Progressives Ramp Up Congressional Operation

Roll Call reports that the Congressional Progressive Caucus has hired a full-time senior-level staffer "to help better coordinate the group’s message and wield more influence" among Democrats in Congress. The 55-member Progressive Caucus "has tapped Bill Goold, a longtime Capitol Hill aide and former AFL-CIO staffer."

This is a very encouraging step, as it means congressional progressives are preparing to really assert themselves. Lately, "moderate" Democrats have made a bad habit of voting with Republicans on key economic issues while publicly beating up on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D). And while sources may deny the hiring of a full-time staffer is not in response to this, progressives clearly sense the time is ripe to step up, and are now taking concrete steps to do so.