What makes this all the more frustrating, of course, is that progressives helped to give Ms. Palin her start; her political career was a natural outgrowth of feminist successes.
Some examples would be the recent primaries in Pennsylvania (where progressives helped Joe Sestak knock off Arlen Specter) and West Virginia (where progressives helped Mike Oliverio beat Allan Mollahan).
And yes, even electing centrists over conservatives in places that are not especially hospitable to progressives helps as well.
On top of that, coordinator Diane Dale explained, Progressive, with help from another local church, turned their ad hoc benevolence ministry into a full-fledged food pantry with regular hours.
But if being progressive means helping the poorest then the Conservatives already have some strong credentials in place.
If debt relief and access to the QE programme are achieved, aides say it will allow the government to forge ahead with progressive policies helping those hardest hit by the crisis.
In an interview on Monday, Ms. Tanden said she hoped "big ideas," both from her organization and other progressives, would help unite the left in the year leading up to the next presidential election.
Over the following decades a succession of strong and progressive governors helped to lead Mississippi from its troubled history as a socially conservative society into a new era of black and white cooperation.
This week, and in the next few weeks to come, progressives can help make Warren's book a central part of the political and economic conversation in this country.
