David Sirota: Obama, Be Progressive!

[Phred42]

Obama, Be Progressive!

by David Sirota

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/08-7


Voters want you to go big and go liberal -- and not channel Clinton-style incrementalism.

"What do we do now?"

That's the question Bill McKay ponders in the classic movie "The Candidate" after he wins office promising "a better way." America will now ask Democrats the same haunting query following the historic election.

These are heady times for the party of Jefferson, Roosevelt and Obama. Only a few years ago, Democrats were almost relegated to permanent minority status by a Mission Accomplished sign and a flight suit. But since President Bush's 2004 reelection, they gained at least 50 House seats, 12 Senate seats, seven state legislatures and seven governorships. As Republicans used "socialism" attacks to make the election a referendum on conservatism, Democrats also registered their biggest presidential triumph since 1964.

So, while the president-elect talks of forming a bipartisan Cabinet, his victory wasn't the public's cry for milquetoast government by blue-ribbon commission. As Deepak Bhargava of the Center for Community Change says, Obama's win was an ideological mandate presenting "an opening for transformational, progressive change."

Maximizing this opportunity relies on Democrats understanding the parable from Spider-Man comics -- the one about great power coming with "great responsibility." In politics, that latter phrase is a euphemism for high expectations.

What the party gains in strength, it loses in a Republican scapegoat that previously justified inaction. On huge issues -- whether re-regulating Wall Street, reforming trade, solving the healthcare emergency, or ending the Iraq war -- America envisages enormous progress in the months ahead, and Democrats will have no one to blame for failure but themselves. After all, with more than 360 electoral votes, President Obama cannot credibly claim he lacks the political capital to legislatively steamroll a humiliated GOP and its remaining senators. The same goes for Democrats everywhere. Meeting expectations requires championing far-reaching -- even radical -- initiatives.

[FrenchieCat]

1. Obama will be progressive = marching forward, and not looking back.

Tired of the labels and the big discussion on which labels should be applied.

Obama ran a on particular platform; fix the economy, end the war, universal health care, a green energy plan and getting away from oil dependence, improved education, and dealing with international situation like global warming.

That is the agenda......no matter the label.

To call this left or righ or middle is ridiculous.

Positioning him is not what we should be doing....

[Phred42]

3. Bush marched forward and didn't look back.

that's not a good indicator of Progressivness

[FrenchieCat]

4. Obama is the antibush.......

And Bush stepped backward in everyway imaginable at all times possible.

Don't know where you were. :shrug:

[jonnyblitz]

6. once again you are just spewing incoherent gibberish.

ANY action he takes will fall SOMEWHERE on the left-right spectrum. you may choose to interpret it in some form of vacuous new age forward not backward Deepak Chokra speak but no matter what he does it will be viewed as falling SOMEWHERE on the standard left-right continuum. I am sure you are prepared to spin and champion any and every action he takes because it is about personality cult to you and not positions on any issues. you are obvious to anybody who has observed you on here.

[FrenchieCat]

7. Once again, I am spewing incoherent gibberish?

Who in the fuck died and made you overlord of what's what? What you just wrote in your personal attack on me is the only incoherent gibberish that I am reading.

I wanted to get Obama elected from day one for a reason.....and it wasn't to handicap him 4 days after he was elected with labels meant to put him in a straightjacket. Get over it!

[Kurovski]

2. K&R. (nt)

[Lumpsum]

5. I agree, this is not a time for center-right politics.

The people just went through 8 years of neo-conservatism. We don't need neo-liberalism. We need REAL liberalism.

[earth mom]

8. Unfortunately it's not looking good for progressives under an Obama administration...

:argh:

[Jim Sagle]

9. Shhhhhh...you can't SAY that here.

;)

[earth mom]

14. Well somebody has to say it...

:evilgrin:

[jefferson_dem]

10. Sirota...

Chief of the Purity Police. :eyes:

No thanks.

EDIT: To add...I respect Sirota's passion and have "Hostile Takeover" sitting on my shelf but his incessant self-agrandizing lectures about purity to this and that has become nauseating.

[Coexist]

11. Be. Progressive. BE-E Progressive.

lol! when I read the OP title, it reminded me of that old cheer.

[knixphan]

18. LOL - me too.

and it fits.

[NorthCarolina]

12. Excellent Post. I believe the MSM is already busily about the task of

doing everything in their power to convince a dimwitted public that what they want for Obama to take a "Centrist" position. During the course of Obama's term they will judge him against this so called "Centrist" position while quietly pawning off Conservative principals.

I agree with the OP that Obama has been given a unique opportunity to do great things. Let's hope he doesn't waste it.

[Phred42]

13. Yep!

:toast:

[Lumpsum]

15. Sirota, be patient!

Shit, he isn't even president yet.

[Occam Bandage]

16. Sirota was wrong about just about everything during the primaries.

Forgive me if I trust Obama's political sense over his.

[cali]

17. David, grab a clue. no monolithic voting progressive/liberal bloc put

Obama in the WH. So speaking for "the voters" is just dumb. Obama is clearly much smarter than you- although you're a very smart guy. He knows that he has to move the center to the middle and enact liberal legislation from there. Starting off like Clinton did, does NOT move the progressive agenda.

[knixphan]

19. We have to tell our Senators/Reps the same thing.

Tell 'em all they need to be more like Sanders/Kucinich.