Careful my progressive friends in how you proceed in your work to reform politics in this United States of America. Remember how we go to where we are now, the most progressive party of the but two we have that currently get notice is not at all very progressive. The joy that should be felt for the Jones’ win should be tempered by the fact that, even though he had done some good things in his public life and holds some decent values, a progressive he is not.
But this is not about Doug Jones. It is about the problem of giving into the idea that progressives—real progressives—cannot win election and, therefore, because winning elections is important, vote for the most progressive of candidates even though that most progressive candidate gets us nowhere toward solving the problems with which we should be concerning ourselves–real economic reform that attacks with vigor income inequality, a system that works to keep wages low and profits high, safe and sane means for accumulating and keeping pensions and retirement funds, job security and health and welfare security, clean air and pure water (that we serve ourselves through our municipally owned water providers, not Nestles or Coca Cola), safe streets and safe everywheres without worry of getting shot and killed by idiots toting high power firearms, good—no, great schools that insure that the public is so well educated as to want to participate in the democratic decision making process and know how to go about keeping themselves informed about what really is and doing with that information what well educated citizens of a democracy do.
Yes, progressives, real progressive ARE about redistribution of wealth and they are about government services and government programs that serve the people well, are so well funded that they can do the work necessary to insure that people have good, safe, and healthy foods available to them, that they have the information they need to live healthy lives, that they have access to good medical care and the medicines and treatments they need to be well and live full lives, that they have access to medicines that they need that are safe always and never unaffordable.
Real progressives want solid and sensible infrastructure of the kind that is as efficient, clean, and effectively serves the needs of the people and those who provide the goods and services people need to live a very good life on a very healthy planet.
Add to the list what you wish, if it is a wish for real progress, of the kind that helps create and support a truly humane society.
To begin the process of making progress we need to hold tight to those things called principles and ethics. We cannot win even a single day if we continue to support those who do not really support what they should. Good enough is not good enough if we are ever going to make things better. I really do not care about party anymore and I certainly do not think the current two major parties can be very helpful in pushing through even a half way decent progressive agenda.
Two choices here: Radically reshape one of the extant parties or start a new one, the latter option a hard one to achieve if it is going to be viable, but probably the only real path to progressive reform given what the democratic and republican parties are now.
