Let's set stretch goals for progressives to push for, now that the space for action exists!

[Ken Burch]

(I'm talking about getting ambitious and taking our president-elect at his word when he says the future is up to us, folks).

Let's each pick, say, four.

I'll start with

1)Getting out of Iraq/creating non-arrogant less-militarist foreign policy.
2)Real universal healthcare(single-payer)
3)Banking Reform/Regulation(a new Glass-Steagall and much, much more)
4)Electoral reform(Let's get put the EC in it's grave, starting with making it proportional, and also establishing PR for legislative races and Instant Runoff Voting for executive races(president and governor).

Add yours below. Let's dream, and let's dream BIG!

[flowomo]

1. first, do no harm

after eight years of seeing the country brutalized, I'll start there.

[Ken Burch]

3. We're all on the same page on that.

I think we can move on to "second, do some real healing".

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Here's mine:

1. removing privatization/corporate/religious influences from government
2. strengthen public education
3. Election reform
4. Universal healthcare

[Ken Burch]

4. And just so everybody knows, this IS a "Pro-Obama" thread.

It's a "SEIZE THE DAY" thread. OK?

Whatever Obama does, the more support we build for progressive ideas at the grass-roots level, the easier we make his job. It was people like us who made it possible for the New Deal to BE the New Deal.

[ColbertWatcher]

5. Big ideas, brain storm kind of thread! n/t

[Ken Burch]

7. That's it, exactly!

Thanks.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. You're welcome! n/t

[RepublicanElephant]

6. restore the "fairness doctrine" to end the near-monopoly of the right-wing media.

the same media that is already working double-overtime to destroy the obama adminstration before it even begins!

[Lumpsum]

17. I forgot to add this in my list.

I agree 100%.

Conservative hate radio's time has come and gone.

[darkism]

8. Good luck; we've got possibly an entire term's worth of cleaning up and repairing to do first.

You can't always get what you want right away.

[Ken Burch]

10. Well, you have to try to get anything.

And really, we have to push at the start to have any chance of getting results.

There's no reason not to give it our best shot to defend and expand the agenda.

The right and the center are already pushing the "Obama has to leave his supporters out in the cold" meme. We have to push back just as hard.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

9. Electoral reform: Mandatory national standards for electoral fairness, modeled after

Minnesota's, except no vestige of Voter ID for those not registering on the same day they vote.

All federal funding must be cut for states that do not wipe out their existing election laws to conform EXACTLY with the new national standard. For all proposed changes in election standards, a benefit-cost standard would apply: would the proposed change cost fewer legitimate votes than it would prevent unlawful votes? Would the proposed change increase voting by the adult citizen population 18 and over (including current and past incarcerees) by more than it would reduce it? This kind of language, suggested by among others law professor Spencer Overton, would prevent Voter ID, "felon disfranchisement", cut-off dates for voter registration before Election Day, and other antidemocratic practices.

Finally DC must get equal voting representation with the 50 states in the House and Senate.

[cali]

11. Move the enter to the left. Move the center to the left. Move the center to the left

Move the center to the left.

that's the way to successfully enact progressive legislation.

[Occam Bandage]

13. Then let's claim that

every politician who is not in favor of doing all of those immediately is a DLC scumsucker, and that people who bring up such things as "issue polling" and "votes in the Senate" and "the deficit" are paid enabler shills!

[abumbyanyothername]

14. Energy Independence at whatever cost

starting with a $1/gallon gasoline tax to afford other technologies some price protection and attract investment (not to mention >$100 billion/year in revenue).

[Hippo_Tron]

15. Renewable energy and re-invsesting in infrastructure first

A sensible foreign policy goes without saying but that's really more of a long term goal that you need to be working on constantly.

And then we need to focus on health care.

[Lumpsum]

16. Mine.

1. Massive economical reform - including his promised tax cuts for the middle class.
2. Getting out of Iraq - no strings attached.
3. Stem cell research funding.
4. Socialized health care - also forcing existing private health insurance companies to do away with their strict and unfair pre-existing condition bullshit.
5. Drug law reform.
6. FISA overturned.
7. Habeus Corpus reinstated.
8. Patriot Act overturned.
9. Massive environmental reform - funding for alternative energy.
10. Peace talks with Iran.
11. Gay Marriage allowed in all 50 states.
12. Abortion issue finally settled - giving a woman the right to choose no matter what.
13. Being the first black president, he is also in the position to end all racial discrimination across the board.

[leftstreet]

18. FISA, PATRIOT ACT = Gone, HABEUS CORPUS = Returned n/t