What is a Progressive Future?

What’s next for progressives?

Joe Biden has a lot on his hands. He’s taking on a wannabe-dictator leading an army of sycophants whose strategies are not only anti-democratic, but they are also totalitarian in nature. His strategy to this point has been to try and reunite the country, promising broad changes that make government focused on the middle class and average Americans more than on corporate donors and lobbyists with endless piles of money. His vision for the country has ties to every wing of the Party, and some to what many believed the other party used to stand for. His adoption of many of Elizabeth Warren’s plans has led many to believe that Biden is serious about this shift in focus within our government. But he’s not the first Democratic Presidential nominee to come in promising grand, fundamental challenges to the status quo. In fact, this isn’t even Biden’s first time on a ticket promising grand, fundamental changes. The Obama campaign famously ran on “Hope and Change” and drove the political right into the conspiracy-theory-riddled shell of a major party that we see today out of hatred for him and that message. Glenn Beck famously stood and pounded his desk on Fox News, lambasting the calls by President Obama to “fundamentally change” the nation.

But progressives on the left flank of the Democratic Party are having a harder time buying it this time. After a year-long primary fight, Joe Biden emerged as the nominee largely because the progressive wing, for reasons I’ll get into in a little while, couldn’t coalesce around a single candidate. Split between multiple different candidates and driven to a safety vote by a pandemic virus and a President who literally makes everything he touches fall apart, the party made their decision and we have to live with it. Progressives will have to swallow their pride and vote for Joe Biden. If you believe the poll numbers, many of them will. 96% of primary voters for Senator Elizabeth Warren say that they’re voting for Biden with an almost stunning 0% saying they’d consider voting for Trump. For 2020, for this Presidential election, the progressive wing is largely able to set their differences aside to stop a great evil.

But there’s no denying the cracks in the tenuous alliances that have been forged by this cycle. Democrats in the center of the American political-ideological spectrum may be thrilled to see Joe Biden at the helm. That excitement was likely compounded when he picked California Senator Kamala Harris last week as his running mate. But these outcomes were not seen as favorably on the left as they were in the center. Many young Democrats and progressives felt iced out of the ticket, some vowing not to donate money or time to the Presidential ticket, instead choosing to focus on down-ballot races. Roundly criticized on social media for “taking their ball and going home,” other progressives have tried to play peacemaker between left and center only for the lineup at the Democratic National Convention to fan the flames of the divide. There’s a growing feeling that the leaders of the Democratic Party would rather cater and pander to the disaffected Republican voters that don’t want to vote for President Trump than they would to address the concerns of the progressive left in any way, shape or form. Adding more fuel to the fire this week was the report that Biden may already be backing down on healthcare reform. Those in the political center say that there’s no need to shore up the progressive vote, because progressives should just hold their noses and vote for Biden. Many on the left have expressed the intention to vote for Biden, though begrudgingly, but they want their policies in action once he takes office. There’s one common thread here, for those paying attention, and it’s that progressives are tired of talk without action on issues they care about.

But before we dive any further, we should probably talk about what a “progressive” is, in the American political spectrum. Progressive is a word we use a lot, and not many people understand the meaning. Many see it as a stand-in for “leftist,” which in some cases may be true, but it’s certainly not an all-encompassing idea. Some may attribute it to the vitriolic campaign supporters for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who does not call himself a Democrat, drawing the ire of many Democratic loyalists. Others might consider themselves “progressives” but also subscribe to specific ideologies like democratic socialism, socialism, communism, or any of the other various systems of government that make up the mosaic of progressive politics. What unites progressives is an agreement on a set of issues, not a specific ideology. The bottom line? Like most groups, progressives aren’t a monolith. They’re real people with real differences, and those shouldn’t be ignored because it’s convenient to dismiss them as a loud minority, or as disaffected youth. There is real pain coming from many of the voices in the progressive left, and though they have differences and problems just like any other group, that doesn’t mean that they should be dismissed. They are the largest growing ideology in the country, and attention must be paid to their issues if a party is to win their votes. The alternative is that they are lost, and while the malfeasance of the GOP may have killed their own party, the arrogance of the Democratic Party in ignoring their young, passionate, and disillusioned base could be their own undoing. By trying to placate the progressives and young voters rather than give them a real seat at the table, the Democrats make the mistake that many make in old age: they believe that their wisdom and experience does not need to heed the anger or pain of those who are learning the ropes.

