Interesting development in Italian politics....and Dean pics from there.

[madfloridian]

This appears to be an interesting thing, but then I don't know Italian politics. Looks like a merger of leftist and centrist parties.

Italy's centre-left hopes to strengthen grip on power with new party

Italy's centre-left is hoping to strengthen its tenuous grip on power by re-inventing itself, starting with the consolidation of its two largest parties into a new, reformist Democratic Party.

The former communist Democrats of the Left (DS) and the smaller centrist Daisy party led by Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli are both holding their congresses this week, and they plan to announce the merger at the weekend.

The brainchild of Prime Minister Romano Prodi, the Democratic Party (PD) is being billed as both a forward-looking strategy for the centre-left and a cure for Italy's chronic political instability.

The new party should have "the ambition of opening a new democratic phase in Italy," Prodi said as the Daisy party opened its congress in Rome on Friday.

I also ran across these pictures at Yahoo today.


Italian DS Democrats of the Left party secretary Piero Fassino, left, and
Howard Dean, president of U.S. Democratic Party, acknowledges cheers from
delegates at the end of the three-day DS national congress, in Florence,
Italy, Saturday, April 21, 2007. Years after dropping 'Communist' from its
name and the hammer and sickle from its symbol, Italy's largest leftist
party has embarked on a new course that is expected to lead to its merger
with a centrist party. The overwhelming majority of delegates are expected
to approve plans for their party to merge with the pro-centrist, pro-Vatican
Margherita party, and create a new formation to be called the Democratic
Party. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)



Italian DS Democrats of the Left party secretary Piero Fassino, left, shares
a word with Howard Dean, president of U.S. Democratic Party, at the end of
the three-day DS national congress, in Florence, Italy, Saturday, April 21,
2007. Years after dropping 'Communist' from its name and the hammer and
sickle from its symbol, Italy's largest leftist party has embarked on a new
course that is expected to lead to its merger with a centrist party. The
overwhelming majority of delegates are expected to approve plans for their
party to merge with the pro-centrist, pro-Vatican Margherita party, and
create a new formation to be called the Democratic Party. (AP
Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

I don't know Italian politics, so not really saying much. Just found it interesting.

[Nimrod2005]

1. Leave it to the Italianos...ROFL, good on Dean!!!

Excuse my Italian, this is fucking beautiful

[madfloridian]

2. Seeing our Dems working with other countries is heartwarming.

Bush cut everyone out with his bully stuff.

[Nimrod2005]

4. And they attack us for it....They hate that we want to be internationalists!

[blm]

5. I love it when our Dems go overseas to act like national leaders SHOULD act.

.

[madfloridian]

8. Bush has shunned world leaders like a whiny little boy.

It is so good to see world leaders smiling with our leaders now.

[JNelson6563]

3. Governor Dean, man of the world.

I love this guy. :toast:

[madfloridian]

7. Julie, I found this article...with more stuff about Dean and European progressives.

Not familiar with the author, but I like the ideas he presents.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200701080020

The opportunity for unity between progressives in the US and in Europe may have arrived

After a century of snootily looking down their noses at each other, are the US and European mainstream lefts linking up? Howard Dean, leader of the US Democratic Party, was the first-ever mainstream Democrat politician to address the congress of the Party of European Socialists, held last month in Portugal. Ségolène Royal from France, Romano Prodi from Italy, and a gathering of other centre-left prime ministers and party leaders sat as Dean made a classic social-democratic pitch for better wages, stronger labour rights, an end to wars and a united front to tackle global warming.

This was not the post-White House oratory used by Bill Clinton to schmooze Labour Party conferences, but a workaday appeal for formal links between the Democratic Party and its opposite numbers in Europe. Dean's call was reinforced by Nancy Pelosi, the new Democrat leader in the House of Representatives, who turned up unexpectedly at the seminar of European politicians in Washington and - in contrast to George W Bush - pledged to work with Europe on tackling climate change

These attempts to reach out to Europe are filtering down to the smarter of the Washington top officials who are beginning to work on life after Bush and Cheney. European politicians have been surprised on visits to the state and defence departments at the friendly cries of: "We are all Europeanists now!" The Rumsfeld language of "old" (bad) western Europe and "new" (good) eastern Europe is no longer used.

