Building Progressive Staying Power

We are fast approaching another Election Day, the first anniversary of the inspiring and historic election of President Barack Obama. Now more than ever, carpe diem should be the watchwords for progressives inside and outside of Congress. Having worked inside Congress for more than thirty years before retiring last summer, I understand that changing our country for the better and rebuilding American stature in the world truly requires transformational progressive ideas and ambitious, multi-faceted legislative action plans. It is insufficient and unwise to invest too deeply in a single politician or rely too much solely upon any group of elected officials no matter how charismatic or talented they may be.

When I first came to work for Members of Congress in 1977, the liberal Democratic Study Group (DSG), green-oriented Environment and Energy Study Conference (EESC), and a handful of additional legislative service organizations with dedicated staff provided institutional memory and an array of very helpful internal services for Members and staff looking to craft and advance progressive legislation. Not surprisingly, when Newt Gingrich and right-wing Republicans seized control of Congress in the 1994 elections, they immediately abolished the DSG, EESC, and all other legislative service organizations and changed the rules to preempt their reincarnation. Since regaining the majority in the 2006 elections, Democratic congressional leaders inexplicably have left in place those misguided Gingrich-era rules. Consequently, there persists a key missing link in the organizational infrastructure essential to consolidating progressive power and fueling and sustaining the 21st century progressive movement for a generation or longer.

There is still time to capitalize more fully upon this rare window of opportunity when lasting, historic change is attainable because of last year's elections. But make no mistake about it. This window has begun to close. It will be demonstrably narrower when the mid-term election cycle kicks into full swing next summer and the potential to achieve real progress toward peace and security, economic and social justice, a retooled democracy, and a cleaner, sustainable environment is unlikely to be as promising again for another generation or longer. We simply cannot rely too much upon the best of intentions, considerable skills, and good graces of the President and the Democratic congressional leadership because, by virtue of their official posts, they are constantly subject to broader, diluting pressures and always settle for what is attainable at any given political moment if they want to achieve any results.

The resurgent progressive movement needs to think more long-term, come together quickly, and systematically build a Progressive Legislative Exchange to share and hone a steady, perpetual stream of the best, actionable ideas that progressives and liberals, near and far, have to offer for public and private sector problem-solving. This is a very egalitarian, 21st century idea whose time has come and is all the more attainable because of the Internet and other far-flung communication capabilities. Progressive leaders and activists have it within our grasp to organize and create a permanent incubator and clearinghouse for conceptualizing and refining progressive legislation to serve the public interest and address myriad problems confronting our nation and our world that will connect and empower imaginative thinkers inside and outside of Congress as never before.

The left needs to capitalize on our existing comparative strengths - a stronger hand in the free-wheeling intellectual marketplace of ideas and our fundamental belief that hard-headed, soft-hearted government at every level can sometimes play a positive role in constructive problem-solving in furtherance of a stronger democracy and more perfect union. That is what a Progressive Legislative Exchange can help deliver.

In contrast, most Republicans and their overseers on the Right cannot get beyond the pinched, narrower marketplace of commercial ideas and self-interested, short-term profit-making.. Having demonized government to always be the central problem in our lives for many years, they proceeded to make government live down to the expectations that they had created for it from the Reagan Administration onward. They suborned our economic well-being to K Street, special interest lobbyists and the barons of Wall Street and undermined our national security by privatizing too many functions of our professional armed forces.

Now in contrast, imagine an organized intersection on-line and otherwise through which progressives can exchange, funnel, and refine ideas and proposals for possible legislation that interested Members of Congress and their dedicated hard-working, over-stretched staff can easily survey and pick and choose for possible further development, introduction, and advancement in the House and Senate. Conversely, this Progressive Legislative Exchange could also make it possible for Members of Congress and their staff to efficiently post or otherwise make available any pieces of legislation they have conceived and want to further refine before the bill(s) and/or amendment(s) are formally introduced, subjected to hearings, and voted upon.

To illustrate and offer a down payment, envision conceptual bills at the ready to:

• Break up the big banks that supposedly are too big to fail and enact a small securities transaction tax to raise tens of billions of dollars to underwrite job creation here at home;
• Provide a tax credit and other financial incentives to enable all taxpayers to invest more reliably in socially and environmentally responsible companies that employ Americans;
• Reject Bush's misnamed, jingoistic "global war on terror", re-frame America's national security strategy and the struggle with al-Qaeda, and retool the underlying 9/11 authorization of force accordingly;
• Amend the Foreign Intelligence Identities Protection Act in order to hold Dick Cheney accountable in the Plame affair and help restore the morale of our intelligence community - our first line of defense against future acts of terrorism;
• Establish enforceable worker rights (e.g. freedom of association, prohibition against job discrimination) and environmental safeguards as cornerstones for all future U.S. trade agreements;
• Prohibit importation of products made by the worst forms of child labor, thus setting up a landmark case to compel the World Trade Organization and the International Labor Organization to work together; and
• Overhaul our nation's foreign aid program to secure better results with lower costs for U.S. taxpayers;

We know President Obama is an inspirational leader who possesses a first-rate intellect and a first-rate temperament. He was elected to be a powerful change agent. There are strengthened Democratic majorities, led by strong, well-positioned liberals like Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Whip Durbin to help him enact much-needed progressive legislation, thus helping to rebuild public confidence that good government can often be a positive influence in all of our lives. Let's fire up a Progressive Legislative Exchange to help them and their successors across generations deliver on their promises.

