Progressive Wave: Help Us Build the Netroots

Progressive Wave . Net [roots]

For the last few days, PsiFigher37 has been spamming you with diaries (or here or here or here) about a project he created which has come to be known as "Progressive Wave".

Well, PsiFighter37 is tired tonight, so it's my turn. Follow me.

A few days before the elections, PsiFighter37 posted a diary about an idea he had:

[Progressive Wave] would be a website for all the newly-elected Democrats in this election. A slogan would run along the lines of 'Not left, not right, but forward', as I believe the progressive blogosphere is not ideologically aligned at the moment except for the issue of Iraq. The idea behind such a website would be to publicize the work of all the new representatives, whether it be what they do in Washington or what they do within the district. In a sense, it would be a form of citizen journalism - reporting on what our representatives are doing to advance the Democratic agenda and how it will help their constituents. Ideally, I would like a local resident (preferably in-district) to be the designated blogger for the district.

Turns out that the day before he posted that diary, I had sat in the library at school thinking about almost the exact same idea and jotting down some notes. Luckily, I happened to see PsiFighter37's diary soon after he posted it, and we've since joined forces in the effort.

In the 8 days since the election, I've been working furiously to build an infrastructure of (currently) 49 blogs, plus a main "hub" page. This is easily the most daunting task I've ever attempted, and it's going to continue to be a massive amount of work, but I think the idea is a great one and will be an invaluable service to both people in districts across the country and other bloggers looking for information about specific candidates, representatives, and policies.

Our goal is twofold: First, to support the newly elected progressive Senators and Congresspersons through their first terms in office and, second, to fuel future "progressive waves" by expanding our blog network to cover races in "opportunity" districts in 2008 and beyond.

The framework is in place (with a bit of tweaking left to do). PsiFighter37 has been working hard recruiting writers for each blog. We've already got some great folks on board, and even a few blog posts, but we have a long way to go.

If you're interested in writing for a blog in the district or state where you live, please contact us either in the comments here or at progresswave [AT] gmail [DOT] com. We plan to have multiple bloggers for each blog so that fresh content flows and a wide variety of voices can be heard. This, in my humble opinion, is a fantastic opportunity for all of us (you included) to establish a valuable role in the growth and influence in the netroots.

Come blog with us.

Progressive Wave: Not Left, Not Right, But Forward.

•  Tips Appreciated

  But I'd rather have you as part of our team!

  by HigherPie on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 10:25:15 PM PDT

•  See, not i feel kinda bad...

  PsiFighter cornered me in the openthread tonight when i admitted i'm from Paul Hodes district, and asked me to be a part of the project.

  I'm one of those Kossaks who's prone to lots and lots of commenting.  I write few diaries.  When i do, its because i feel i have something different to say.

  I think this is a great idea, i just don't think i'm the kind of blogger you need...

  by nhcollegedem on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 10:40:19 PM PDT

  •  If you change your mind...

    We plan on being around a while!

    by HigherPie on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 10:41:39 PM PDT

•  nope

  I am fucking sorry but a movement needs an ideological core or you are just a bunch of people gathered together who have no direction, get back to me when you have read Rawls, Galbraith, and a few other solidly liberal philosophers and economists and we can talk, you will actually understand why I am liberal and vote for the party that wants to help the working class and the oppressed.

  Moving forward sounds good but means absolutely nothing.

  by jbou on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 10:47:41 PM PDT

  •  Okay, try this...

    Not Left, Not Right, Not for Jbou.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    by HigherPie on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 10:50:01 PM PDT

    •  try taking a stand and actually...

      believing in a set of ideas that will help move things forward, and don't be so freaking sensitive about having a discussion about ideas. The Democratic party and specifically liberals did use a core set of ideas to help pull the country together during WW2 and move the country forward post war, and through the civil rights era, it just wasn't about moving forward it was about making things right and in order to make things right you need to give people a reason why they should follow you and those reasons end up being your philosophy.

      You might want to think this one through, because you are going to end up with a pretty shallow movement.

      by jbou on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:02:39 PM PDT

      •  Eh hem...

        We are called "Progressive Wave". We have 49 blogs built to support 48 Democrats and a socialist Inpependent.

        It doesn't matter that we're left, or right; what matters is that we work. "We", our side, gets things done and makes peoples' lives better.

        Our ideology is not caring what your ideology is, but rather showing you why these progressives deserve to be our representatives.

        Of course, I've been staring at computer code for 8 straight days, so maybe I have no fucking clue what I'm talking about.

        by HigherPie on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:08:22 PM PDT

        •  ugh!!!

