NDFA Meeting Notes - April 3, 2008 w/ Candidate Scott Harper

Written by: Sandra Verthein on Jul 3, 2008 5:58 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Northside DFA

The meeting notes below were prepared by our NDFA Recording Secretary, Melissa Lindberg, based on notes she took during the meeting.  They are NOT a direct transcript, so please do not attribute any portion of these notes as direct quotes from our speakers.  If you have questions or comments, please contact Melissa at: http://democracyforamerica.com/users/206530-melissa-lindberg

NDFA Meeting Notes - April 3, 2008 with Candidate Scott Harper

Introductions:  Shannon Fisk introduced himself as the Steering Committee member delegated to run in the meeting in Sandra’s absence.  Sandra Verthein was absent because of a work-related event; Cynthia Fox was absent due to injury. Steering Committee members Jim Ginsburg and Barry Aldridge were also unable to attend.  Everyone else went around and introduced themselves, giving their name and ward – or township, if coming from outside Chicago.  Last to be introduced was Deb Shore, MRWD commissioner, who noted that she had won election as a delegate for Obama to a round of applause.  She will be attending the Democratic National Convention, and is exploring ways to blog daily!

Updates on Candidates: 

Daniel Seals: there will be a canvas for Dan Seals on April 5^th.  Frank noted he was going through canvassing withdrawal – everyone should sign up through DFA-Link, more details posted there.

Daniel Biss:  There will be a canvas for Dan Biss on April 13^th.  Again, sign up on DFA-Link, where more details will be posted.

Obama:  Phone banking in the downtown office is going on constantly: currently the project is to phone bank Indiana to GOTV, and also get people to register to vote for the primary there. Also, as always, Obama’s website has a phone banking widget, so you can phone bank from the comfort of your own home (though doing in the office is also fun, as the opportunity to socialize with the other volunteers and feel a real part of the operation is pretty terrific).  Another opportunity to work for Obama is through Evanston Township, which is going out to Indiana for Barack this weekend.  It was noted that Obama raised over $40 million last month, more than Clinton and McCain combined.  The pastor issue seems to be in the past now.

There was no update on Carol Javens.

(Continued)

Events:  The Forums Committee will meet on Sunday April 13 at 5:00 pm at Coffee Chicago to finalize topics, schedule, and details.

NDFA Bowl-For-Change/Post PA Fundraiser will be held on Wednesday, April 23, 6:00 pm at Lincoln Square Lanes (over the Ace Hardware) at 4874 N. Lincoln Ave.  Tix are $40 per guest, with 3 games of bowling, soft drinks and appetizers included.

IVI-IPO will host a public forum on Tax Policy on Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 pm at the Chicago Temple at Washington and Clark.  The speaker will be Ralph Martiere, Executive Director of the progressive Center for Tax and Budge Accountability.  Topics will include the enduring woes of the Cook County budget, the City of Chicago’s budget, and TIFs.

Speaker: Scott Harper was introduced.  He is running against Judy Biggert (R, incumbent) in Illinois' 13th District (Naperville, etc.).  Harper has been a resident of Rogers Park, Lakeview, and Logan Square, but was raised and currently lives in the 13th.  He noted that he was proud of us as progressives, furthering the progressive agenda, and that we need to accomplish the goal of electing a Democrat in the 13th.  He mentioned Jan Shakowsky as a true progressive, who has fought for our causes in Washington, and is a true friend.  He noted that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have aggressive agendas, and that we need more Democrats in Congress in order to enact those agendas.  Because our majority relies on conservative Democrats now, we have no guarantee that we can get what we want out of Congress now. 

Judy Biggert has pretended to be a moderate, but she votes with Bush and the radical right-wing agenda most of the time.  We need to make sure that when Bush leaves town, Judy leaves with him. 

Harper has three main issues: he will fight to end the War, fight for Universal Healthcare, and fight for the planet (i.e., climate change issues). 

