It's all those big+little outside pressures that give the right people on the inside the elbow room to move against the polluters' lobby (and inertia) that got us here in the first place. Good to have an inside game but the outside game (and some luck) determines how deep the change can go.
Darn, I was disappointed that you weren't there to tell the bigwigs what they need to get to work on after they've finished congratulating themselves, but glad you are back at your desk, writing about all the unknown people who have brought us this far and keeping us looking ahead and on track. Thank you for all you do and have done so far.
Sychonicity rules. I also tend to believe in God the Trickster. Seems to have been at work here on one of those teaching tricks. Outside is where it all starts.
". . . in fact, had not Sanders run an insurgent candidacy for president and very nearly succeeded (twice) we definitely would not have the first real ‘big government’ bill since LBJ being feted today."
I would agree that Sanders' two presidential campaigns played a major role in pushing the national Democrats to the left, but I don't think it is accurate to imply that he almost won the nomination in either 2016 or 2020.
Sanders' numbers looked good for a while primarily because of the mix of early primaries. They did not reflect the overall chess board, where he did not have a reasonable chance of winning the nomination.
The reason I bring this up is that there is tendency on the left to oversell how well Sanders did electorally. That can lead us to misjudge what are effective strategies going forward. This can be particularly problematic among folks who blame external reasons for why Sanders did not win the nomination in 2016 and 2020. For example, in my neck of the woods I've heard a lot of folks demonize the DNC. Blame games can divert us from confronting what needs to be done internally to move the progressive movement to the next level.
As a case in point, a big reason why Sander couldn't win the nomination in 2020 was because he was entirely too weak among African-American voters. That was partly a product of some questionable decisions made by his campaign that will hopefully not be repeated by future progressive presidential candidates.
How do you rationalize air travel for an event such as this? You can work on the road, and take the extra time... if we don’t change our own lifestyles how can we expect others to agree to radically change?
It's all those big+little outside pressures that give the right people on the inside the elbow room to move against the polluters' lobby (and inertia) that got us here in the first place. Good to have an inside game but the outside game (and some luck) determines how deep the change can go.
exactly right. politicians can read how much power a lobbyist has behind them, and that matters at least as much as the strength of their arguments
Darn, I was disappointed that you weren't there to tell the bigwigs what they need to get to work on after they've finished congratulating themselves, but glad you are back at your desk, writing about all the unknown people who have brought us this far and keeping us looking ahead and on track. Thank you for all you do and have done so far.
On we go!
Sychonicity rules. I also tend to believe in God the Trickster. Seems to have been at work here on one of those teaching tricks. Outside is where it all starts.
You would know!
Honored by your reply.
Sorry you and your wife had to miss the event. But bless you for using the time to write instead of mope. Keep on writing. 💕
". . . in fact, had not Sanders run an insurgent candidacy for president and very nearly succeeded (twice) we definitely would not have the first real ‘big government’ bill since LBJ being feted today."
I would agree that Sanders' two presidential campaigns played a major role in pushing the national Democrats to the left, but I don't think it is accurate to imply that he almost won the nomination in either 2016 or 2020.
Well, he was ahead going into super tuesday, but water beneath the bridge
Sanders' numbers looked good for a while primarily because of the mix of early primaries. They did not reflect the overall chess board, where he did not have a reasonable chance of winning the nomination.
The reason I bring this up is that there is tendency on the left to oversell how well Sanders did electorally. That can lead us to misjudge what are effective strategies going forward. This can be particularly problematic among folks who blame external reasons for why Sanders did not win the nomination in 2016 and 2020. For example, in my neck of the woods I've heard a lot of folks demonize the DNC. Blame games can divert us from confronting what needs to be done internally to move the progressive movement to the next level.
As a case in point, a big reason why Sander couldn't win the nomination in 2020 was because he was entirely too weak among African-American voters. That was partly a product of some questionable decisions made by his campaign that will hopefully not be repeated by future progressive presidential candidates.
How do you rationalize air travel for an event such as this? You can work on the road, and take the extra time... if we don’t change our own lifestyles how can we expect others to agree to radically change?
Fair
Another reason i didn't too much mind missing it
Once again, Bill delivers the much-needed balm for the activist soul.
Love having you right where you are, Bill. But if ever offered the ball for a first pitch at Fenway, i’ll arrange an e-bike escort
Well said. The hurdle is to get our Representatives to listen and act. Thomas Mason.