The 50 Year Strategy: A New Progressive Era

November/December 2007 Issue, 2007
The 50 Year Strategy: A New Progressive Era

Today's progressives face a political opportunity as great as any seen since. The election of
2006 may well have marked the end of the conservative ascendancy that began with the election of
Ronald Reagan in 1980. George W. Bush now has the potential to do what Herbert Hoover did in the 1920s—tarnish his party's brand for a generation or more.

As in FDR's day, a new media is emerging, one that will ultimately replace the broadcast model
of the 20th century. A new American populace is emerging, led by the arrival of the millennial
generation and a new wave of immigrants, particularly Hispanics. And once again, the nation faces
massive challenges—from climate change to health care in the era of biotech and preparing
young people for a global economy. On the eve of the 2008 election, it's worth raising our sights
beyond what it would take for a Democrat to win the presidency, and begin thinking about what it
would take to bring about deeper, more lasting changes. The stars have aligned to give
progressives a chance to permanently shift the conversation about the nation's values. The
question before us now is, Do today's progressives have what it takes to do what FDR and his
allies accomplished 75 years ago—seize the new politics, take on the big challenges, and
usher in a new era?