Principles Before Heroes

democracyjournal.org — The progressive goals of expanding economic opportunity and strengthening democracy are intimately connected. But today’s liberalism lacks two important ingredients. First, it fails to explain to average Americans — simply and clearly — how the underlying trends of the American economy and politics are working against them and what they must do to reverse these trends. Second, it clings to particular candidates rather than to its powerful ideals and thereby becomes periodically seduced by personalities that seem temperamentally inclined toward liberalism but lack strong liberal conviction. Barack Obama is an able man, and the nation is better for having his services. But Obama, like Clinton, neither addresses publicly the deeper structural challenges facing the American economy and American politics, nor acts upon them.

more »