We need a Progressive proxy in the next Presidential primary.
American Progressives will likely not have a perfect candidate to embrace in the Presidential Primaries of 2008. Many credible candidates will have stood for, and will advocate for much of what we believe in, but none will be perfect and all will be inclined to compromise or mute their criticisms to appear moderate. In effect, we may have a horse in the race, but we won't have a voice that will always stay true. Instead of staying on the sidelines bemoaning the system, we should game the system to present a truly Progressive and Democratic agenda to the American people in 2008.
Dean started his race with exactly such an intent; to advocate for a realistic solution to health care with no real hope of winning the race. His leap of faith met with great success in centering the domestic agendas of all the major Democratic candidates around that issue. But ultimately, even as his candidacy ignited a fire under the Progressive movement, he was compromised by his inherent moderation on too many issues and by the need to pursue actual victory. Instead of a candidate who is weighed down by compromise and full of personal ambition, we need a candidate, perhaps a bit like Kucinich, who is solely interested in putting forth a comprehensive message of Progressive Democracy to anchor the primary debate.
The advocate must be someone who is not seen to be on the `cursus honorum' to the Presidency; no Governors, Vice-Presidents, Senators, or former cabinet officers or military officers. The candidate should be someone who is seen as having integrity, who is very media savvy, and cannot be dismissed by the national media as a minor or fringe candidate. The obvious candidates are public personas who are household names who are strongly associated with public affairs. Ralph Nader was once the perfect model of such a candidate, but he has compromised himself for political expediency too often. We need someone well-loved, respected, and whose Progressive views and credentials are widely recognized.
The perfect candidate to my mind, though there may be others, is Bill Moyers. The national press cannot fail to take him seriously. He's magically eloquent. There would be no question of trying to keep him out of debates - or of him wiping the floor with the other candidates when he chooses.
Progressives can't have an effect on the debate unless we have a proxy at the table. It's just the way the modern Presidential selection system works. It's time to recognize and take advantage of the distinctive roles of actual candidates, and credible but agenda-setting advocacy candidates. The Presidential primary is one of the only times that the whole nation is open to new and bold ideas. We need to take best advantage of that opening.