Is Elizabeth Warren a progressive?

[BelgianMadCow]

24. "So we have to both play the game, and change it."

That's very interesting. Recently I read a book which argued that if you want to affect change, you can't stand IN the system, because you can't change it from within. Neither can you stand outside of it, because the system will bring its full weight to bear on you, and you will be marginalised.

We have to stand with one foot inside and one outside. I find that an interesting proposition. You have to be at the boundary, pushing. I think that's where all the movements of the past that affected change were, but I'm not so sure "protest" type movements still have potential in the traditional form. The indignados in Spain, precursors to OWS, have over 70% of popular support. There are frequent massive demonstrations. The government isn't budging and has just signed a law that fines protesters near congress or politicians home huge sums. Greece has been on fire at times, but the band marches on. OWS blossomed, and was struck down. I think the change needs to be very deep for it to stand a chance, as in for example collective change in our "consumer" behaviour (see: Barillia). Also, like Thom Hartmann says, Democracy is a verb. Go out there and get active, in whatever way suits you.

The author is a leftwing political philosopher. And at one point, rather then describing one of the utopias I have in my head (you may have gathered I'm idealistic), he argued AGAINST any and all forms of utopia, because people end up repressiving others to carry out that vision. Instead, he argued that the desired end state is one of perpetual war of ideas, carried forward in a socratic debate. Which you and I are both fans of, then. I love the devil's advocate, and all the people on DU that dare go against the mainstream, whatever it is. That being said, I DO believe we collectively and urgently need to start imagining what a better future could look like. At this point, and through that book (and re-reading Brave New World), I'm past having an a-priori idea of what the end goal is. But we do have to DREAM.