He is trying for a balanced approach in his campaign, balancing fundraising with grassroots organizers.  Over 100 of his volunteers went to help out in Bill Foster's race in the 14^th; he's raised more than the previous decade's worth of Democratic challengers combined.  He raised more by the end of the Q1 than other previous challengers had in their entire campaigns.  He's got a great campaign manager who kicks his (Harper's) butt constantly – which is good.  They need to identify 75,000 voters to get out the vote and win.  His field director worked the primaries in Ohio, Minnesota, and Iowa presidential races.  Harper noted that his campaign office is currently in Naperville; its also off the Eisenhower.  They are also organizing phone banks in the city, with IBEW and UNITE/HERE.  They are also willing to provide lists for phone banking from home (and restaurants). 

He then opened up the floor to questions. 

Question: In the primary, how many took Democratic ballots over Republican?  85,00 voted Democratic, while only 70,000 voted Republican.  Harper grew up in Naperville, in DuPage County, and sees this as an indication that people in the 13th are ready to elect a Democrat.  He received 25,000 more votes than both Republicans combined.  He noted that a third of the District is in DuPage, including Joliet Crestwood, Bolingbroke.  Democrats usually pull 47% of the vote.  It actually leans Democratic by 1 point higher than the 8th District, which Melissa Bean won, and 2 points higher than the 14th (Foster just won).  Many in the 13th consider themselves "Independent" – 22% consider themselves Democrats to 18% Republican. Biggert is pro-choice, pro-Gay rights, but votes with the Administration on everything else.  Kane [who challenged Biggert in the Republican primary] may have been pro-life (Harper was unsure), but was to the left of Biggert on economic issues and the war.  He had no money to run a campaign.  Biggert is not very active in the District.

The next question was about single payer vs. universal health care?  Harper says single payer is the way to go, but honestly he would vote for anything that brings us closer to it. 

On the fear of an attack on Iran, he stated that yes, he believes that the president needs congressional authority before attacking Iran, and he would vote against it given the current situation.

Gun control is a trickier question: he believes that over the years Democrats have lost a lot of votes on this issue alone.  He noted the difference in opinions on guns in rural areas, where they are a normal part of life, and in urban areas, where they are viewed as a menace to society.  The ideal solution would be to let rural people have guns, while restricting access in urban areas, but this is probably an unconstitutional solution. He has been reading Russ Feingold on the second amendment, and recommends him.  We can't throw away the party on this issue, but we can do sensible things like close the gun show loophole.

Asked about the presidential race, he said that while both candidates are good and strong and preferable to McCain, having Obama coattails would be great. Its really Obama territory, very popular.  Lots of Hinsdale kids working for Obama.

The next question was about clean elections legislation: Sen. Durbin has sponsored a bill in the Senate, would he support something along the Arizona/Maine model of clean financing?  Harper said he wasn't familiar with the laws in Arizona and Maine, but noted that Illinois is a basket case in terms of campaign financing.  At the very least, the state needs to adopt Federal standards.  But getting money out of politics is tricky: the Court has ruled that money is speech, and while that stands it's difficult to control.  For instance, what if the limit was $400,000 per congressional district – this may be generous for some, would allow a candidate to have campaign staff, etc. – but in other districts this would be low.  If you implemented public financing of campaigns, you would also have to find a way to restrict campaigning by 527's – as 527s could spend a lot of money against you and you wouldn't have the means to combat their take on your positions.  What would people do?  You'd find a lot of emphasis placed on finding self-funders to run.   This could be an unintended consequence.   So any benefit of campaign finance reform legislation would depend on the fine print.  He sees the rise of the net-roots as an antidote to big money: if candidates can raise lots of small money donations, this counter-balances the big donor problem.

He was asked how much he raised through Q1: Harper responded that he had 600 volunteers, had raised $255,000, and had $118,000 cash on hand, no debt.