There’s no better example of this than the campaign of Bernie Sanders, whose coalition broke apart the minute he suspended his campaign for President. His unwillingness to change was touted as a reason to support him, and his rigid stances on social and economic issues endeared him to the fiery youth of the party who felt their anger represented. He became a voice for them, the voiceless within an ideological movement that frequently takes the young voters for granted. In return, they gave Bernie the support and fundraising to give Hillary Clinton a run for her money in 2016 and very nearly broke through in 2020 against Joe Biden. But yet again, young voters were disenchanted when they felt that their movement crashed upon the rocks of rigid moderation and corporate sway within the Democratic Party. Right or wrong, the perception among many young, progressive voters is that the left will always get screwed as long as they are up against corporate money in the Democratic Party. Some feel that this is a fight to take on a long approach. Others feel like it’s time to cut bait and start a new party. This sort of resignation and conflicted feeling is common among young and inexperienced people that are full of passion, and feel easily discouraged by systems that are intentionally difficult to change.

But, rest assured, that feeling will not stick around forever. Democrats need to be ready for when the young left decides that they’ve had enough, and that every fight is worth taking.

The Way Forward, The Way Left

Progressives, as stated, are not a monolith. There are numerous factions within them, and navigating them can be a treacherous task for those who have a deep understanding of them, let alone a layperson looking in from the outside. The rifts and grudges from perceived slights or lack of endorsements, the anger, and enmity of some progressives endorsing candidates who are not progressives, and the long-term hatred of some progressives from those on the left because of misplaced blame for losses long ago are all definite cracks in the movement. From the Berniecrats, to the Justice Democrats, to the Warren Democrats, and even groups further to the left like the aforementioned social democrats, socialists, communists, and democratic socialists, these factions all have overlap and schisms. They all feel that they have reasons to dislike each other, despite having similar goals with different endpoints in mind. It’s important to remember that the real progressive left movement has only really been around in widespread fashion since 2015. There has never really been a banner to fly that could unite all of the left to take on the center, who has whole political machines dedicated to consolidating power around singular candidates.

If progressives are going to take them on, let alone win like we all want to, there’s going to have to be some changes to our gameplan. Like it or not, we’re getting our ass kicked out here in national races. The plan has to be unity and organization. If progressives are going to win anything, we have to win down-ballot. But there’s something that has to happen first:

Joe Biden must win. If we’re to have a chance at real change in our lifetime, Joe Biden must win this November. If Medicare-for-all isn’t just a dream, it’s because Joe Biden is President. It is likely that it won’t happen under Biden, but Biden is a first step. It is likely that very little of our progressive future will be built by Joe Biden, but the foundation will be laid on his victory.

If Biden Loses

But just for the sake of argument, ask yourself what happens if Biden loses. Set aside the extreme threats to democracy itself, the likely collapse of the American nation, and the takeover of fascism as a way of life, and you have the likeliest outcome of a Biden loss: progressives will be blamed over and over and over again because we had the gall to express displeasure in the Democratic candidate for President. If Biden loses, the left will likely be among the first victims to be abandoned by the Democratic Party as Trump plunges into anti-constitutional behaviors and abuses of power. Any modicum of influence or pull that we may have hoped for is dashed the instant that Trump crosses 270 electoral votes. The filibuster stays, the President doesn’t face consequences, healthcare continues to be a debacle, our military stays bloated, and Black and brown people continue to die at the hands of police in every city and municipality across America. Gun deaths and violence continue to climb, riots and protests will continue to escalate until we are in the midst of an open conflict between citizens. If Donald Trump wins again, we are lost for a generation. But that doesn’t mean the work ceases. If Biden loses, our job is to go out into the streets and not to go home until fascism abates. Resistance to authoritarianism in all forms will be necessary. We will likely not get progressive policy, but we will have progressive action.

