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Published: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 4:38 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 4:38 p.m.

Joe Trippi, the legendary Democratic consultant, is not part of any right-wing cabal. So its noteworthy that when it comes to private school vouchers and charter schools and other forms of parental choice, he says, We should try them all.

Trippi told me this in a recent interview, after describing how he grew up on the wrong side of a school zone, on the side where too many kids joined gangs and dropped out of school. The school board made an exception for him, but only because his mom raised hell. Now hes haunted by those left behind.

I relay Trippis story in response to Daniel Tilsons column, Fight public school privatization. A dominant thread in the piece is a common myth: that parental choice is the brainchild of the radical right.

The truth is, practical concerns of parents are driving the movement, not ideology. But because ideology is warping so much of the debate, I want to address that first.

Tilson is right that many conservatives like parental choice. He references George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Neil Bush, shadowy business interests and the Republican Party of Florida. At least he didnt throw in the Koch Brothers! But the inconvenient truth for this line of argument is growing numbers of progressives like parental choice, too.

President Obama loves charter schools. So does former President Clinton. A few weeks ago, Howard Dean told college students he was now a die-hard for charters because theyre transforming inner city education.

New Jerseys new U.S. Senator, Democrat Cory Booker, unapologetically supports vouchers. So does Mike MCurry, Clintons former press secretary. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren may not, yet, but here is what she said about a universal system of public school choice: An all-voucher system would be a shock to the educational system. But the shakeout might be just what the system needs.

In these polarized times, its nice to see folks from across the political spectrum agreeing on anything. But contrary to Tilsons characterization, progressives have long supported expansion of learning options.

During the civil rights movement, activists established alternatives to segregated, second-rate schools. In the 1960s, liberal intellectuals at Berkeley led the voucher left. The late Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once crafted a tuition tax credit measure that garnered 50 co-sponsors, including Sen. George McGovern and 23 other Democrats. In a fortuitous twist, parental choice dovetails as much with progressive values of equal opportunity as with conservative values of limited government.

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Ron Matus: Progressives are embracing school vouchers

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 27. Sanders, who has said he may run for president in 2016, is scheduled to attend an event in Iowa this month. (AP)Progressives in Iowa seem happy to have received word that Vermont's U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is taking his exploration of running for president seriously as news this week surfaced that he'll be traveling to the state later this month to attend a high-profile political event.

According to reports, Sanders will be the keynote speaker on May 17 at the 'Hall of Fame Dinner' hosted by the Clinton County Democrats in the town of Goose Lake, Iowa. The event, which honors local political activism, is described as the group's largest social event and fundraiser of the year.

Sanders made headlines earlier this year when he gave interviews to several national news outlets and said he was seriously considering a run for president in 2016 and called for the need for "political revolution" in the country.

Responding news of the upcoming visit, Jeff Cox, a member of the local Progressive Democrats of America chapter and former chair of the Johnson County Democrats, said he was thrilled, telling the Sioux City Journal that Sanders represents the kind of New Deal Democratic approach to economics that has been lost to the Democratic Party, particularly under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

The Iowa group of Progressive Democrats, in fact, is holding its first "Draft Bernie Sanders for President" campaign event Thursday night in Iowa City.

Similar to many others at the national level, Cox described a possible run by Sanders as an important challenge from the left to the likely candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

Like Obama now, indicated Cox, Clinton is too closely tied to Wall Street interests and, if elected, would likely continue noxious foreign policies such as the "drone war," "assassinations" abroad, and holding people indefinitely "without due process."

Nationally, the Progressive Democrats of America is actively lobbying for Sanders to run for president inside the Democratic Party as a way to challenge Clinton and others. Currently, though officially an Independent in the Senate and known as the chambers only confessed democratic socialist, Sanders caucuses with the Democratic majority.

This weekend, Sanders is scheduled to attend a memorial service in Massachusetts for Tim Carpenter, co-founder of the Progressive Democrats of America, who recently passed after a battle with cancer.

In a March interview with The Nation's John Nichols, Sanders said he was interested in what progressives at the grassroots level thought about his running inside or outside the Democratic Party. He acknowledged the potential upside and possible pitfalls related with both paths.

See the article here:
Progressives Welcome Iowa Visit for Bernie Sanders

TRUTH NOT THE PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESSIVES AGENDA
TRUTH NOT THE PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESSIVES AGENDA http://raymondahoward.com #39;See the post here #39; The truth is not the philosophy of progressives agenda: The nat...

By: raymond howard

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TRUTH NOT THE PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESSIVES AGENDA - Video

Joan Rivers vs. The Progressives
Doshmyr, GoZepp, and Motang take on progressives in a house of horror and liberals in Outlast.

By: DoshmyrandGonzalo

See more here:
Joan Rivers vs. The Progressives - Video

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 27. Sanders, who has said he may run for president in 2016, is scheduled to attend an event in Iowa this month. (AP)Progressives in Iowa seem happy to have received word that Vermont's U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is taking his exploration of running for president seriously as news this week surfaced that he'll be traveling to the state later this month to attend a high-profile political event.

According to reports, Sanders will be the keynote speaker on May 17 at the 'Hall of Fame Dinner' hosted by the Clinton County Democrats in the town of Goose Lake, Iowa. The event, which honors local political activism, is described as the group's largest social event and fundraiser of the year.

Sanders made headlines earlier this year when he gave interviews to several national news outlets and said he was seriously considering a run for president in 2016 and called for the need for "political revolution" in the country.

Responding news of the upcoming visit, Jeff Cox, a member of the local Progressive Democrats of America chapter and former chair of the Johnson County Democrats, said he was thrilled, telling the Sioux City Journal that Sanders represents the kind of New Deal Democratic approach to economics that has been lost to the Democratic Party, particularly under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

The Iowa group of Progressive Democrats, in fact, is holding its first "Draft Bernie Sanders for President" campaign event Thursday night in Iowa City.

Similar to many others at the national level, Cox described a possible run by Sanders as an important challenge from the left to the likely candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

Like Obama now, indicated Cox, Clinton is too closely tied to Wall Street interests and, if elected, would likely continue noxious foreign policies such as the "drone war," "assassinations" abroad, and holding people indefinitely "without due process."

Nationally, the Progressive Democrats of America is actively lobbying for Sanders to run for president inside the Democratic Party as a way to challenge Clinton and others. Currently, though officially an Independent in the Senate and known as the chambers only confessed democratic socialist, Sanders caucuses with the Democratic majority.

This weekend, Sanders is scheduled to attend a memorial service in Massachusetts for Tim Carpenter, co-founder of the Progressive Democrats of America, who recently passed after a battle with cancer.

In a March interview with The Nation's John Nichols, Sanders said he was interested in what progressives at the grassroots level thought about his running inside or outside the Democratic Party. He acknowledged the potential upside and possible pitfalls related with both paths.

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Iowa Visit for Bernie Sanders Perks Progressives