Staying Positive in Politics

As Super PACs work on destroying their enemies a few are longing for the slightly less negative days before "Citizen's United". With Romney's shadow group spending millions on making his opponents look bad and Karl Rove itching to do the same, is there any chance for a peaceful election year? Well, at least you can guarantee you'll have lots of opportunity to witness vitriol; but, maybe we'll also see some powerful positive campaigning.

"... I think they're very wrong! But I don't hate Republican politicians for having their opinions."

Progressives have time to share their values in stark contrast the ever more radical right. In an effort to appeal to the far right base of the Republican Party candidates have fought a race to the bottom. In the crossfire they've hit women, the poor, the elderly, veterans, the middle class and Christians who aren't Conservative enough. But let me be clear, I am not meaning to be "against Republicans". In fact I see them as working (for most part) for the betterment of the country in --what they believe is-- the correct way to proceed. I don't happen to agree with their views, in fact I think they're very wrong! But I don't hate  Republican politicians for having their opinions.

Consider Gandhi, he told the world what he was for -Indian home rule- a positive goal. He did not say that he was against the British, because he wasn't. His vision for India was possible, he just had to show people that it could be done.

A Crash Course in Progressive Values 

In case of Progressives, we need to share our vision and values. In a time of Kings, Americans said that we the people are important. Democracy is motivated by the drive to give more people more freedoms. Progressive core values are based on responsibility for yourself and for others and empathy for their needs. Progressives believe that the moral mission of government is to protect and empower the people. These values are essential. They are informed by our Progressive worldview. This world view is guided by the way we see the ideal family.

The ideal family is very different depending on  whether you are a Conservative or a Progressive. According to George Lakoff, it comes down to two types of families: Conservatives believe that the strict father family is the ideal family; Progressives believe that the nurturing parent family is the ideal family. People's positions on economic growth, education, capital punishment, gun control, contraception, prenatal care, Health Care, taxation, the role of the military, science, religion, and many other areas are strongly influenced by their view of the ideal family. We will try to help share how the core values of America a inherently Progressive. We see this as a call to action to help everyone in America to understand more about this.

"Democrats will share these values openly while proudly heralding the many successes of the past 3 years."

A Positive Vision

My positive vision for this election is that, as Progressives, we'll be able to share our values. When the election happens in November, people will be voting based on their values as well on competence and effectiveness. Democrats will share these values openly while proudly heralding the many successes of the past 3 years. They will tell you why they support various issues based on whether the objective protects and / or empowers the people. And we will come to understand ourselves better as Americans and Progressives.     

I'm very optimistic about this year. I'm looking forward to the opportunity of having this discussion with you.

Religious, Agnostic and Atheistic Progressives

Religious Freedom
Bridging the Gap Between Religious, Agnostic and Atheistic Progressives.

by Ed Kaine

I believe in Freedom of Religion. It is enshrined in the Constitution's Establishment Clause; it forbids government from favoring one religion over another, or religion over secularism. 

Government's role is to protect and empower the people. I am free to worship, believe or disbelieve anything I choose. In fact I have a belief that, like waves on the shore, no 2 believers have the exact same concept of God. 

I am personally a complex Christian. I came to my personal brand of faith through a study of many religions, philosophies and practices as well as exploring atheism. I enjoy religious references and allegories in literature and have read and studied religious books. 

  -  "I bristle when the Strict Father model is applied to God and Jesus."  -

I find certain things draw me closer to God and some things distance me from God. In particular, I  bristle when the Strict Father model is applied to God and Jesus. To me Jesus was the ideal model of the Nurturing Parent.

I believe in the Social Justice Jesus who advocated for all people to be more free. His teachings all fit within a model where people are Nurtured and Supported. The freedom Jesus taught was freedom like Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four freedoms: Freedom of speech and religion and freedom from want and fear.

-  "The freedom Jesus taught was freedom like Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four freedoms: Freedom of speech and religion and freedom from want and fear."  -

In short, I believe and, think all Progressives believe, in a Nurturant Role for Government. Whether there is a physical, non-physical, metaphysical, metaphorical God or even if there is no God we want similar things for our country and our world.

I believe that if we are successful it is due to the heroic actions of our inventors and workers, people who work to improve life for themselves and others. To me they do this because of their desire to help their families, communities, their country and their world. I acknowledge that some believe this is God acting through them, personally I don't. I do believe in anyone's freedom to believe anything they want.

Ultimately, this is what Big Tent Progressives is about. Unifying all progressives because of their belief in the Nurturant Parent metaphor for Government. If we put aside our philosophical arguments about God and Man we can focus on the things that hold us together.


If you'd like more information please email: BigTentProgressives@gmail.com.

Destroying the Myth of the Radical Left

Political Alignment Graph

Dispelling the Myth of the Radical Left in America

  There is no Radical Left in America! This is a myth that was cooked up by a very active Radical Right. The Political Alignment Graph reveals that the Democratic Party solidly occupies the center.

  The proof is in how the Progressives and the Conservatives handle these 2 domains of freedom.

• Economic Freedom - How the government controls or regulates the economy.
• Social Freedom - How the government controls or regulates your daily choices.

On Social and Economic Freedoms the

center belongs to the Democratic Party.

Economic Freedom

   The spectrum of economic freedom runs from

• Communism - Government owns and controls all the means of production.
• Corporatism - Corporations are unregulated and act as de facto private government.

  The GOP seeks to privateer publicly owned resources, like military functions (Blackwater), and defund and destroy publicly held infrastructure and services. In their view corporations should be free to pollute, surveil, sell your information, etc. without regulation.

