Why Progressives Keep On Losing And The Right Keeps On Winning - RJ Eskow

Why Progressives Keep On Losing And The Right Keeps On Winning
By Richard (RJ) Eskow
April 9, 2011 - 1:45pm ET

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Congratulations! The "grand compromise" will cut nearly thirty nine billion dollars in needed government spending, which proves how "serious" everyone is about reducing the deficit. The grand compromisers could have cancelled the next ten years of tax subsidies for oil companies and cut the deficit by forty billion, but apparently that's not how serious people do things.

If the Republican Party were singing to its base today, the song would be the theme from Friends, "I'll Be There For You." And the Democrats would be singing "You Always Hurt the One You Love." We're being told we should celebrate a "compromise" in which Democrats gave up $38.5 billion in spending cuts, when the original Republican demand was for $32 billion. That means the Democrats only gave the Republicans 20% more (20.2135%, to be precise) than they originally demanded.

Okay, guys. You get an extra 20% -- and not a penny more!

Once again the unpopular views of a minority have been imposed on the majority. Others will rant and rave about the Democratic leadership, and in fact that process has already begun. But progressives in this country should be asking themselves a serious question: Why does the Tea Party seem to be so much more effective than the left as a movement?

It's a complicated question that deserves in-depth discussion, but some of the things that may be impeding progressives include excessive party loyalty, the desire for a charismatic leader (the "XFK phenomenon"), and the urge to prematurely celebrate accomplishments that are flawed and incomplete.

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More: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011041409/why-progressives-keep-losing-and-right-keeps-winning

:kick:

:eyes:

Off to read the entire article; K&R for that blurb alone.

Same article.

:rofl:

:evilgrin:

:hi:

It's all doublepeak. :grr:

This article should be pinned to DU somewhere... it's a wonderful resource and primer for some real change. Thanks for posting this thread. :hi:

and the ground troops in wiconsin turned how many counties?

obama has abandoned the working class and our unions but he will expect our votes next year.

the Koch brothers--and the corporate media lionizes them, while demonizing progressives and burying any news that might further therpogressives' causes.

The right wins because it has the money, the media, and the loyalty of the bought and aid for politicians.

This is a great article what should be read and considered seriously.

The Left is apparently too cowardly to do that. IMO Obama should be Primaried and he should be forced to explain his promises that were not even attempted to be kept and why we should believe him now..Ben Nelson should be Primaried and so should Mary Landrouix, and a few that call themselves Democrats in the House as well. If we don't win at least we send a strong message of what we stand for.. There is no such message at this moment. The ONLY message coming from our Democratic leaders at the moment is "Everything is Negotiable"