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On Tuesday, Massachusetts and 12 other states will vote in the presidential primaries. The stakes for our democracy this election season could not be higher.

Removal of the impeached president is essential for progressive Democrats, but even then a functioning progressive democracy is a distant pipe dream unless we also rescue the US Senate from the McConnell Republican majority, maintain the Democratic House majority and, wherever possible, elect Democrats to down-ballot offices in the several states.

Lets also understand that progress in 2020 is a relative term not an absolute, self-defined ideological litmus test.

Democrats must win eight presidential battleground states to attain an Electoral College 270 majority and the presidency. We must also win four of eight Senate battleground states to reclaim the Senate. Must-win battleground states are by definition hotly contested centrist political arenas where independent and swing voters are key.

Although Donald Trump was not on the ballot in the 2018 midterm elections, he asked voters to make that election a referendum on his presidency. Swing and independent voters in more than 40 traditionally Republican districts did just that, crossing over to express their disapproval. As a result, newly elected Democrats accounted for the 2019 House majority and its productive legislative record. Most of those first-year members of Congress courageously voted to impeach the president. They will be maliciously targeted and widely outspent by the Trump campaign in November.

Maintaining the House majority will depend on the reelection of these freshman moderates. Their success, as well as the election of progressive US Senate nominees, will depend in significant part on a positive image of the partys presidential nominee as well as a practical party platform acceptable to independent and centrist swing voters who love our democracy as much as progressives do.

Moderate and pragmatic by disposition, those voters abhor hyperpartisan dysfunctional congressional gridlock and have little regard for far-left or far-right proposals that are unaffordable and have no realistic chance of becoming law any time soon. Drawing these independent and swing voters to the Democratic banner in the must-win battleground districts and states in November will be critical to the election of our next president, the US Senate and House, and thus to the future of our democracy.

The Electoral College landslides of 1964, 1972, and 1984 taught us that party tickets and platforms viewed as too far right or left of centrist mainstream thought can be demonized by the opposition as radically extreme and doomed in the Electoral College.

In those worst cases, nominees for the US Senate and other down-ballot offices felt compelled to run away from or against their national party tickets and platforms in order to get even a respectful hearing from moderate potential constituents. Thats not a formula for down-ballot success.

In past elections, identity politics and ideological purity may have been determining factors in choosing a presidential nominee. But not this year; with the stakes as high as they are, 2020 must be a head over heart election.

Here are three pragmatic questions we progressives must answer before Tuesday:

Which candidate will have the best chance to defeat Trump in the centrist must-win battleground states in November?

Which candidate will be the strongest asset to Democratic Senate and House nominees and to other down-ballot candidates in the must-win battleground states and districts?

Which will, by experience and qualifications, be best prepared to preside and lead America forward, restore a spirit of patriotic unity and a culture of public service committed to decency, civility, inclusion, bipartisanship, constitutional order, and, on Jan. 20, 2021, be held immediately in high esteem, trust, and confidence by other world leaders?

If we exercise our best judgment in answering these questions on Super Tuesday, we will have made a significant contribution to a more hopeful and progressive future for our democracy.

Paul G. Kirk Jr., retired chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is a former US senator from Massachusetts.

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Progressive thoughts for Super Tuesday - The Boston Globe

(Progressive/Facebook photo)

PHOENIX Progressive Insurance is forecasting nationwide growth and new job opportunities for 2020.

Part of that expansion will mean Progressives workforce in Phoenix will grow via 180 new job openings.

The release states that customer sales, service, bilingual Spanish customer sales and service and claims representatives will be among the new jobs available for Phoenicians.

Other cities to be part of of Progressives expansion include Tampa, Nashville, Austin, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Sacramento and St. Petersburg.

New hires are eligible to participate in the companys annual bonus plan according to the release.

Progressive also offers eligible employees medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, as well as four weeks of paid parental leave for moms and dads including same-sex partners, adoptive parents and foster parents.

With total revenues of more than $39 billion, the company intends to hire around 8,000 new employees by years end, according to a press release.

Those interested in learning more can apply online.

