Why form a Progressive People's Coalition?

With the advent of another establishment figurehead leading the Democratic Party, it is more important than ever for we Progressives to question the path we are being led down. As has been the case, Progressives are again being told to take a back seat, sit down and shut up. Yes Tom Perez, former Obama labor secretary, a surrogate of the Clinton/Obama neoliberal establishment, has won the DNC chair over a Progressive lite, Keith Ellison. Never mind, that the most progressive DNC candidate, Sam Ronan, did not pick up a single vote, despite being the most honest and promising of the candidate choices to lead the DNC. So it follows that millions continue to leave the Democratic Party. The tent is indeed collapsing on itself. We as Progressives must decide, once and for all, if we will be among the casualties when it comes crashing down.

Some of us believe we should transform the Party from within, via Justice Democrats, Our Revolution and Brand New Congress. Others believe we should join the Green Party. Still others believe we should draft Bernie Sanders into the nascent People's Party. And yet still, many others are scattering commitments among a thousand different "new" parties and groups. We all have in common the instinct to destroy the establishment party, whether from within, at a distant, or from outside. What we do not share in common is the direction we should go. And though our goal is to unravel, extinguish and weaken the establishment, we instead have split up, weakened ourselves and made potential obstacles to one another. We all agree on the mission but few of us agree on how to get there.

Through time, each of our groups will grow our attachments. As midterms arrive, yes next year, 2018, each of us will be convinced, as committing oneself to something can do this, our way is the way to go. Some supporting a Justice Democrat candidate, some a Green Party candidate and some an alternative candidate. Anyone can see this will split the vote. Unlike the Presidential Election, splitting the vote across Progressives, who essentially agree on 75%-80% of the time on the major issues, is not only unwise but foolish. Particularly at this time in our history. The Republican Party is but 5 Gubernatorial seats away from gaining a Constitutional majority. Why is this significant you ask? Once the Republican party holds the party majority in 38 states, that is 38 Governors nationwide they then will gain the power to amend the US Constitution. Can we say one wall up, another down?; Trump's wall up, the wall between Church and State down? And oh yes, that will only be the beginning of the things they will like to do. So yes this is serious business. Our egos will become entrenched through time into our selected paths and this unwillingness to relinquish our need to attach to our identities; Justice Democrats, Green Party, Progressive Independent Party, etc, will be our undoing. We will potentially be set back to 1850.

This is why we must heed the wisdom of one of our greatest US Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, who said "a house divided against itself cannot stand." And we know what Abraham Lincoln had to do to keep the Union together. Yes, civil war may indeed be the only way to undo what has been done if we are unwilling to recognize the one thing that can save us. That one thing is a commitment to build and grow a Progressive Coalition. The days of Party affiliation and identity must end if we are to have the numbers to overcome the obstacles that lay before us. And it is no exaggeration to say the horizon is bleak, dark and foreboding, now is not the time to go it alone. We must huddle together and face the storm that has surrounded us now. Join us here by subscribing and on Youtube at Progressive People's Coalition. Our goal is to grow in the millions. And as a group we will vote on the candidate of our choice, at the local, state and national levels. As a voting block we will be unstoppable. Divided we lose, United we win! Let the winning begin!

Joshua Souldar, Founder of PPC & Host of Youtube channel PPC