The Progressive Movement Continues to Mature and Grow

Coauthored with Jonathan Stone

In case you hadn't noticed, the debt ceiling was raised several days ago, so quietly that it barely made a ripple in the press. No threats of shutting down the government or hostage-taking emanated from Senator Mitch McConnell -- or from his even more radical right-wing cronies in the House -- this recent go around. Instead we had a total capitulation by the Republicans, and as the midterm elections move ever closer we should expect to see McConnell and the brand-challenged GOP continue to pick and choose their battles more carefully. The Democratic Party, on the other hand, should follow the lead of the growing and maturing Progressive movement in this country and go all-out on offense to hold the GOP's feet to the fire and press them to explain their agenda and just how they plan to move America forward. Unfortunately, it is more likely that the Dems will tone it down a bit this year, too, likely waiting to deal with critical issues until after the election. Whatever happened to immigration reform? Or background checks on gun purchases? Americans For Responsible Solutions -- the organization run by Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly - just reported taking in more money in donations than any PAC in this latest period. The public is clearly in favor of action from Congress on this issue -- we just need someone in D.C. to grow a spine and move forward with a reasonable and responsible proposal before more lives are lost.

The modern progressive movement is starting to see the fruits of its labors pay off in other ways, too:

• There had been great concern that the president would target Social Security for cuts again in the upcoming budget for 2015, but just the other day it was reported that Mr. Obama will propose a budget that drops reductions he had previously embraced to those so-called "entitlement" programs, including Social Security. Officials also disclosed on Thursday that the president will ask Congress to approve another $56 billion in spending for new or expanded programs. It is very good news, indeed, the President is dust-binning his previous insistence on cutting cost-of-living increases in Social Security and other benefits in the next budget. The national debate has arguably been leaning more toward raising Social Security benefits than cutting them, as they currently do not keep up with inflation, and the majority of recipients spend a third of their benefits on health care, according to Social Security Works. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have also been raising the volume on this issue, with enormous public support. Bernie was one of 16 senators to send a letter to the White House asking the president to "spare" Social Security, which accompanied a similar letter from 117 House Democrats -- over half of the caucus -- asking the president to "...rule out using the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate cost-of-living and inflation adjustments for federal programs..." in the 2015 budget. It is refreshing to see that the president is finally listening to his own party -- and the People -- on these critical issues.

These stories are just a few examples that help to illustrate the incredible growth in citizen activism occurring in this country on a daily basis. They also remind one of the populist movements of the late 19th century, when the wheat farmers in the west and cotton farmers in the south were financially squeezed every inch of the way by special, monied interests as they fought to bring their products to market across the country. It was, after all, the age of the Robber Barons and the so-called "Gilded Age," when corporatists used price controls and other financial trickery to force farmers into debt and lose their farms to banks and land speculators owned and employed by many of those same corporate interests - an endless cycle of economic violence against hard-working Americans perpetrated by that era's version of the 1%. In response, the farmers united to form the Farmers' Alliance and other cooperatives. Some even ran for and were elected to public office. From their humble backgrounds they built a movement of about 200,000 that lasted some 20 years. There was even a Populist Party offshoot of this movement, which was eventually co-opted and absorbed into the Democratic Party.

Of course, there is much more we can learn from this period and the creation of populism in America -- which simply means the People taking on the elites. That is what all of these examples illustrate -- when united in large numbers, victory is almost always on the side of the People. In our time, it is the vast majority of Americans fighting against a tiny group of very rich, greedy and self-absorbed individuals who have bought out our government to do their bidding and make them even richer, which has only served to produce a government that no longer functions.

To fight back against this subversion of our democracy, we are seeing a very sophisticated and expanding Progressive grassroots movement emerge that can generate hundreds of thousands of petitions on an issue; engage in phonebank campaigns to voters and members of Congress and the White House; meet with Congress members in their DC offices and their own districts; and conduct letter drops to Congressional offices on critical issues, something which PDA has mastered. This is all part of a successful outside-inside strategy that the Progressive movement is using to great effect.

PDA has also crafted a brilliant strategy in its Educate Congress Campaign, reaching out to members of Congress in both parties on a monthly basis and delivering letters on issues that matter to the country. This month, their largest effort will deliver 300 letters to specific Congress members by hand, informing them on specific issues like the TPP, the American Health Security Act, the Humphrey-Hawkins jobs bill, and the Voter Empowerment Act. These letters are then followed up by the PDA phone team of 500 volunteers making calls to those members of Congress to discuss the contents of the letters. Then a third wave of volunteers heads to the Hill for further dialogue on the issues with the Congress members and their staffs. These monthly efforts have helped to create relationships and an ongoing dialogue between these activists and members of Congress, and helps show that PDA will have their backs when needed if they act on these issues, and will also hold their feet to the fire if they don't. This very effective campaign is just one of the strategic programs crafted by PDA's inspired and visionary leader, Tim Carpenter.

So whether this movement is called "populist" or "Progressive" or plain old "liberal," what matters is that it is starting to see success in its efforts to ensure that the well-being of the People becomes our leaders' first and foremost priority again, and not that of the handful of self-indulgent corporatists who are seeking to run this country through their checkbooks. Will all of this great and exciting activism continue to grow in influence to match that currently held by the monied few? We have until 2016 to nurture it and find out. So jump in, folks. The water's fine.