Our Work is Now Finally Beginning': Progressives Claim Victory in Midterm Elections

Republicans may have made historical gains in last week's midterm elections, but liberal progressives are the ones now claiming victory.

Look no further than the far-left DC-based Institute for Policy Studies -- the "ideas factory" behind the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). As Speaker Nancy Pelosi is having to give up her Speaker's gavel, IPS is celebrating the fact that nearly all hard-left members of the CPC were re-elected. The notion may seem shocking, but Trevor Loudon of NZ Patriot notes, it's partially true:

While so called "centrist" or moderate democrats lost hugely, the Progressives lost only three members Alan Grayson, John Hall and Phil "don't worry about the Constitution" Hare... [T]his means that Obama and the remaining Democrats now have nothing to lose by pushing hard to the left.

Karen Dolan of the IPS is now encouraging President Obama to "do the right thing through as many Executive Orders as we can present to him."

Did we all miss the news flash? PROGRESSIVES WON! Two significant exceptions are of course the tragic defeat of Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and the sad loss of prinicpled Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). But, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the largest caucus in the House Democratic Caucus at over 80 members, emerged virtually unscathed, losing only three members.

By constrast, the conservative Blue Dog Democratic caucus was more than sliced in half from 54 members to only 26. Further, of the 34 conservative Dems who voted against Obama's Healthcare Reform, a mere 12 won re-election.

Dead weight gone. Good Riddance. The blame for the stalemate to come can now fall squarely where it belongs...on the anti-progressive, anti-democratic, anti-populist Republican members of Congress.

Our work is now finally beginning. The veil of a happy Democratic governing majority is finally lifted. We didn't have it then; We don't have it now. But what we do have now is a more solidly progressive bunch of Dems in Congress and a president presumably less encumbered by the false illusion that playing nice will get him a date with the other team.

Let's thank Grayson, as well as Reps. John Hall (D-NY) Phil Hare (D-IL) for their principled time in office. Let's get Feingold on the ticket as Obama's runningmate in 2012. Let's throw our support unabashedly behind the Congressional Progressive Caucus and let's push Obama to finally do the right thing through as many Executive Orders as we can present to him.

People...Progressives WON!!! Republicans are all over the map. They're a mess and won't be able to wreak the havoc they seek. We should be energized. We must be energized. Too much is at stake. The road ahead isn't so bad as long as we have the big picture and the fighting spirit spurring us on. Progressives will be the heroes in 2012. Let's make Obama one too.

As NZ Patriot warns, don't dismiss the progressive ramblings of IPS -- they seem to have friends in high places these days.  As Loudon notes, IPS is not only a strong voice within the Congressional Progressive Caucus, but has also advised the White House in the past.

"If you want to know what the Democrats will do tomorrow, read what I.P.S. is advocating today," Loudon writes.  After all, it was IPS staffer Chuck Collins who "recommended that Obama appoint communist Van Jones as a "Green Jobs Czar", even before the 2008 election," he concludes.