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We do not live by facts. Some people may think they do, but they dont. They live by values. It is values that direct our actions; facts merely tell us how to get where we want to go. Whether we should provide healthcare access to all, or just to those who can afford it, is a values question (and the correct value answer is to all). But whether our country can afford to provide healthcare access for all is a fact question (and the fact is that yes, we can). Those who say that we cannot afford it are ignoring the real facts because they dont want to acknowledge those facts. Their real issue is that they follow a different value system, but they usually prefer not to say so out loud, so they pretend to use facts.

Now, because those people dont really care about facts, it may seem that using facts against them is a waste of time. But this is a mistaken conclusion; facts still matter in the United States (and the rest of the civilized world), and even though having the facts on your side doesnt guarantee an easy victory, it certainly helps, since most people will go along with facts that have enough evidence behind them. (See Galileo, Semmelweis, and/or Wegener.) Even though Republicans are banking heavily on that no longer being true, America still tends to be a mostly fact-based society, where the difficulties have more to do with persuading people what the facts really are, rather than persuading them to use facts in the first place.

But as we stress the importance of facts in making decisions, it is important to remember that facts apply equally to both sides. There is no such thing as a liberal fact or a conservative fact. Liberal and conservative values are different, but facts are the same for everybody. Therefore, if the facts turn out to contradict a Progressive idea, then Progressives must be prepared to adjust or abandon that idea, so that they dont do the very thing that they (rightly) accuse Conservatives of doing.

As an instructive example, lets consider a major Progressive mistake: reforming the teaching of reading in public schools.

There have long been two general methods for teaching children how to read. The traditional method is usually called phonics. The other method is variously described as look-say or whole word or whole language. Through most of the 1800s in the United States the phonics method dominated, although there were some teachers who used the alternate method. But by the early 1900s many leading educational reformers (i.e. Educational Progressives) were strongly arguing that look-say produced better results. That is, children who were taught with the look-say method were able to read better, and, more importantly, they learned to read with better comprehension. Eventually this view came to dominate American public education. In 1930 the best-known product of the look-say revolution was published: the famous Dick and Jane reading books. The Progressive victory seemed complete.

But then. . .well, I wont recount here the history of the phonics wars between Progressives and Traditionalists, except to say that a war erupted, and it dragged on for years. But the important point, as far as facts are concerned, is that in 1967 a Harvard professor, Dr. Jeanne Chall, published a comprehensive book that described the available research on the effectiveness of the competing methods of reading instruction, and concluded that the phonics method (which she called decoding) was unquestionably the more effective method. In 1983 she published a follow-on book that concluded even more strongly than before that decoding produced not only better rote reading but also produced better comprehension. The facts were in, and they were conclusive. The reformers were wrong.

And that should have been the end of the war. Well, in some ways it was, but there still remained some people who clung to the whole word method despite the evidence that proved beyond doubt that it was not the better method. But, ironically, they were now the Conservatives who had become accustomed to a particular point of view and were now unwilling to move on from it. The point is that even in Progressive circles there are some who cling to an idea that they like even if the facts dont support it. And if that is wrong when Conservatives do it, then it is equally wrong when Progressives do it. If we are going to call ourselves fact-based, then we have to live it, not just say it.

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Progressives, as much as Conservatives, ought to adjust their ideas to fit actual facts - Daily Kos

Progressives are facing backlash over their initial responses to the attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, revealing the degree to which they’re at odds with others in the Democratic caucus over the issue.

Members of the Squad such as Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) took heat from fellow Democrats this week over statements criticized for being too tepid in the wake of the violent attacks against Israeli civilians. 

Meanwhile, after mounting pressure, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned the “bigotry and callousness” at a pro-Palestinian rally aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in New York City.

The condemnation directed at certain segments of the left underscores the fissures within the Democratic Party when it comes to Israel. It also suggests progressives will have to navigate an increasingly difficult political environment in which they will be expected to unequivocally support Israel’s right to exist while also advocating for Palestinian rights. 