  Democrats seek regulation in order to fulfill the moral mission of government, to protect and empower the people. That means sensible regulations to prevent pollution of our common air and water, and fair taxation for use of the common wealth like roads. These sensible regulations with no efforts to own factories, and the means of production puts them in the center.

  If there were a left in America is would be like seeing advocates for the failed economic policies of the Soviet Union. There are very few communists in America. 

Social Freedom

  The spectrum of social freedom runs from:

• Authoritarianism - Government monitors and controls what you think, do and say.
• Anarchy - No restrictions, including no protections from others (eg. Mad Max).

  The GOP is very authoritarian. The GOP seeks to devise a police state where you will be monitored and controlled. They seek to control who you can marry and what you can talk about. They also work to limit women's working rights and reproductive rights. They line up around issues that give more drastic powers to law enforcement to the military including powers to detain American citizens.

  Of note is the Right Wing Libertarian who is loosely defined but is being co-opted by radical corporatists like Ron Paul. If the libertarian cares more about social liberty he will vote for a Democrat. If he cares more about freedom for corporations to concentrate wealth and to become the de facto private government then he will vote for the GOP.   

  The Democrats work to maintain and increase freedom wherever they can. They work to protect the people by having sensible laws that prevent or limit harm to others while increasing freedoms to do things that don't limit the freedoms of others. If what you are doing is not a significant harm to others or your community it will often be supported.

The Myth of the Center

  The myth of the center is that by ignoring the real spectrum the center is shifted towards the right. Democrats are solidly in the center.

  Now, imagine the so called moderate who exists in the mythical space between the Democrats and the GOP... what do they look like? Is this moderate someone who wants a little less regulation of corporations and a little more authoritarian control over their social lives? Moving the debate so that Democrats represented the Left and even painting them as Radical Left is ridiculous. It is either misinformed or a calculated lie.

Is the mythical moderate someone who wants a little less regulation of corporations and a little more authoritarian control over their social lives?

Independent voters don't fit nicely into this mythical space. They mostly fall all over the spectrum and even vary on different issues. By letting this myth continue the Democrats do a great disservice to America.

America is historically Progressive. We cannot be ashamed to say it. In a time of Kings America decided that it could form a democracy. Our task is as plain as when Lincoln declared at Gettysburg "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Nurturant Parent Versus Strict Father Morality by George Lakoff

The view of Strict Father Morality is explained and contrasted with Nurturant Parent Morality. The children of Nurturant Parents are more intelligent, more creative and more humane.

"The basis of Democracy is Empathy."

Enjoy George Lakoff in this and in his books.

There Are No Moderates - George Lakoff

The Nurturant Parent Morality or the Strict Father Morality may exist on any given topic... but never at the exact same time about the exact same topic. There is no way to move a little to the right or to the left on a subject; instead you must use the opposite morality in order to understand the other perspective.

Enjoy this talk by George Lakoff.

Scientific Progressives and Scientific Fact

1 + 1 = 2

This is a fundamental theory of mathematics. If it were proven wrong a lot would crumble. Despite this, if someone proved it untrue scientists would test it, discuss it, and if confirmed, the new theory would be accepted. That's how science works... even things as fundamental as 1 + 1 = 2 could be reviewed and a more perfect truth can be considered.

In the political world conservatives denounce science as "just a theory". But to a scientist: scientific theory = scientific fact.

Scientific Theory = Scientific Fact 

Conservatives have been engaged in a war on science. Their policies fail again and again when tested against reality. In the areas of economics, Global warming, evolution and myriad of other areas conservatives are wrong. Their philosophies and their strict father values require that they tow the party line, even when it is proven false.

The last decade was the warmest on record. We don't have time for conservatives to be wrong again. Science isn't a matter of opinion. Using the complexities of science to confuse people in order to win votes is wrong.

The Moral Mission of government is to protect and empower the people. Global warming is a serious threat, we need governments to work together to protect the people and to empower people to find solutions to the problem. I am a scientific progressive because I believe in a way forward for America.

Join us to help bring your progressive vision to America.

For more information about Scientific Hypotheses, Theories and Laws see http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/a/lawtheory.htm.

Just a moment's thought. By Scuba Steve

It's been some time now that I have been staying at Occupy New Haven (O.N.H.).  There has been a lot of experiences that I've never had the option to try, but I've done them here.  I've found my stay here in this Occupy has been one that I will never forget. It truly has moved me, inspired me, in a way that I will never get out of my mind.

• Be you.
• Do good for others.
• Cherish your community.

These are just some of the concepts that they've showed me.

Not to mention the amount of people that are with this movement. The crazy walks were you feel the voice of a crowd talking in unison.  Where you feel the entire body vibrating because all the people chanting, yelling, becoming one.  Being able to see an entire society be created, all on the same or a similar basis.

More deeply into the people of this place...  there are huge variety of people staying, or passing through.  People yelling nonsense out there, cuts to the occupants passing by from other occupies.  The majority's people are great. "Inspiring individuals" is the best way to describe them.  People that find it easy to talk to others, to show other people that what they are living in is a horrible scam.

The living style is unique also.  Tents on the city green.  Communities within other communities.  One based solely on greed and the other exact opposite.  At the present moment I am learning about this movement and other movements like it, in the United States and other places.

To be continued. . .



This was transcribed from Greg's written notes by Ed Kaine. Greg is also known as Scuba Steve.  Scuba Steve has been with Occupy New Haven since day one.