Politics As The Art Of The Imperative

Norman Solomon

I recently wrote about channeling our frustration with the President and the Democrats into supporting progressive organizations like Rebuild the Dream and ensuring the election of more progressives to Congress. 

You won't find a better progressive candidate than Norman Solomon who is running for the Marin-Sonoma County seat vacated by another true progressive, Lynn Woolsey.  Solomon, paraphrasing Paul Wellstone's famous comment about representing the democratic wing of the Democratic Party, says that he will represent the progressive wing of the Progressive Caucus.

In a recent article in the Bay Guardian, Solomon contrasts his grassroots campaign with the Astroturf campaign being run by his corporate-funded Democrat opponents.

What Solomon has in mind is "building coalitions to fight for a wide-ranging progressive agenda — including guaranteed health care, full employment, workers' rights, green sustainability, full funding for public education, fundamental changes in federal spending priorities, and an end to perennial war."

Once elected he will "insist that we need to bring our troops and tax dollars home — and that caving in to Wall Street and polluters and enemies of civil liberties is unacceptable."  As he has previously written, Solomon believes that California's two nuclear power plants should be shut down and he will "fight for serious public investment in renewable energy, conservation, and a nuclear-free future."

Solomon argues that "the narrow definition of politics as 'the art of the possible' has led to disaster. What we need is the art of the imperative."

Already, more than 750 people have made donations to Solomon's campaign (which topped $100,000 weeks ago), and nearly 300 have signed up as volunteers. Please join at www.SolomonForCongress.com.

[Related posts: Shutting Down California's Nukes; The Search For War]