..."For the first time in the history of European socialism, there is a realisation that the North American and European democratic lefts have more in common than the differences that kept them apart in the 20th century. Italy's combined left-wing parties are going the whole way and rebaptising themselves as the Democratic Party of Italy in conscious homage to their American cousins. The charismatic young female leader of the Danish Social Democrats, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who happens to be Neil Kinnock's daughter-in-law, spoke after Dean at the European Socialist congress and called for a non-protectionist policy of support for workers hurt by globalisation.

Okay I am starting to be impressed.

[Cha]

11. We Progressives are Global

even if the rw coup in D.C. is not.

"After a century of snootily looking down their noses at each other, are the US and European mainstream lefts linking up? Howard Dean, leader of the US Democratic Party, was the first-ever mainstream Democrat politician to address the congress of the Party of European Socialists, held last month in Portugal. Ségolène Royal from France, Romano Prodi from Italy, and a gathering of other centre-left prime ministers and party leaders sat as Dean made a classic social-democratic pitch for better wages, stronger labour rights, an end to wars and a united front to tackle global warming."

Gotta love the world traveler in Dean! I keep thinking of all the great food Dean gets to share over there with all the Progressives he meets in Europe.:9

[calimary]

46. Sigh... that's my Howard. I love him to pieces, too!

Howard: :loveya: :hug: :yourock: :thumbsup: :party: :headbang:

To me, he just about walks on water.

[Cha]

6. Love Piero Fassino's

profile!

I don't know Italiano politics, either, but was very happy when the bushitlacky and Italian corporatemediamonger, Silvio Berlusconi, lost to Romano Prodi.

It looks like all the factions of Italian Dems getting together and strengthening their power to go against the berlusconis.

Can't imagine that happening here with the dlc enabling bush like they do.

[madfloridian]

9. From Booman Tribune....European Tribune reported on this last year.

Dean was meeting with many of the same people last year after the election. Portugal was the conference I think. Here is a snip from EuroTrib.

http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2006/12/18/21530/959

The PES Plan for a New Social Europe
by nanne
Mon Dec 18th, 2006 at 09:05:30 PM EDT

The PES, a coalition of the mainstream European socialist, social-democratic and labour parties had its big biannual congress last november 7th and 8th in Porto. Howard Dean was there, as were Ségolène Royal, Romano Prodi, Jacques Delors and a load of other luminaries.

Didn't hear anything about it? That's because the press wasn't reporting.

To give a brief peak, here's a list of the 10 principles:

Rights and duties for all - the essence of cohesion.
Full employment - the basis for the future

Investing in people - we take the high road

Inclusive societies - nobody left behind

Universal child care

Equal rights for women and men

Social dialogue - we cannot do without

Making diversity and integration our strength

Sustainable societies - tackling climate change

An active Europe for people

The Eurotrib if right, there has been no US media coverage of this at all. None. I posted about it here last year, but there has been nothing in the media.

Zidzi, here are some great pictures in a gallery from that conference. Dean is in many of them.

http://webcast-pes.all2all.org:80/index.php/galleries/view/21/en

[Cha]

10. Our corporatemediawhores reporting on

the very exciting, interesting Dems in Italy? Perish the thought.

"Rights and duties for all - the essence of cohesion.
Full employment - the basis for the future

Investing in people - we take the high road

Inclusive societies - nobody left behind

Universal child care

Equal rights for women and men

Social dialogue - we cannot do without

Making diversity and integration our strength

Sustainable societies - tackling climate change

An active Europe for people"

Sounds like principles to live by.

Nice Pics..thanks, maddie! I like the.."Global challenges for Progressive politics"

Much saner than the Orwellian..compassionate neo-cons' clear skies meets inhofe's flat earth.

[madfloridian]

12. Finally. Checked again and found one site covering this.

http://www.corrispondenti.net:80/?c=Politica

Of course it is all in Italian, but at least it is being covered. Maybe our press will cover it later, but they never did last year when Dean was in Europe. We had to find it at foreign blogs. I think ABC had a brief snip about it.

