Six or so years ago, in the summer of 2010, with the loss of Congress becoming more probable, I wrote a post about progress.
I stand by that post. I still want these things, I am still working for these things. I think we all are. And I think it is worth noting that progress has been made on these things. I think that’s worth saying, noting, celebrating even. And progress has been made on things I hadn’t even really known about at the time.
For example, have you seen what MyRA can do for you and your family? Have you heard of it? No? GO TELL PEOPLE. You can open this free, government-backed retirement account using your tax refund! Yesterday I wrote this on a Facebook thread:
The fact that so many voters under 35 (I am refraining from "Millennial" since that term is fraught) are engaged in the Democratic primary for Bernie gives me a ton of hope, even as a Clinton supporter. It says to me the future of our country is in the hands of people who care, and think, and are willing and able to engage in the process - not burn it all down. It says the future is in the hands of people who say "okay, here's the system we have, but by heaven we're going to do our darndest to squeeze every single drop of progress we can from this system until we're in positions to directly change it." I, for one, am hopeful as a result. That being said, I am, perhaps, a bit more politically jaded. I remember the 84 and 88 cycles and the weaknesses of Dukakis and Mondale - to the extent that I could understand them at that age. I knocked doors in 2009 when our Democratic candidate for governor ran AGAINST the signature achievement of President Obama. I have experienced directly, politically, just how fragile the progress we've made in the past eight years at the national level is (indeed that very fragility is what put Loudoun into a really bad spot governance-wide from 2011-2015). Perhaps that's made me "conservative" in wanting to protect and extend the progress we've achieved thus far, and not as keen on a message that the distance we've come thus far doesn't amount to a hill of beans because we haven't crossed the finish line yet.
...
For me, the Revolution was 2008 when the underrepresented minorities (economic, racial and otherwise) in our nation spoke, loudly, and our job now is to sustain and extend THAT revolution.
I stand by that too. That’s why I’m engaged this year, fighting this year. That’s why I’m trying to help my local party move into the 21st century in technology and engagement.
Given all the arguments on the site about kos’ eminently insightful post, and my lurker status for the past few years. It somehow seemed to me worth saying, again.
Progress is a continuum. Not a light switch. (And yes, I’m a strong supporter of Sen. Clinton.)
(Also, go read this post.)
