Democracy Action has been a San Francisco-based volunteer Democratic club founded to influence state and national politics, by providing much-needed organization and support for candidates and campaigns. In 2008 we worked hard to help elect Barack Obama President and put Democrats in power in Congress.

Today, President Obama's plea for bi-partisanship is falling on deaf ears, as the Republican Party refuses to compromise or move forward from their failed policies of the past. Barack Obama has recognized this and moved forward with historic health care reform, with the invaluable help of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, without any Republican votes. This will be a defining issue in the November 2010 mid-term elections. The struggle to turn around the economy and increase jobs, strengthen financial regulatory oversight, mitigate the climate crisis, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and resolve immigration policies continues.

DemocracyAction is disbanding, after five years of intense work to win back the Presidency and Democratic majorities in Congress.  We encourage all our supporters and others who care deeply about our country to continue to work toward progressive gains in 2010 and beyond, with groups like Organizing for America, San Francisco for Democracy, Progressive Democrats of America and MoveOn.org. We have worked with all, and they are worthy of your support!

Organizing for America, the successor to Obama for America, builds on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities to bring about change. OFA volunteers have continued the fight for change, most recently with Health Care Reform. OFA tabled to get many 100,000s of signatures and personal health care stories to Congress, encouraged voters to contact their elected officials, and called voters in "Blue Dog" and swing districts to ask their representatives to vote for reform, ultimately gaining the entire California delegations support. 2010 is about the Congressional elections, targetting first-time, predominantly younger voters in swing districts with phone banks, canvassing and voter registration at events. These voters can turn the tide in winning, but can be the hardest to turn out in mid-term elections. Get involved and find events near your zip code, or fill out this online survey to reach Froilan Ramos, OFA's NorCal Regional Organizer for San Francisco & Northern San Mateo

San Francisco for Democracy, founded in 2004, seeks to restore citizens' ownership of our democracy by mobilizing grassroots participation in the community. As an independent, non-partisan organization, they lobby in support of universal health care, civil rights, quality education, fiscal responsibility and a healthy environment for all Americans. Through their two sponsored political action committees, they make endorsements for candidates at all levels of government and seek to influence public opinion on ballot measures which they support or oppose. They welcome everyone. For more information, check out their website.

Progressive Democrats of America  has a new San Francisco chapter (replacing Democracy Action) which meets monthly. PDA follows an "inside-outside" strategy, working within Congress as well as applying pressure from the outside. Six House members are part of the advisory board. PDA has six national organizing teams, with monthly conference calls open to all who are interested: End War and Occupations, Redirect Funding; Healthcare for All; Economic and Social Justice; Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections; Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issues; and Accountability and Justice. Contact Tom Gallagher tgtgtgtgtg@aol.com about the San Francisco group.

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On Friday, December 4, 2009 Democracy Action held its annual holiday party, celebrating nearly five years of Democratic efforts, from our inception in the John Kerry Presidential campaign, to the era of President Barack Obama and Democratic control of both the Senate and the House.  Joined by San Francisco's Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and a crowd of others, hosts Becca Foster and Michael Harris shared food, drink, and good holiday cheer with us all.

One year out from the 2010 election, it's clear that there's work to do for Democracy Action, to help retain and strengthen the Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.  A Governor's race in California, important work on climate change and health care, and much more, still lie ahead. But for now, it was time to celebrate, relax, and enjoy. 

For more pictures of this happy event, see the slideshow posted by DA Communications Director, Erik Wood.

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NOTICE: This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a future date.

On Monday, October 19, Democracy Action will holds its Fall Membership Meeting. We'll bring together new and existing DA members for a lively discussion of current topics having state and national importance.  Come join us to share food, beer, wine, conversation, political activism, and to build critical momentum in 2009 and 2010.  Guest speakers include:

* The Courage Campaign, organizers of the campaign to defeat Maine's Proposition 1.  They'll tell us about the November ballot proposal to repeal same-sex marriage in Maine, what they're doing to defeat it, and how their example can be used to fight Proposition 8 in California.

* Phil Ting, San Francisco Assessor-Recorder.  He'll discuss California's Proposition 13 and how closing the Prop. 13 loophole can help California out of its budgetary mess.