Deb Shore, noting she owed him a phone call, asked why he was running? Why now?  Harper stressed he wanted to make a difference: he feels the government has gone too far right, and that Democrats can now do better in suburban districts.  Progressive change is now sweeping the land.  He has an MBA from the University of Chicago, in manufacturing (not finance): when he was in school the question was can we compete against Japan?  Part of his career was spent helping plants be more efficient, etc.  He started his own business with a close friend, producing CD-ROMS for corporate training services.  They grew this to a $5 million a year business.  He is also pursuing a doctorate in religious studies in England – he is working on the intersection of religion and science, evolutionary biology and social ethics (i.e., he is on the religious left).   He wants to make a difference in the life of this country.   He noted that under the rule of law people flourish; currently, the law is being subverted under administration abuses, and people are not flourishing.   

The next question was on coal-fire power plants and his thoughts on climate change.  Harper noted that 60% of CO2 emissions is from electricity generation, and coal is the leading source.  However, in Illinois there is political reality to contend with, in that coal is a major industry in the state.  Nuclear is better than coal in this regard, but there are still worries about nuclear waste.  He noted that Argonne (in his district) has suffered from defunding: many of their projects include alternative energy research.  He is a huge fan of science, and he thinks we need to fund labs like Fermi and Argonne to fully investigate alternatives.  He believes we need an Apollo-style intensive research commitment for energy policy.  We cannot eradicate coal, but we need to mitigate damage. 

Another questioner noted that we need to diversify our energy dependence to include wind and solar alternatives, but then asked about 10th and 4th amendment issues – Harper answered that he is for net neutrality, against the Patriot Act, and against telecom immunity.

The next question was about NAFTA and trade issues:   Harper noted that global trade actually increases the economic pie; however, bi-lateral agreements redistributes the pie unevenly.  He noted the Koreans are extremely protectionist, and any agreement with them is going to have to take into account that their protectionist provisions are extremely popular in Korea.  As for NAFTA, any trade deal needs to have both environmental and labor provisions: he's been clear to his labor friends that he is for fair trade, not free trade, but as always the devil is always in the details. We need to expand global trading, and gain more markets for our products.  The WTO does not have the institutional capability to adjudicate environmental or labor issues. 

Question on whether the weak dollar will mean a trade surplus rather than deficit, as our goods are now cheaper to export?  Harper thinks it will increase investment in the US, but the system is currently unbalanced, as we're selling assets for goods at this point.  We are the world's reserve currency – if we cease to be, we will face a huge battle with inflation.  We have a horrendous tax policy for corporations: we only tax their revenues here, not overseas, which has the effect of sending their operations overseas.  As a cost accountant he knows well all the games they play.  They play 9% of the taxes vs. their 30% of the GNP: that's a bigger threat than trade agreements.

Question on the gap between rich and poor: how can we change the disparity?  Harper said we need to strengthen the union movement, we need the employee free choice act to pass, and we need to put strengthen the Labor Relations Board (like, put people who are friendly to labor on it).  Union membership should not be discriminated against.  Also, the tax code needs to be changed, including what are allowable deductible expenses. 

Question on propping up the dollar, the deficit sinking the economy, and how politicians make honest choices about the economy (and I have mangled this question beyond recognition: my apologies): Harper noted strong industries in the US, like biotech, pharma, agriculture, alternative energy where we need to focus our policies for growth. For instance, he thinks a growth industry could be recycling industrial energy.  In order to do this, we need to change 1920s laws, which were appropriate for the time – for the goal of achieving electricity for the entire country – but which no longer represent the current situation in energy delivery.  We need sensible regulatory reform: we need to de-centralize electrical regulation.

This concluded the discussion: more information can be found at http://www.ScottHarperforCongress.com.

Group Announcements:   North Lake Shore Earth Day 2008 will be on Saturday, April 12 at Loyola University, with free admission and parking.  It’s a cooperative venture between 5 neighborhoods, its free, there will be children’s programming, more than 15 panels and workshops with expert speakers (including our own Shannon Fisk and Debra Shore), a green fair, and information on organic gardening and MORE).  This will take place from 9 am to 4 pm at Loyola University Chicago in the Quinlan Sciences Building, 1060 W. Sheridan Road.