I did post something I found about it in November last year. There is additional news added in the comments. It would be nice to think there is at least a semblance of a progressive world movement. The conservatives have had their time.

It's Not Maple Syrup Dean's Out Selling

[madfloridian]

15. Here's the little paragraph about Dean from my link.....dropping fast.

PD: Howard Dean "Democratici USA sono con voi"

“Da presidente del Partito democratico degli Stati Uniti apprezzo e plaudo alla vostra decisione di creare un nuovo partito”. Così Howard Dean, leader dei Democratici negli USA. Dean nel 2004 ha conteso a John Kerry la designazione per la candidatura alla Casa Bianca. “Mi congratulo con voi e i vostri leader – ha spiegato – questo è un momento davvero storico per il popolo italiano e per gli italiani”.

Here is the Babel Fish translation...you have to use your imagination.
:-)

" Howard Dean "USA Democratics are with you" 21 04 2007 "From president of the
Party democratic of the United States I appreciate and plaudo to your
decision to create new a separated one". Therefore Dean Democratic, Howard
leader in the USA. Dean in 2004 has conteso to John Kerry the designation
for the candidacy to the House White woman. "Me congratulo with you and your
leaders - it has explained - this is an indeed historical moment for the
Italian people and the Italians". (News on Reuters, COMFORTS, GRT,
RaiNews24)
http://moda.kaedeesdios.com/?p=604

[formercia]

13. The europeans are finally getting wise

to the reich-wing divide and conquer strategy. They sent agent provocateurs into the left leaning parties to sow dissention and form new extremist parties to divide the electorate.

It's about time they put an end to it. Unfortunately, the boys have been doing the same here.

[Joe Chi Minh]

14. Sounds fantastic news!

I think New Labour are going to get a pasting by the Scottish Nationalists here in Scotland, and they're sick as parrots. They seem to be left-leaning, i.e. noticeably more committed to economic justice than any of the other parties. Which would not be hard to achieve.

[Na Gael]

19. Ciamar a tha sibh?

It's good to hear Scottish Nationalists are stirring the pot again.
Beannachd leibh!

[Joe Chi Minh]

31. It surely is, Na Gael. What does "Ciamar a tha sibh" mean.

[Na Gael]

33. Scots-Gaelic

Ciamar a tha sibh?=How are you?-formal
Ciamar a tha thu?=How are you?-informal

[Joe Chi Minh]

34. Thanks, Na Gael. No need to stand on ceremony, though....

I was in the ranks myself, once.

A wee joke we used to like to trot out as buck privates. Though it was usually prefcced by, "Carry on...".

Strange how closely so many of our languages - bar Basque, I think - show their Indo-European provenance. Well, the "tutoyer" bit is continental European too, though I suppose the Yorkshire "thee" is the English equivalent of the familiar version.

[madfloridian]

16. Dean's visit to Italy was mentioned in The Politico last month.

It was in the Politico a while ago, as Howie in Seattle pointed out in this post he made.

http://howieinseattle.blogspot.com/2007/03/howard-dean-and-last-laugh.html

"We used to be the moral leader of the world before George Bush went into Iraq," Dean said. "And we need to return to that position, and we will with a Democratic president in '08.

"I've been to Europe a couple of times, I am going again in April to do something with the Italian parliament, and one of the things I hope to do, in addition to winning the presidential election, is to help prepare the next administration's way in terms of repairing the extraordinary damage that the Republicans have done."

Dean said that the problem was not just the American invasion of Iraq -- "that we could have overcome," he said -- but "the contemptuousness with which the Republicans treated everybody" after the invasion.

Dean believes that the White House has tried to punish the countries that did not back the U.S. invasion. "When your foreign policy is based on retribution and vindictiveness, it is not a serious foreign policy," Dean said.

He was also there in December, Europe and Portugal that is. He was also in England, but there was nothing about that.

Dean in Portugal : "Time for the United States to renew our relationships around the world"
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/752

Dean and Italy's Romano Prodi discussing in Portugal.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/757

French presidential hopeful asks Howard Dean to set up a visit to the US
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/750

I am gathering Segolene Royal's visit was postponed, though there was only rumor about who did not want her to come or who would not meet with her.

