Mike Lux of OpenLeft and many other progressive organizations will be at Drinking Liberally tonight, chatting it up with the locals, and plugging his new book, The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be. From the inside flap:
The next time you hear a conservative accusing progressives (a.k.a. liberals) of being unpatriotic and anti-American, tell them this: “Progressives invented the American ideal and inspired the American Revolution. Conservatives, then known as Tories, opposed it. Since then, every major advancement in American freedom, democracy, social justice, and economic opportunity has been fostered, fought for, and won by progressives against conservative resistance. Now who’s anti-American?”
That’s my kinda rhetoric.
Join us at the Montlake Alehouse, 8PM onwards.
UPDATE:
You can listen to Mike on the third hour of today’s Dave Ross Show:
That is a beautiful quote. Moreover, it’s true.
Wow, talk about spin.
Spot on!
Man, that’s just fantastic!
Defuckinglusional.
“Since then, every major advancement in American freedom, democracy, social justice, and economic opportunity has been fostered, fought for, and won by progressives against conservative resistance.”
Yea like the right to build a house without all the government permits, etc.
Mr Lux is half right. Or is that half left?
Well, he’s half baked anyway.
I haven’t read his book, and won’t, so I won’t comment on the contents. Nor will I waste time arguing the contents of a bookjacket blurb. I already wasted half an hour of my life listening to his inanities on that inane radio program Ross has.
I will say that the progress America has made is a result of the push from liberals for change, made possible by the stability provided by conservatives. That constant tension is what keeps government sailing a somewhat middle course away from the delusions of either political fanaticisms.
Without liberals we would have a static society unwilling to adjust to changing economic or cultural trends.
Without conservatives we would have one expensive governmental wild goose chase after another. We would have a cradle to grave cocoon of government stifling all individual effort or initiative.
When the polarized political junkies come to realize that most Americans live somewhere in the middle we might actually make some progress.
Until then lefties will still vindictively pursue George Bush and Dick Cheney against all sense and legal custom. They will continue to push socialized medicine against the will of the people who must pay for it. They will continue to lie about true costs in order to push the program of the day whether this be global warming or socialized medicine or what have you. They will continue to destroy American industry with unions, stupid regulations and the failure to regulate sensibly, that make it impossible to compete globally.
And the fringe right will continue to distance themselves from the pragmatists that most Americans are. They will continue to make themselves obsolete with the unwillingness to accept the social and economic changes they can’t stop. In a knee jerk reaction to any change they will create the popular will for bad changes.
We are all Americans, whether far left Presidents or Speakers of the House or far right minority whips or radio hosts like Limbaugh like it or not.
lost @ 7
Wow, a sensible comment. I don’t agree with certain points–for instance, I think respect for the rule of law demands an investigation into criminal acts of Bush/Cheney. I do, on the other hand, agree with the general thrust. Functioning democracy requires the tension you mention. A noble opposition is required to provide a check on the majority party. The problem right now is that the GOP, at least its leadership (if we might call it that), is not playing the role it should be playing. Simply saying no without offering reasoned alternatives is not a mature approach to governing.