Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

Despite losses, ‘progressive goals’ alive and well

Postscript: Many will try to wheel out the coffin for the progressive movement based on election results, but progressive goals are alive and well. Some of the real progressive fighters are alive, and survived the fight precisely because they stayed the course.

Maine is still well represented by Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud. Some sadly have left the field. We hail them for their fight. And hail to Nancy Pelosi, Democrat’s  “Stands with a Fist.” When it got to blazing, she never thought of leaving that legislative kitchen.

Franklin Roosevelt let Herbert Hoover, the Republicans and Wall Street own the Depression. He would own the solution. But this time, the Republicans were allowed to write the story. Instead of blaming the debt plungers, the war pushers, the Wall Street plunderers, the blame was put on those who came to put out the fires already started.

With Democrats spending seemingly more time and energy courting Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to jump on the bandwagon than in leading the band, it is small wonder the GOP did this well.

The Republicans, having gotten to frame the issues and spin the focus of the election, will now get to write the postscript, citing progressive values and goals as the reason for the victory. But progressives don’t need a better case. We have the best case. We need to tell the story better, continue to speak the truth better. Frame and focus our arguments better.

And let those so bent on owning everything, and every dollar in America own the mistakes they make, as well. 

George Hunt

Augusta