Hello world (I'm kinda excited this being my first blog entry and all.  This is actually the second time I'm writing this because I pressed backspace out of the field and I lost about a page and a half.  We'll see how this goes)

 In talking to a couple close friends and fellow activists, a couple of us started to realize a problematic trend with the leftist and progressive movement.  How I've come to know the problem (and excuse my language) is: "too much masturbating, not enough fucking".  

...Still with me?  Cool, let me explain.  Another (I won't say better) way to describe this trend is to say that in the progressive circle, there is too much discussing, agreeing, hand-holding, finger-pointing, demonizing, and making our demands "PC" and not enough demonstrating, holding public figures accountable, and being die-hard for what we believe in.  Now, not everything that we're doing is "pocket pool".  From my experience, being a true progessive requires one to see past the social contructs of our current political, social, and economic systems in pursuit of a way system that can do more good for a greater number.  Almost inherent with this is an openess to new ideologies and viewpoints that will build upon or broaden ones current ideology.  This is also our Achilles Heel when debating with the right, which prides itself of being dead to rights on their beliefs.  

I understand this paradox (How do you intelligently argue with a group that wears their ignorance like a badge of honor?) but I can't help but think that we're phoning it in (and when I say we I mean the left as a whole) on three main fronts of the discourse:

 1.  Say what you want about the conservative right but they do go hard.  This is no more apparent than with the affectionately named "teabaggers" (who probably should take some of those guns they like to march into town hall meetings with and shoot their publicist.  They call themselves the teabaggers? Really!?!).  The Tea Party express and other such groups have pushed themselves to the front of media attention by coming out in force to support a fight against a healthcare plan that will insure millions and create competition that will drive down cost and drive up quality of private healthcare.  Although we see this and think "These idiots are really ready to shoot themselves in the foot in order to support a politician or an industry", we can't help but see them with their signs and speak outs at any and all events, whether the forum be mainly left or right.  My question to us is: Why aren't we refusing to be ignored?  Again, I'm not talking in absolutes.  The protesters of the G-20 in Pittsburgh this weekend came out in mass to tell the world that the economic superpowers of the world shouldn't look people as profit/loss like they have in so many parts of the "developing" and "third" world.  However, I have been seeing a trend toward boxing ourseleves into our constituency instead of being in the face of the opposition and letting them know that we're here and we're willing to call you out on whatever.

 2.  The Democratic Party has the majority in Congress and one of the most popular presidents of all time.  Why don't we have anything to show for it?  *DISCLAIMER: I'M ABOUT TO SAY SOME NOT POSITIVE THINGS ABOUT BARACK OBAMA, SO IF THAT KIND OF SPEECH GIVES YOU AN ASTHMA ATTACK, I SUGGEST YOU SKIP THIS POINT OR GET YOUR INHALER*  Now then, what I heard throughout the 2008 election period was "Yes We Can" and now that "Yes We Did" I'm starting to notice a sharp drop in the active ferver that got the first non-white president in office, on the civilian and now executive sides.  What I've heard is that we should give him time, which would be valid, if he hadn't gotten much of anything meaningful done but he has.  The president has switched the focus of our ongoing war back to Afghanistan and has hinted about possible involvment in Iran, upheld blocks on White House records from the Bush Administration, and signed into law the Ledbetter bill which gives more flexiblity when it comes to reporting labor rights violations.  However, on issues of healthcare and the economy, Obama and the Democratic Party seem more interested in trying to make everyone happy than doing what would be the best for America.  I understand the want and need to "reach across the aisle" and try to find a solution to a problem, but I don't want politicians pandering to corporations instead of the country as a whole, especially when the corporations in question already get government subsidies.

3.  We know the issues, know the key players, and are organized enough to make moves.  So let's make moves.  This a little more of a personal beef.  In my own experience, I have had to break down my frameworks of knowledge, learn more than the average citizen, and question the people I believe in more than ever to get to the point where I am now.  That being said, we as a progressive community usually have our homework done, our bases covered, and crosshairs set on what we believe would be the best way to move forward as a people.  While everyone doesn't have to agree, what we can all agree on is that we want things to change and we know the people who can change it.  So let's move on that shit or at least spread that knowledge out to people who are on the fence.  I think it is utterly pointless to get a bunch of people who agree with each other in a room and tell them some shit that they already know or probably believe anyway.  We should be pushing the boundaries of our spheres of influence and uniting our voices to gain momentum, not repeating the same shit to the same crowd.  And after we have some support, we have to act.  No one wants to follow a bunch of people who complain in the dark but fade at crunch time.  We have to keep ourselves on the fore-front of these debates so we can get our points across.

Of course I didn't account for the fact that it's "sexier" now in the media to talk about the group that's opposing the power bloc in the president and congress (which, honestly, is kinda racist.  Why are we taking the country back from Obama?  You mean the guy who won over 51% of the popular and electoral vote?  How is he different from the other 42 presidents?  Maybe I'm junping to conclusions...).  Anyway, we, as progressives or leftists (whatever), should find it our civic duty to support our ideals when they are on the table and push congress, the president, and the nation as a whole to start thinking in a communal way.  A way that provides, at very least, the basics for everyone in the society and gives everyone an equal and beneficial shot at success within our society.  Not to sound like an optimist but isn't that the reason why society exists?