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Here's the complete text of Bill Scheurer's press release:

Congressional candidate Bill Scheurer of the Illinois 8th District released the following statement in wake of the Illinois 6th District Democratic primary on 3/21:

Christine Cegelis vs. Democratic Party Machine
By Bill Scheurer

To all my friends who supported Christine Cegelis in the Illinois 6th Congressional District primary race -- my heart goes out to you and your candidate. You carried out a great grassroots campaign -- both, locally and nationwide. You brought out our best. Unfortunately, our best was not enough.

In a mere three months, the D.C. Dems -- with the full party apparatus -- brought in nearly a million dollars, and all their big names, to beat back what Christine and her supporters had built up over three years: a true grassroots, progressive force. The D.C. Dems’ worst nightmare. Or, more accurately, their second worst nightmare.

What do the D.C. Dems fear more than a grassroots progressive primary challenge? A grassroots progressive challenge in the general election. The only thing that can put at risk what they value most -- winning, no matter what.

This is the only way progressives will have real power -- when we are willing to go outside the party, no matter what, to carry our issues and choices to the people. Only when the Democratic Party elite can no longer count on us to fall in line behind their handpicked candidates as “the only game in town” (“the lesser of two evils”), will we ever seize real power to move forward the progressive agenda.

Progressive Democrats of America was one of the groups that most valiantly supported the Cegelis campaign. PDA professes to have an “inside/outside” strategy. Their support for Christine reflected the “inside” part of this strategy. Now, I ask PDA -- is there really an “outside” part of this strategy -- or, is this just a phrase?

Democracy for America also supported Cegelis, to their great credit. Now that the D.C. Dems have showed clearly what they really think of progressives -- eat at the children’s table, kids -- we must decide what to do about it. Will groups like PDA and DFA remain quasi-auxiliaries of the Democratic Party -- running sideshow campaigns in the primary elections? Or, will they become a real force -- holding real chips in the game?

It is time for supporters of social progress and peace to eat at the adults’ table. The only way to do this, is to start running progressive candidates in the general elections.
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Bill Scheurer edits The PeaceMajority Report, and is an independent progressive candidate for U.S. Congress in the Illinois 8th District.