There has never been a time in the fifty four years of my life when political action is more important and can have a greater impact on our future. That’s why I’m marching to Washington today and urging you to take join Melanie’s March To the Finish Line.
Before I became a full time political organizer three years ago, I taught political philosophy and American politics for twenty five years.
Like most people trained in philosophy and the political and social sciences, I’ve always been somewhat dubious about the ability of people to bend history. Most of the time, I believe, the forces that shape history overwhelm what we do as individuals. That’s true for Presidents and Congressional leaders. And it’s even more true for citizens.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act politically. Historical forces act through us But, for most of my life, as someone who was an activist in the interstices of my intellectual work, I have not believed that I have helped shape events. Rather, I believe I have played my part in a drama that I did write. And for much of my life, since the late 1970s, I’ve not been happy about who or what forces wrote the political drama of our collective life in America. While we have made progress in some areas in the last thirty years—in moving toward sexual equality, in expanding opportunities for racial minorities, and in the growing acceptance of people in the LGBT community. But in most respects, and certainly with regard to growing inequality of economic opportunity in America, the last thirty years have been a time of retreat and disappointment.
In the last few years it has seemed that new historical forces had arisen and that a new dramatist would write the script for the next ten or twenty years of our common life.
I believe that still to be true. But even more importantly, I believe that what you and I do in the next few days and weeks will determine who and what forces will write the political drama of the next era in American history.
Right now the historical forces that are moving us towards an era of progressive reform are closely balanced against those that can push us back into another ten or twenty years of stagnation at best or regression at worst.
The confusion in Washington about health care reform shows us how precarious the balance is between progressive and regressive forces. It is the most telling sign of the times. If our politicians really knew the likely outcome, if they knew whether this country was moving into a new progressive era or a continuation of the reactionary times in which we have been living, many of our politicians would all be lining up on the side that was going to win. That’s what politicians do. Only a very few tilt against the wind.
Some of our political leaders are dithering and uncertain precisely because they don’t know how things will turn out. They are not sure what the future will bring. They can’t jump on the winning side because they are radically unsure which side is going to win.
The intense partisanship in Washington is another sign of the times. It’s not just the result of long term changes in political structures and institutions. It is a product of the recognition, on both sides of the aisle, that the future is radically uncertain.
That’s why this is our moment to act. What we do can tilt the balance between the forces of progress and reaction just enough that our political leaders make up their minds to embrace the possibility—and the responsibility–of trying to build a new era of progressive reform.
Health care reform is the critical issue right now, not just to the people who suffer because they are underinsured and uninsured and not just to the families whose economic well-being is undermined by rising health care costs and stagnating wages. It is critical because what we decide as a country to do on the health care issue will shape our politics in large ways.
If we win health care reform; if we enact comprehensive legislation no matter how imperfect, we have a chance to enact other progressive legislation–on jobs, on energy and climate change, on the internet freedom, on campaign finance. A victory on health care reform will give us a chance to create an era of progressive reform.
If we lose on health care reform, we lose the opportunity before us.
So, again, this is our moment. This is our chance, as citizens and as activists, to put our finger on the scales of history. It is our chance not just to play our role in a drama written by blind historical forces, but to help write the drama with our voices, our emails, phone calls, and faxes, our contributions, and, yes, our legs.
Whether you do so in person in Washington on Wednesday or do so virtually, join Melanie’s March. Take action. Make a difference.
An inflection point in history does not come often. Some people go their entire lives without having the opportunity we have right now. Don’t let this one pass without trying to make a difference.