the crisis of liberalism in America may have most to do with the lack of a vibrant,vocal left flank

[t0dd]

But what I most took away from Manza was the observation that the crisis of liberalism in America may have most to do with the lack of a vibrant, vocal left flank — thus rendering liberalism as the “vital center” of American politics, as Arthur Schlesinger Jr. once put it. Historically, Manza writes:

In the moments of grand reform, such as the 1930s/40s and again in the 1960s, liberalism could plausibly stand between the forces of conservative traditionalism and the demands of social movements from below (or resurgent left-wing thought from the intelligentsia). In the New Deal era from the 1930s to the late 1940s, the presence of strong unions, a visible Communist and other left organizational presence, and open public debate over the relative virtues of left-wing ideas in the face of a sea of trouble, gave liberalism a powerful source of centrist purpose. Similarly, in the 1960s, the civil rights movement brought pressure from below that emboldened liberals positioned in the center. To be sure, the growing tensions between older liberals and an increasingly militant student left in the late 1960s would eventually tear the Democratic Party apart, but not before some of the most sweeping and important expansions of the public sector took place, spearheaded by liberals.

But now? We can see Manza’s point in the way the Tea Party has exerted profound gravitational force not only on the Republican Party but, arguably, on the President and the Democratic mainstream — as the Tea Party can be given the credit for the fact that we’re debating the federal deficit and spending cuts at all in this moment, rather than spending more money to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

http://movementvision.org/rants-polemics/moving-the-political-center/

The Tea Party may be a band of racist crackpots, but their anger and looniness pushes politicians towards the ideological change they desire. The Left has no equivalent. When members of our party cave, we shrug and say it was "the best we could do" instead of voting them out and getting equally angry..

[OHdem10]

1. When a person who calls himself a Democrat is willing to put

the Bulwark of Democratic Party on the table for the
the GOP to stab to death and there is no outrage.
there is no longer a Democratic Party.

It is easier to permit the Teaparty to have their way.

[fascisthunter]

14. exactly.... (nt)

[daleanime]

2. Your almost right....

the teabaggers provide a political fig leaf allowing purchased government officials to do what their masters want.:grr:

[OnionPatch]

3. They are treated differently in the media.

We have just as many outraged and vocal people as they do. We just don't get coverage.

[OHdem10]

4. They are not in streets being mean loud and ugly.

[daleanime]

5. Just because there's no MSM coverage....

doesnt' mean we not out here.:banghead:

[JoeyT]

9. Mostly because when they take to the streets and get mean, loud, and ugly they get news coverage.

We just get tear gassed and beaten.

Maybe it's true that a lot of people with badges are switching to the Ds, but they're still not on the left. Authority figures almost always side with the authoritarians. It's just what they do.

[OnionPatch]

11. I don't know about mean and ugly, but they have certainly been in the streets.

In number far larger than any teabaggers.

[t0dd]

6. Please.

Where is there any talk in our Party about evicting politicians that vote to cut SS and Medicare? Republican freshmen are terrified of the Tea Party because they know they'll face a primary from the right if they don't obey them. We have Democrats that are so entrenched they can make any promise, abandon it, and face no pressure. Remember all those that vowed to only vote for a health care bill with a public option? How'd that work out?

[OnionPatch]

12. Our politicians are bought out. I agree with that for sure.

But we, the regular voting folks on the left are just as angry as the teabaggers.

[bemildred]

7. The left is silenced, not "lacking".

When your opponent owns the megaphone, it becomes hard to argue your case.

[socialist_n_TN]

10. That's when you TAKE the megaphone

nm

[leveymg]

8. The Left is vibrant, but the Obama Admin and Dem leaders ignore us, take us for granted

The major difference between the Dems and the GOP is that the Republicans are smart enough to keep their base energized and active, and actually coordinate this with wealthy funders like the Koche, while the corporate Dems see us as a liability and expend considerable resources trying to neutralize and silence the Left.

That isn't new - it's the way it's been since the McCarthyite Purge of the Left following World War Two. There was a brief flowering during and after the Vietnam War, and another when it was necessary to win the 2006 and 2008 elections, but it's now back to the conservative status quo. Control over the Democratic Party hasn't been in the progressive hands since the death of FDR.

It's time for a new Democratic Party.

[white_wolf]

13. That's why I've said that while a lot of people who consider themselves liberals

may disagree with or in some rare cases even strongly dislike or hate Marxists, socialists, etc. they need us to act as the counter to the far right. Liberal polices don't get passed without a strong far left presence.