[Vidar]

17. It's a wonderful idea. Italy has been plagued by unstable

coalition governments since WWII.

[DFW]

18. How about a better translation?

The robot translators are less than politically correct...
PD: Howard Dean "Democratici USA sono con voi"


“Da presidente del Partito democratico degli Stati Uniti apprezzo e plaudo alla vostra decisione di creare un nuovo partito”. Così Howard Dean, leader dei Democratici negli USA. Dean nel 2004 ha conteso a John Kerry la designazione per la candidatura alla Casa Bianca. “Mi congratulo con voi e i vostri leader – ha spiegato – questo è un momento davvero storico per il popolo italiano e per gli italiani”.

Howard Dean: The American Democrats are with you.

From the president of the Democratic Party of the United States, I appreciate and applaud your decision to create a new party." Thus, Howard Dean, leader of the American Democrats. Dean ran against John Kerry for the nomination to be candidate for the White House. "My congratulations to you and your leadership," he explained, "This is a truly historic moment for the Italian people and for the Italians."


I don't know what Howard originally said. He speaks some Spanish, but no Italian that I know of, unless he has learned it since last December.

I am not totally unhappy the msm has not followed this. Some elements in the Italian left are not as totally divorced from their Communist past as they will admit, and National Hate Radio in the States as well as Fox Noise would just make up shit about Howard cavorting with Communists instead of the real story, which is that he was invited there to basically attend the birth of a Democratic Party in Italy. Knowing the Italians, a new Democratic Party there will be even more unwieldy and diverse than our own, and we're pretty diverse as it is!

[madfloridian]

21. So you are saying we should fear our media and hate radio.

Haven't we done that for too long? They do it anyway. Why don't we tell the truth and let the chips fall.

Look where it's getting us not to speak out. Women lost basic rights again this week because of the timidity of our party about explaining issues.

Of course few of our Democrats would explain Howard Dean's going to Italy to be part of the beginning of the new party there...which is apparently quite a compliment. They are too afraid of being labeled as socialism lovers, and take it instead of speaking out.

Oh, thanks for the better translation. The other was laughable. And be sure to read the post just below yours from Italy. Very interesting.

[DFW]

23. Not FEAR them--but definitely be aware of them

and not "misunderestimate" them.

And ALWAYS speak out. I have know Howard since he was Howard Who?

He was a breath of fresh air to me before his campaign became a
campaign. I'm just sorry it ended so soon. "The Democratic wing
of the Democratic party." One of the best one-liners out of any
candidate in the last ten years.

A side note--he and I are both guitar-playing Leo Kottke fans,
how could I NOT like him?

[madfloridian]

25. You are right .

I have seen several right wing blogs doing their usual stuff about terrorist loving liberals meeting with those terrorist loving foreigners. They did it after his visit in December, and I have seen several lately.

And Howard Dean is still and will be a breath of fresh air to hubby and me as well.

:hi:

[demoleft]

20. yes, it's time for italy's left to change attitude

It took a long time but we seem to have made it! My party, the Democratic Left (DS in Italy) had their last congress and Mr. Dean held a discourse that we appreciated much. Italy has an historical tradition in socialism: now it's time to interpret our past and experience in a new way that fits the contemporary world. It's not the social sensibility that changes, nor the attitude towards political action aimed to help the weaker part of society. It's the way we are going to collaborate with more progressive movements and parties all around the globe, it's the way we are going to involve more people that felt diffident in entering a pure socialist party.
The PSE and the International Socialism will undergo changes, as Fassino and greek Papadopulous explained. The contemporary enterprises are global: no one can think to solve problems at home, even less alone.
I came to know about your community because you quoted our latest congress and shew Mr. Dean and Mr.Fassino pics.
Thanks for your attention. I hope relations between our newborn democratic party and yours will strenghten and grow.
And yes, it's an interesting thing happening in Italy!!
ciao

[madfloridian]

22. Thanks for your reply, welcome to DU. And ciao to you in Italy likewise.

I was wondering if it were a collaborative effort with other countries. I thought so, but since our media is prone to only covering murders, killings, and missing white girls...we are relatively uninformed here about the bigger world picture. I don't know if the world realizes how uninformed our people are because of the media like Fox News. And CNN and MSNBC are not far behind them in propaganda.

