The progressives are coming! by @BloggersRUs

The progressives are coming!

by Tom Sullivan

Runferyerlives! used to be reserved for the woman in the colorful headscarf down the block.

Now a couple of weekend article warn predictably that "the ascending coalition on the left" threatens to pull the Democratic Party too far out of the mainstream, hurting chances for moderate party players to hold and expand their influence. Again.

The New York Times cautioned a new generation of activists promises "to grow as a disruptive force in national elections as younger voters reject the traditional boundary lines of Democratic politics." Furthermore, Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, the Progressive Change Campaign, and Our Revolution "have helped propel challenges to Democratic incumbents."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ben Jealous. "Revolution on the left." "A leftist political revolt." The horror.

NBC News jumped in. The "angry left" may turn off centrist voters, you know, just ruining everything. Luckily, Democratic pragmatists and billionaires feeling unloved have mounted a moderate "counterrevolution":

The invitation-only gathering brought together about 250 Democratic insiders from key swing states. Third Way unveiled the results of focus groups and polling that it says shows Americans are more receptive to an economic message built on "opportunity" rather than the left's message about inequality.

"Once again, the time has come to mend, but not end, capitalism for a new era," said Third Way President Jon Cowan.

For the left, Third Way represents the Wall Street-wing of the party and everything wrong with the donor-driven wet blanketism they've been trying exorcise since 2016. Thom Hartmann, a liberal talk radio host and Sanders friend, once called the group's warning about Sanders "probably the most stupid thing I've ever heard," before ticking through all the investment bankers on Third Way's board.
Completely ignoring the fact that the Democrats' invitation-only wing is one reason new activists are angry, elected officials in conservative districts caution that progressives with their big-city ways could mean disaster for Democrats elsewhere.
"We will be a permanent minority party in this country," said Iowa state Sen. Jeff Danielson, a firefighter who represents an area that saw one of the biggest swings from Barack Obama to Trump during the 2016 election.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Third Way Democrat from an Illinois district Donald Trump won, argued on behalf of a Nixonian silent majority who just want normalcy. "There's a lot of people that just don't really like protests and don't like yelling and screaming," she added.

Which is why thousands showed up to scream "Lock her up" at Trump rallies in Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa across the Mississippi River from her district.

Ah, too be young(er) and foolish and to frighten insiders again. In 2005, that was us. "Those progressives" were going to ruin everything, they whispered. You know, they're plotting a takeover? In fact, by 2007 we were in charge. In 2008, with the help of some guy from Illinois whose name would sound out of place in rural Moline, we swept the races here, winning 36 of 36, including reelecting a couple of the veterans who found us most threatening. This last Saturday, our local headquarters was a hive of activity and scheduling space is already becoming a problem. That's how badly we wrecked the place by working harder.

As Hullabaloo alum David Atkins writes, we're about solving problems and winning elections. The status quo cannot hold.

So, about those “Democrats are extremists by pushing for things like universal healthcare” hot takes that have been going around lately............ https://t.co/CXUo3cBeuX

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) July 23, 2018

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