Realizing the Promise: The Meaning of This Moment (Part 1)

By Deepak Bhargava

Source: Center for Community Change

November 5, 2008

“The United States has lived through 40 years of retrenchment in our national government’s commitment to social justice.  We have suffered ugly culture war politics that have targeted the most vulnerable people in our country as scapegoats.  The election results last night, the deteriorating economy, and changes in public mood now create an opening for transformational, progressive change.  History teaches us that such openings are rare, and that we will realize the promise only if there is a dynamic relationship between political leadership and independent, organized movements that extend democratic practice beyond election day into governance.

What is the meaning of this incredible election?  We’re seeing the convergence of several powerful forces that together create the possibility of transformative change: the rise of community organizing principles in our national political life; the dramatic erosion in the ideological standing of free-market fundamentalism; the seeds of a progressive alternative; and the emergence of a new progressive coalition…” Click here to read the full text.