Given the closeness of the margins, these stand-offs will extend beyond the final vote count into the next four years. We must not be spectators to these stand-offs. We can and must use them to our full advantage to press forward with a populist and progressive policy agenda that seeks to answer the shared economic security concerns of working Americans. The 2000 election has created the context and the imperative for progressives to move forward not in defense, but rather in aggressive assertion of our policy goals, visions, and specific proposals. We can begin with a few basic precepts.
Government is a vital outcome and a prerequisite of democracy.
No government means no democracy. The primary role of government is to open up opportunities for people and guarantee a floor of economic security for all citizens. Government opens doors for Americans who play by the rules. Government is the most important arena for citizens to have a voice in creating the kind of society in which they want to live. Democratic governance rests upon a trust in the citizenry, and a populist impulse.