The Instantiation of Progressive Frames is a Long-Term Project

Story:
Today I read an article in The American Lawyer titled “Who Killed the Mass Torts Bonanza?” The article charted the erosion of the civil justice system from the first attacks against it in the seventies to the most recent legislation that has hobbled the ability of citizens to seek redress for civil wrongs in a court of law.

Those who were involved in this process took the long view. Despite the frequent inability of conservatives to understand systemic causation in relation to the misfortunes of individuals, those in the “tort reform” movement had a very sophisticated understanding of the web of systemic causes that would be necessary to change the minds of citizens and undermine the civil justice system. They wrote scholarly articles. They involved the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They did dozens of things and they did them over and over. Thirty years after the “tort reform” movement began, America is now a country where being a successful plaintiff against a corporation often requires that the plaintiff is another corporation.

We all want to see political and social progress in 2007 and 2008. We all want a thoroughly progressive Congress and President in 2009. But we have to embrace the reality that the instantiation of the deep frames required to move America in a solidly progressive direction will require long-term strategy, persistence, and patience.