Comments

[alexis d]

Bill, I hope you will follow through on this great idea by finding web developers who can plan and execute it, and leaders who can fund it. If presented with a clear plan, I'm sure the grass roots would love to all chip in a few bucks to make it happen. ActBlue would be a good place to start.

[bigrich1]

This is a truly powerful and empowering idea. Go progressives. But sooner, not later.

[codycap]

Why isn't the root of all of our nations problems mentioned? Legalized corruption.

Campaign Reform is the only answer to the many problems that affect our country. Anything good for the people will be castrated by special interests.

Corruption is not a problem in our government – it has become our system.

Less than two-tenths of 1 percent of the U.S. population gave 86 percent of all itemized campaign contributions for the 2004 elections

I see on the liberal, republican, and libertarian sites voters like ourselves all cry for campaign reform. It is the one thing that voters of all ideologies recognize is essential for honest government.

The one thing ALL voters agree on is that our system is corrupt, but it is always the other side.

It is both sides and we need leaders in the Democratic party and their opposite in the Republican party, same same Green, and Libertarians etc to come together on this ONE thing for the American people.

Campaign Reform would heal the split of the American people that big money has encouraged in order to weaken us and keep us fighting with each other.

I can see no other way for the average citizen to get their representatives back to doing what is best for our country.

http://www.publicampaign.org/node/40024 Fair Elections Now Act (FENA) sign the petition

We MUST have campaign reform. It must be done or we are irrelevant in our own government

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

The GOP did so much damage out of the sight of the media and the people. Sometimes I despair at the prospect of ever fixing what they destroyed.

[dagmaclugh39]

Remember the old saying: "All that is necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing."

[lyta]

Very true dag, matt some will never be fixed, it's beyond human help which is the saddest part. Mountains are being taken down as we speak and the ocean is about to go toxic to the life that once thrived there.

[Indon]

Clearly, someone needs to make a website.

[saltysea]

so where do we sign up?

[N2Sman]

What do you mean "not to gain further power"? Will somebody help me here.Forget about the balance of power. That is what is paralyzing progress. In a word it should be the intention of the Progressives to gain power, consolidate pwer, use power for the good of people not just the wealthy. Look here now "We" have all legs of government and who is barkinking the loudest- Lieberman. Shall we get on our knees a beg the B Dogs to come along with a robust PO? THIS IS what's wrong with Dems and Progressive Dems-They are not "Repug" mean enough. Right???

[j-tho]

a valuable insider's look at mechanisms most of us don't know anything about.
thanks, mr goold. i hope someone on the hill takes note ~

[DA12]

Yes--And we need a communications infrastructure to quickly and simply, but in the strongest moral terms, communicate these ideas to the public.

[MrBadger]

It seems to me that the real problem we are facing right now is that over the last several decades, there has been an accumulation of power. The genius of the form of government invented by our founding fathers was that there was a balance of power among the branches and accountability that prevented abuse. That has been eroded.

The challenge for more progressive or liberal elements now that they have that power is to use it not to gain further power, but to repair the damage done to our system of governance. And the difficulty is that it means that they cannot simply act like their predecessors except with the reigns now in their hands - instead they have to forego the use of all that power and instead re-establish the balance that was the intentional design.

That takes a great deal of courage, patriotism and personal integrity. I hope that our leaders are up to it. The evidence is not yet in... but it doesn't look good.

[j-tho]

i for one have been watching the health care battle for signs of how the dems will behave, and ~ though admittedly frustrated by what seems a bit too much compromise (and certainly the blue dogs have provded their own brand of annoyance) ~ am pleased that democrats as majority party are not simply taking the rethugs' methods of their own. instead, they allowed the public to hear the real facts beyond the breast-beating lies from the other side and let the ground support swell for more significant reform. so what is currently being proposed isn't as progressive as many of us wished for ~ but it's a step forward, which is farther than we've gotten before.

[N2Sman]

Incorrect, respectfuly. Let's see if a Robust PO comes to law. I hope so. I don't think so'
Yes this is a battle for the very survival of many millions. I personally will see no COLA for my SS in 2010 and 2011. Shall I say pretty please/

[Benton]

Agreed. Progressives have become way to reactionary.

[Stephen VanNuys]

Not sure progressive "staying power" can be achieved. In fact, I think Obama, Pelosi, Reid and team are stoking a massive voter blowback against just that prospect. This healthcare bill is going to be a long-term problem for the progressive movement. There is no doubt it is going to foul up healthcare in this country and sour voters' perceptions of government and government-backed solutions.

[sebastianguy99]

I'm sure you are right. All those millions of people who because of this imperfect legislation didn't die or go bankrupt as because of an illness in the family are really really going to be upset at that Obama, Pelosi, and Reid!

Yep, no doubt they'll want Health Savings Accounts and even more massive tax breaks for the insurance companies Pharma! Yep no doubt in my mind that they will for decades to come vote for the people that did not lift a finger to outlaw rescission and preexisting condition clauses.

I think what we really need is a discussion of who resides politically on the Left. There are people who take liberties with popular sentiment and call themselves Progressives when they really are single-issue voters or those still stuck in the culture wars and political paradigms of the late 20th Century.

If you want a revolution that will completely destroy Corporate Power and the Military Industrial Complex, then you're going to have to lead it yourselves. Electing a President and a few true believers from safe districts to Congress is not enough. Make your case to the people, if they buy it, you'll get your way, if they don't, then you'll be let on the margins.But stop blaming others for your lack of action. Get off the blogs with your tough talk and go do the hard work of persuading you fellow citizens.

[maserati2]

Ah, recognition at last. Thank you!