Setback for progressivism

Last night was not a particularly good one for progressives, as Republicans, many of them Tea Party-backed, surged into the House. Only two years after Obama's election, my optimism and hope for a return to New Deal progressive values (even bordering on moderate socialism) has turned into cynicism for the left on the entire spectrum. My guess is that Americans want to get out of the huge national debt we are in, but they still cling to a hatred for taxation of any kind. A frustrating aspect I see out this is that very view people are talking about the need for social programs and a non-market-driven healthcare option.

People need to realize that deregulation of the market is one of the worst things we could be doing for ourselves at this point. Multinational corporations, who are a large force behind the libertarianism of the Tea Party, do not care for the welfare of American citizens as long as they keep their profit levels at a maximum. Do we really want to put our faith in private institutions that have no responsibility to the populous, just their stockholders? Do we want to shift our priorities to wealth over the common good?

The preamble of the U.S. Constitution says "Promote the general Welfare", let us live up to that and put the "free" market in the back seat for once.