The Aggressive Progressive

I love passion.  Heart is what makes us more than analytical robots.  Dreams, goals, and hopes are necessary for the betterment of human kind, and it's one of the reasons I find myself on the Progressive side of politics.  I don't ever want to squelch an individual's enthusiasm, but we have to have a talk.

Last week, an individual, Doug Hughes, landed a gyrocopter on the Capitol grounds in an effort to bring awareness to the toxic nature of excessive money in politics.  He wanted to deliver 535 letters to every member of Congress, but his letters won't ever get to the addressees.  They instead will go to an evidence locker to be used against Mr. Hughes at his trial.  Why?  Because regardless of how much you like his message, he picked a horrible way to deliver it, evacuating the Capitol building as fears of a potential terrorist strike were taken seriously.  Not exactly harmless fun.

I've come under attack myself for not promoting Mr. Hughes as a true American hero.  I won't praise him.  Even though his message is one I whole heartedly agree with, the truth is, his reckless and ignorant method of making his point needs to be condemned.  He endangered the lives of numerous people and caused a panic.  What he did was no better than an expert in world policy explaining his brilliant strategy for peace, while performing a public act of self gratification.  The benefits of his peace plan get lost in the insanity surrounding his delivery method.

This is what got James O'Keefe in trouble with members of the far right in this country.  Conservatives loved his edited tapes and how he embarrassed left leaning causes, but when he broke into Senator Mary Landrieu's office and tried to bug her phone lines, even they backed away, quickly, from his criminal actions.  When it's violating Federal laws, even they had to call him on it.  Imagine what Mr. Hughes' champions would be saying if instead of campaign finance reform, he was preaching for more open gun laws, mandatory Christian religion, or trickle down economics.  Would they still be applauding his initiative then?

And this doesn't even take into account the fact Mr Hughes has diminished the entirety of the campaign finance reform movement.  The people who love the Citizens United ruling want to dismiss, diminish, berate and belittle their opponents and now they can by just using Mr Hughes as an unhinged poster child.  And, he has shown people who might want to initiate a terrorist strike on the Capitol building a way to get real close.  Good thinking!

Still, even though I'm stating valid negatives, it doesn't stop the fervent left from insisting I'm wrong for not worshipping this guy.  With my disagreement, they completely dismiss my opinion, and no longer see me as one of the few left leaning radio voices still on-air.  They don't see me agreeing with them 90 to 95% of the time.  Nope, I become the instant bad guy, no better than the conservative media in this country because I didn't espouse Doug Hughes as a modern day founding father.

Liberal radio in this country has taken it in the trousers.  LA and New York have far larger liberal populations than Minneapolis/St. Paul, but they can't support a liberal talk station?  San Francisco, Miami, Houston or Denver can't support one?  The truth is they can, but because there is a concerted effort to limit the populations exposure to left leaning opinion, radio stations in those markets opt to carry the fourth or fifth conservative talk or sports network.  There's no way possible they're getting better ratings or making more money with such superfluous fare.

As there are fewer and fewer left leaning talkers in the US, a small, passionate element of the far left wants the remaining to become something they dream of, the plucky broadcaster who has their peach crate and old Marconi microphone, setting up shop wherever there's trouble in this world, an electric picket line, with angry fist ready to be waived in whatever direction they feel injustice is coming from.  I love a good left leaning, modern day William Jennings Bryan, populist like the next guy, but that political and social landscape doesn't exist anymore.  It's an adage of a time gone by, like the guy who wants to save the farm by getting a curtain, cow, and a banjo, putting on a show to stave of the bank from foreclosing.

When you try to tell them it won't work, how you can't sell that stream of outrage as a viable product, or if you just point out their heroes did something foolish on the way to immortality, they double down, accusing you of being no better than Fox News.  They become committed to fighting with outlets which closely mimic their beliefs because it's easier to attack the ones willing to give them a podium, as opposed to fight the overwhelming conservative media machine which would never even let them in the door.

Progressives have to 1) understand the political playing field, 2) understand the modern rule book of how the game is played, and 3) be smart.  Get rid of your "strongly worded memos' and climactic 'Revenge of the Nerds' speeches.  It's Democrats using an antiquated playbook which is one of the main reasons they've fallen so far out of power in the last 40 years.  Stand up for what you believe in and don't back down, but if you're reckless, you endanger the issue, movement or remaining few public outlets you have left.  Progressives aren't going to regain control by sitting in a reclining chair eating Funyuns and Yoo Hoo, but they surely won't make legitimate gains by buzzing secure Federal government buildings in a homemade flying machine.  This is going to take a modern game plan and lot of hard work.  Think about the fight in Minnesota to get rid of the anti-gay marriage amendment in 2012, and double it.  It's a good starting point.

I stand by my critique.  Doug Hughes was a fool and shouldn't be hailed as a conquering hero.  If that's what turns you against me, so be it.  Meanwhile, I'll hang onto my passion and dreams; of one day seeing a Progressive movement which doesn't get stuck in individual self promotion and fulfills the potential it has always danced around, becoming the party which leads America, as a whole, into a better future.