Message to America: Newton's 3rd Law: Why Progressives Should Thank Bush & Rove

June 13, 2007

Newton's 3rd Law: Why Progressives Should Thank Bush & Rove

Aaah, good 'ole Isaac Newton... Now there was a guy who understood politics.

Of course we already know that his "3rd law" is a foundational piece of science: "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." Anyone who's ever studied high school science is familiar with those words and knows what they mean -- if we push on something, that thing will push back. Simple.

But Newton's 3rd law is worth repeating because it transcends science to become a political and spiritual principal as well: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Politically, this means that when one side pushes, another side pushes back. It's the same concept that's perpetuated the Arab/Israeli conflict for generations and it's the same concept for which progressives should give thanks to the Bush/Rove administration.

Shocked? Don't be. After all, we progressives don't exist in a vacuum; we're out there in the real world, in the trenches and working to educate and inform the public (since the mainstream media gave up on that task years ago). And it is - I would argue - precisely because of George W. Bush that progressives finally found our stride: we needed something around which to unify, organize and rally. Yes, yes... progressives have been around for a while, I know. We've seen a nice evolution over the years from abolitionists to reformers to unionizers to new deal supporters to hippies to bloggers and environmentalists.

But the rise and momentum of our current progressive movement mirrors the rise of the Bush administration. We've never been so present, so organized, so visible. That's because this administration's policies on the environment, national security, human rights, international treaties, and the economy have given progressives the focus we needed to band together and give us a focus.

Thank you, Mister President for all of your bumbling, fudging, manipulating, and illegal wire-tapping. You've accidentally given us the greatest gift of all: a cause against which to rally.

Labels: philosophy, politics, science