What Is To Be Done?

I’ve been writing on my own site and on Smirking Chimp since 2002, trying to whip the faithful into an anti-war, anti-Bush lather. I look back at what I wrote and feel pretty well vindicated by events.

Political, intellectual, and media elites failed us badly by not critiquing and opposing the Iraq war. The blogosphere performed an essential task by stepping up and getting the truth out.

Unfortunately, in 2004 we (or at least I) failed to judge the dynamic of the election correctly and misunderstood how and where to drive the political debate.

I believed (to borrow the concept of our dear leader) that the Democrats had enough residual political capital to run on an ABB platform, and Americans beyond our base would vote to trust Kerry to do his best to clean up Bush’s mess as honorably and equitably and competently as possible.

Untrue, as we now know.

We still face a dearth of capable, credible top-down leadership, even more so now that the Democratic Party cratered in the elections.

But the Internet DIY model of invective, activism, and wishful thinking has shown its limitations as well.

Hope, as they say, is not a plan.

And reacting to events and Bush outrages as they occur might have supplied vital energy to the Kerry campaign, but it didn’t win the election. And it is a recipe for frustration and futility for a leaderless and directionless post-November 2 opposition.

I think that an ideology and policy based (not candidate and election oriented) progressive organization has to fill the leadership void on the Democratic side.

It will develop and promote an agenda of progressive causes that resonate with the American people, and develop and support politicians, regardless of affiliation, that can champion those causes.

It will have its own think tanks and ideologues, and will develop its positions based on rigorous, objective study of what can fly as good policy and good politics.

It will anticipate instead of react, with plans and resources for implementation, and contingency Plans B through Z if Plan A gets stalled.

As a lagniappe, it will do its own internal polling, so we don’t have to endlessly swallow and regurgitate the inane press-release polling teasers the opinion companies push into the public domain.

Such an effort will take organization, commitment, coordination, and money.

First of all it requires a consensus within the progressive Internet that a permanent progressive organization must be sustained as the primary focus of our debates, agenda, and efforts.

Organizers, fundraisers, and activists within the Internet community have to take the next step and assume the burden of imagining and leading a new progressive movement, and not just serving it.

People and organizations like Kos, Steve Gilliard, and MoveOn.

It looks like they are drawing the correct lessons from our defeat on November 2 and are preparing our response.

I’m waiting for my marching orders. I don’t think they will be long in coming.

copyright 2004 Peter Lee

Peter Lee is the creator of the anti-war satire and commentary website Halcyon Days. He can be reached at peter@halcyondays.info.