Framing can do wonderful things:
The Progressive movement enjoyed a ground swell of epic proportions with the election of President Obama. The entire nation was swept up in both the historic election of a Black President, and the idea that "yes we can" change things for the better. Parents sat with their kids, sometimes entire family generations grandfather, father, son, grandmother, mother, daughter, watched the election, fixated on the moment, praying that it would come to pass, and it DID!
Was a giddy time, then the real work began.
At first, things seemed great. Economic progress was started, and the people anticipated much needed relief. A positive agenda was announced to great fanfare, and the work began. The nation sang with hope, as our President started to get to work on that change we can believe in.
Not all of that work has been pretty. We did get some health care legislation passed, another historic moment, made bitter by the lack of a sorely needed public insurance plan for the masses. As sour as that defeat was, we can still cling to the idea that health care is necessary, and the legislation can be improved over time.
During that legislation, a curious thing happened. The GOP, seeing this populist movement gaining ground, chose to dig in and start nay-saying all of it, with many party luminaries expressing their desire for President Obama to fail. Our traditional corporate media was instantly filled with negative stories all designed to deflate the passion, reinforce the jadedness people felt before the election, and dash hope against the hard rocks of corporate domination of the discourse.
Democrats struggled to keep the momentum, but it was simply not enough! Wave after wave of GOP filth penetrated the national discourse, turning people away from a long and ugly fight to win health care, a fight that the GOP structured to be as painful as possible.
When the legislation passed, it was such a relief that a key observation went unnoticed by the majority of Americans, who were simply deflated over the long struggle and tepid results. Some good was done, but the cost was high.
The economic makeup of Congress, and the impact of that on the Presidency, and progress for the people largely fell into the noise, as the agenda advanced, everyone eager to move on, after such a long battle.
Progressives remain largely unaware that they are the only progressive economic force in Government, and because of that became angry, betrayed, frustrated over their lack of progress, despite a seriously big election win. Traditional media, but for some small outlets here and there, resonated with that emotion too. All told, a dark cloud fell over what was a historic moment of progress, leaving the Tea Party, born out of the Health Care battle, funded with corporate dollars, to fill the gap with their own message and vision of fiscal responsibility.
As the progressive momentum faded, Tea Party momentum grew, leading to exactly the wrong things happening at the right time.
You see, the Congress that was elected with President Obama had a party majority, but did not have a economic policy majority, with most ordinary Americans unaware of what that means, simply equating the Democratic Majority with a clear mandate for change.
In reality, the pro-corporate economic majority won the day, blunting most of the change, with the media framing it as party weakness, incompetence, and every other negative thing, leaving the movement, fragmented, disenchanted, weak.
The mid-term elections were a disaster for progress. A Tea Party wave, solidified by the onerous Citizens United "corporations are people too" decision and massive dollars, won a lot of power in Congress, further diluting the progressive economic minority, by taking the moderate to right economic majority farther right, with predictable results.
Attacks on Women's rights, the New Deal, highlight one of the strongest pushes for economic regression seen in recent years. The GOP, emboldened by the Tea Party, repositioned "change" into "fiscal responsibility", combined with massive State legislature wins, has gone on to attack everything even remotely progressive! Unions and labor are reeling from brutal attacks, angering most Americans, but also leaving them confused!
A second moment of clarity is needed. The nation pushed hard for change, and got some, only to be brutally pushed back into regression for a moment of weakness and confusion over who their elected leaders really are.
We stand now, deciding our future. Can advocates of progress punch through the noise and show the people where their future is, or will they scatter, each fixated on some issue, weak, unable to resonate as they did before?
A lot rests on this moment, and the outcome is far from known. This President may get to select at least one Supreme Court justice, and make many appointments that will determine how progressive the courts can be. Broad and inclusive attacks on working Americans stand poised to roll back years of labor progress, leaving people stripped of benefits, rights to bargain and opportunities to make a family wage.
Social regression, in the form of theocratic legislation, Women's rights, schools, gay rights, and so many other important things are all on the table, poised to either regress or progress!
Division runs rampant. The GOP is divided into regressive economic ideas, and really regressive, down right draconian regression. Democrats are divided too! Economic moderates and regressives own the party machine, leaving Progressives marginalized and the point of blame for many failures, yet positioned nicely to profit from the massive Tea Party labor attack push back potential that exists right now.
Some talk about a primary for a President who has done well with such a ugly national scene. The media is hostile to economic progress, airing almost no news or opinion framed in favor of labor. Congress is ruled by a strong regressive majority, owning both parties, and a good many court positions as well.
General failures and roll backs in primary education, along with 30 years of regressive economic ideas are hostile too. The norms in play are strong, so strong as to paint economic progressives as radicals, useless, futile and dangerous for the nation, and "free markets".
What will the American Progressives do?
Will they fracture into issue movements, each acting apart from the others, impotent on the bigger picture economically regressive congress? Will they fail to see what allowing the GOP some room to grow has done, fixating on the very same President they moved mountains to get into office?
Or, will they congeal into that machine again, seeing the lesson for what it is, understanding that the only way to progress is to build a progressive economic majority in government, capable of taking some back for the people?
Put simply, will they seek to empower Obama with bigger, better, more progressive legislative tools, or will they take their anger out on him?
It has been said that this election is the most important election of our time! This is true! When attempting progress, EVERY election is the most important election of our time, because any loss, or failure to keep the focus on the needs of the people is met with stiff opposition from the massive corporate machine, always looking to take as much as it can, dividing us, profiting from our anger and frustration, diluting our will to use our power as people for the greater good.
Everybody sees what staying home means. It doesn't "teach congress or the president a lesson", instead it results in brutal regression, fueled by massive dollars and willful ignorance.
Despite all that has risen against economic progress in these recent times, attacks on labor and civil rights has sparked the people to act! Labor is pushing back hard, seeking help, messaging for solidarity, asking for help. Progressives are poised to join that effort, solidifying into something average Americans can see as a good thing --just as good of a thing as it was electing President Obama the first time.
Keeping the White House is not enough in the face of such focused, well funded economic opposition! Congress matters. The Tea Party wave has been brutal economically, threatening to erase all that was done in that moment of change! The dollars never rest, and neither can the people. That much is clear.
Will we rise again, take back what was lost, and move to a sustained mode of progress, or fall divided, squabbling over what could have been?
YES WE CAN! is as relevant this coming election as it ever was, and that brings me to coat tails. Every President has them. Every movement leverages them.
What kind of coat tails would you like President Obama to have?
I want long, deep, passionate ones, like the ones we saw during his election to President. I want the kind that sweeps over congress, leaving as many economic progressives as possible in place of brutal, foul, harmful regressives, so that I may get a chance to see what this President can really do with the right tools in his hands.
We got a glimpse the first time, and we've got a look at what will happen if we don't push back and own our problems. Does anybody seriously believe that we can change the nation for the better, without changing our party and Congress after what they are seeing right now?
Long coat tails. Movement politics. That's what I want to see, and right now, I'm not sure I will get to see that, and it concerns me deeply.