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{1} Definitions
"In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place. It is slavery to be amenable to the majority no matter what its decisions are." – Gandhi
There have been a few interesting threads on DU recently, which included discussions about two topics that I think are related. The first has to do with if Barack Obama is a progressive or liberal democrat, and the second has to do with the debate over how progressive and liberal democrats should respond if they believe Obama is taking an action they strongly disagree with.
Different people have different ideas on what "progressive" means. The definitions of the word in this essay are merely my own understanding of the concept. I do not intend to say that it is the single correct answer, or of any more value than other people’s.
More, last week another DUer told me that I was using "Rhetoric 101," when "Rhetoric 401" or "Rhetoric 501" was required on this forum. Although I did not think my friend was offering me a compliment, I took it as one, anyway, because I had paraphrased Minister Malcolm X. And Malcolm believed that it was more important, in trying to achieve results, to use language in such a way that everyone understood exactly what he meant.
I believe that the word "progressive" has a meaning that expands. Let’s take a look. On the individual level it has to do with ideas, beliefs, and values. As Gandhi pointed out, an individual’s values should not depend on the larger society for confirmation. In our society, despite the fact that many people have progressive and liberal values, the corporate media attempts to package them in one of two ways: the first is to marginalize those who speak out as being "quaint," and the second is to bottle their message with a skull & cross-bones. As long as a decidedly unprogressive society can isolate progressive people, they have little political power.
{2} Political Power
Q: We heard you changed, Malcolm. Why don’t you tell us where you’re at with them white folks?
A: I haven’t changed. I just see things on a broader scale. We nationalists used to think we were militant. We were just dogmatic. It didn’t bring us anything. …. We’ve got to be more flexible. …. I’m not going to be in anyone’s straitjacket. I don’t care what a person looks like or where they came from. My mind is wide open to anybody who will help us get the ape off our backs." --OAAU meeting in Harlem; reported by Marlene Nadle; Village Voice; February 26, 1965.
The word "power," we know, comes from the Latin root "posse," which means "to possess the ability." In looking at Malcolm X’s life, we can see it means possessing the power to change. In the period of his life when he belonged to the Nation of Islam, Malcolm represented an example of individual change: he went from being a dope-peddling pimp and robber, to a clean-living member of a community.
As a NOI minister, Malcolm helped numerous other people change their individual lives. Yet he became frustrated, because many people in the larger black community noted that the NOI talked tough, but that other groups such as the NAACP, CORE, and SCLC were out on the front lines, attempting to achieve progress for everyone.
At a certain point, Malcolm came to recognize that power leads to one of two things: either it evolves into something larger and more progressive, or it degenerates and twists the vessel which contains it into a regressive force. By the time he left the NOI, it had become as corrupt as that which it previously defined as "the enemy."
In his attempts to harness the political power necessary to achieve meaningful change in the larger community, Malcolm began to make attempts to work with the leadership of the groups such as the SCLC. He also broadened his views on the potential to work with white allies. This was, of course, what caused the man at the OAAU meeting to question him.
Recently on DU, there was an interesting poll regarding the most progressive cities and towns in the United States. Among the ones listed was Ithaca, NY. I am familiar with Ithaca, and the progressive community there. In order to achieve their goals within the larger community, the progressive activists there have created linkages with numerous other segments in the region.
In the current political climate, progressive community activists have several options. These include things from working on an individual level, to being part of a larger group that coordinates efforts with other groups that are not as progressive. Each of these types of progressive activity – from writing a letter-to-the-editor, to registering voters, to running for local office – is important. Those who focus on one area benefit from the work of others in different areas.
{3} Achieving Goals
"We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability." --Martin Luther King, Jr.; Letter From Birmingham City Jail
There are numerous values that members of the progressive members tend to share in common. These include things such as individual freedoms, the environment, and placing value on the Bill of Rights. They also include opposition to the anti-democratic agenda of the Bush-Cheney administration.
Many people are progressive in most areas, but still hold some fairly conservative views. Gandhi, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr., were complex mixtures of both progressive and conservative values. And in each case, their complexity helped them to identify avenues for making progress. Indeed, at the time of their deaths, each was truly "a work in progress."
Today, we have a democratic candidate for president, who began his career as a progressive community activist. At a certain point, he recognized that in order to reach his goals for making progress in the larger community, he needed to change. So he returned to college to get his law degree. Soon after that, he became active in state and then national politics.
On one hand, Barack Obama was not the most progressive candidate in the recent democratic primary. Rather, Dennis Kucinich was. Yet we see that despite the values that he holds, the law, and the democratic majority in Congress, Kucinich lacked the power to achieve his goal of having President Bush and VP Cheney held accountable for their crimes and abuses of the power of their office. This was largely due to the stumbling block that Nancy Pelosi placed in the way. And, while some people who identify themselves as liberal democrats dismissed Kucinich’s efforts as "quaint," many more in the progressive community appreciate that he acts upon his values.
As president, Barack Obama will not be able to achieve meaningful results in every area that progressive democrats would hope for. In part, it will be due the moderate and conservative Pelosi democrats. And in part, it will be because he must also work with republicans in Congress, as well as the corporate interests they pimp for. Finally, it is because our country has far too many serious problems for any one president to "fix," even in two terms in office. However, if he identifies what he believes are the most important issues that we possess the power to change, we can achieve progress.
{4} Progress
Q: So you’re consciously aware that this will have to be part of how you govern?
A: Yes, absolutely. The Internet gives young people a tool to be informed continuously. It gives them an opportunity to speak to each other and mobilize themselves. It gives them the opportunity to hold me accountable when I’m not following through on promises that I’ve made. It gives me a powerful ally if Congress is resistant to measures that need to be taken --Barack Obama; Rolling Stone interview; July 10-24, 2008.
The internet is a powerful tool, indeed. It has been used in a manner that allows progressive democrats more of a voice in national politics. It is impossible to understand Barack Obama’s candidacy without having a full appreciation for how the internet has made him the democratic nominee.
In the primary season, the moderate and conservative candidates’ campaigns came to the progressive on-line community, much as politicians used to visit minority communities come election time. They understood the power of the internet. They hoped to capitalize on it.
In the general election, we will see non-progressive forces coming into the progressive internet communities. They, too, recognize the power of this tool. They hope to use it to damage the foundation of unity within the progressive community.
This does not mean that progress democrats should always agree with every move Obama makes, or every word that he says. The internet allows us an opportunity to register our concerns with the campaign, and to discuss them openly on progressive forums. But it does mean that we should be aware that not everyone who walks through the neighborhood is our friend.
As Malcolm used to say, just because a man throws worms in a river doesn’t mean that he is a friend of the fish.
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