Progressives: Take a Bow

I know we're not finished. I know there are hugely important things that the left has yet to accomplish. Getting a clear vision, for starters. Figuring out who's going to run for president, PDQ. Getting some people on the bench, for crying out loud. Tending to local politics. I know. Moreover, the Republican/religious right is doing things while we're sitting here -and I'm worried about those things, too.

But, just for today, let's look at what's happened. I was just at the coffee shop for lunch, allegedly taking time to write in my journal. But, I couldn't get started, so I looked at the entry for a year ago, today. The future looked really dim for us. However, since then, we've had at least the following things happen:

• We might actually get an exit strategy for this war in Iraq. Even the Republicans want one now. I think that Cindy Sheehan gets a lot of the credit here.
• Tom Delay hasn't resigned (yet), but the House Ethics Committee didn't get to ride roughshod over... you know... ethics and keep him in a leadership position.
• Kenneth Tomlinson resigned as the head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in spite of a heads-on effort from Republicans to decimate public radio and television.
• Social Security is apparently not going to be privatized.
• Nobody is going to drill (just yet, anyway) in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• The Patriot Act is finally getting the critical attention it should have had from the beginning.
• The Violence Against Women Act was actually enhanced -didn't see that coming!
• The nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court didn't go so well.
• The president is in deep trouble -even from his own party- for unauthorized domestic wire-tapping.

This could get to be fun!

Tags: activism public policy social justice