Continued here:
Progressive Insurance announces 180 new jobs in Phoenix - KTAR.com

As I was working on another post, I had the realization that the Progressives will never be successful in transforming our country into a Leftist state. Their goals are to create a perfect country run by perfect people to create a perfect future. What they never seem to understand is how deeply flawed their aspirationsand theyare.

First, they are the most nave people among us. No matter how intelligent they are, they have no wisdom. No matter how educated they are, they dont understand human nature. Regardless of their passion for changing the country and everyone else, they are the ones who are incapable of learning deeply and understanding (as James Madison did) the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of human beings.

They think by offering a flawless world that we will all line up behind them. But we only need to look at them to realize the impossibility of their goals. These are people who need to feed off others accomplishments, steal the results of others successes, and are prepared to try to destroy the very elements of human nature that allow us to thrive and grow. It is our diversity, which they celebrate, that forecasts the failure of their dreams.

We have had too much success as a country and as a people for them to enlist or coerce us. We are a country born in freedom with more wealth and opportunity than any country in the world. Why would we give that up?

Most Americans (who arent Progressives) at some level realize the bounties they have realized. They can pursue any job they might desire. They can live anywhere in the country. They can have families of any size. They can travel wherever they choose. They can worship however they wish, in any community they choose, and can change their allegiance at any time.

Progressivism doesnt take into account that Americans, of all the peoples in the world, are incredibly blessed. They dont need to steal from others or give up any of the prospects for their futures. We speak the language of gratitude, opportunity, creativity, possibility, and fulfillment.

Progressives dont have a chance.

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Why Progressives Will Always Fail - Ricochet.com

The campaign to push ward committees to the left represents a broader shift of the political landscape in Boston, according to interviews with political analysts and insiders.

The effort, dubbed Fresh Slate," is trying to harness the grass-roots energy that has grown out of the frustration with national politics a movement that has produced a new swath of elected officials, including US Representative Ayanna Pressley and unleash it at the local level.

I think its the fact that were reaching a boiling point here in the city, of folks just tired of the same-old, same-old, said Segun Idowu, a Hyde Park resident and director of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, an advocacy group for the citys Black community.

Members of the existing ward committees in East Boston and Hyde Park, meanwhile, have teamed up to create their own unity slate, leading to rare local clashes on a ballot that has been overshadowed by the presidential primary.

Voters decide on ward committee members every four years, during a presidential election, and can vote for individual candidates or for a slate of candidates who organize as one team.

Idowu has joined a team of nearly three dozen new candidates looking to represent Ward 18, which includes Hyde Park and parts of Roslindale and Mattapan, saying the party could do more to reflect the neighborhoods values, as opposed to just talking about them.

The team includes local politicians who have already served as flag-bearers for the progressive movement, including City Councilor Michelle Wu, the councils top vote-getter in the last election. She has been mentioned as a potential challenger of Mayor Martin J. Walsh. Shes already a committee member but has joined the new slate of candidates pushing for more diverse representation.

Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, elected to represent the district in November, is also part of the new group. Though his family has been involved in local politics for decades, he believes he would be the first Arroyo to serve on the committee.

Similar campaigns have been mounted in the South End, downtown, and in East Boston.

The effort follows the recent history-making transformation of the City Council from a white, male-dominated panel just a few years ago to a body with its first-ever majority of women and councilors of color. At a time when Boston is grappling with a housing crisis and a transportation mess, the progressive ward candidates say their activism can push city government to act more boldly on reforms.

People are ready to embrace that Boston has shifted, and lets make it shift in more ways, said Rachel Poliner, of the Roslindale and West Roxbury chapter of Progressive Massachusetts. She said the independent growth of the Fresh Slate campaigns in separate neighborhoods shows a citywide desire for change.

Thomas M. Menino, the late mayor, was known to stock ward committees with hand-picked candidates, helping him influence who won local races, such as for district councilors and state representatives.

But newer, progressive candidates have been clashing with the local establishment in recent years, finding committee members to be out of touch.

