Future of Democratic Leadership and the Progressive Movement.

This week through January 1 I am appearing on five one hour shows with Mark Riley, on his Air America show, which can be heard on AM and XM radio and streamed, downloaded, podcast at airamericaradio.com.

For those interested there are several large overriding themes discussed in our analysis of 2006 and forecasts for 2007, especially:

1. Democrats should aspire to build a new era in American history of patriotic reform and national renewal similar to the eras of FDR and JFK. By electing a Democratic President and Democratic Congress in 2008 we can inaugurate the next New Deal and New Frontier and we should think in large, idealistic terms.

2. 2007 will see the coming together of this growing alliance between Democratic leaders, national grassroots, the progressive blogs and progressive radio which will all flourish and support each other more than pundits predict. News and communications power will be further shifted from MSM to independent news sites.

This new alliance will empower voters, lift the party, widen the debate and attract political support and investment capital. The sites mentioned include Arianna and Huffington, Caro Kay and makethemaccountable, Mark Karlin and Buzzflash, Rob Kall and OpEd News and Bob Parry and consortiumnews among others.

3. The Democratic Party will regain its historic leadership on natonal security by expanding on its major gains in 2006 with Senators, Members of Congress, and candidates with military service addressing issues important to our troops, vets and mlitary communities.

This appeal has the potential of establishing a major political realignment in America that would compare to the FDR coalition. Those mentioned on air include the Fighting Dems and their candidates, the Fighting Dems News Service and new leaders such as Jim Webb.

Discussion includes the commitment of Harry Reid as Senate leader and Nancy Pelosi as Speaker who view America as a national family and will act as though we are all security moms and security dads when it comes to our brave troops. Howard Dean, Don Fowler and Christine Pelosi are praised for leading on military family issues through their work at the Democratic Nat'l Committee.

We discuss rising issues such as global warming, particularly Al Gore's historic leadership and the reemergence of voting rights, social justice and "God's work must truly be our own" as a galvanizing issue in this new Democratic realignment.

The theme of these five hours, from Iraq to Middle East peace, from global warming to integrity in government, is that Democrats can create a new majority coalition if we have the principles to stand for a new spirit in our politics, government, and world leadership and work together to achieve it.

2006 will leave behind the politics of division, negativity, scandal and failure and in 2007 we should set our sights high, and set the stage for the next New Frontier, that can emerge in 2008.