Start Making Sense

Don Hazen and Lakshmi Chaudhry; An AlterNet Book

About the Contributors

Start Making Sense brings together the best progressive thinkers, critics, and organizers of today to explain what went wrong in 2004, and how we can build a new Democratic movement that represents our values and vision for America.

Wes Boyd is a co-founder of MoveOn.org.

Dan Carol is founder of Carol/Treveylan Strategy Group. He writes regularly for his blog, KumbayaDammit.com.

Jeff Chester is executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy.

Lakshmi Chaudhry is Senior Editor of AlterNet. She is co-author, with Robert Scheer and Christopher Scheer, of AlterNet’s book, “The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq.”

Howard Dean is Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and inspired the Democracy for America movement.

Vivian Dent is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco.

Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet contributing editor and former Media Coordinator for Tikkun Magazine. Barbara Ehrenreich writes frequently for The Nation, The Progressive and The New York Times. Her most recent book, “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” is a best seller. Thomas Frank is the author of "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and editor of Baffler Magazine. Robert Greenwald is a documentary filmmaker and producer whose works include “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism,” “Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election” and “Uncovered: The Truth About the Iraq War.” He is also board member of the Independent Media Institute, the parent organization for AlterNet. Colin Greer is president of the New World Foundation. He is the co-author, with Herbert Kohl, of “A Call to Character” and is a regular contributor to Parade magazine. Tom Hayden is the author of ten books, including "Street Wars" (New Press, 2004). He is a professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Don Hazen is executive editor of AlterNet and executive director of the Independent Media Institute. Jim Hightower is a writer and commentator. Her most recent book is “Fanatics and Fools: How to Take Back America.” Van Jones is executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in San Francisco. Naomi Klein is an activist and writer and is author of “No Logo.” She also writes a regular column for the The Guardian in London. George Lakoff is professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Senior Fellow at the Rockridge Institute and author of the best selling, “Don’t Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate.” Rabbi Michael Lerner is author of “Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation” and founder of Tikkun and Tikkun.org. Jane McAlevey is the Executive Director of Service Employees International Union Local 1107 in Las Vegas, NV. Terrance McNally hosts the interview radio show “Free Forum with Terry McNally” on KPFK 90.7FM in Los Angeles. Holly Minch is the director of the SPIN Project at the Independent Media Institute. She co-edited, with Kim Haddow and Laura Saponara, the 2004 book, “Loud and Clear in an Election Year.” David Morris is co-founder and vice president of the Institute for Local Self Reliance in Minneapolis, Minn.

Markos Moulitsas Zuniga is editor and host of The Daily Kos, one of the nation's top political blogs.

Rachel Neumann is Rights and Liberties Editor of AlterNet. She writes for The Nation, Dissent and other publications. Jennifer Nix is editor-at-large for Chelsea Green Publishing. She is a former National Public Radio producer and her writing has appeared in such publications as The Nation, The Village Voice and Variety.

Ted Nordhaus

Barack Obama became the fifth African-American US Senator in 2004.

Zack Pelta-Heller is an MFA student at The New School and a regular contributor to AlterNet.

Chellie Pingree is the president and CEO of Common Cause. Prior to that, she spent 8 years in the Maine legislature. David D. Schmidt is director of the Initiative Resource Center in San Francisco and editor of the newsletter Initiative & Referendum: The Power of the People!

Michael Shellenberger

David Soares was elected district attorney for Albany, N.Y. in 2004. Andy Stern is president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Robin Templeton is the former executive director of the Right to Vote Campaign. Her work has appeared in The Nation and other publications. Rev. Jim Wallis is the founder of the progressive Christian magazine, Sojourners. Adam Werbach is the executive director of the Common Assets Defense Fund. He is the former president of the Sierra Club. Deanna Zandt is a media, message and web design consultant, creative administrator of the Bowery Poetry Club, and a political arts activist in New York.