It’s really kind of amazing, when you think about it…
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had occasion to peruse the liberal blogs and other media to a greater degree than I have in quite some time. I became rather disillusioned with “progressive media” a few years ago, and I only glance at them occasionally these days. For the most part, it’s because I found, sadly, that writers on the left tend to write their opinions and forgo fact almost as much as writers on the right. therefore, when it was forced to read so-called “progressive” thoughts and prose, it was with a heavy heart. When I was finished, I came away with an sickening feeling.
Do you know why Progressives lose?
Do you know why Republicans keep winning elections, even though they have no new ideas, and even though they don’t say anything that would make anyone new boat for them? Go read these blogs. if you have half a brain, you’ll figure it out despite reading the headlines.
One of them right now features an article about the things Chelsea Clinton will have available to her and her new baby that other (unspecified) women will not have. What follows is well over 1000 words explaining what Chelsea and her baby will have that many others will not. What’s missing, you ask? Well, exposition and context are completely missing, for one thing. There’s no reason to write an article like this, except to complain about how things are. Those people who are most affected by the lack of services already know about this, and they’re looking for progressives to help them elect politicians who actually give a shit, and will do something about it. Yet, it’s funny; there is nothing in the article about what anyone can do about it. Here we are, just over five weeks to go before a midterm election, and a supposedly liberal blog features an article full of complaints. However, there is no explanation as to why things are that way, and no indication as to the best way to change things. For example, we could stop electing Republicans, right? We never used to have these problems when Democrats were running the show, but now we do. Go figure.
Another highlighted article on the same site reports that low-wage workers confronted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and suggested that he broke the law. Again, do you know what’s missing from this article? There isn’t even the slightest suggestion that the way to fix this problem is to make sure that Scott Walker and everyone else in his party is not reelected, and that the state needs to be run by Democrats again. there is no mention of an election in five weeks that could change everything. How is this possible? Why are progressive media types seemingly unaware that elections are the key to everything that happens in government?
Another progressive website features an article on the rise of charter schools and other forms of for-profit education. The article frames the issue as part of the “war on workers,” but not in the way you think. Instead of focusing on potentially less than stellar teachers, and the potential for a loss of educational quality, the article suggests that such schools well create “submissive” future workers, thus creating the image of past “progressive” educational endeavors apparently creating an entire generation of assertive workers. What’s the problem with this you ask? if the progressive school system in the past was so great, then why are unions becoming an endangered species, and why does the prospect of a living wage for all workers seem like a pipe dream? We can’t compare what’s happening now with something that never happened before and expect to be effective politically.
There’s another problem with it; one that is more politically treacherous. Nothing in the article even suggests who is conducting this “war,” or what we have to do in order to reverse its effects. if you’re going to talk about something like this, you have to make this about the Republican Party, because that’s who’s responsible. Privatizing everything that used to be done by the government is a Republican thing, and it has been perpetrated for a generation now. Charter schools are the natural effect of depriving of the schools of funds, and forcing other entities to fill the vacuum. If you have a hard time understanding why education is so messed up now, you need only look to the Republican Party. This is their baby, it’s a direct result of the fact that we’ve allowed Republicans to run the show for 30 of the last 34 years. and if something is causing a problem, then it is only logical that it be solved by getting rid of the thing that is causing the problem. Nothing in this article that suggests any solution, the loan the one that is offered in five weeks, when we all get to vote and remove the problem.
Later on the same blog, we find an article that asks the musical question, “Why do we lust for war?” This is a good question. However, the premise in this article hinges on ISIL, and suggests that we shouldn’t be bombing them, because bombing them is just like bombing everyone else and starting a war with someone. That concept is silly in the extreme. We are not starting a war with anyone. Korea was a war that we called a police action. Now, some progressives are referring to every actual police action as a war. It’s not a war. We are taking out people whose main goal is to create terror and quite possibly start a war with anyone who opposes them. And again, if you want to stop the war machine, it is clear what we have to do, and that is to vote out the current Republican Party. Five weeks before the election, this argument should be paramount in everyone’s mind. yet it’s nowhere to be found on many liberal blogs. Lots of complaints, no solutions. And we wonder why people don’t like us.
Go to another “progressive” website, and I found a lead story complaining that soon to be ex Atty. Gen. Eric Holder is uninterested in justice, and is all about ideology. Forget the fact that his ideology is actually pretty liberal, and what’s wrong with that? But consider; five weeks before an election, and a supposedly “liberal” blog is toeing the Republican line. In fact, I had to go through about 20 articles before I found one that would indicate that an election is coming up within a relatively short period of time.
This is the problem progressives have. Some of us think whining and crying about shit is how we get people motivated to take our side, and nothing could be further from the truth. We have to tell the truth. We have to not lie, and we have to talk about things that are relevant to the average person. We also must realize that only one of the two major parties is actually against the American people, and it’s not the Democrats. We have to make sure that people understand that voting against Republicans at this point in time is just as important as any issue we can name. There is nothing that can be done about any of the issues we supposedly care about as long as the government is being run by people who simply don’t give a damn about getting anything done.
If you care about climate change, and you should, then you should understand that taking power away from the deniers is extremely important. We can get policies changed under Democrats. We will never change policy as long as Republicans have enough votes to block anything we propose.
If we actually want to fix the educational system, we’ll have to stop electing Republicans, who can only cut the budget and turn every school function over to for-profit interests.
If we actually want to reduce poverty, and make sure that everyone with a job makes a living wage, we absolutely cannot do that as long as Republicans have enough seats in government to block the process.
If we actually want to end the drug war, and if we want to stop giving law enforcement so much unchecked power, then we have to stop electing Republicans, because everything about their ideology is authoritarian.
If we want more freedom, and less government intrusion in everything we want to do, then we obviously can have a government in which Republicans, given their current ideological makeup, is in charge.
The reason people don’t listen to us is because so many of us — especially the loudest of us — have so very little to say that anyone wants to hear. That’s why I started this blog. I wanted to say things no other progressive was saying, and I want to provide progressives with the ammunition they need to win elections, because winning elections is how you change policy. The most progressive period of time in this nation’s history began with the Great Depression and World War II. For 34 years after the war, we became the biggest superpower in the history of the world, and we had begun to shed much of our racist past. Life was good for most people, and it was getting better for those whom we had previously left behind. Progressives were a powerful force at the time, because we worked with Democrats to get things done. Then, in the early 1970s, we stopped working with Democrats and started working against them. We can’t do that anymore.
There are two viable political parties, not 12. No matter what else happens, in virtually every race there will be two candidates; one Democrat and one Republican. Republicans will rabidly vote for anyone affiliated with their party. Other voters are little more choosy, and they need a reason to vote for the Democrat. When progressives go after Democrats — and that means any Democrat — such voters will often stay home. That’s how Republicans win; when voters stay home.
With five weeks to go before the election, if you consider yourself a “real progressive,” you have no choice but to play up the Democratic Party and let everyone know the Democrat is always the better choice. We need a Democratic majority for more than two years, and once we get a Democratic supermajority, then and only then can we start whittling away Democrats were not up to snuff. Until that point, you need to be pro-Democrat in order to make progress. There is no other choice, regardless of your fantasies.
It’s really that simple.
Democrats are the donkeys. Progressives have to stop being the asses.