“The challenge is to continue to respond, as I think a lot of progressive members have already done … to acknowledge the common humanity of all of us, of both people,” Matt Duss, a former senior foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), told The Hill.

“We’re going to be getting to a moment where some people are going to be required to show real courage and take a page from Congresswoman Barbara Lee in the wake of 9/11,” said Duss, referring to the California progressive’s vote against the invasion of Afghanistan.

“To say, let’s think about this a little bit. We could be starting something that we’re not quite ready for, quite sure about,” he said.

Bush and Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, were among the most harshly criticized in the immediate aftermath of the initial wave of attacks in Israel. Tlaib suggested withholding United States support to fund Israel’s “apartheid government,” a comment that infuriated fellow lawmakers who found it offensive as the death toll continued to rise. She also categorized the terrorist attack as part of a “resistance” effort. 

Bush, an equally outspoken House progressive, echoed Tlaib’s sentiments.

Some voices on the left saw their public remarks as appropriate calls for de-escalation that recognized the plight of both sides. They argued for an acknowledgment of suffering among civilians in both camps and denounced Hamas as a terrorist organization.

“Rep. Tlaib and Rep. Bush both issued statements that mourned the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives, and then said we need to address the root causes of violence to get to peace, and they are now being attacked,” said Beth Miller, the political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, a progressive Jewish group.

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But others in the party were enraged by the statements. Some of the Democratic caucus’s most pro-Israel members, including Reps. Ritchie Torres (N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), expressed their full disapproval.

“Shame on anyone who glorifies as ‘resistance’ the largest single-day mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust,” Torres said, calling the statement “reprehensible and repulsive.”

The mounting pushback came as Israelis publicly mourned the severity of the ambush as videos showing the atrocities — many of them inflicted on women and children — spread across social media.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the attack by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, had left more than 1,200 Israelis dead, starting a war in which more than 2,300 people have been killed in total. The U.S. government said that 22 U.S. citizens had been killed in the conflict, and 17 were still unaccounted for.

In a sign of the growing pressure on progressives, Ocasio-Cortez earlier this week criticized the DSA-aligned rally in New York City’s Times Square, a stance that came after she was chided for supporting a ceasefire.

The rally, which was held in support of Palestinians, drew swift rebukes from leaders across the political spectrum. Ocasio-Cortez, whose district is not far from where the protests were held, eventually released a statement condemning it.

“The bigotry and callousness expressed in Times Square on Sunday were unacceptable and harmful in this devastating moment,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement reported by Politico. “It also did not speak for the thousands of New Yorkers who are capable of rejecting both Hamas’ horrifying attacks against innocent civilians as well as the grave injustices and violence Palestinians face under occupation.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing for the basis of the impeachment inquiry of President Biden on Thursday, September 28, 2023.

The clash between DSA affiliates and its usual allies such as Ocasio-Cortez highlights the delicate nature of the issue and its evolution on the left. While Democrats are reliable allies of Israel, the party has seen cracks in its support, as many on the progressive left have also pushed for Palestinian rights.

Duss said conversations are already happening between progressive lawmakers and outside advocates about addressing the conflict in a constructive and nuanced way — a potential uphill battle given the severity of the situation on the ground. 

“This horror is very fresh. We’re still learning more about this hour by hour. It keeps getting more awful,” he said. “I do think people are thinking about ways to talk about this in the most constructive way possible.”

“Even in ‘normal’ times, this is a difficult discussion to have. It is far more difficult now for obvious reasons,” Duss added.

Sanders, who is Jewish and has sometimes clashed with pro-Israel Democrats, released a statement Wednesday addressing the conflict. He said Hamas committed a “terrorist assault on Israel” that could have “horrific short- and long-term consequences.” 

His position — which included a reference to “justice for the Palestinian people” and called Israel’s tactics in response to the attack “a serious violation of international law” — went further than others in the Senate.