I think few here, even at DU, really understand the changes our own party is having to undergo.

I put some write-ups in another post in this thread about Howard Dean's visit there in December, that is the Portugal visit.

I really appreciate your post. People in my country are very fearful of our media spin here, and too many tend to not want to let things like this visit get much attention. I think we need to do so. I think we have feared the right wing here long enough.

Best of luck to your new party, and we are evolving here as well.

ciao and welcome

[demoleft]

28. thanks for welcoming me

Thank you all for welcoming me so warmly. I wonder if the media-style is the same everywhere: Medici Senza Frontiere (MSF, Médecins Sans Frontières, Doctors Without Borders, Médicos Sin Fronteras) published a saddening report last February with the top ten of the "forgotten crises" around the world, "forgotten" by the italian media: Somalia, Repubblica Democratica del Congo, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Cecenia, nutrition, Haiti, tubercolosis, Repubblica Centrafricana e India centrale and others equally ignored by my Country like Indonesia, Sudan, Ciad, Niger, Angola. Peacereporter signals also crisis with little or no coverage at all.

That is: what the news don't have to care about at all unless some italians are kidnapped or killed. And indeed our news are full of private murders, desperate stories, self-referenced political chattings, soccer and whatever. Howard Dean had his articles here - of course it was impossible to ignore his presence and the DS congress was the biggest news. But what is missed is a deep public reflection on the possibilities and evolutions that his message may open in Europe and in the rest of the world. Media often swim on the surface, if they do at all.

The italian Democratic Party is a big engagement and a big chance. We'll have to work hard on it!

Thank you again,
ciao

[madfloridian]

30. Our media gives us what foreign news they want us to see.

We have to come online some days to forums to see what is happening in Iraq. The cable news will mention it briefly perhaps.

I have noticed that when I am searching for something my friend in Belgium has mentioned, I can not get to some of the articles. I get all kinds of messages from Google and Yahoo. Error, page not found.

The worst is that they all spew the same stuff...days and days on Anna Nicole Smith. They manufactured it. No one really cared. They forced it on people.

Sad, really.

[DFW]

24. Volevo anche io dire:

Benvenuto!!

Spero che abbiamo molto in commune prossimamente!

[demoleft]

29. Grazie!

Grazie per il benvenuto!
Si, spero che avremo moltissime cose in comune prossimamente!
ciao dall'Italia

[madfloridian]

27. I just did another search on the issue, demoleft from Italy.

Absolutely nothing that I can find. I did blog searches as well.

But that's our media, the way things are done.

:hi:

[demoleft]

38. Howard Dean in Italy. April 2007

I tried to find the original English of Mr. Dean relation at the congress of the Italian DS party occurred last 19 april. I wasn’t able. So I collected all the excerpts in Italian papers and now I try to translate to give you the idea of what Howard Dean said at our congress.

THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL TEXT BUT ONLY A SUMMARY WITH MY WORDS!

Note that he was much applauded by the Delegates especially when he talked of a new global political profile the democrats want to give America in the relationships with the other countries.

Here it goes:

As leader of the Democratic Party in the USA, said he, I congratulate with you for your decision to create a new Party. This is a really historical moment for the Italian people. The Democratic Party in Italy will grant a more stable progressive government and to the American democrats will mean a bigger partner in Europe.
Dean recalled the Italian history, culture, cuisine(!)and sport, mostly our soccer team (“azzurri”, we are world champions since last July - let me say!)

Comparing the work made in Italy by DS and Margherita(Daisy)in creating the strongest core of the UNIONE, the alliance that defeated Berlusconi, and the effort made by the American Democratic Party, he said that USA democrats made the decision of uniting to defeat the far republican right wing. United, added Dean, working hard we won in 2006: today we are majority at the Congress and Senate.

