The democratic ideal of empowering the ordinary citizen cannot be achieved without addressing the problem of corporate power. A centre-ground president like Obama will never engage against powerful vested interests without there being an external pressure to do so from trade unions and progressive civil society. The left needs a Tea Party of its own.
The change can and must come from across the political spectrum. The problem of corporate ownership of the political system is a non-partisan issue, it’s not about Republicans vs. Democrats. Our political system itself is rotting and corrupt. That’s the problem
Having said that, then yes, progressives absolutely need a Tea Party of their own. One of the biggest problems that liberals and progressives have now is their bedraggled hope that Obama will somehow do the right thing if he only gets the correct facts. This is illusion. The Tea Party on the right doesn’t ask politicians if they could please do something. Instead they bring about pressure to make them do it. The left needs to do the same.
Progressives had a tea party called the green party, didn’t they?
Why a party? People run all manner of things with committees, consensus and independent individuals. Parties seek power, people in parties seek power and it is not always for the general good of all. There is an allegiance to the party that can over ride the general good, parties are too ridged with their history and ideals laid down in tablets of stone. That’s no way to cater for the general good of all in society. It has to be organic and morph as the conditions and problems keep changing. The party system negates freethinking individuals, the have to toe the party line when it comes to a crunch.
There’s an effort for a Mass Party of Labor. The Greens are organizing in some cities in America. And I think in general some people to the left of center are starting to wake up to the fact that electoral politics, and the Democratic Party in particular, are not where we’ll find most of our solutions.
Can the Tea Party save Christmas?
Obama The Grinch Steals Christmas In Tea Party Picture Book “The Liberal Clauseâ€
You can find it here:
http://www.theliberalclause.com
The Greens just got ballot status back here in NY.
I definitely support liberals getting off our asses.