Promote the General Welfare!

Over at Daily Kos, author Mark Sumner posted an appeal for a “progressive movement that can catch the public eye, without the screaming lunacy of a Glenn Beck or the purposeful lying of an Andrew Breitbart.” In a follow-up comment, “Rumblelizard” noted that “most right-wing policies fit neatly onto a bumper sticker.” Thinking along those lines, I came up with some “bumper sticker messages” which seemed to me to present Progressive ideas in ways that caught the eye without screaming or lying:

My Body, My Choice Concerning reproductive rights, and end of life rights
No Wars, No Deficits! For war-lovers suddenly scared of deficits
What Are the Wars For Now? Anti-wars-of-choice
How Did Tax Cuts Help? For the "tax cuts forever" crowd
Luke 6:31 [the “do to others as you would have them do to you” verse]
Regarding unemployment benefits and Medicaid
Earth Is What You Make It Polluted, hotter
No Establishment of Religion Including Christianity
Marriage is a Private Affair Including for homosexuals
Progressivism: Mutually Assured Survival The core idea of Progressivism

Perhaps slogans like these could be used in blog posts, and even as titles for blog posts, like above. Good ones might go viral that way!

Of course, slogans like these could also catch the public eye by means of actual bumperstickers. You can learn how to make bumperstickers here and here.

I don’t believe the majority of Americans want to live 236 years in the past. We have to figure out how to best survive in the present. The world of the Tea Party no longer exists. It is naive and dangerous to presume we can go back there.

The Reasons for Jefferson’s Parlor

This blog, not the parlor at Monticello!

This month marks the fourth year since I started this blog. One reason I started it was to vent my rage at the stupid, misguided, and criminal actions of the Bush/Cheney regime and their Republican sycophants who dominated Congress and the Supreme Court. The other reason was to challenge their worldview, to question its legitimacy, and to present a rational alternative grounded in philosophy, science and U.S. history. That is Progressivism. And Progressivism is not a collection of notions foreign to our country’s Founders. It is the embodiment of the American Promise. That is why I have pointed to progressive democratic ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. It is vital for Progressive Democrats to explain the legitimacy of our agenda to the voting public. We should not cede our history or our national symbols to the Authoritarians. There is no need to do so.

Progressivism is International

The Reformation of the Left is occurring not only here, but also in Europe.

In Great Britain, there is a think tank called DEMOS which is dedicated to producing ideas for progressive government in the United Kingdom. You might want to review their free publications, such as "We Mean Power."

In France there is a progressive think tank called "Terra Nova" which has already been in contact with our Center for American Progress. For the moment you must know French or use an online translator to read their web pages. But it sounds like they are facing the same challenges we have faced at a national level. As for the local level, it may be they have something to teach us.

In Spain, the "Alternatives Foundation" appears to be a think tank with progressive inclinations. Some of their pages and publications are in English.

I suppose that I am most excited by the evidence that we are not alone in our struggle for human progress. Let us work together to achieve the dream!

[Oops. See also the Policy Network and their international publications!]