“Longer term, this attack is a major setback for any hope of peace and reconciliation in the region — and justice for the Palestinian people. For years, people of good will throughout the world, including some brave Israelis, have struggled against the blockade of Gaza, the daily humiliations of occupation in the West Bank, and the horrendous living conditions faced by so many Palestinians,” the Vermont senator wrote. 

Some progressive Jewish activists say Capitol Hill Democrats should formally emphasize de-escalation and are looking to members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the top body of elected liberals in the House, to lead the way.  

“It has never been so important that we fight harder, because it just got a lot steeper,” said Miller, whose group is in regular communication with lawmakers. “And that means we need to be louder.”

Blurring the lines further among the left flank, other progressive officeholders offered staunch support for Israel.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) went further than other Senate progressives for Israel, with Warren tearing up while discussing the devastating losses and Fetterman making it clear that he is in support of Israel “neutralizing the terrorists responsible for this barbarism.”

Meanwhile, many Democrats applauded President Biden’s speech Tuesday, in which he called the Hamas terrorist attack “pure, unadulterated evil” and reconfirmed his administration’s unwavering support for Israel.  

In progressive circles, there is also hope that he and the administration will also acknowledge the struggles of Palestinians and are pushing for a conversation around de-escalation both in Congress and on Pennsylvania Ave. It’s their goal for that discussion to happen sooner than later.

“I understand you want to show complete support and sympathy for the Israelis,” said Duss, who added that the severity of the moment means the president should speak to the full depth of his country’s diversity. 

“This is a president who has taken important steps to address issues of racial injustice and equality. I think a lot of progressives just want him to extend that to foreign policy,” he said.

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Progressives face backlash over response to Israel attacks - The Hill

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two fellow NYC progressives are among 13 congressional Democrats who are pushing a resolution calling for a ceasefire and de-escalation between Israel and Hamas.

As Israel prepares to launch a ground assault on Gaza, Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Nydia Velzquez joined in backing the one-page resolution calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

The group, which includes some of the staunchest supporters of the Palestinian cause, demanded the White House work to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and allow humanitarian relief to enter the beleaguered Gaza strip.

We all know collective punishment of Palestinian is a war crime, said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), another co-sponsor of the resolution, the first woman of Palestinian descent in Congress. The answer to war crimes can never be more war crimes.

The measure strikes a very different tone from two earlier congressional measures that sought to address the deadly conflict that erupted after Hamas terrorists killed hundreds of Israelis in the bloodiest attack on the Jewish state in decades.

The first bipartisan resolution introduced by Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks and Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, was designed to express support for Israel after the terror attacks.

The U.S. stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists, said that measure, which did not even mention Palestinian civilians.

Nearly 3,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israeli retaliatory attacks, even before an expected ground assault.

A second congressional letter that was signed by nearly 100 Democratic members of the progressive caucus called for Israel to show restraint and to respect humanitarian law in Gaza.

But it pointedly avoided calling for a ceasefire.

The new letter has attracted support from only the handful of strident critics of Israel, like Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman.

The calls for an end to the violence may increase as hospitals in Gaza faces collapse and supplies of water, power food and medicine run out.

Fears are also rising that the conflict could spread to other parts of Israel and the occupied West Bank.

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AOC and two fellow NY progressives back formal plea for ceasefire ... - New York Daily News

The English historian Timothy Garton Ash spent Sunday in Warsaw with friends as they voted in Polands most important election since 1989. Back then, one said, her dominant emotion had been hope. This time it was fear.

So what? Whisper it or shout it from the rooftops, depending on your confidence level but Polands voters have channelled that fear into a stunning tactical win for progressives that denies the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) a majority and creates a path to the prime ministers residence for Donald Tusk.

Tusks Civic Platform and its allies are positioned to form a new coalition with a little over half the seats in parliament, on a historic 74 per cent turnout that saw long queues at polling stations and more under-29s voting than over-60s.

