Flares in the Political Dark

The winter solstice of 2009 arrived as a grim metaphor for the
current politics of healthcare, war and a lot more. "In a dark time,"
wrote the poet Theodore Roethke, "the eye begins to see."

After a year of escalation in Afghanistan, solicitude toward Wall
Street and the incredible shrinking healthcare reform, we ought to be
able to see that the biggest problem among progressives has been
undue deference to the Obama administration.

In recent months, the responses from the progressive base to the
Obama presidency have often resembled stages of grief -- with
rotations of denial, bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance.

Mobilization of progressive movements to pressurize Obama in the
White House and Democrats on Capitol Hill has always been essential.
It hasn't happened. Instead, among Democratic loyalists, reflexive
support for the latest line from the administration has made it
easier for Obama to move rightward.

In 2010, we should concentrate on generating the kind of public
information, vigorous debate and grassroots organizing that could
shift the center of political gravity in a progressive direction.

At every turn, progressives should be putting up a fight -- not only
in all kinds of venues outside the electoral system but also inside
the Democratic Party. Winning elections will require doing the
methodical and difficult work of running candidates in Democratic
primaries, sometimes against entrenched incumbents.

For instance, that's what stalwart anti-war progressive Marcy
Winograd is doing in her challenge to Congresswoman Jane Harman in
the Los Angeles area. Across the country, dozens of strong
progressives are running for Congress with a real chance to win. They
need our volunteer help and our financial support.

In some congressional districts with many progressive voters, blue
dog Democrats are running for re-election without any declared
primary opposition so far. That should change.

It's time for progressives to get out there and fight the good fight
in election campaigns. We should do what our conservative and
centrist and mushy-liberal adversaries least want us to do. They
don't want more progressives to seriously engage in electoral
battles.

This year, left to their own devices, the Democratic leaders on
Capitol Hill and in the White House have managed to demobilize the
progressive base that swept them into office. The latest nationwide
polls are foreshadowing grim consequences; Republicans express far
more eagerness to vote in 2010 than Democrats do.

In Washington, the conventional wisdom of top Democratic strategists
has run amok, continually splitting the difference with Republicans.
All year long we've seen Congress undermine basic progressive
principles, whether for healthcare or peace or economic justice or
environmental protection or civil liberties.

Despite the Democratic Party's leadership, we have a huge stake in
thwarting GOP ambitions and in replacing tepid Democrats with
progressives. It might be more comfortable to just engage in the
politics of denunciation -- but we also need to change who is casting
votes on Capitol Hill.

Among progressives, in these dark closing days of 2009, there's a
surplus of frustration, anger and despair. Let's transform those
downbeat energies into fuel for the imperative political work ahead.