I’m back

After a long time off from the blog, I’m back.

I spent the time I usually use to write this blog to dive deeply into researching what I set up as the essential question of this blog: What are liberalism and the progressive movement all about?

I’ve come up with some answers. I haven’t refined all of my thoughts or language, but I decided to start posting anyway and see how things shake out from there.

First, credit where it’s due and a hearty thanks. Several authors have published books in the last three or four years exploring modern liberalism. I’m indebted to them all, and you’ll often see their language pop up in my writing about liberalism. As a kind of reading list, here they are:

“Why We’re Liberals”, Eric Alterman
“Reason”, Robert Reich
“A Liberal Tool Kit”, David Coates
“Stand Up, Fight Back”, E.J. Dionne
“Return of the ‘L’ Word”, Douglas Massey
“The Conscience of a Liberal”, Paul Krugman

And five more that I recommend the most:

“The Political Brain”, Drew Westen
“Thinking Points”, George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute
“Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight!”, Robert Creamer
“Being Right Is Not Enough”, Paul Waldman
“Framing the Future”, Bernie Horn

I’ve written before about how liberalism and the progressive movement have arrived a rare moment in time when they can seize the initiative in national and world affairs. The morals, values, ideas, and arguments laid out in these books will help to point the way.