If Biden Wins

Sticking with the likelier outcome of the election, if everyone holds their nose and does their duty as an American, Donald Trump will lose and Joe Biden will assume office as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, January 20th, 2021. On that day, Democrats will rest and breathe a sigh of relief that the long nightmare is over.

If they act on progressive policies, and pass policies that progressives have been crying out for, excellent. They will have extended the olive branch to the left and actually forged a real alliance that can last.

If they do not, we will not be joining them in their sigh of relief. We must not. For those of us who are tired of losing very public fights with the center, the time between November 4th and January 21st must be our time to organize opposition to the political center, should they decide that the road to American recovery again runs down the tepid middle of the road, challenging nobody, and taking the left’s support for granted. In every major city and every state of this country, we must understand that there is no battle that will go unfought. We won’t win all of these fights, and at first, we might not even win most of these fights. But progress is a seed that must be carefully planted and tended to. Our goals must be to unite and organize, to work within the Party as opposition to the ideals of moderation and the consistent action of capitulating to Republicans as though they are sensible partners in government. If we’re going to have our way, if we’re going to win these fights, we need to organize and fight the machine. We have our standard-bearers for the future. In leaders like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, Katie Porter, Joe Neguse, former Secretary Julian Castro, Senators Tammy Baldwin, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Governors Jay Inslee, and Gretchen Whitmer, with more leaders bound to emerge from the 2020 election, the progressive movement is strong. Whenever we get defeated, we can’t turn around and lay blame on each other. We need to learn from the loss and not make the same mistakes again.

More than that, we need organization of young voters. We need to build networks of progressive action that reach into every community in America through high schools and educative environments that teach students how to lead and organize themselves, so that when they become seniors and graduates who can vote, we have our own throng of motivated and organized voters to take on the old guard Democrats. If we’re going to take over the Party, we have to start trusting younger voters to take the lead, but we have to give them the tools to do it. Teach them how to speak, how to debate, how to address right-wing talking points, how to organize rallies and protests, and what resources to lean on when those things become more difficult or resistance is faced by those who want to thwart their political growth and exercise. But some may be asking themselves a question.

Why do we need to do this?

Think of what I was saying earlier, that every progressive has a way that they became a progressive. Everyone has their own background, and their own reason for believing in these issues and causes. Now think about the kids who are in high school now.

Born between 2002 and 2006, this is the first year of graduates who will have been born right around or totally after 9/11. Their childhood will have been marred by the Bush administration, their formative years, and their first few years of school, falling in the midst of what, at the time, was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Many of their parents will have lost jobs and homes that they may still have not recovered from. Their prepubescent and early teenage years will have been defined by major shootings at schools, movie theaters, open areas of Las Vegas, nightclubs, and just about anywhere else one can think of. Alongside those years were a nearly three-month cycle of stories of Black and brown Americans being discriminated against and killed by both vigilantes and police without the killers being brought to justice. Their entire lives have been set against a backdrop of people being taken advantage of by corporations and capitalism, by systemic racism, and with the added background of the looming climate emergency that many blame on older generations for saddling them with. For seniors, their entire high school career has been in the Trump administration. Many students have spent four years worrying about how to pay for college, putting themselves through back-breaking workloads just to appear a stronger candidate for grants and scholarships to get a college degree so that they can simply be competitive in a job market that sees a degree less as an achievement and more as a requirement, despite the crippling debt. For many in that group, racial tensions and economic stresses have pushed them further and further to the left, radicalizing many young Americans to believe that the only way to solve the problem is to burn the whole system to the ground. They may be right, but we won’t know unless we let them organize and fight for the changes they want to see. These kids need to find their home in the Democratic Party if the Party wants to have any kind of real future.

Our future is their future, and we can learn from each other. Their fire and desire to fight can be tempered by the reality of actually organizing and working for change. Our resignation and burnout can be wiped away by their passion and endless desire to do more work. It’s mutually beneficial.

