We, as a nation are at a crossroads. I think this sentiment is somewhat shared throughout the DailyKos community. However, I think the way this crossroads is seen by people within this community is slightly off, and I hope you will at least humor me here, as I explain.
Throughout my time here at kos, mainly as a reader for the past several years (I only began posting relatively recently), I have seen a lot of discussion couched in how we must hold politicians accountable, how we must keep them honest, and must keep them in pursuit of the progressive ideals that we hold dear. While I applaud this sentiment, and agree with it, I am realizing over time that it is a bit limited. We as a community have failed to address the fact that we are only a fraction of this nation, and that even though we are a big tent, we are only a small part of the American political spectrum, and the broader American (and even moreso global) geopolitical debate.
We are progressives, of varying stripes. We have our agenda. However, we need to think about how to deal with the fact that the majority of the American public does not necessarily buy into our agenda. We are progressives for a reason...by our nature, that means we are more progressive than the general populace. Progressives have always had to push the envelope, from the labor movement to the civil rights movement, to the women's movement, to today. The fact is, however, that those movements never lost sight of who they were. They knew their causes, while having a broad base of support, were not necessarily supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans.
My point is this: we need to take a look at our movement, gain an accurate sense of who we are and where we fit in the political process, both nationally and globally, and from there, develop a new strategy for pushing forward with our agenda and building a broader coalition. Of course we need to engage people who don't necessarily identify with the progressive movement, and we must engage those who are not part of the netroots. But to do this, we have to acknowledge the fact that they don't necessarily agree with us, and we have to acknowledge the fact that we are not necessarily some silent/ignored majority that has been forgotten by the politicos. This is bigger than the politicos. This is about engaging the public.
And as such, we are at a crossroads. Politically. Morally. We have to deal with the fact that a lot of Americans, and maybe beyond that, people in general seem to only care about what affects them immediately. It's not about ignorance, or a lack of awareness or involvement. It's the fact that people narrow their worlds to that which is immediately around them. How do we deal with this and engage people? How do we get them to join onto the progressive agenda, based on the promise that our strategy, our collective effort, is the best possible path for the public good?
I don't have many answers. I just think we need to take a step back and reevaluate our movement, our place in the political system, our methods, and ultimately, what we can do to build a better, more just society and world for the future. Thanks.