On Not Being Wrong About the Right

I just got my latest issue of The Nation magazine. It has an outstanding article on "Wrong About the Right" by Jean Hardisty and Deepak Bhargava. It's a shame that it is not available online because it is essential reading for anyone concerned about promoting progressive and mainstream values in this country.

Here's a quote from a section on Fearless Politics:

The right has not been afraid to propose extreme positions, knowing they will be pushed back to more moderate ones still well to the right of the status quo. We've seen this in almost every policy fight since 1980. By boldly taking stands that are far outside the mainstream, the right has managed to pull the mainstream to the right, which is why it is now perceived as speaking for the majority. For progressives, meanwhile, timidity, ambiguity and constant compromise have not proved successful strategies; projecting a clear, principled and uncompromising voice of progressive values and policies is not only morally compelling but strategically smart.

This article alone is worth the price of a year's subscription to The Nation magazine.