2016-12-05 – Liberals have generally taken a dim view of so-called “states’ rights.” That is because claims of states’ rights have historically been conservative or reactionary.

But there is no a priori reason that states’ rights couldn’t be progressive. We don’t tend to use the lingo, but marriage equality, for example, got its foothold at the state level.

With attacks on the progressive agenda likely to be coming out of Washington for the next few years, wouldn’t it make sense to dig in at the state level?

Of necessity, an effort of this type is going to make the greatest initial headway in red states. But the truth is that blue states are blue because Dems tend to ignore state-level politics. Maybe this is the time to change all that.