“Doom and Gloom” on the LeftRandy Shawbyline‚ Oct. 26‚ 2009As reports emerge of the Senate’s increasing support for a public option, it’s a tossup whether Republicans or some progressives are more distraught. After all, an article in the October 19 edition of The Nation states that the progressive agenda “has stalled,” and “key aspects of healthcare reform, like a public option, appear dead.” The writer even claims that corporate interests face “little outright opposition” in the legislative process, a remarkable statement in the face of the massive organizing and outreach efforts of labor unions and other progressive groups. Such negativity is not uncommon. It reflects a disconnection from political reality far less prevalent among activists actually engaged in social justice struggles, or those assessing politics in the leading progressive Internet sites. Nine months into the Obama era, it’s not simply the Right that is detached from the perspectives of everyday people, and not just the Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck crowd that express an “I told you so” attitude toward the President’s actions. |