Today you can read an article in the New York Times about how a group of conservative attorneys decided they wanted to take over the Supreme Court, formulated a plan, and have seen that plan come to fruition this year with the nominations of John Roberts and Sam Alito to the Supreme Court.
For an example on the liberal side of the ledger, think back to the civil rights movement. Civil rights leaders had a goal, came up with a plan to achieve that goal, and succeeded through hard work and great sacrifice.
The story illustrates my biggest problem with the progressive movement in this country. Progressive ideals are great, but we lack a plan to turn those ideals into policies that will shape the future. I’d like to see less talk about progressive values and more talk about concrete plans. What are progressives doing today to prepare the ground for the world we want to see two or three decades from now?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Mike // Jan 30, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Short answer: Nothing.
Longer answer: They aren’t fanatics, like the conservatives. Fanaticism rises to the top. It’s the doom of all government, eventually.
2 acm // Jan 31, 2006 at 10:08 am
lots of local grassroots efforts are building on their experience with MoveOn to create lasting networks for voter information and mobilization. here in Philadelphia we intend to become a force to be reckoned with for local politicians first, then state politicians, and hope we can develop some candidates along the way…
it’s a start.
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