Bipartisanship

Lizzy & I Back with REAL 100 Days on HuffPost

I’m so glad that Lizzy and I decided to do this project together. It pushes me to look beyond my comfort zone and be a more mature activist and writer. Some progressive friends are disappointed or confused by my zeal for bipartisanship; but it really is a reflection of how sincerely I embraced Obama’s campaign message and his vision for America. We all get one voice, and we can use it strategically to make the world a better place. I am happy that some have carved a niche for themselves as dissenters and plan to hold the Obama Administration accountable to progressive ideals. I am also happy to choose to use my voice to connect with people beyond what divides us. We should each reflect on how we can personally affect change and be the stewards of our own activism, then truly listen to each other. The sum of our dialogues will move the country forward.

We spent a lot of time reflecting on our latest post, and I’m proud of it. Here’s a snip:

“This latest installment of the REAL 100 Days project was difficult for us to write, given the partisan gridlock that yielded the Democrat-backed stimulus package recently passed by the legislature. Ultimately, the political climate reinforced the reasons we decided to collaborate for this column during Obama’s first 100 days in office. With each passing day, the path before us is littered with partisan garbage - and our goal becomes clearer on the horizon line. Meanwhile many journalists, pundits, bloggers and Joe the Plumber have declared the honeymoon is over and are settling in with their popcorn to watch a year of sparring commence. This kind of political laziness is not exactly a surprise. However, it still is not appropriate behavior since we all agree: America is in crisis.

We propose the stimulus debate, or lack thereof, proved beyond a doubt that forward-thinking individuals must join the netroots-driven political realignment happening across America to have meaningful impact. We must challenge each other to frame different approaches to our common future outside of MSM coverage and the petty politics-as-usual sentiments of our quick-to-give-up peers.” READ THE WHOLE POST HERE.

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Discussion

One comment for “Lizzy & I Back with REAL 100 Days on HuffPost”

  1. It’s Lizzy and ME. And I agree we all need to look beyond ideological purity to deal with the general crisis. Good leadership establishes the widest possible common ground.

    Posted by davehart | February 23, 2009, 1:46 pm

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