Thoughts on the Upcoming Election(s)

Though I have not given up my hope that we will someday have a true multiparty Democracy in America it's also important to have a plan on how to go about pursuing electoral politics in the next few years that fits within some designated framework that already exists. It it may be easier to hijack the Democrat Party back into the hands of the true left than to start from scratch. But... here's my take on what Progressives should do if we stay within the Democrat Party.

In 2012, though its fine to criticize him, but don't mess around with not voting for Obama. No I do not think that Obama is a shining light for Progressives. But he's the best option we have. I fear how his 2nd term would go with a Republican controlled House and Senate, but with at least a truly left-leaning House and Senate along with a vocal populace, I believe he could do great work. So this is my bit of advice for Progressives for the upcoming election. First, vote for Obama. Second, unless you're in a swing state or the Republican candidate turns out to be Superman, don't do more for Obama than that. Our time and money must go into promoting progressive candidates, like Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren. If we manage to accomplish these things: re-electing Obama with at least a Progressive-slanted mandate then I believe that there is a great possibility that Obama will govern as more of a Progressive in his second term.

One idea I have been thinking abut a lot lately is how Progressives can try to influence Obama's appointees in his second term. Clearly he will be carrying many of the first-termers into the second term (Even Joe Biden… who had better not run for President). However, think of what it might mean to the Progressive movement to have a real Leftist as Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor. Any of the Cabinet level positions. It is hard to find a single Progressive among Obama's closest advisors. We must find a way to change that in his second term. Perhaps this is the way to find Dennis Kucinich a way back into government. Or, if their elections go badly, Warren, Norman Solomon, Donna Edwards, or any of the few progressive candidates that are running now (check some of them out here). Or maybe this is the way to try and welcome sexual deviants Eliot Spitzer or John Edwards back into the fold. Or any of the Progressive leaning leaders in business, energy, law, education, the arts. Any of these would be an improvement on the 1990s-style 'centrists' that currently fill up Obama's cabinet.

Lastly, we have three years before the 2016 elections. There is no excuse to not have Progressives running in, and in many places winning, Democratic primaries. Just because the Tea Party is an organization of regressive cretins doesn't mean that their tactics aren't useful. The general idea for Progressives must be to have a progressive leaning Congress by 2014 and the more Progressive President, or at least a President who will pay more deference to us elected in 2016, regardless of how this election goes.