He remembered Nancy Pelosi, of Italian origin, and the teachings in governance of Bill Clinton and his efforts to give USA a new profile in the world. A word for France to make a step forward was spent: an indirect “good luck” to Segolene Royal, the socialist candidate as President.

Really appreciated by the DS delegates was the portrait of the future democratic America: it’s time to leave Iraq, said he, and it’s time to change USA relationships with the rest of the world. According to Dean, we have to fight for the respect of human and civil rights. A new political course is necessary with the Muslim world: it’s going to take a long time but a bridge with the Muslim people who work on democratic efforts in their countries must be built.

On Global warming he said it is an actual matter and the poorest are the ones who will pay the highest price. To negate the problem is useless, USA must work with Europe to solve this problem.

The progressive parties unite, told Dean, because they are parties of the “we”. The right wing parties are parties of the “I”. The power doesn’t belong to us, he added, it’s only lent to us. So must we always communicate with the people both in traditional and new ways.

That's it, with applauses and good hopes for the future.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL TEXT BUT MY TRANSLATION OF THE PAPERS AND MEDIA ACCOUNT OF HIS RELATION TO THE DS CONGRESS IN ITALY. Images and videos of the congress are available at the dsonline website (website of the Democratic Left in Italy). We want us internationalists. I wonder it is now time in Italy to write our web pages in both italian and english, wouldn't you agree?!

I have the relations of Mr. Fassino (leader of the DS and protagonist of the efforts towards the Democratic Party), Massimo D'Alema (our leader too and Foreign Minister), Martin Schulz (Leader of the Socialist party in Europe) and Papandreou (Socialist International, who insisted that the organization must be reworked and widened to fit the contemporary world and problems) and the Manifesto of the italian Democratic Party. If you wish I can translate them for you.

Ciao

[lildreamer316]

40. Thanks so much for the summary..

and welcome! to DU.
It disturbs me that we cannot get to your links. I knew this was a problem for us, but it brings it home.
I am wondering if some of our computer geniuses here can work around the blocks...
This gives me great hope for the future; and I hope signals a new and closer relaitonship with your party and counry, as well as others. I, for one, am tired of being seen as the country of stubborn bullys.
Hope to see more of your writing soon!

[demoleft]

44. The links

Thank you lildreamer316!
I read you and Madflorian talk of censorship here!? Is it true? And does it make sense?!
Anyway, the links I talked about was to my party's website, dsonline.tv where you can see the video of the congress, and Dean too - though I could not control the video as I got problems with the codec. Moreover I don't know if I can write links here in my posts. I don't remember the house rules.
I give you and Madflorian the link to the European Socialist Party, in which there is a report on the visit of the eurosocialists to the democrats in USA this month. Just go to pes.org/ where "pes" stays for european socialist party.
Tell Madfloridian too and tell me if you could get at the links.
ciao

[madfloridian]

45. Just saw your updates you posted on the 26th Haven't read them yet.

I just looked through your posts and don't see a link. I have had trouble finding anything except the pictures about the most recent Dean appearance there with the new party.

I did see a brief mention of representatives of that group at the DNC the other day.

I think most of the problem with finding information on search engines is finding it in the English language.

When I do a google blog search, a lot of French language sites show up.

An example..Dean was in Spain in Sept. last year. I saw nothing in English, but found this snip in a press release in a blog in French. But there was an English translation with it.

""Howard Dean, Segolene Royal to attend Spanish Socialist congress
Mon Sep 4, 6:14 PM ET

US Democratic Party chief Howard Dean and possible French Socialist
presidential candidate Segolene Royal will attend a conference organised by
Spain's ruling Socialists in mid-September.
It will be the first time that the head of the Democrats will attend such a
conference, Jose Blanco of the Socialist (PSOE) party said.
Royal is expected in Madrid on September 15 and 16 and will take part in a
debate together with Spanish Vice-President Maria Teresa Fernandez de la
Vega, according to a programme published on Monday."

I do think it is not such a deliberate thing but a matter of having to search just the right terms.

Which leads one to highly suspect that our media here which is in English is simply not covering news abroad as they should.

I will now go and read the updates I did not see before. Thanks and good to see you here again.

