It's easy to be down on the Democrats right now. I'm constantly invoking that old adage about Democrats always "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." I can't help it, it's just their track record. But I got a bit of an awakening in the form of an email on a list I subscribe to, filled with real progressives from a cross-section of backgrounds. The author of that message is Mike Lux, and I invited him to join us today to give us a different perspective on how the party works (or doesn't), from the point of view of a progressive working in the trenches. So, today' we'll begin with Mike Lux, and I hope you'll listen with an open mind. After all, consider the alternative to being a Democrat in the US today. It's not an option.