More Conventionalia! Successes and Failures

Soon I'll be posting pictures from the Convention, with Democratic luminaries from Barney Frank to Howard Dean. But first, the success:
This past weekend the Massachusetts Democratic Party has joined the Democratic parties of New Mexico and California in committing to work to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

The resolution, passed on May 14 in Lowell, resolves that the Democratic Party of Massachusetts :
- Supports our troops,
- Opposes the continued military occupation of Iraq ,
- Urges the U.S. government to announce a timetable for the rapid withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq , and
- Calls for the U.S. government to reject plans for a long-term presence in Iraq, except for those plans associated with normal diplomatic relations and a commitment to reparation for war damage.

From PDA:

In Lowell, members of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and other activists gathered 842 signatures from delegates to place the resolution before the convention, where it passed with unanimous consent.

PDA members also played a lead role in passage of similar resolutions in recent weeks in California and New Mexico. PDA plans to work for passage of additional resolutions by other state Democratic Parties, and is collecting signatures on a petition to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean urging him to oppose the occupation. On May 31st, PDA and other peace and justice organizations will ask their members to call Congress in support of Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey's resolution (H. Con. Res. 35) calling for an exit from Iraq.

"PDA is proud to be helping to lead this important effort to put Democratic state parties on record in support of ending the war and occupation and in favor of efforts in Congress to turn these resolutions into reality," said PDA Director Tim Carpenter. "PDA will continue, state by state, to harness the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans who want to see our troops brought home and the occupation in Iraq ended."

For more on the failures, read the Boston Phoenix's Lost Weekend: Apathy! Smugness! Dysfunction! The Massachusetts Democrats take Lowell.