Progressive Values Stories: Gavin Newsom on Inclusivity and Noah’s Ark

I interviewed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom about what he personally feels are the most important progressive values. He mentioned  several progressive values, such as, Interdependence, Stewardship, Empathy and Tolerance, but focused on Inclusivity as the most important.  He cautions progressives not to 'eat their young' and implode internally from all their differences. When asked to create a metaphor for inclusivity, he came up with the image of  Noah's Ark. 

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Melanie on Progressive Flying Monkey versus Conservative Snail Values

I attended an anti McCain rally at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. There I interviewed several people and asked them to create a metaphor for Progressive and Conservative Values and to create a dialogue between the two.  In this story, Melanie sees conservative values as snails and progressive values as monkeys with wings. See how the snails and monkeys get along.

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  Progressive Values Stories: Zeus Yiamouyiannis on Innovation and Caring

In this interview  Zeus Yiamouyiannis talks about how innovation is a progressive value. He also sees caring and nurture as progressive values and talks about having learned these values growing up on an organic farm and tending to the animals. On one hand,  conservatives talk about traditional values of self interest and selfishness, on the other hand, innovation, caring and nurture are some of the traditional progressive values.

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Progressive Values Stories: Jeremy Rothe-Kushel on Caring

In this interview, Jeremy Rothe-Kushel  talks about the progressive value of caring. He recounts learning to care more deeply by being with his family at  his great-grandmother's death bed.  It's a learning process to expand your sense of care beyond just thinking of yourself -  to caring for your family, community, nation and the world.

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Progressive Values Stories: Jim Dean on Responsibility and Participation

In this second part of my interview with Jim Dean, Chair of Democracy for America, Jim talks about the Progressive Values of responsibility and participation. Progressives are now standing up to participate in and take responsibility over the political process.   Democracy for America helps in supporting these Progressive Values of Responsibility and Participation. 

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Progressive Values Stories: Norman Solomon on We're All in it Together

I interviewed Norman Solomon at the 2008 Democratic Party Convention in San Jose, California. Norman  is a columnist and his book "War Made Easy"  was  recently made into a movie with Sean Penn narrating it. In this second part of the interview, he  talks about the progressive value of responsibility for each other.  This responsibility is the basis of the popular progressive phrase,  'We're All in it Together' which stands in contrast to the Failed Conservative Value view of  'Every Man for Himself'.

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 Progressive Values Stories: Scott Henderson on the Common Good

I interviewed Scott Henderson in Los Angeles. Scott who told me the Common Good was the most important progressive value and 'we're all in it together'.  He tells a story about growing up in the 50's and feeling a sense of community, but that we've lost that now.  He thinks conservatives characterize progressives as wanting to be supported by the state and thinks conservatives have good intentions and mean well, but don’t fully comprehend the importance of all of us supporting each other.

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 Progressive Values Stories: Carol Dipple on Caring

I met Carol Dipple at a street fair in El Cerrito, California. She told me about learning to care and have empathy  for people from her mother.

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Progressive Values Stories: Suzanne Kite on the Golden Rule

We continue with another story about the golden rule.  In this interview with Suzanne Kite, she says that  progressives value the Golden Rule, "Treat people like you’d like to be treated, and don’t gossip."  As she says, "The problem is in politics there’s always gossip". I'm finding there seems to be a lot of different  versions of the Golden Rule.

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Progressive Values Stories: Mary L Jacobs on the Golden Rule and Respect

I interviewed Mary  Jacobs in Los Angeles, California at a convention for California Democratic Clubs. At first she brought up the Golden Rule as a progressive value. She connected that to the importance of respecting all people. She told a story of how,  at the age of 9 years old, she used a bit of violence to stand up to disrespect.

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Progressive Values Stories: Mimi Kennedy on Nonviolence
Mimi Kennedy is an actress and Advisory Board chair of the Progressive Democrats of America. I interviewed her at a conference in Los Angeles, California.  She told me that nonviolence is her most important progressive value. She told me the story about having painfully learned the importance of truth and transparency at a young age as well.

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