[demoleft]

47. The links in English

Thanks madfloridian.
The link to the PSE articles on the eurosocialists visiting USA this month is http://www.pes.org/ the site is in English.
The link to to video of the italian congress is http://www.dsonline.tv/ - it is in italian, but perhaps you can find Dean's video too. I still have to check it.
More in the next posts. I'll keep you informed.
Ciao!

[madfloridian]

48. Thanks, found the Dean video. He looked very happy.

Smiled a lot. It was hard to hear his words in English, but you can if it is turned loud enough over the translator.

Thanks.

[madfloridian]

41. Thanks so much for the summary of his speech.

What is rather sad is that he sounds freer to speak there than he does here. Trying to build bridges is as George Bush would say.."hard work".

This paragraph:

"Really appreciated by the DS delegates was the portrait of the future democratic America: it’s time to leave Iraq, said he, and it’s time to change USA relationships with the rest of the world. According to Dean, we have to fight for the respect of human and civil rights. A new political course is necessary with the Muslim world: it’s going to take a long time but a bridge with the Muslim people who work on democratic efforts in their countries must be built."

Thanks, and would enjoy whatever you could summarize. We have fought so hard for 6 years to keep the rights we once had, to keep the safety net plans set up for seniors and the poor....it is nice to see our Democratic leaders talking to Europe now.

Bush has turned the world against us.

[madfloridian]

42. Demoleft, I did find a transcript from his Dec. 8 visit in Portugal.

http://www.democrats.org/a/p/keynote_address.html

[demoleft]

43. last survey on DS congress in Italy April 2007

Thank you Madfloridian! I hadn't read it yet.
Here I go with the last survey on the conclusions of the Congress of the Democratic of the Left (DS) in Italy, Florence 19-21 April 2007
The Party, led by Piero Fassino, decided to merge with the DL-Margherita (Daisy, moderate Party oriented towards progressive views and values) to give birth to the italian Democratic Party within 2008.

I add a foreword, to the readers unfamiliar with italian politics. Past to present.
In 1989, after the end of the cold war, the then Italian Communist Party decided to change name, vision and political strategy. It became PDS and later simply DS. It dropped the word “Party” to begin a process of renovation. In 1996 the DS was co-founder of the coalition known as Olive Tree, guided by Romano Prodi.

It lost elections in 2001 to Berlusconi and his center-right coalition. In the meantime, though, it won widely in the local and regional elections. It won again in 2006 and again with Romano Prodi.

It started to work with the Daisy to lay the common ground for a new Party. Last year in Orvieto there was a meeting and now both the congresses of the two parties decided to merge.

During this long process (almost 20 years!) DS was abandoned by former comrades and colleagues. Two communist parties were generated by the process of renovation it underwent and, after the last congress, a new leftist movement took its own way, not trusting the basics of the Democratic Party.

They accuse DS to move towards the centre, to become moderate and even conservative. Nonsense. We’ve experienced the changes of the world, the global era, and we worry about those people, families and social classes who can’t make it through the month. We see inequality, injustice, exploitation, misinformation. We see the gender inequality, the missed opportunity for women, the wrong suffered by those who deserve. We see our country getting old, freezed by a self referenced political system. We see our young researchers run away to get a place in the USA or elsewhere. We want a progressive governance. And we see we can't make it alone.

We see all this and think that, today, to be “democratic” means to stop all this, to work for a new world to live in. It’s a vision quite different from the past: we have professionals, managers, executives, teachers participating side by side with workers and unemployed to our initiatives - people who strive for more equality and justice, for fair chances for all, for democracy in the highest sense. Because they believe it. These people now got a new home.

The survey.
NOTE: THERE IS NO DIRECT QUOTATION: IT’S ONLY MY TRANSLATION AND SUMMARY OF PASSAGES. Texts are only available in Italian – who knows why!

To be democratic today, according to Fassino, means to be progressive, reformist and leftist. Democracy is the answer to the wrong aspects of globalisation. Governing globalisation is the matter today. For our leader and Giuliano Amato socialism enters a wider family with the Democratic Party, in Italy as in Europe and in the world: to bring its history of fight for progressive values in a family that can be home of all reformists is an advancement. Why should it encircle itself in its history?

