Ilya Sheyman... And Illinois As The Sanctuary State For Progressives From Neighboring Wisconsin And Indiana

As I mentioned in an unfocused and rambling post earlier in the week, progressives are fired up about getting Ilya Sheyman to run for Congress in Illinois' 10th Congressional District. He's a community organizer who has spent the past nine years organizing for an end to the war in Iraq, to fix a broken public school system, to win quality affordable health care, and to elect bold progressives at all levels of government. He's worked as the Mobilization Director at MoveOn.org, Field Director Democracy for America, and Online Organizing Manager at TrueMajority/USAction and gets the importance of grassroots activism in winning elections and achieving meaningful progressive change in Washington.

If he runs and wins, Ilya will be a leader in Congress on fighting for the progressive policies we know will make a real difference in people's lives. He launched an Exploratory Committee on Monday, but he's only planning to enter the race if they get 500 supporters and $100,000 in pledged contributions by the first week of April. I asked him to introduce himself (see below) and I'd like to invite you to read his post and click here to show your support for what's he's doing.

Worth Fighting For

-by Ilya Sheyman

While Republican governors across the Midwest-- in Wisconsin, and Ohio, and Indiana-- are busy trying to destroy workers' right to bargain for fair wages and good working conditions and eliminating critical infrastructure projects that would create thousands of jobs, there's an oasis of sanity in Illinois. 

Over the past three weeks, our state has had the privilege of hosting the entire Democratic State Senate delegation from Wisconsin in the Chicagoland area and the delegation from Indiana near Champaign-Urbana. We're providing sanctuary in support of their efforts to stop decades of struggle and accomplishments from being rolled back in a frenzy of corporate dominance over all levels of our government. 

Yet, even as we rally in solidarity with these brave legislators, we can't forget that this latest Republican assault on working people didn't begin with union busting and it won't end there.  Let's remember that, even before getting sworn in, Republican Governors in Ohio and Wisconsin rejected $1.2 billion dollars in money for high-speed rail projects that would have created thousands of good paying jobs and laid critical infrastructure for a 21st century economy. 

Now, I shouldn't complain, since Illinois received $42 million of that money for our own infrastructure projects that will help put people back to work in our own hard-hit state. But, the truth is, what's at stake is more than just a few infrastructure projects or budgets in neighboring states.

These governors and their right-wing allies in Congress like Rep. Bob Dold are using the cover of a painful recession as an excuse to implement a coordinated, nationwide plan to tear apart the very fabric of the American dream-- and the decades of progressive organizing that made it possible.

Why is it that whenever there's a pre-emptive war of choice to be fought, we find the money? Why is it that whenever a big bank on Wall Street wants a government bailout, we find the money? But, when working people need jobs, students need quality schools, homeowners need help staying in their homes, retirees need Social Security, and everyday Americans across the 10th District and the country struggle to make ends meet, Republicans decide we can't afford to provide any help at all?

That's why last weekend I spoke to over 2,000 Illinoisans at the Rally to Save the American Dream in Downtown Chicago, and why this Sunday I'm going to be joining a group of letter carriers on an AFL-CIO bus trip to Madison, WI where we'll rally and march alongside teachers, nurses, students, firefighters and all our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin who are fighting for their right to collective bargaining.

When the day comes to an end, we'll get to go home knowing we live in a state that actually respects work and the workers who do it. We live in a state where a good job is a good job regardless of whether its paid for by private businesses or tax money. We live in a state where we recognize long-term investments in infrastructure and a transportation network for the 21st century are worth the short-term cost. We live in a state where most (but not all) of our Democratic legislators were willing to set aside conventional political wisdom, act like leaders, and pass a modest revenue increase to keep us from having to drastically cut the core services our communities depend on.

But the truth is, the struggle of workers in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana is not so different from the challenges facing residents all across the 10th Congressional District: The family that discovers their mortgage is now worth more than the cost of their home. The immigrant student who has the grades and desperately wants to attend college, but can't qualify for loans or grants because he's undocumented. The teacher nearing retirement and wondering if he'll get the Social Security he was promised in his golden years. The gay person wondering why her government won't let her marry who she loves. 

All of these Americans are striving to grab hold of a piece of the American Dream.

And, I firmly believe that dream is worth fighting for.