Our Mission

Our Activism: 2011

What we faced in 2011 was the most radical GOP majority to ever occupy the U.S. House of Representatives. Aided by their allies—especially the Koch brothers, the Tea Party, Fox News, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Legislative Exchange Council—they targeted every program, policy or proposal that seemed remotely progressive.

But CREDO members fought back—for Medicare and Planned Parenthood, for marriage equality and workers’ rights, for environmental protection and prosecution of Wall Street crimes. We identified key fights and the right targets early, took bold and principled positions, and fought against the odds. We had many victories and even more losses. But we always defied the conventional wisdom that progressive change requires compromise and concessions, and we stood firmly on our values, helping to anchor the progressive flank in many campaigns.

Our work resonated with progressives across the nation and we grew our CREDO Action list from 1.6 million people at the start of 2011 to nearly 2.5 million by year’s end. We also saw a higher level of engagement—people not only made phone calls and signed petitions, they also showed up at local meetings with politicians, testified at public hearings and turned out for street protests.

The one major fight in 2011 that exemplified CREDO’s role on the front lines of progressive activism, and that activated all our channels, was the fight to stop the disastrous Keystone XL pipeline.

This report covers our work from Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2011. Of course, our work on many of the issues mentioned here is ongoing and not reflected in this report.

Keystone XL Pipeline Wall Street Crimes Labor Rights The War on Women Iraq & Afghanistan Media Wars Civil Rights The Environmental Front Medicare & Medicaid More CREDO Actions