- Advocates for "sensible national-security policies," and works "to help elect congressional candidates who support them"
- Favors a dramatic downsizing\and the eventual elimination\of America's nuclear-weapons stockpile
CLW reviled President Ronald Reagan, whose administration, the organization warned, was guilty of "launching a massive escalation of the nuclear arms race." CLW sought not only to derail Reagan's planned deployments of the MX missile and the B-1 bomber, but also called for across-the-board defense-budget cuts during his presidency. On May 2, 1982, CLW and Physicians for Social Responsibility co-sponsored a Washington, DC conference on the potentially catastrophic medical consequences of a nuclear war. During that same period, CLW used its tax-exempt Education Fund to accept and process financial contributions to the Randall Forsberg-founded Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, which had not yet secured its own tax-exempt status.
In 1997, CLW was one of more than 100 leftist organizations that co-sponsored and launched the so-called “Progressive Challenge,” in an effort to unite their activities and talking points under a “multi-issue progressive agenda.” To view a list of many of these co-sponsors, which worked closely with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, click here.
CLW has established a Candidate Fund to accept donations earmarked for political candidates who promote the organization's main agendas. Though the organization identifies itself as “non-partisan,” the vast majority of the candidates whom it supports are Democrats. CLW's political action committee, PeacePAC, plays a key role determining which candidates are worthy of the organization's backing.
Over the course of its history, CLW has lent its tactical and financial support to hundreds of congressional candidates, including Tammy Baldwin, Joseph Biden, Barbara Boxer, Carol Moseley Braun, Sherrod Brown, Robert Byrd, Jon Corzine, Peter DeFazio, Rosa DeLauro, Chris Dodd, Dick Durbin, Robert Edgar, Lane Evans, Sam Farr, Dianne Feinstein,Bob Filner, Barney Frank, Al Franken, Al Gore, Raul Grijalva, Tom Harkin, Maurice Hinchey, Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Patrick Leahy, Barbara Lee, George McGovern, Jim McGovern, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi,Harry Reid, Bernie Sanders, Jan Schakowsky, Patricia Schroeder, Joe Sestak, Maxine Waters, Mel Watt, and Lynn Woolsey.
CLW is led by an 18-member board of directors and a 14-member national advisory board, both of which are composed of individuals known for their achievements in such varied fields as academia, jurisprudence, business, politics, economics, and philanthropy. Among the more notable national advisory board members are Julian Bond, Margaret Gage, and Patricia Schroeder.
CLW's current chairman is Ira Lechner, who succeeded former U.S. Senator Gary Hart in that position. A labor attorney by profession, Lechner, a Democrat, served in the Virginia State Legislature from 1973-77. In later years, he ran for lieutenant governor of Virginia and for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the run-up to the 2008 elections, he was the original organizer of the "Obama for President" campaign in San Diego and later served as a fundraiser for Barack Obama.
The executive director of CLW is John Isaacs, who has represented the Council on Capitol Hill since 1978. Isaacspreviously served as a legislative assistant to New York congressman Stephen Solarz, and as a legislative representative with Americans for Democratic Action.
CLW has staked out clear positions on a number of major political issues:
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: CLW strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Asserting that the war was both “unjustified” and based on “purposefully distorted intelligence,” the organization maintains that American military actions of any kind should be “pursued in concert with U.S. allies” rather than unilaterally.
Iran: "[T]he main factor driving Iran's interest in nuclear technology," says CLW, "... is national pride. Unfortunately, United States policy has been to publicly threaten and insult Iran while taking provocative actions such as adopting a policy of regime change, attempting to increase unilateral sanctions, [and] deploying additional military assets in the region.... Such policies are counterproductive.... Iran does not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. and is unlikely to do so for years ...”
Defense Spending: “[T]here are many parts of the [American] defense budget which consume massive ... resources but provide little return in terms of security.”
North Korea: “[T]he United States must engage North Korea diplomatically to negotiate a verifiable and irreversible disarmament process and a halt to its nuclear weapons program. Sanctions alone are not a viable solution.”
Nuclear Weapons: CLW exhorts the U.S. to “oppos[e] the development of new nuclear weapons”; “commi[t] to a 'no first use' of nuclear weapons pledge”; “tak[e] nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert”; “ratif[y] theComprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty”; and make “deep cuts in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.”
Each year since 2006, CLW, in conjunction with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, has presented its Father Robert F. Drinan National Peace and Human Rights Award to individuals who exemplify a “commitment to peace and human justice.” Named after an avidly antiwar Catholic priest who served five terms in Congress during the 1970s, this award focuses broadly on U.S. politics, physical science, biology, peace studies, and peace and human-rights activism. Past recipients include such notables as Senators Ted Kennedy and Dianne Feinstein, and Congressional Representatives Barney Frank, David Bonior, and Jim McGovern.
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