Werbach's "Theses on the Failure of the Democrats"

My best friend sent me a link today to a website which has initiated a landmark endeavor to bring change to the progressive cause in American politics. When I began this chronicle last month, I referred to the "fulfilling blend of a sense of conclusion and hope" that Friday mornings often brought for me. Well, today isn't Friday, nonetheless, I enjoyed the same feeling as I read about what I am about to share here. It's a small step, but a powerful statement. A pioneering proclamation, a proactive movement, a constructive vision. On November 15, the former president of the Sierra Club, 31-year-old Adam Werbach, posted his "Theses on the Failure of the Democrats" on the door of the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C. And, a new movement began in America laying the grass-roots foundation for a reform of the Democratic Party and the progressive movement in America. The words of one member from St. Paul, Minnesota, posted on November 3rd Theses website, embodies the spirit behind the movement perfectly: "On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther dealth the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. Luther's action was not a revolt against the church but a movement for reform from within, inviting debate on matters of practice and doctrine. Luther saw the Reformation as something far more important than a revolt against ecclesiastical abuses. He believed it was a fight for the gospel.Today, November 30th, 2004, We as Democrats are here at 255 E. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN, to perform a similar act. By posting these nineteen theses on the door of the DFL Party Headquarters we seek to engage our own fight for the gospel, or truth, of the Democratic Party. Through this act we begin the process to reclaim those core values of what it means to be a Democrat in the United States of America." (source) November 3rd Theses (click on the image for a larger view)