In Search of Progressive America

The era of conservative dominance in the U.S. appears to be stumbling. But is the Left ready to step into the breach? In Search of Progressive America is a collection of ten essays by prominent writers that seeks to address the current state of promise and debate on the portside of U.S. politics.

Nearly every recent poll finds that most voters agree with views historically labeled as liberal: a hike in the minimum wage, government-mandated health insurance for every American, stronger gun control laws, broader sex education programs, laws that would make it easier for unions to organize, and the use of diplomacy instead of war to combat terrorism. But as a conservative presidential administration exits, how can progressives step into the breach?

In Search of Progressive America presents ten essays by journalists, academics, and government insiders that address the current state of promise and debate within the Left in U.S. politics. The political atmosphere that confronts progressives still poses challenges, and the authors propose thoughtful ways to create a new political order by building an inclusive, durable coalition.

The collection covers several of the most significant aspects of American political life. Matthew Yglesias, Andrew Bacevich, and Gary Gerstle offer three sober evaluations of the United States in world affairs and the impact of the world on American minds. Next, Todd Gitlin and Andrew Rich examine the struggle to control the messages of politics, through the mainstream media and think tanks, respectively. Ezra Klein, Dean Baker, Karen Kornbluh, and Nelson Lichtenstein each call for major changes in domestic policy grounded in both history and common sense. Finally, Michael Kazin recalls the era when Christian activists were found more often on the left than on the right and argues that a second coming of religious progressivism might be possible today.

Introduction—Toward a Second Coming?
—Michael Kazin

1. Democrats and the World
—Matthew Yglesias
2. Cultivating Our Own Garden
—Andrew J. Bacevich
3. America's Encounter with Immigrants
—Gary Gerstle
4. Can Media Help the American Left?
—Todd Gitlin
5. Think Tanks and the War of Ideas in American Politics
—Andrew Rich
6. From Incremental to Transformative Change
—Ezra Klein
7. Rebuilding the Welfare State in the United States
—Dean Baker
8. Families Valued
—Karen Kornbluh
9. How Labor Can Win
—Nelson Lichtenstein
10. The Once and Future Christian Left
—Michael Kazin