Pragmatic Progressives

As I write this, the health care bill is in the balance. Dennis Kucinich has just announced his support for the legislation, and the Left's Circular Firing Squad has stacked its rifles for the moment. Time out to think. . . .

My sense is that most progressive reformists are pragmatic. That covers a range of views from Barack Obama to Michael Moore, with Obama and Clinton being, perhaps, more pragmatic than progressive and Moore, Rachel Maddow and Kucinich being more progressive than pragmatic.

Definition: A pragmatic progressive understands how to get minor improvements done in our corporate governance system.

The other sort of progressive is the Black & White Idealist, someone who believes that a democracy should function without compromises among the different groups. An example might be a voter who holds it made no difference to the children of Iraq whether Al Gore or Dick Cheney became President, because both candidates were imperfect.

No one likes the health care bill, not even the insurance companies. But here's the thing. If it passes in the next few days, it will save some lives and crack open a door that might lead to universal coverage.That's why Kucinich held his nose and offered his vote.

A little more than a year ago, my younger sister died because she had no health care. For me there is nothing abstract about the current proposal.

Gary Goss