"SEATTLE, WA - A new national Democratic political machine is firing up in Seattle this week. It coincides with an annual conference of state lawmakers. The group is called the Progressive Legislative Action Network - or PLAN for short. Its goal: to spread progressive ideals across the country by passing laws at the state level. But as correspondent Austin Jenkins explains, it may have limited purpose in the Northwest.
They packed a conference room on Seattle's waterfront: Democratic state lawmakers from around the country and other like-minded progressives. Over a roasted chicken and asparagus lunch, they heard from a parade of speakers including Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.The idea of making change at the state level is not new. For nearly thirty years, the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council - or ALEC - has been influencing the legislative agenda in State Capitols across the country. David Sirota, PLAN's co-chair, says it's time for progressives to fight back.
Sirota: "We will develop model legislation applicable in all fifty states using the best and most successful models from other states and not trying to re-invent the wheel. We will build a war room of policy specialists available to support you, our legislators, as you move a progressive agenda forward in your states."-from the NPR story via Sirotablog, where he also has the audio version.
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