For Massimo D’Alema the newborn Italian Democratic Party questions the European Socialist Party and the Socialist International and invites them to reflect: a big democratic family is quite a chance for all of them. On the same tune Romano Prodi, government leader.

Bersani, Minister and DS, said the new party is on the side of the democratic and progressive left that confronts with the right wing politics everywhere in the world. He said he wants a party that realizes the program of a renovated left for a new century.

Veltroni, Major of Rome, DS, quotes M.L.King and Gandhy to express his wide idea of socialism: to fight for justice, for democracy, for equality means to be socialist – what one fights for defines one better than any name.

On Howard Dean I already made a report in my previous post.

George Papandreu, President of the International Socialist, to which 160 parties adhere, underlines the differences from the right-wing parties:
they make stronger the strong ones, and weaker the weak.
They talk of fear, we talk of safety.
They talk of walls, we talk of bridges.
They talk of fight, we talk of dialogue.
They say free trade, we say free people.
They talk of good or bad nations.
We talk of good or bad politics.
They talk of war to terror, we talk of terror of war.
They say people must fit globalisation. We say globalisation fit the peoples.
We can make a difference.
He then reminded the Iraq conference with americans, iranians, sirians sitting at the same table and considered this a good step. He finally accepted the invitation made by Fassino to a deep reflection on possibile transformations of the International, its structure and strategy.
He said he wants to bring in the International the Congress Party of India and go on a closer collaboration with the American democrats and Lula in Brasil.

Martin Schulz, European Socialist Party, reminds that its organization changed its rules during the last congress in Oporto (to which Dean was invited) to allow democratic and progressive parties to join in. A Social Europe is the aim: grant rights and fight every form of exclusion. He talked of globalisation, of migration, of competitiveness and innovation, economic and social politics, internationalism. He looks forward to a European Constitution within 2009 and a stronger presence of the European Union and ONU in the crisis zones, to stop the unilateralism of the USA in the Middle East.

That’s it, more or less, IN MY WORDS, the things discussed during the congress. More are missing in my report but a complete translation would be titanic! I just wanted you to know how important was the step for us and how far a Democratic Party in Italy may change in the progressive way the political balance in Europe. A closer, closer relation with the American democrats is recognized by everyone here as essential, as the challenges we have to face are global and globally the democratic parties must answer!

ciao

[madfloridian]

49. Read your summary, and this part especially caught my eye.

I may not understand all the aspects of the different parties there, but I really related to this section you posted...

"differences from the right-wing parties:
they make stronger the strong ones, and weaker the weak.
They talk of fear, we talk of safety.
They talk of walls, we talk of bridges.
They talk of fight, we talk of dialogue.
They say free trade, we say free people.
They talk of good or bad nations.
We talk of good or bad politics.
They talk of war to terror, we talk of terror of war.
They say people must fit globalisation. We say globalisation fit the peoples.
We can make a difference."

That is what is happening in America today. They are making the strong and rich more powerful, and the poor and weak are suffering greatly. I fear that our country too soon forgot Katrina's shameful images. And too many of our own party are allowing cuts in programs to those who are needy.

Thanks for sharing.

[demoleft]

39. updating on political situation after the DS congress

I add just that the right wing papers - expecially those closer to Berlusconi - tried to make ironies on the event. But the first move Berlusconi did the day after was insisting with his allies on building a united party of the Center-Right.

Just to update you on the situation two DS leaders have abandoned our party to create a leftist movement as they are not convinced by the necessity of the Democratic Party in Italy. Before the Congress there were 9 parties on the left: well. now it makes ten!!

Is it not Italy an interesting political laboratory?!?!

Ciao

[Vidar]

32. Thanks for the insight & welcome to DU.

[lojasmo]

26. Right friggin' on!

Go Dean!

[madfloridian]

35. I agree. More here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x748701

[Manifestor_of_Light]

36. Che bella, che bella cosa!!

How beautiful, what a beautiful thing!!

[madfloridian]

37. More....

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