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Ohio, March 26, 2006--Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Chair since December of 2005 and Minority Leader in the State House since 2002, has created "A Vision For the Ohio Democratic Party" that promises to "reach out to our progressive activists, open up a dialogue with them, ask them for input in guiding our party and encourage them to work with us, not against us." On Sunday March 26, Chris Redfern made good on that promise.
Tim Carpenter, Executive Director of Progressive Democrats of America and a social and political activist for more than 30 years, made the following statement during the organizational stages of a grassroots summit in Ohio. "PDA is excited to be a part of this gathering in Akron. PDA is organizing across the country to mobilize the progressive vote to help take back Ohio and the U.S. Congress for the Democratic Party in 2006. Today’s meeting will help strengthen this important work on the ground in Ohio and across the nation."
On Sunday March 26, these two leaders sat at a table together on stage that Sunday at the "Organize, Mobilize, and Deliver the Progressive Vote in 2006" Summit in front of an audience of progressives who were primed and ready for true alliances to be made and for real strategies to be discussed. Redfern and Carpenter delivered.
After saying he's been on impressive panels before but has never been more honored than to be on the stage with Cindy Sheehan, Redfern went on to state that since he has become the Ohio Democratic Party chair, progressives will no longer feel like outsiders. "The old ineffective state party that was closed to new faces is gone, this is the people's party, and progressives have the power to make the Democratic Party what we want it to be."
Carpenter said he was honored to have the state chair's ear and to share this panel discussion with him. He offered Redfern a PDA "End the Occupation" sticker and Redfern donned it. Tim Carpenter told of successful platforms amendments passed in New Mexico, California, Massachusetts, and Arizona, then challenged Redfern to organize anti-war town hall meetings like the one held in Cleveland on March 25, with PDA and other groups across the state, and Redfern accepted.
Carpenter then issued an incredibly important challenge: to work with PDA and other groups to establish a progressive caucus inside the Ohio Democratic Party. Redfern answered, "Absolutely!"
Within a week of the Summit on March 26, Ohio PDA Coordinators Michael and Patrick Carano have been contacted by the Ohio Democratic Party and are currently working with the ODP to establish a Progressive Caucus in Ohio.
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