Do Democrats Understand The Progressive Movement
Attending a panel discussion billed as the Future of Progressive Inter-Sectionalism at Al Sharpton's National Action Network Convention in NYC, we were expecting a lively and informative exchange of ideas to help attendees understand how Progressives and traditional Democrats could find common ground. But that didn't happen for one embarrassing reason. The panelists appeared to be clueless as to what the Progressive Movement stood for. Please allow us to explain.
The event was moderated by Keli Goff, journalist and contributor to The Daily Beast. Hill Harper, Shaun King, Raqiyah Mays, Rev. Shane Harris, Paula Peebles, Ilyasah Shabazz and David Wilson participated as panelists. From the very beginning, one could sense there'd be little if any meeting of the minds because the panel, save for Rev. Harris, couldn't even define what Progressivism meant. Each was asked, and not one was able to provide an answer with any depth of understanding. It was clear to this observer, these people hadn't even seen the Bernie Sanders political platform.
It became evident, the panel, as well as the moderator, were brainwashees of the Democratic establishment and had little if any time or interest in exploring matters of unity. They did, however, have time to disparage Bernie Sanders for not fully supporting Democrat Jon Ossoff, in Georgia's special election, to fill the House seat of Republican Tom Price. Sanders didn't think Ossoff was progressive enough. They went after Sanders for supporting Pro-Choice Democratic mayoral candidate Heath Mello in Nebraska, essentially establishing a litmus test for those wanting to enter the Democrat's tent.
Although Shaun King at least made a valiant effort to set the record straight on Sanders' position over the aforementioned issues, he was quickly frustrated by the other panelists' unwillingness to listen. Politely, Mr. King remained silent for the remainder of the event. After all was said and done, it was difficult to understand what this panel was assembled to accomplish. But what was most frustrating was not having anything worthwhile to take away from the experience. It seemed as though Progressives were only in the room to be convinced to just get in line with every other Democrat. In short, this was a big waste of time.
Bottom line: From what we've been able to discern, Progressives have a lot of work to do to open the minds of those wedded to the past. Many traditional Democrats have been locked into a political comfort zone so long, they're struggling to see another path, to break with yesterday's efforts and take a chance on real change. Until Democrats do their due diligence, they will never progress beyond where they are now. Podcast below
Comments
Post a Comment