News
Grassroots Response as Norman Moves Toward Run for Congress
Enthusiastic support has continued to surge across the North Bay since Norman Solomon's announcement in late January that he will run for the seat currently held by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey if she decides not to seek re-election. Many see the potential for a grassroots campaign to counter the power of corporate money in politics.
Solomon has gained wide recognition for his expertise and advocacy on such issues as ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign policy, human rights, healthcare, workers’ rights and sustainability.
“Norman Solomon is already out demonstrating expertise on national issues. Solomon and Woolsey are 100 percent in agreement on those policies,” Marin IJ political columnist Dick Spotswood wrote recently.
Solomon said that he would extend the Woolsey legacy -- strongly opposing war in Afghanistan while championing progressive policies for good green jobs, economic fairness, clean energy, civil liberties, gender equality, healthcare, education and balanced spending priorities.
Why I may run for Congress
San Francisco Bay Guardian
Across the country, alarm is rising as corporate power escalates at the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
One of the most inspiring political leaders in recent decades, Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), famously declared: "I represent the democratic wing of the Democratic Party." Today we need progressives in Congress who will represent the progressive wing of the Progressive Caucus.
That's the largest caucus on Capitol Hill — but having 80 members on the roster won't do much good if many cave under pressure.
Marin Democrats and Republicans differ over Obama’s address
Marin Independent Journal
Marin Democrats and Republicans heard things they both liked and disliked in President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night but what was music to one ear was the sound of a dentist drilling to the other.
Take for example Obama's suggestion that the children of undocumented immigrants should be allowed to remain in the United States.
"I thought his treatment of immigration was great," said West Marin author and progressive political activist Norman Solomon.
Norman Solomon on getting out there and doing something
North Bay Bohemian
"We need to become agitators," says Norman Solomon, Marin County activist and co-creator of the Green New Deal for the North Bay.
"It's the agitator that gets the dirt out in the washing machine," he explains, borrowing an analogy from Jim Hightower. Solomon sees the wash cycle as a good behavior model for those of us who avoid political activism in favor of safe and lazy pondering over how much trouble the world is in right now. It's such a hassle to get involved with strangers and go to meetings. Can't we just whine to our friends about corporate greed and corruption in the comfort of our own homes?
A Whole New ‘Green’ Deal
CommonDreams.org
Can eco economics green us out of the Great Recession?
About two years ago, a group of North Bay residents gathered around a table in a Novato restaurant to talk about missed opportunities.
The idea that old paradigms aren't meeting the unprecedented economic and environmental challenges facing the North Bay today was the topic of the meeting. "I called a bunch of people," says Norman Solomon, "and we met in the back room of the restaurant. There were about 20 people around the table for a few hours."
