It’s common sense on both sides of the aisle. Everyone apparently knows in American politics that as a people we are naturally a conservative country. We don’t enjoy the public services, like free universal health care and subsidized child care, because we are a country build upon the principle of Locke and Smith. We believe in free-market, property rights, are fine with gross income disparities, are military hawks, with strong religious and social beliefs against things like abortion and all the other things the New Left infused into our perfect society during the 1960s.
Not so fast…
Media Matter’s study challenges the status quo by demonstrating that Americans, especially compared to 13 years ago when the Republicans took over Congress with their plan to regress America, and a Democratic president betrayed labor by signing into law NAFTA and Welfare Reform, Americans now are increasingly progressive in a number of key issues.
The issues covered in this report include the following:
The role of government – Americans support an active government that tackles problems, provides services, and aids those in need.
The economy – Americans support increasing the minimum wage and strong unions, and believe the wealthy and corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes.
Social issues – Americans support legal abortion and embryonic stem cell research; opinions on equal rights for women and gay Americans have grown dramatically more progressive in recent years.
Security – Americans support a progressive approach to national security, emphasizing strong alliances and diplomacy over the indiscriminate use of military force. On domestic security issues, progressive approaches to crime and gun control enjoy wide support.The environment – By enormous margins, Americans favor strong environmental protections, a core progressive belief.
Energy – Americans support energy conservation and the development of alternative fuels.
Health care – Americans clearly favor universal coverage and are more than comfortable with government solutions to the health care problem.
Know you have to wonder what in the hell is the point of Corporate Democratics and so called “centrists” like the Democratic Leadership Council. These people got elected on a platform that the Democratic Party was far more liberal than most Americans and that we would never get elected again unless we developed “Republican-lite” posistions. This caused one Republican Congressman to remark after the 1996 election, “The good news is that we have a Republican President, the bad news is that his name is Bill Clinton.” What this new polling data conclusively shows is that today many Democrats, especially those centrists in the D.L.C. and the Blue Dog Democrats are to the RIGHT of the majority of Americans on key social and economic issues. However the latest batch of Congressional recruits, elected in the Democratic landside in 2006, trend very progressive on economic issues. They support fair trade over free trade and have stood thus far as great advocates for labor and working-class interests in America. The prospect of an even greater majority in both houses of Congress in 2008, combined with a Democratic President bodes very well for progressives.
Back in 1992, the last time we had undivided control of both the Legislative and Executive branches the Democrats in Congress were an “unholy alliance” of conservatives from the South and Northern liberals. Today our Congress is more united, our only step is to elect a progressive president that will protect the interests of labor and the working-class. John Edwards for example has made poverty a centerpiece of his campaign and all the Democrats have a plan to provide for universal health care. While it is still short of the single-payer system the country needs desperately it is a step in the right direction.
Tags: 2008 election, 2008 primary, Democrats, Progressive majority
