MaxSPEAKS!!

My buddy Max Sawicky over at MaxSpeak nails several of the differences between what he describes as "Clinton progressives" and "paleo-lefties."

Being an economist, he focuses on the differences in economic policy. I think it's one of the best descriptions of the divide on the Left that I have read. Max's illustration of the objections many of us on the Left had to the Clinton era (juxtaposing NAFTA and Clinton's Health Care Reform) is perfect. The bottom line, Clinton advocated for good and bad policies. Unfortunately, the negative impact of his bad policies (e.g. NAFTA) surpass by miles the positive impact of his good policies (e.g. raising the minimum wage).

As we head into the 2008 presidential season, these issues are going to lurk under the surface. It saddens me that they will never get the kind of treatment they deserve except by people like Max. But these differences are VERY real and VERY important.

This doesn't have much to do with Senator Feingold. I'm not 100% where he stands on all these issues. I'm also sure his candidacy will be besieged with coverage of his stand on the Patriot Act, the NSA wiretapping and withdrawing from Iraq. That's ok, 'cause he's good on all those issues. But I hope he will seek to reverse the trend President Clinton started, and Gore and Kerry followed, where Democrats propose the business-friendly stuff first, then later (like an afterthought) they propose the worker-friendly stuff.

To paraphrase Langston Hughes: Let Democrats Be Democrats Again!