Arroyo overcame the establishments support of his opponent in the fall election, for instance, and is now the first councilor to represent Hyde Park and not be a member of the committee. Likewise, City Councilor Lydia Edwards shocked the political establishment in East Boston with her first council win just over two years ago. She is also part of the new slate.

Several members of the current committees, including the chairs, welcomed the newfound interest in the committee positions, saying the excitement with local politics is the same reason they got involved. Yet they said they share the same policy visions with the newer progressive candidates. They believe that the new interest is centered more on the frustration with Washington, D.C., politics than on whats happening in Boston.

Anyone who wants to run for office is a good thing, said Rob Consalvo, a former city councilor and Boston Public Schools employee who runs the Ward 18 committee. He said his slate similarly includes locals from every one of the wards neighborhoods, including politicians, business people, and Little League coaches everyone who makes up the civic and social fabric of our community.

I just see it as a sign of people wanting to be involved, be engaged, and have a voice in the representation of their neighborhood, he said.

Claudia Correa, a member of the East Boston ward who also works for the city, agreed, saying the ward committee was the organization she went to when she was looking to get involved in neighborhood politics two decades ago.

Its great to see other peoples platforms its what were advocating for, too, she said. Were advocating for more housing, to have conversations about climate change, to be more diverse when were putting this all together . . . the people on the list represent what were all trying to accomplish here.

But the new candidates cited what they called a history of their committees failing to be truly inclusive of new residents, and often deferring to insiders or an old guard. Several complained that their committees arent active enough, dont promote their agendas, and dont look to excite the party with get-out-the-vote drives or other events.

Brian Gannon, who is behind the new effort in East Boston, identified as Group 2 on the ballot, said he has seen for the first time a movement thats based in the neighborhoods, and not centralized in City Hall.

We just felt [the East Boston committee] wasnt as active and representative of the neighborhood, as inclusive as wed like it to be, and wed like to see more advocacy coming from the ward committee standpoint, Gannon said. Theres a lot of our neighbors that made this a great place to live, and wed be better if we could represent them.

Milton J. Valencia can be reached at milton.valencia@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @miltonvalencia.

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Progressives target the political sausage-making in Boston - The Boston Globe

By Emmy Tiderington

Senator Robert Menendez on Thursday called for an open primary for president in New Jersey, in order to insulate the presidential race from any undue influence on New Jerseys other elections.

That influence, of course, would come from a ballot design uncommon in other states: the county line.

This ballot design feature, which usually allows county party officials to anoint their chosen candidates, suddenly has a major flaw.

The law allows for a candidate at the top of a ticket to align with candidates further down the ballot, which normally helps party-approved candidates. Whats different this year? Progressive candidates have emerged as frontrunners for the Democratic presidential nomination. If these candidates were able to align with down ballot candidates of their choosing, strong support for them here in Junes primary could threaten incumbent freeholders, congressional representatives, and even Menendezs fellow senator, Cory Booker.

That is why the party machine, with Menendez as its spokesperson, is calling for insulation. This time around, they just cannot afford to let people associate their preferred presidential candidates with progressives running against local incumbents.

The irony here is that the county line has long insulated New Jersey politicians from important elements of our electoral system. It insulates voters from having to learn what their representatives stand for. It insulates those representatives from having to explain and defend how they govern. It insulates them from debate. It insulates them from the people.

The county line insulates New Jersey from democracy.

So while some, such as Hudson County Democratic Organization Chair Amy DeGise applaud Senator Menendez for calling for an open primary, we choose to call out his hypocrisy. There can be no line for me, but not for thee.

We should not allow the machine to have its lines and columns when they help their candidates, only to get rid of them when they do not. Menendez is right that the line has undue influence -- not just on this election, but on all elections.

If we want truly open primaries, the best choice, for Menendez, DeGise, and Democratic party officials all over the state, is to end the county line once and for all.

Dr. Emmy Tiderington is a committee member of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and a founding member of the Hudson County Progressive Alliance.

Tiderington says this op ed was also supported by more than 160 individuals, including many on county and local Democratic Committees, and the following groups:

The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.

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Progressive groups in N.J. dont want an open primary just for the presidential race | Opinion - NJ.com