The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for January 19, 2023

Who Was Granny D and Why is She Important to American Democracy?

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Open Democracy:   REGISTER for free Jan 24, 2023 Granny D Birthday Celebration, featuring former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
Open Democracy – Remembering Granny D
GrannyD.org –  Videos of Granny D

New York Times Obit (paywall) – https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/us/12haddock.html
Los Angeles Times obit – Doris Haddock dies at 100; activist and Senate candidate ‘Granny D’

Keene State University Archives – Doris “Granny D” Haddock Collection
Open Democracy – Granny D’s Speech on the Capitol Steps

Open Democracy – Book for sale
Groups Taking Action:
Open Democracy

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

You’ve heard me say, “Granny D said, Democracy is not something we HAVE, it’s something we do.”   Just who is Granny D, and why is she important to American Democracy?

Doris “Granny D” Haddock, a former shoe factory employee, homemaker and sometimes activist from rural New Hampshire died in 2010 at 100 years old.  In 1999, seeing elected representatives in Washington becoming beholden to special interests by taking money from corporations to fund campaigns, she decided to take a walk.  Not just any walk.  At 88 years old, she decided to walk from Pasadena, CA to Washington, DC, to get people to pay attention to Big Money corruption.

Because of her age and tenacity, she captured the attention of local and national media, and began to put pressure on the House & Senate to pass meaningful campaign finance reform.  Fourteen months later, she arrived in DC after 3200 miles, returning to Washington again in 2002 for the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act sponsored by Sens. Russ Feingold and John McCain.  

There is much, much more to her story, but her birthday will be marked by the organization she founded, Open Democracy, on January 24 at 7 pm Eastern,  with a free virtual program featuring remarks by former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and others.  

We have links to learn more about Granny D at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

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