willing to take a side for the little guy or little woman even though they know it s not easy politically. i wrote the book for the same reason i wear this lapel pin. the mine workers took the canary down in the mines. and the book i wrote for the same reason, to show the power of government can be used to help people, and that s what each of these eight progressive senators did from hugo black to herbert leeman to al gore and kennedy. and you think about the 30s social security was the greatest anti-poverty program in history. and republicans called it socialism. think about the importance of medicare in 65. they called it socialism. it s popular as hell. and all of those things, progressives passed all these. they were short-term victories. they had big victories.