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Friday, April 12, 2024

Op-ed: Is there any place for progressiveness is US politics?

We Progressives had a narrow place on the left and had no place on the right. Does that mean we have no place in America?

In the words of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle; it is the pendulum, and when the pendulum swings too far in one direction, it will go back.”

These wise words didn’t just call out the polarization accelerated by President Trump, but also highlighted the divisions of ideological bases within the Democratic Party. In the Party, we’ve seen constant swings of popularity contests between moderates and progressives and a three-way race between them and liberals.

Being a Progressive is not the most sustainable option. It needs a great deal of political maintenance.

To progressive or not to be

Not Picking Warren or Sanders for any central position in the administration (yet), might be an option for the President-elect to leave out more voters for 2024. Since a few years ago, mainstream Democrats have taken the stage and taken back their position as top leaders of the Party.

In the eyes of some, being Progressive is a threat to democracy and our structural system, as we know it. To others, they are garbage within a far-left corner of the Democratic Party. But what does it really mean to be one?

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To be progressive or not to be, that is the question. We, progressives are change seekers and change-makers. We strive for the right choice on the ballot and compromise when we need to, even if we don’t want to. We don’t look at the two colours and fit ourselves inside those borders. Just look at us as radical moderates, but not right-out socialists.

Progressiveness is expensive

Elizabeth Warren, AOC, and Bernie Sanders are just some of the names that are representative of our narrow place within the Democrats.

As democrats, we vote up and down the ballot for Democrats, despite our differences. We attend campaign rallies and give it our all to knock on doors, especially in these past few years to kick the most inexperienced Businessman, President, out of office. We write opinions like these to aim at recognizing awareness amongst our fellow Americans. Progressive is the central idea of our political objectives.

In the eyes of some, being Progressive is a threat to democracy and our structural system, as we know it.

Being a Progressive is not the most sustainable option. It needs a great deal of political maintenance. We sometimes have fought in our own party and have different scopes of visions for our nation. We Progressives had a narrow place on the left and had no place on the right. Does that mean we have no place in America?

Less representation less progress

After we helped get Joe Biden elected to the White House, we saw things dramatically change and the first announcements were not exactly what we thought would happen.

Media outlets and newspapers speculated the possibility of heritage diversity in the new Cabinet but also an ideological varied one. After the names started coming in, things took an unexpected turn. With no Elizabeth Warren, no Bernie Sanders, and most certainly no AOC, less representation means less progress. I‘m no longer in any mood to compromise on society. Progressives compromised in 2016.

We compromised by letting Warren and Sanders go earlier this year. Never again! This is the moment that will define our country. A diverse Cabinet is nothing without the multiplicity of policy and social views.

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Joe Biden has always tried to fit himself into the moderate wing of America, stuffing Republicans into the Democratic Party. Is this the Joe Biden we helped get into office? Or was it our Anti-Trumpism that powered the vote?

If you bring one ideology to the table, you get yes-mans at that table and a repeat of the past 4 years. The President-elect has only 2 top spots yet to confirm and make it up to all the voters, the Attorney General‘s office and the office of the Secretary of Defence.

Juan Abbas is a freelance writer for the Daily Times. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.