What Progressives Don’t Understand About Obama

I shared the link What Progressives Don’t Understand About Obama by Ishmael Reed in the December 11, 2010 New York Times, and I commented:

Be that as it may, whatever factors edge the Obama administration rightward, the responsibility of progressives is to convince and organize public opinion to edge it leftward, toward democracy, civil and human rights, the common good, less imperialism, prudent and sensible regulation of corporations and financiers, protection of workers' right to organize unions, public single payer health insurance, and so on.

Obama is a pragmatist. He'd be more progressive if convinced by an organized mass movement that that would be pragmatic. An organized mass movement starts in our home communities with whatever opportunities for organizing are there within whatever time one can budget.