WHERE:     Shroeder's Restaurant Cafe
                240 Front Street (between Sacramento and California)
                San Francisco

WHEN:      Doors open at 6:00 pm, Program begins at 7:00

Help send Prpoposition 1 campaign workers to Maine.  Bring your checkbook and your airline miles!  Maybe even pack your bag?  The Courage Campaign will house any volunteer going to Maine for at least one week, but they need help getting the volunteers to Maine.

Democrats control the country, but Conservatives are untiring in their attempts to defeat our progressive agenda.  There's still plenty of work to do!

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DemocracyAction, in conjunction with Organizing for America and the Wellstone Democratic Club, urge all voters to support President Barack Obama's efforts to reform health care in this country.  President Obama has spoken to Congress, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats, and Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Senate, are working on bills that will extend health coverage to many uninsured Americans, as well as reform some of the worst abuses of the care-for-profit health insurance system in the U.S. 

Read the rest ...

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On Thursday, April 23, 2009, DemocracyAction held its 5th Annual Membership meeting at the San Francisco Quaker Friends Meeting House in San Francisco.  Born from the frustrations and loss of the John Kerry Presidential campaign in 2004, DemocracyAction was founded with the mission of helping Democrats regain Congress and the Presidency.  After four years of hard work - supporting Congressional candidates, walking precincts, registering voters, visiting red states, raising money, tuning our voters, and more - Democrats now control both houses of Congress and Barack Obama is President.  

Read the rest ...

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President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid passed the critical economic stimulus bill with no Republican votes in the House, and only three Republican votes in the Senate. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Senator Arlen Spector (now a Dem) of Pennsylvania, negotiated a $120 billion cut in the stimulus before giving their votes, and projected stimulus-related job growth dropped from 4 to 3.5 million. This is still a signal victory and reflection of last year's great accomplishments - the economic stimulus glass is much more than half full, although the challenges are tremendous.

Read the rest ...

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At Noon on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, on the Capital steps in Washington, D.C. It was a cold day on the streets of Washington (19 degrees) but that didn't stop more than 2 Million Americans from gathering on the National Mall to participate in this very historic day.

In San Francisco, we too had a celebration, at the Veterans Memorial Building Green Room, sponsored by the San Francisco Democratic Party, DemocracyAction, Emerge CA, the Good Ol' Girls, and many other local groups. On hand were State Senator Mark Leno, State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Aaron Peskin, and many more.

Everyone shared in the drinks, the food, and the festivities as we watched Barack Obama take the Oath of Office on the big screen TV. This day marked a new beginning for our nation, and the spirit and energy of it was evident throughout the evening.

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DemocracyAction and many other San Francisco Obama volunteers gathered Friday, December 5, 2008, to celebrate electing Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Thousands of volunteers contributed hundreds of thousands of hours to register voters, make phone calls, and raise money for Obama. DemocracyAction President Alec Bash and his wife Sharry played hosts to celebrate and thank everyone who pitched in.

The 2008 election will long be remembered as a tide-changing event, not only for electing the first black President in American history, but for strongly repudiating the GOP and the policies of the Bush administration.

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Following Barack Obama's historic victory to become the 44th President of the United States, Democracy Action co-sponsored a victory party at the Mezzanine nightclub in San Francisco's SOMA district. Dance music rocked the house, election news poured from the big screen TVs, and drinks were lifted freely in toasts, as volunteers from the Obama campaign and other well-wishers celebrated into the night.

Erik Wood was there with DA President Alec Bash and others, and put together this slideshow of the evening's happy event.

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After two long years, a hard-fought primary, and a nasty, mean-spirited campaign by his opponent John McCain, on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Not only will Barack go down in history as America's first black President, but more importantly, his victory carried with it a landslide for the Democratic party and a national repudiation of the GOP.

Not only did Barack Obama and Joe Biden take over the White House, Democrats picked up at least seven seats in the Senate and more than 20 seats in the House. With two Senate seats still undecided, and a handfull of House races also awaiting conclusive results, the margin of victory for Democrats could be even higher.

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