          You and I are talking past each other. I am a liberal/progressive for a reason, and if I was an elected official i would explain to the voters why i vote for the things I vote for, and those reason would come down to a personal philosophy I developed through my experiences and through what i have read.

          Yes, it is a good idea to help move things forward but we need to explain why we are moving them forward, each side can say they want to move things forward and help people, but the devil is in the details, when conservatives talk about healthcare reform they talk about personal accounts and when liberals talk about healthcare reform they want universal healthcare, both ideas move things forward but there is one idea that I think will work and is worth fighting for and it is an idea I can explain using the core philosophy I have developed through my experiences and what I have read.

          by jbou on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:16:54 PM PDT

          •  Fair enough

            I really do appreciate your input.

            All the folks we've got on board will see this thread and, since we haven't really finalizd anything about the project yet, I'm sure we'll discuss this topic.

            by HigherPie on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:23:12 PM PDT

  •  Scratch the "fucking"

    and then I agree...

    When Markos says he cares about "winning" first, it scares me a bit.  That's okay, though, he's the ringmaster, not the main act.

    I want Democratic elected officials who say, "I'm proud to be a liberal, and here's why."  Only then will we truly claim our liberty.

    by Simplify on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:41:54 PM PDT

    •  thank you

      finally someone can understand what I am saying, I thought I was losing my mind.

      As for the swearing, I drink, I smoke, I sleep with slutty women and I swear, not always in that order.

      by jbou on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:47:02 PM PDT

      •  In an insane world,

        only the insane are sane, and all that.  My, what fine clothes the emperor has.  The finest in all the land.

        So far as I can tell in the current Republican-driven political lexicon, most of the time "moderate" means unprincipled and corrupt, and "partisan" means principled.

        by Simplify on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:59:27 PM PDT

  •  the problem

    Is that we don't all agree on what liberalism is or ought to be.  I would hardly pick Rawls and Galbraith as the top two choices myself; if anything Galbraith leans more towards social-democracy than liberalism.

    by Delirium on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 12:37:50 AM PDT

  •  pseudo-intellectuals like you

    come a dime a dozen.  Those of us who actually care don't feel the need to name-drop.  Insecure pseudo-intellectuals, on the other hand...

    You get the idea.

    My blog. Come visit.

    by hekebolos on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 03:27:28 AM PDT

    •  I never claimed to be an intellectual

      I threw the names out there as a couple of examples, they could have been any two liberal philosophers or economists for all that it mattered. My point was we need an intellectual base for the movement, movement for movement's sake doesn't work.

      Your movement has no depth, which means it probably won't last.

      by jbou on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 06:27:09 AM PDT

•  I'd be willing to throw in some writing

  particularly if we can get a discussion going on progressive economics.

  The Daily Show had Muhammad Yunus on tonight, the founder of the Grameen Bank for which he won this years Nobel Peace Prize.

  His kind of visionary economic thinking is needed to solve the challenges we face in the world.  But it is one part of a larger economic picture.  It would be fun to work on some of those ideas.

  by ForFreedom on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:03:51 PM PDT

  •  Great!

    We already have one "Special Coverage" blog ("Brass Tacks"), and we'd be more than happy to add more.

    Send me an email if you'd like to join us. We'd love to have you.

    by HigherPie on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:10:14 PM PDT

•  This could be a nice resource for people who

  want to try to keep the new lawmakers' profile high, for instance by writing letters to the editor praising their recent votes or statements, with the goal of helping them get reelected in two/four years.
  Here in Michigan, we don't have any new congresspeople or senators, except for a wing-nut republican congressman who got in courtesy of Club for Growth.  He beat the moderate Repub incumbent in the primary in a safe repub district.  Good luck with your project.

  by extradish on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:08:17 PM PDT

•  what is progressive?

  I track heavily on trade, economics, but also manipulating immigration policy as a method of insourcing and labor arbitrage.

  It seems to me that progressives as I understand it, turn a blind eye on this topic, regardless on what the stats say and I find it shocking considering that in the WTO, GATS mode 4, the whole agenda is to classify services as commodities to be traded, which means people...which enables nations and corporations to literally trade people.

  by BobOak on Thu Nov 16, 2006 at 11:28:28 PM PDT

  •  I think that most progressives

    simply don't understand it, probably because the issues are superficially complex.  You hit the nail on the head, but the issues are cloaked in rhetoric that is meant to obfuscate.

    There is definitely a need for development of not only progressive economic concepts but also communication of those concepts in a manner that people understand.

    by ForFreedom on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 12:00:44 AM PDT

    •  "rhetoric that is meant to obfuscate"

      A great reference:
      George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," 1946

      by Simplify on Fri Nov 17, 2006 at 12:04:12 AM PDT