Here is one look at the year 2009.  Progressives need to take a hard look. Here are some facts, their significance and lessons to learn, and work needed. Read and join in the dialog.

• On November 3, 2009, another gay rights issue (aka human rights issue) lost another referendum in the country, in Maine, for the thirty-first (31^st) time.  New York and New Jersey made the setback number 32 and 33.
• On November 7, 2009, thirty-nine (39) blue dog (“dogs”) Democrats voted against the health reform bill because of their opposition to the public option provision.
• It is reported that another twenty (20) “dogs”, who are opposed to both public option and abortion, would have voted against the same bill—defeating it— had it not been for an earlier passage of an all-encompassing anti-abortion amendment.
• Beyond the Health Reform noise, silently but surely, Financial Reform has already been watered down .
• Threat of terrorist activities has not diminished.   Country is in favor of expanding the war In Afghanistan.
• Fox cable channel—commentaries/opinions presented as news—continues to be the most watched cable news channel.

What are the significance of all these?  Here is one view.

1. The country as a whole is not there yet to embrace a progressive position in human equality, dignity, and rights.  The progressive position is gaining ground, ever so slowly.  It is a slow, painfully slow,  process.
2. Members of the Congress are reluctant to proceed with regulating Banking, Insurance and Pharmaceutical industries.  Most of the members are beneficieries from these industries.  And there is no public outcry!  They are not even asking how much profit is good profit for big corporations.
3. Members of the Congress and the President are reluctant to make hard political decisions to curb terrorist activities.
4. If the constituencies of the “dogs” are added to the constituencies held by the Republicans, the conservatives have a clear majority of the congressional constituencies in the country. The voting on health care reform bill indicates a total count of fifty-nine (59) “dogs” as opposed to an earlier count of fifty-seven (57).
5. These  “dogs” have often said that if they vote for a bill that contains public option, their re-election will be endangered.  They are afraid!  That is the extent of their dedication to public good.  Their vote then would be against the health insurance companies, and, by extrapolation, for “socialism”!  Most likely they would vote for other progressive issues too.  Nevertheless this means the same thing as in #2: If the constituencies of the “dogs” are added to the constituencies held by the Republicans, the conservatives have a clear majority of the congressional constituencies in the country.

To some, the above conclusions may seem somewhat far-fetched, but these are not far from the realities that exist in the nation now.  Is there any lesson in all these for the progressives, let alone Democrats?

Lesson One: While we are reacting to the symptoms like health care reform, energy, Afghanistan war, global-warming, human rights issues and the like, progressives should not ignore emphasis on fundamentals.

Lesson Two: Whether we like it or not, many—most likely, a majority—are unwilling to review their ideas, views or belief systems.  Call it inertia, conservatism, or whatever you like it exists more or less in all of us.  And some do need to take a hard look and question about things that affects our lives, collectively speaking:

• Profit vs. Greed
• Corporate greed is anti-national as compared to personal greed.
• Free enterprise vs. monopoly.
• Monopoly and cartel of monopolists.
• Think yourself vs. allow others to think for you
• Life is not a multiple choice
• National interest vs. personal interest
• The essentials of American life — electric energy, water, gasoline, and health care.
• How much profit is good profit?
• Is it ethical and moral to profit on American health?
• Is it ethical to profit on American essentials?
• The inter-dependency, not just inter-connectivity, of employment (jobs), energy, education, environment, and health care.
• Patriotism and ultra-nationalism.
• Extra-Electoral tactics to overthrow elected bodies is anti-democratic.
• Does novel means good?
• Can convenience be like the apple in Eden?
• Reluctance to ask for source of media assertions (information)
• Reluctance or Inability to correlate things
• Reluctance to review their ideas, views or belief systems
• What is socialism?

Progressives can help to shake off this inertia.

Lesson Three: Accept the reality that exists in the country, and work from there to make the country a real progressive democratic one.  We are not there yet!  Work with people we have, not the people we could have had.  Progressives need simultaneous action both on symptoms and on fundamentals.  A sustained education for life is the key.  Entrenched ideas, be it from culture, tradition or sustained corporate propaganda, are hard to eradicate.  Ideas that originate from one’s value system are even harder to change.  Nevertheless, it is a slow process.  Yet, it has to be undertaken.  The old cliché: you have to start sometime!  And sustain.  For progressives, the time is now.

All these are entrenched ideas through generations— cultural, traditional and ideas acquired from sustained corporate propaganda over the decades.  Ideas that originate from one’s value system are even harder to change.  These hard to eradicate ideas are against humanity, human rights and are plainly contradictory to the point of irrationality. Examples are all over the world—world population is being tormented by religious intolerance, which is really a human right issue as intolerance of personal belief of someone else; civil rights act in USA has not eradicated racism; not so long ago, women were burnt as witches; in some cultures, human sacrifices were practiced routinely; women are still subjugated today in many cultures; and greed has been proclaimed and accepted as a natural instinct by some religious groups and conveniently promoted by corporate culture as well!  These practices and ideas have changed—or are changing—for the better in some areas, unfortunately too slowly. .  We wish the change could be faster.  Nevertheless, we cannot leave it for spontaneity.

Progressives need to work relentlessly to address this issue, not just the offshoots of this issue. This is not just an idea—or yet another idea—, it is about progress of civilization—the advancement of human dignity, human right and social justice. Progressives cannot shy away from the task.