jeg's Blogtag:www.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk/blogs/jeg//34102008-08-25T03:04:36ZMovable Type Pro 4.21-enProgressives... What do you want?tag:tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com,2008:/talk//17.2101062008-08-25T03:04:36Z2008-08-25T03:04:36Zjeg
I see numerous posts from self-styled "Progressives" complaining that
Sen. Obama has run to the middle. That he's betrayed the Progressive
ideals. That Sen. Biden is a terrible pick. That Sen. Clinton is the
only one the progressives could stand. That Sen. Clinton can't
possibly be a progressive.
First, I asked myself, "What is a Progressive"? I consulted the
well-known bastion of nearly correct knowledge, Wikipedia, which says:
Wikipedia then goes on to talk about progressives, progressivism, and a
number of other -ives and -isms, and led me to believe they don't know
either, because their information doesn't seem to jibe with the way the
word is used around here.
Certainly, Sen. Obama meets the basic guidelines of Progressivism,
acting to make Government more responsive, more efficient, less
corrupt, and more helpful to the common man.
But for some reason, he seems to completely fail as a Progressive,
because he believes (as a constitutional scholar, no less) that the
Second Ammendment was intended to convey an individual right, that the
government is allowed to collect intelligence information (Ok-- I'll
admit, I don't like "new" FISA either), or that perhaps, faith-based
organizations do have a place in our communities, if not in our
government.
Ignoring for a moment, Sen. Obama, let's look at the other three contenders for the White House (and I'm being generous).
John McCain is no friend to the Progressive. He believes you either
deregulate or bomb any problem you encounter. And to make that more
palatable, he'll cut your taxes. Unless you receive employer health
benefits, in which case they go up. He feels that the Supreme Court is
a bunch of liberal whackjobs who need to be replaced, that women have
no rights over their reproductive system, and that we must drill
beneath a stage in Panama City, Florida, to end our energy crisis.
Bob Barr is running on the Libertarian platform, after being a strident
anti-abortionist, and the author of that bastion of Civil Rights, the
Patriot Act. As a card-carrying Libertarian friend of mine said after
reading his background, "Bob Barr has no business being a Libertarian.
Ever."
Ralph Nader, who's primary claim to fame was to point out that
automobiles were deathtraps (which they were, yet drivers tended to be
more responsible), and other such consumer issues, has zero foreign
policy, domestic policy, or indeed, political experience. His chance
of having a White House that can actually function is roughly
equivalent to my chances of sprouting wings and flying around the room.
Which brings us back to Sen. Obama. His original platform (which has
changed somewhat, sometimes disappointingly so), is still very close to
the "Democratic Ideal". When complaints were raised about the language
in the official platform for 2008, changes were made. He is running a
50 state campaign, focused on bringing new people into the process, and
essentially, turning the entire country blue, starting at the local
level, and going up to state, and federal. His plans include 2010, and
2012, because he knows time moves fast.
In 12 years, he has wrangled Chicago, the US Senate, the Hillary
Machine, and has a chance of beating the Republican machine. Not bad
for a naive, inexperienced guy.
His plans give the most hope for a government we can believe in. He
wants "google for government", which will shine the awful light of
public scrutiny into the machinations of Congress, and with a bit of
luck (and Sen. Obama's continued good health) may force the members of
Congress to act, if not altruistically, at least, in their own
self-interest, for the good of their constituents.
We have four choices in front of us. Two of them are unlikely to
matter, except the arena of vote stealing. Bob Barr seems to take
votes from John McCain, and Ralph Nader, if he gets votes, may get them
from Barack Obama. There are no other options, short of armed
revolution, or declaration of martial law. Change cannot come from the
outside, it must come from within the executive branch of the next
Administration.
Consider the issues of foreign policy, women's rights, civil liberties,
the economy, (de)regulation (and taxation) of big business, education,
infrastructure, and energy.
Consider the next 4 to 8 years, and picture where the United States
will be, and could be, under each candidate after that amount of time.
I close with the question I began this novella with... "Progressives... what do you want?"]]>