Liberal or progressive?

[tabbycat31]

83. Thank you for reminding me of why I am no longer a progressive

I work on campaigns for Blue Dogs (it was never intentional, but they're the most endangered candidates and the most likely to staff up). On my first interview, I was asked if I had a philosophical objection. MY response then was that I would rather have a Democrat who votes with the party 85% of the time than a big fat goose egg from a Republican. In the districts I've worked in, a progressive is simply not electable period. (Try running as a progressive in a district Romney won by 29 points).

If you want to change those types of districts, my suggestion would be to draft progressives to run for LOCAL office (mayor, council, school board, etc) and build an infrastructure from the bottom up. Because when an independent does research on a candidate, Mayor Joe Progressive has much broader appeal than Joe Progressive.

There are some Democratic purity groups (Progressive Democrats of America, Progressive Change Campaign Committee) that I strongly disagree with. Granted they're independent groups and can do what they want to, but they spend all of their time and effort going after Democrats when they could be going after the Republicans. I went to a PDA conference in 2010 and walked out of there more turned off by the group than turned on (a conference is not supposed to do this). They were still pushing their 'single payer or else' agenda and lambasted a congressman (a member of the Progressive Caucus) for not cosponsoring HR 676 (which he agrees with, but as the then chair of the health subcommittee, I can see why he did not cosponsor it). Now it could just be me, but I'd rather see groups like that go after the Republicans.

The other side has lost senate races (and possibly control of the senate) because they nominated candidates that were too ideological for the general electorate in their states. (Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Indiana, Missouri). These races should have been GOP holds or pickups and had they been, the senate control would be tied now. I simply don't want the progressive movement to turn into the left's tea party.