By Robert Anschuetz
OpEdNews
We Need a Progressive Primary Challenge to Obama in 2012!
In the crucial debt-ceiling negotiations just completed, President Obama has once again displayed a seemingly instinctual preference for political compromise over a vigorous, even if unprevailing, defense of progressive principle. Given that demonstrated predilection, it seems progressives now have little to regret and possibly something to gain in backing a primary challenge to the President in 2012. I recognize that such a candidacy has little to no chance of producing the Democratic nominee, nor even to push the inherently cautious Obama further to the political left. As I hope to explain, however, it could well contribute effectively to a national consciousness-raising about what it is political progressives stand for.
The need for such an educational mission hit home with me earlier this year, when I happened to catch a panel discussion on C-SPAN's "Book TV" about the impact of "extremist views" on the American political discourse. Unsurprisingly, the panelists -- who included both self-acknowledged liberals and conservatives -- agreed that extremist views, though protected by the First Amendment, are by their nature beyond the pale and both hinder and distort the development of rational policy. What did surprise me, however, was the panelists' facile, and unanimous, assumption that what they called "extremism" in America exists on both the left and right wings of the political spectrum. For them, apparently, Noam Chomsky, the late Howard Zinn, or even Dennis Kucinich are as irrational as right-wing radio hosts, and the influence of each is equally to be regretted.
It was precisely this assumption -- shared by putative political experts -- that set me on a course that has brought me now to support a progressive primary challenge to Obama.
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Link:
http://www.opednews.com/a/137858?show=votes#allcommentsOK, I know...yes it's another one of "those" articles (cue the eye rolling from our GD: P crew), but this is quite a profound piece, well worth reading whether you agree OR disagree. Put your predispositions to the title aside, and follow the link.