There is no question that President Obama has strong Progressive values. We take some comfort in knowing that while we attend these rallies, thousands strong, that the President is there in spirit. But it’s just not enough.
Often, Democratic incumbents become either overly-cautious or lazy in their support of organized labor and other progressive values. At the moment, it seems as if the President is in some strange political limbo, no doubt fearing the worst from swing voters should he take a more active role in supporting the rights of workers across the country. Herein lays the fatal flaw of many Democrats: cater to the middle, confident of the fact that come Election Day the left will fall in line by a mere process of elimination.
One thing is certain; Republicans never make a mad dash to the center or reach out to the left. They don’t align themselves with environmental advocates or green energy technology; they don’t support tax cuts for anyone without including billionaires and big-business, and they definitely aren’t working to further secure the rights of Organized Labor. So, who is?
The numbers at the protests in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, in total, have exceeded hundreds of thousands. The tea party “movement” is starting to look more and more like a lazy Saturday in a 5-year-old’s playroom, and those folks put together the numbers to gain 63 seats in the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections.
The White House has given strong, but limited vocal support to the workers across the country fighting for their rights, but it’s a far cry from what many of us expected when the recent assault on Unions began.
Mr. President, it’s not just your base out there fighting tooth-and-nail to maintain a seat at the table, these are your constituents. These are the Americans who voted for you in 2008 and they want their leader. They need their leader.
We are not asking the President to interfere in the matters of state government. We are asking him to do what tens of thousands have already done: stand, physically, in solidarity with working class America.
Perhaps there is some level of political safety for the President in keeping an arm’s length from this movement. But with the atonal GOP mantra of “big government” looming on the horizon, there is no better time than the present to reclaim this debate in the name of blue-collar America. If the White House is concerned about the reaction of swing voters, they should send the message that the only Republican strategy for shrinking government is affixing the burden on the back of the middle class while greasing the palms of their rich cronies.
At a time when Americans need leadership, there is no safety in silence. The prevailing winds of change are swirling, and the stakes are higher than ever. The bastions of hope have taken to the streets to defend the fundamentals of equality, and their voice is swelling to a righteous chorus. Our unity of purpose is growing stronger. Factions are becoming a force, and as this movement grows, those standing on the sidelines will be plainly visible.
Now, more than ever, we need the strength of the single most powerful voice for progressive values in the country. We need our President to pick up a sign and put on those comfortable shoes.
Crossposted at: www.hearltandrevolution/Working-Class-Fighting-Advocate/win-the-future-seize-the-day.html