The country *is* moving in a more progressive direction (hear me out)

[rockydem]

We must fight the Bush agenda tooth and nail the next for years, but please, consider the evidence:

Progressives won the battle against the robber barons at the turn of the centruy.

Progressives won the battle for women's suffrage and rights.

Progressives won the battle for civil rights in the sixties.

Progressives have made great strides on environmental issues to the point that the pugs have to talk nice about protecting the environment even while they plunder it...but at least we have them on the run - they must try to appear 'sensitive' to it.

Also a majority of Americans trust the Dems more than the pugs to run the economy - all the polls show this - and you can thank Clinton for that.

Bush won by turning out the flocks of fundies and by appealing to non-fundies through fear. It really is that smiple.

Politics is a fickle business my friends - up one year, down the next.

The pendulum may have swung a ways more rightward this year - but THE BASE UPON WHICH IT RESTS IS MOVING IN A PROGRESSIVE DIRECTION. That's the reality of history - and nothing they do or say can change that - so you better get used to it.... 

In the ashes of our current defeat lie the seeds of our future victories.

[one_true_leroy]

1. Excellent...

put into perspective, America is the history of the triumph of progressive, grass-roots populist movements against raving capitalists and totalitarians. Since the abolishionist movement, we have moved forward in our fists and starts, removing the paradigms that divide us (slave/free, labor/management, male/female, Christian/not, white/black/hispanic) and working towards a truly inclusive and equitable society. Think about it... we have the most conservative gov in memory, and it has a black woman and man in the Cabinet. We're movin'!

[rockydem]

3. And they win by appropriating our rhetoric

and our ideals - even though much of the appropriation is hollow...

Eventually reality will catch up with them.

[AndyTiedye]

2. All That Says is that it COULD Move in a Progressive Direction SOME DAY

It surely isn't doing so now, and won't be for the forseeable future.

> Progressives won the battle against the robber barons at the turn of > the centruy.

and the robber barons came back for a rematch in 2000 and won big.

> Progressives won the battle for women's suffrage and rights.

Those rights won't survive the next Supreme Court nomination.

> Progressives won the battle for civil rights in the sixties.

Jim Crow is back, or hadn't you noticed?

> Progressives have made great strides on environmental issues to the
> point that the pugs have to talk nice about protecting the
> environment even while they plunder it...

That's just good marketing. talk is cheap.

> but at least we have them on the run - they must try to appear
> 'sensitive' to it.

They have been rolling back every form of environmental protection,
and the pace will surely accelerate.

> Also a majority of Americans trust the Dems more than the pugs to
> run the economy - all the polls show this - and you can thank
> Clinton for that.

That doesn't seem to matter anymore.

> Bush won by turning out the flocks of fundies and by appealing to
> non-fundies through fear. It really is that smiple.

He can go on doing that forever. He also benefited by crooked voting
machines (owned and built by Fundies) and officials (also Fundies).

> Politics is a fickle business my friends - up one year, down the next.

not anymore. Diebold has taken out the uncertainty.

> The pendulum may have swung a ways more rightward this year

The pendulum is not working properly. It is no longer capable
of swinging left at all.

[rockydem]

4. I don't think the pendulum is broken yet

Regardless of how bad things are now - it not even CLOSE to being as bad as things were during the age of the robber barons - not even close.

They are undermining the environmental regulations but those regulations are still there - and most Americans want those regulations. They do it in secret and behind closed doors.

I say reality will catch up to them - and it will within the next six years.

And Jim Crow is not back not even close.