There are caveats (see below), but as things stand Sundays vote was

Confounding. The emergence of anti-democratic politics in what were supposed to be the enthusiastic new democracies of post-Soviet Eastern Europe has been confounding for older EU members and for Brussels. Theyve proved largely powerless to stop populists lying, abusing the institutions of state and pandering to nativism for the sake of power. The trend has been most exaggerated in Hungary (pop. 9.7 million), but most dangerous in Poland (pop. 38 million).

Capture. Under Jarosaw Kaczyski, the PiS has systematically re-staffed and repurposed key bastions of Polish democracy for its own purposes. Its stacking of the judiciary with politically compliant judges has been comprehensively documented and reported. Outcomes include a de facto abortion ban and LGBT-free zones covering a third of the country.

Less widely understood outside Poland has been the PiSs capture of

Charisma. Tusk is a Blairite figure who started on the centre-right rather than the centre-left but earned a second act in politics by articulating the hopes and frustrations of Polands pro-EU urban middle class.

Prime minister from 2007-14 and President of the European Council from 2014-19, hes as popular in the cities as he is loathed in the PiSs eastern rural heartland. Change for the better is inevitable, he told huge, cheering crowds in Warsaw two weeks ago. That was true only if voters agreed Kaczyskis co-opting of the state had to stop. It seems they did nudged by the EU.

Cash. A promise of up to 35 billion in EU funds withheld because of Kaczyskis assault on the rule of law has added rocket fuel to Tusks campaign.

Caveats. That money will take time to be disbursed, and wont materialise at all if Tusk cant form a coalition. Kaczyski, still leader of Polands single biggest party, will likely be given the first chance and none other than Lech Walesa, founder of Solidarity, warned yesterday Kaczyski would come up with something rather than cede power.

And yet PiSs only potential coalition partner on the far right has said it isnt interested. Tusk by contrast has partners lined up to his left and on the centre-right. Theyre smiling in Warsaw, and the sound of autumn winds in Brussels and Kyiv could be sighs of relief.

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James Harding is joined from Jerusalem by journalist Noga Tarnopolsky and hears from Yousef Hammash, the Norwegian Refugee Councils advocacy officer in Gaza.

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Poland's voters turn fear into a stunning win for progressives - Tortoise - Tortoise Media

These devastating attacks on Israelis are deeply alarming and my heart breaks for the victims & their loved ones, Pressley wrote this weekend on the X social media platform. We need an immediate ceasefire & de-escalation. It is long past time to stop this cycle of violence & trauma, and work toward a just & lasting peace in the region.

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Markey issued a similar statement. Then, at a Boston rally in support of Israel on Monday, he called for a deescalation of the current violence. The pro-Israel crowd loudly booed for nearly a minute.

Representative Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat, said Tuesday that the concern for the Palestinian people is appropriate but that calls by some progressives for deescalation are out of place given the scope of the Hamas attacks.

Did they call for a deescalation of violence after 9/11? he said. Now, look, in the long run, of course, we want the deescalation of violence. Thats what everyone wants. We want peace in the Middle East.

Moulton said its not difficult to simultaneously question some of Israels past actions in dealing with Palestinians blockaded in the Gaza Strip while also condemning Hamas terrorism. But, he added, This is no time for moral ambiguity.

I think there are some lawmakers who are thinking of this politically and not morally because there is no moral defense for what Hamas is doing, Moulton said.

Markey was not available to comment but a spokesperson shared his full remarks at the rally, which began in part, We stand with Israel. Israels people have the right to live in their rightful homeland, free from fear, free from violence.

In a statement Tuesday night, Pressley spokesperson said, The Congresswoman strongly and unequivocally condemns the horrific attack Hamas perpetrated, which has claimed the lives of Israeli families, children and elders. ... She believes Israel has a right to defend its citizens and that protecting Israeli, American, and Palestinian civilians in the region should be a priority right now.

Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy, a left-leaning policy think tank, said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a difficult issue to talk about even in normal circumstances. The horrific attack by Hamas makes it even more so with emotions so raw.

Look at the statements from progressive members of Congress and they show great sympathy and support for Israel and shock at these attacks, said Duss, who was a longtime foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent.

Many of them also acknowledge that the Palestinians have been suffering under blockade and occupation . . . and Id completely reject the idea that showing sympathy for the Palestinians and support for their rights comes at the expense of support for Israel, or its peoples rights.

Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts unambiguously condemned the attacks. There is no justification for this violence, and innocent people on both sides will suffer hugely because of it. It must end now, Sanders wrote on X. Warren posted a similar statement on Saturday and reiterated it at the Boston rally.

But some activists have gone further than progressives in Congress and that has led to pushback. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive New York Democrat, publicly condemned comments made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City on Sunday, where The New York Times reported people cheered the attacks on Israel.

The bigotry and callousness expressed in Times Square on Sunday were unacceptable and harmful in this devastating moment, Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. It also did not speak for the thousands of New Yorkers who are capable of rejecting both Hamas horrifying attacks against innocent civilians as well as the grave injustices and violence Palestinians face under occupation.

There was similar blowback to a joint statement Saturday from a coalition of Harvard student groups that said the Israeli government was entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.

Moulton and Representative Jake Auchincloss, both Harvard graduates and military veterans, criticized the statement.

Auchincloss, a Newton Democrat, called it morally depraved and in an interview Tuesday criticized the Harvard administration for not condemning it and voicing support for Israel. Later Tuesday, Harvard president Claudine Gay condemned what she called the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.

This issue should not be hard to talk about, Auchincloss said. Terrorists dragged Jews from their houses and executed them. If you cant fully, forcefully, and unequivocally condemn that, then your own belief system needs to be examined.

Auchincloss also attended the Monday rally on Boston Common, where he drew cheers for telling the crowd now is not the time for equivocation. He declined on Tuesday to criticize Markey for his comments.

Obviously we had slightly diverging statements, but what I heard from Senator Markey overall . . . is that the United States should stand together and Ive also seen him vote to support Iron Dome, Auchincloss said. He cited near unanimous support from congressional Democrats for Israel, although Pressley and seven other House Democrats voted in 2021 against funding for the nations Iron Dome missile defense system. Ocasio-Cortez voted present.

I think its a mistake to try to spin this narrative of Democrats divided over Israel, Auchincloss said.

Representative Bill Keating, a Bourne Democrat who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also downplayed any divisions in the delegation or the party overall in Congress.

Its a big tent party. This is not uncommon to have a difference of opinion on controversial issues. Thats the nature of the Democratic Party, he said. I think the vast majority of our party is behind President Biden and his actions thus far.

Biden, a longtime staunch supporter of Israel, was unequivocal in his support Tuesday.

In this moment we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure [they] have what it needs to respond to this attack, he said at the White House. Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond, indeed has a duty to respond to these vicious attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his nations military would hit Hamas with a might and scale that the enemy has not yet known. Israel began launching a barrage of airstrikes over the weekend and executed what it called a complete siege of Gaza that included cutting off electricity, food, water, and fuel.

But Duss said Israel should not be given unqualified support and pointed to past polls showing Democratic voters have grown more sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people. A Gallup Poll released in March found that 49 percent of Democrats said their sympathies were more with the Palestinians and 38 percent were more with the Israelis. The support for the Palestinians represented an 11 point increase from a year earlier.

I think you certainly see a growing constituency in the party and in Congress who believe the United States needs to take care of the rights and security and dignity of Palestinians as well as Israelis, he said. And I would say that is not one at the expense of the other.

Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at jim.puzzanghera@globe.com. Follow him @JimPuzzanghera.

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Some progressives split with Biden and the Democrats on ... - The Boston Globe