A short note to my fellow lefties

I would dearly love to pull the US as far to the left as possible. But I'm not a fool.

Please consider the following.

Our so-called president is a Republican.

The Senate is controlled by the Republican Party.

The House of Representatives is controlled by the Republican Party.

The Republican Party is unable to enact any significant legislation.

The Republican Party is at war with itself. There is a sizable contingent of Republicans who are ideologically pure and doctrinaire. If a bill is presented to them that gives them 90% of what they want, they will vote against it. They say that they must pass only those bills that completely fulfill their campaign promises. Compromise is out of the question. As a result, they have achieved none of what they promised.

They have traded 90% for 0%.

It's a bad model.

Now, nobody who knows me would ever accuse me of being a neoliberal. But if my purely progressive object of legislative desire does not have the votes, I will vote with my fellow Democrats for the best bill that can be passed. I will not sit and hold my breath until I turn blue. What good does it do anybody if I do that and we achieve nothing?

My fellow lefties, we mustn't model our behavior on the unsuccessful example of the Freedom Caucus. People are suffering, and we need to do whatever is possible to alleviate that suffering. Don't forget the mission.