Pragmatic idealism involves the art of ideological persuasion.
The art of ideological persuasion involves selection and timing. The issue which electrifies today may not tomorrow. The issue which electrifies one part of a potentially broader ideological grouping may have little or no effect on another. Unfortunately, as devotees to a highly individualistic culture, we are often very far apart as to what issues, what values and what achievements we should emphasize. And the pragmatists on the Left exploit our divisions in every way that they can.