How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Big Change Moment

Posted by ZP Heller, Open Left at 2:46 PM on March 3, 2009.

Big and bold. That's Mike Lux's recipe for sweeping, transformative change. That's the way for progressives to achieve a Big Change Moment, as Lux calls it in his new book, "The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be." Lux likens progressive ideals to American ideals, and calls for progressives to pressure cautious Democrats hesitant to spend political capital.

I'm not talking about President Obama specifically. As Lux wrote yesterday on Open Left, Obama has taken tremendous strides to get past the hurdles of centrist cabinet picks and stay on the progressive track. You could hear calls for a Big Change Moment in Obama's congressional address last week, and you can see audacious ambition in his economic recovery bill and budget. While Lux is right when he says we shouldn't hesitate to disagree with the President on everything from the banking crisis to the war in Afghanistan--particularly when Obama respects plurality of opinion. But this ought to go double (or I guess increase exponentially depending on your math skills) for every Democrat in Washington right now.

This isn't 2007 or 2008. We're no longer dealing with the Bush regime and a slim congressional majority where we should be afraid of pissing off elected leaders like Joe Lieberman in fear of losing a vote. Quite the opposite, we need to send cogent reminders to these Blue Dogs and New Democrats that we were the ones who brought about this progressive mandate for change last November. So you're going to start seeing more shots across the bow: Brave New Foundation's petition compelling Congress to support Helping Families Save Their Homes; Chris Bowers' suggestion of running ads against Dems who oppose cramdown legislation; Jane Hamsher's action pressuring Nancy Pelosi to stand up to New Dem Ellen Tauscher and bank lobbyists; and David Sirota's idea to threaten Harry Reid's reelection bid with a union-backed progressive candidate if he can't deliver the Democratic votes necessary to pass Employee Free Choice.

We can't be concerned with stepping on toes anymore. We have a strong movement base, a President who reflects and respects many of our progressive views, and key allies in and outside the Beltway, both in online communities and grassroots organizations ready to blog swarm and mobilize. So what the hell are we waiting for?

Tagged as: democrats, progressive, barack obama, david sirota, mike lux, chris bowers, big change moment

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.