Nell Levine has an OP-ed in today's Tennessean all about the nation's ongoing, and inevitable, swing back to the left, and about this weekend's state-wide gathering of progressives here in Nashville. Nell is Coordinator for Tennnessee Alliance for Progress.
By NELL LEVIN
For thirty years, our country has been engaged in a cultural war between conservatives and progressives about how American society should be organized.
The pillars of conservatism are strong defense, free markets, lower taxes, smaller government, and family values. Linguist George Lakoff says conservatism is based on the patriarchal family model with a strict father whose role is to protect and support the family in a dangerous world and teach his children right from wrong, using punishment if necessary.
Conservatives don’t believe government should intervene in people’s lives (except on “moral” issues like gay marriage and abortion). Social programs are immoral because they give people things they haven’t earned and remove the incentive of people to discipline themselves. Government programs should be eliminated or turned over to private companies. Government’s role is to protect the country (the military), protect lives and private property (the police) and de-regulate the economy to benefit private enterprise.
Because of skillful use of talk radio and other media, conservative terminology now dominates public debate.
Progressives have been on the defensive for the last thirty years as conservatives have systematically worked to destroy the legacy of FDR, to dismantle Social Security, Medicaid, student loans and safety net services that helped to build the middle class in this country.
The melding of conservative ideology, big business and government has resulted in crumbling school buildings, the destruction of New Orleans, forty-seven million Americans without health care, stagnating wages, outsourcing of jobs, and a growing wealth gap between the rich and the rest of us. Power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few, seriously threatening our democracy.
Progressives have largely failed to educate the public about what they are for rather than what they are against.
So what are the pillars of progressivism? They are equity and opportunity (if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to have a decent standard of living), equality for all, democracy (maximize citizen participation, minimize corporate power), government for a better future, ethical business, and a values-based foreign policy.
Lakoff calls progressivism the nurturing family model: it empathizes with and protects its child, wants the child to be a happy, fulfilled, prosperous person with opportunities and freedom. Fairness, trust, honesty, cooperation, and respect for others are also goals.
Paul Waldman, author of Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn From Conservative Success, defines progressivism as “We’re All In This Together” as opposed to the conservative philosophy of “You’re On Your Own.”
Waldman will be in Nashville on Saturday April 14 at the Compass IV Conference at Cohn Adult Learning Center. Waldman believes we have reached the tipping point in the conservative ascendancy and that Americans are now moving in a new, more progressive direction. He urges citizens to come together to create a movement for social change that can rectify the damage of years of conservative governing and restore people’s faith in the ability of government to work for the common good.
Nell Levin can be reached at info@tennesseeallianceforprogress.org
Hear Paul Waldman (and David Sirota) speak on Saturday at the Compass IV Conference. Hear Paul Sirota on Tennessee Progress Report today on Radio Free Nashville, 5-6 pm (cst), www.radiofreenashville.org. Go to www.tennesseeallianceforprogress.org for details about the Compass IV Conference.
Progressive TAP Conference Politics Tennessee Nashville Liberal Conference News David Sirota Paul Waldman Coming Progressive Era
