeachment 'off the table,' the Democratic Party
rank-and-file has demonstrated its commitment to
putting the issue 'on' the table. And it's no longer
just the rank-and-file: Even among the members of the
convention's Resolutions Committee (appointed by the
California Party chair), the impeachment resolution
was the top vote-getter (tied with one other
resolution).” (Read the full resolution text here)

Protesters inside and outside the convention also sent
a message to Presidential aspirants and Speaker
Pelosi. An estimated 200 impeachment supporters lined
both sides of the street outside the convention center
on Saturday in anticipation of Pelosi’s arrival.
Demonstrators were barred from entering the building,
but PDA members inside posted prominent impeachment
banners and wore bright orange shirts urging
impeachment.

Protesters also staged an “Impeach on the Beach”
activity at nearby Torrey Pines, but cloud cover
prevented an airplane from flying over to photograph
the message spelled out with 250 human bodies.

“One third of those were Move On members,” said Will
McRae, MoveOn coordinator for San Diego County. “For
MoveOn to pretend impeachment isn’t on the table is
the same as Pelosi. They need to put it on their
website [for a vote]. We owe it to our members.”
DFA head: "More on the table than people think"

Jim Dean, head of Democracy for America and brother of
Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean, said
he understands the reluctance of Pelosi to lead
Congress into impeachment proceedings during her first
100 days in office. “We took control of Congress
because people are fed up and want us to get things
done,” he observed, adding that impeachment
proceedings would bog down Congress.

But he noted, “Just letting these guys off is setting
a bad precedent.” Asked about the prospect of
impeachment, he observed, “I think it’s more on the
table than people think.”

PDA president Tim Carpenter called passage of the
impeachment resolution by California delegates “the
culmination of one month of effort by PDA to put the
issue of investigating, accountability and
impeachment” on the table. “I’m a California native
and an elected central committee member,” added
Carpenter, who made “a lot of cell phone calls” to win
support for the measure.

On Saturday, Carpenter revealed, he met with Pelosi.
“I think the fact that she met with us shows she is a
listener,” he said, but he added, “We agreed to
disagree.”

Impeachment is a constitutional imperative, he
believes. “If we don’t begin to talk about
impeachment, the next president will be allowed to
torture, do wiretapping, lying, and engage in
manipulation of everything in signing statements,” the
PDA leader predicted.

At a dinner honoring Pelosi Saturday evening,
pro-impeachment activists slipped elegant placecards
onto each place at the table. The cards read:
Remember, We’re the Deciders.

 Impeachment is on the table.

Investigate and Impeach Cheney and Bush!

Secret Service agents blocked Jeeni Criscenzo, the
endorsed Democratic Congressional candidate who ran
against Darrell Issa, from unfurling a banner at the
dinner which read:
Impeach Bush-Cheney Now

“Where is our freedom?” asked Criscenzo. “Thousands of
people have signed this banner and they won’t let us
present it to the Speaker quietly and respectfully.”
Criscenzo added that she “might just go to Washington
for Mother’s Day” to try and present the banner to Pelosi.

___________________

JamBoi: Jammy, The Sacred Cow Slayer
The Green Parties' #1 Blogger
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com

"To the brave belong all things"
Celt's invading Etrusca reply to nervous Romans around 400BC

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)

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