.
from Matt Lavery:
Both the “hope” and “change” elements of the Obama candidacy have been roundly debunked by thoroughgoing progressives (i.e. ones who don’t cave in on warrantless wiretapping, nuclear energy, continued/ ratcheted UP militarization, etc.), nowhere better than in Alexander Cockburn’s powerful “Against Obama” in the last The Nation of October (his too-quick slagging of Cynthia McKinney’s “5,000 post-Katrina executions” aside). But with him looking very strong in the exit polling and early EST reporting, it does seem time to talk more clearly about how his election and a more empowered Democratic majority (they’ve already picked up two senate seats, one in VA and one in NH) could actually create some hope for progressives. Here’s my thought: a strong marginalizing of the GOP should create an opportunity to really push the Dems. to be more responsive to (a) progressive agenda(s). This is a traditional “role” of third parties that can easily be lost as we push to run more candidates. Reduced temptation to pander to the “right”–which has kept Dems. from disavowing or marginalizing their own progressive caucuses–should definitely give (especially) Greens hope that we will have more influence to peddle in any upcoming new “New Deal” body politic.
We all know “on-the-fencers” who may even be tempted to call themselves “Progressive Democrats” in the furor of an Obama landslide. We mustn’t forget how to speak to them; how to make them see that it is progressives whose votes may be lost to them in the future as the country continues to turn blue.
Filed under: 3rd party, cynthia mckinney, democrat, Election Night 2008, Green Presidential Campaign 2008, News, US Politics Tagged: | Barack Obama, the nation
Leave a Reply