Quote of the Day

I believe in a relatively equal society, supported by institutions that limit extremes of wealth and poverty. I believe in democracy, civil liberties, and the rule of law. That makes me a liberal, and I’m proud of it. - Paul Krugman, from his book The Conscience of a Liberal

Nice review of his must-read book at the Daily Kos.

Krugman points out why liberal policies are responsible for the rise of the "middle class" in America, and how important the progressive movement is today.

He also explains why this weird urge to be "non-partisan" and "center" oriented in politics is useless. The media keeps harping on it day after day. Uniformed (read dumbass) commentators think the "middle" rules the political world, without even understanding that the entire history of American politics is totally partisan.

Or as Krugman says..

To be a progressive, then, means to be a partisan—at least for now. The only way a progressive agenda can be enacted is if Democrats have both the presidency and a large enough majority in Congress to overcome Republican opposition. And achieving that kind of political preponderance will require leadership that makes opponents of the progressive agenda pay a political price for their obstructionism—leadership that, like FDR, welcomes the hatred of the groups trying to prevent us from making our society better.

[...]

For now, being an active liberal means being a progressive, and being a progressive means being partisan. But the end goal isn't one-party rule. It's the reestablishment of a truly vital, competitive democracy. Because in the end, democracy is what being a liberal is all about.