Beyond the youth, we need to humanize progressivism. Progressives face open hostility from both the center and right, painted as crazy leftists on their face by corporate media who oppose progressive goals. More often than not, Americans believe they know what progressives are fighting for because they heard it on MSNBC or CNN in the center, but right-wing media drives everyone into a frenzy by making wild claims about who progressives are and what we believe. More than being organized during election years, our best weapon is our empathy and desire to help people through the means of government. We need to take back the narrative of what it means to be progressive. We can’t just be the angry, exasperated minority. We need to be the eager, ready-to-fight, vigorous life of the party. Our arguments can’t be based in stuffy academic language arguing socioeconomic norms, or outdated arguments from Karl Marx about the dangers of capitalism. We need to get on people’s level and be pragmatic, and more than that we need to take what we can get and move forward into another fight.

But you may be asking yourself again, how do we change the perception of progressivism?

The answer is relatively simple: be friendly. Make politics a normal part of the conversations in your life, not in a confrontational way, but more in a way that is just casual conversation. Host get-togethers at a park, when the pandemic dies down, where parents can sit and safely talk politics while the kids play. Open it to friends, learn who the Democrats and progressives are in your circles and neighborhoods. Organize with them, fundraise with them, knock doors with them, do phone banks with them, but more than that, stay in contact with them. We need to be Night-Shift Democrats, working in non-election years to build progressive groundswells that turn into whole waves over states, and eventually a nation. While the centrist part of the Party relaxes in victories, slow-walking progressive changes to prevent firing up the Republicans, we’ll be working to build a machine of our own.

But this also means addressing some uncomfortable truths about the progressive movement. For many years, progressives have been insufferable and inaccessible academics that demand purity and take their ball and go home when things don’t go their way. It has largely been white, male, wealthy, and academically centered. That leads to things like racism, ableism, misogyny, discrimination based on education, anti-religious sentiment, outright anti-Semitism, among other problems. We need to seek these things out, and we need to end them within the movement or we will have no credibility when we call out others for it. The movement should always center the underprivileged and oppressed, whether it’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, disability status, or education level. It should go without saying, but you can’t have progress without intentional inclusivity. It’s not about “identity politics,” it’s about realigning the wheels of a nation that have been driving down the roads of history with the malaligned wheels of inequality and injustice leading to breakdown after breakdown. If we’re going to have any progress, it’s going to be dependent on fixing these issues within our movement very intentionally and very thoroughly.

The last thing we’ll need is media of our own. The left has The Young Turks and Jacobin, among others, but they’re mostly factional propaganda run by trust-fund babies and wealthy owners that undermine the very movement they claim to be a part of because they can afford to demand purity (and deny union rights in the case of TYT.) When I say Night-Shift Democrats, that means drawing on the blue-collar roots of the term. We can’t rely on the wealthy to fund the movement, because then we become beholden to them. Progressives need to operate like labor unions, large in numbers over many, many chapters of everyone locally contributing what they can to make the system work a little bit better for themselves and the people they know. Progressives need to do that, and then do the other half of the labor union thing: get to work. Podcasts, essays, live streams, vlogs, Q&A sessions, being accessible to people, being friendly, and getting people to tag along and listen and immerse themselves will be the kind of work we need to do. Host a potluck, or a progressive dinner where every house is a different issue to discuss. Teach your high schooler to start a political interest group at school. Create more progressive content, and insert it into the cultural dialogue of the United States more and more until we are an accepted part of the political-ideological sphere of power, as more people are convinced by our argument. Social media is good, but it can’t be the basis of our movement anymore. We need to be on every street in America, taking the fight to left, right, and center.

The last thing that I’ll say is that hope gives no quarter to fear or doubt. A Biden administration is going to feel like a defeat to many of us, but it’s important to remember that this is an imperative step in our long-term goals. It’s our opportunity to be a thorn in the side. Unlike many Democrats, our fight doesn’t end with defeating Trump. If we’re going to win the war, we need to begin by winning the peace, and that starts with offering an alternative vision for America. Find hope in the fight. Find joy in the work, and then one day we can breathe our own sigh of relief when progress wins in America.

On November 3rd, vote for Biden, pour a drink and relax for a night. On November 4th, we clock back in.