Progressive Movement

If I were Obama, my New Year's Resolution would be to regain and preserve the trust of the progressive base, not just for his sake but for the country's.

It has been one of the strangest years ever politically. Progressives keep battling, and we and our values endure. Progress is always possible, but it always, always comes with struggle.

If Obama and the Democratic party play their cards right, they will present this legislation not as the only legislation we will need, but rather as the first step in a series of reforms that will eventually achieve what the American people want.

The divide between progressives on whether to support the health care bill is one of the most striking things I have seen in all my years in politics.

Popular action is the very definition of democracy. It doesn't happen without us, and it isn't a human right upheld by some magic fairness-fairy. If the public option's not in the bill, it's because we haven't shown up to demand it.

I love the four other candidates in the Air America contest. They are all great bloggers and a couple of them I am delighted to call friends. This is an election, though, so here are some reasons you should consider voting for me.

Progressives must not lose sight of the fact that, although we may disagree with President Obama's decision on Afghanistan, he shares a progressive vision of American foreign policy.

It's been exactly one year since Barack Obama was elected, and it's becoming increasingly clear that the president hasn't fixed the whole world yet. Then again, he never promised such a thing.

As I watched Obama's victory speech a year ago, I thought that America was on the brink of a new progressive era. I believe that just as strongly one year later, as well as in the slogan, "Yes We Can."

Since we're progressives, we know how to multi-task. So let's keep our eye on the ball for health care, and remember to take a second to pitch in for the LGBT movement.

When it comes to health care reform, the states most likely to benefit -- because they have the highest percentages of uninsured citizens -- are the source of the loudest objections to reform.

Conservatives understand that a headline the day after the Maine initiative about them succeeding at rolling back the gay marriage bill helps them build momentum, and helps deflate and discourage progressives.

Progressives have typically avoided addressing the way the electoral system is financed. They have concentrated on the outcome of politics, but not on the political process.

The two standards -- freak out on Republicans when they do something awful, say nothing about Democrats when they do the same thing -- is the canary in the coal mine.

One thing I know for sure. If progressives constantly pronounce the public option dead -- it will be. The cynics will create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

By winning Olympia Snowe over on health care, the White House is risking something far more politically dangerous: an ugly fight within the Democratic Party and further erosion of Obama's standing with his base.

The president's most recent August swoon reminds us that this moment is the first real test of Obama's "hope" in the nitty-gritty of getting big things done in Washington.

Though the 2006 and 2008 elections were billed as progressive movement successes, the story behind them highlights a longer-term failure.

The traditional media has talked itself into believing certain things about the fight over health care reform, whether there is any serious evidence beyond their own self-reinforcing stories or not.

It's not that I object to critical thinking. We need it. Yet, while we're reminding Obama of his promises and scrutinizing him on his decisions, we need to stand with him.

Progressives and the White House need each other to get anything big and important done. It's how big change happens in this country.

The key to Obama's success at this fundamentally critical juncture is whether the President can get his base excited about him again so that they are actively engaged in fighting by his side on the tough battles ahead.

Some progressive groups are calling for a confrontation with Obama. While we should always strive for better, we can't let the perfect eclipse what in reality is extraordinarily good.