Democracy Burlesque’s next shows will be on March 25, April 1, and April 8 and entitled “Poorhouses: or this economy is killing me.”   Its at 8 pm at No Exit in Rogers Park (6970 N. Glenwood Ave).  Admission is $10 or whatever-you-can-afford.  Musical guests will be the Bamalamas.  The show benefits worthy causes: Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues, and Chicago Jobs with Justice.  Check out their new improved website at www.dburlesque.blogspot.com or email: democracyburlesque@yahoo.com.  They are experimenting with pod-sketching.

Dan Kotowski is having a fundraiser on Friday, April 4, in Park Ridge, and Jeff Smith is willing to car pool out for the fundraiser. 

There was an announcement stressing the need for everyone to RSVP on DFALink, so we can adequately gauge how many will attend each meeting – this has repercussions in terms of how many servers we ask and pay for, which costs the group money. 

There was a break, after which the members’ meeting continued.

Update on committees:

Melissa Lindberg gave the update on the Candidate Strategy Committee, which was comprised of Barry Aldridge, Carol Levy, and herself.  They recommend concentrating our resources on the two candidates we have already adopted, Daniel Seals and Daniel Biss.  The feeling was that these two races are very competitive and need our concentration.  We may wish to endorse other candidates, and several were suggested by the committee for us to consider (including tonight’s speaker, Scott Harper, and Dan Kotowski – who has been adopted by us previously).  But it seemed prudent to really focus our resources on these two races where our involvement could really make a difference – and where it would make a big difference in their respective venues – what a great thing to replace Mark Kirk with Daniel Seals voting for us in the Congress, and boy, does the State Legislature need Daniel Biss.  Discussion on this idea was postponed until the following meeting.

Frank Palmer gave the update on the Forum Planning Committee.  They decided that it would be good to hold 4 forums, and they’ve talked about broad areas.  There will be subcommittees for each forum.  We’re thinking of doing co-sponsors for one of the forums, make it a bigger event, possibly near downtown.  Everyone is coming back together to discuss the way forward on Sunday, April 13th at 5 pm at Coffee Chicago; anyone interested is welcome to attend. 

Randall Leurquin spoke about the Referendum Planning committee.  They talked about a referendum on campaign finance reform, and keeping it very local, as the goal was to make a transition to local work.  It was brought to their attention that another group was interested in doing a larger referendum on campaign finance reform, and it was felt that it is best to avoid two efforts on the same subject, so perhaps NDFA members would like to volunteer for their effort, or perhaps we should do a forum on campaign finance reform to help publicize the issues.

Claire Tobin was invited to speak on the Illinois Clean Elections project: she informed us that the time for passing this legislation is now, with the all the political stuff in the news, including the trials (Ryan, Rezko) and the elections and discussions on money in elections that are in the news.  She stressed that there are township meetings on April 8, and it would be great to get these referendums passed at the township level, as it’s the easiest way to get the referendum on the ballot.  They’re partnering with the Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice.  We need to level the playing field.  Downstate efforts will be county by county.  Dick Durbin has a bill that is very well thought-out.  We need to put pressure on our legislature to do something about this process.

The fundraising committee will be meeting before the bowling fundraising.  Please see Lisa Ginsburg if you are interested in joining the committee.

Melissa Lindberg reported that the By-Laws Committee hopes to have a final draft of the revised by-laws to present at the May meeting, and if the group agrees, voting on them in June.

Other business:  Michi Shulenberg, former Steering Committee member, former leader of the Rogers Park Dean-for-America meet up – is moving to Ithaca, New York.  There was a round of applause in appreciation of her work with our group.  She will be missed greatly.

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Location: Chicago, IL 60640