Press: No, the progressive motion is just not lifeless! 

You probably noticed. After the defeat of the progressive Democrat and Sen. Bernie SandersBernie Sanders Senate Democrats to Garland, “It’s Time to End the Federal Death Penalty” Overnight Health Care: Pentagon Urges All Troops to Get Vaccine by Mid-September | Dems reveal a budget resolution of .5T | Biden Has yet to Appoint New FDA Chief Despite Hillicon Valley Delta Rising: Senate Cryptocurrency Change Blocked | Dems hit Facebook for blocking researchers’ accounts | Thousands oppose Apple’s plan to scan US iPhones for images of child sexual abuse MORE (I-Vt.) Acolyte Nina Turner in the special elections for the 11th district of Ohio, almost every political commentator wrote the same obituary: It is all over for the progressive Democrats. The choice of moderate democrats Joe BidenJoe BidenTwo Florida School Districts Refuse To Allow Students To Unsubscribe From Masked Mandates Senate To Pass A Non-partisan Infrastructure Bill On Money Tuesday: Vacancies Hit Record Highs For Third Straight Month MORE, Eric Adams, Terry McAuliffe and Shontel Brown prove the progressive movement is dead.

When I say “almost” any political commentator, I mean everyone but me. I didn’t write this column for two reasons: First, because I don’t believe it. Second, because it is not true. In fact, I would say exactly the opposite: the progressive movement is stronger today than ever.

Take Ohio 11. It’s true that a progressive Democrat, Nina Turner, lost. But it’s also true that another progressive Democrat, Shontel Brown, won. When it came to topics, there was little difference between Turner and Brown in how quickly to switch to Medicare for All.

This was not a competition between liberals and conservatives. This was a competition between two liberals. Incidentally, that fact alone was of benefit to the progressive movement. The real question in the special elections wasn’t who is more liberal, but who would be a more effective member of Congress? The difference was personality, not politics. Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezOcasio-Cortez says, “I didn’t think I’d just get killed” during the Capitol Uprising Biden stronger to Ohio – and Trump is still ordering the GOP Senate votes to end the debate on the T- End Infrastructure Act MORE (DN.Y.) chose Turner. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (DS.C.) chose Brown and the Congressional Black Caucus backed Brown.

Either way it was a win for the progressives like Rep. Mark PocanMark William PocanLegislators cannot reconcile weakening the SALT cap with progressive goals Overnight Defense: 6 Billion Pentagon Spending Advances | Candidate for Navy Secretary slides through the hearing | Barriers are mounting in the battle to fund the security of the Capitol (D-Wis.), One of the most liberal congressmen and chairman emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, told me. “If you try to read too much into a special election, you don’t understand elections or politics.” What really matters, Pocan says, is politics: “The evidence of the progressive movement lies in the actual politics of the government and Congress is driven forward. “

Indeed, the politics that the Democratic Party is driving today is the politics of the progressive movement. The heart of the party may not be as far to the left as some of its more outspoken progressives like Ocasio-Cortez or Cori Bush (D-Mo.), But it is much further to the left than the party of Bill and Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonBiden Encourages Establishment Democrats with Victory Elections US has opportunity to forge stronger economic ties with Laos. Issues that once divided the Democrats – like the $ 15 minimum wage, Medicare-for-All, a free community college – are now party gospel.

Take a look at the priorities of “moderate” Democrat Joe Biden. By introducing stricter fuel efficiency classes for new cars and trucks and mandating that half of all new cars and trucks be electric by 2030, he took a bold, progressive step to combat climate change last week. Two days earlier, Biden had instructed the CDC to extend a ban on evictions of families at risk of losing their homes due to financial losses related to Covid-19. No “progressive” democrat could have done better.

Biden will soon have another progressive victory: the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill worth $ 1 trillion by the Senate, with new spending of $ 550 to rebuild traditional, stationary infrastructure. Then, with Biden’s full support, the Senate will adopt what is known as the “Human Infrastructure” bill – a $ 3.5 trillion budget package crammed with everything progressives have ever fought for, including: extended family and medical leave; Medicare expanded to include dental, visual and hearing aids; Universal Pre-K; and continuation of the $ 300 per month child tax credit introduced during the pandemic.

Ironically, Biden’s strongest ally is Sanders, the progressives’ grandfather, now chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Biden and Sanders don’t argue about politics. They work together. You have forged a new partnership of progressiveness and pragmatism. No, the progressive movement is not dead. How to get things done has just been discovered.

Press hosts The Bill Press Pod. He is the author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire”.