Are you suffering from the pain of political reality?

Me too. I suppose it's here to stay, nonetheless.

I hope.

There's an interesting article in the NY Times today about the work and the successes of the antiwar coalition. It's one of the first one's I've read in the MSM that acknowledges a respectable level of professionalism and coordination in the antiwar movement. It's about time. It's a vast improvement over being called traitors, dirty hippies (dirty hippies?), and conspiracy theorists.

I'm a total advocate of what Progressive Democrats of America calls the Inside/Outside strategy. You need both. That's the hard, cold reality. To succeed Progressive political activist need the grassroots on the streets, and the grassroots on the streets need the Progressive political activists. Stopping a war and an occupation are not going to be done through the work of one person or one group or one strategy.

Rosa Parks decision to sit on the bus didn't happen as a spur of the moment stand against injustice. It's was part of a long term strategy by a coalition of activists working for change. That's how you succeed and reach your goal.

Sometimes I get completely annoyed by positions that MoveOn takes, but I'm still willing to remind myself that they are part of the political wing of the Progressive movement, and politics means compromise.

That's not an easy balance for me sometimes. I want immediate results and I'm impatient. I don't want to compromise on issues that are so clear to me, such as the need for transparent elections and not instigating wars of choice.

I just have to believe that compromise is improvement, and sometimes it's a small step that's necessary to achieve the ultimate goal.

I don't have to like it though.