Unity Through Conviction, Not Compromise

by Alex Thompson, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Project 2029

Since co-founding Project 2029, I've been having conversations with Americans across the political spectrum about our organization's approach to policy development and political discourse.

One recurring theme emerges when I speak with progressives—the question of whether we should moderate our positions and use, as one Democrat put it in a recent exchange, "a more neutral lexicon," in our work to develop a progressive platform. The idea seems to be that we can appeal to a broader audience if we feign neutrality rather than take a stand on especially contentious issues, especially when we're on the unpopular side of those issues.

Take immigration, for example. At Project 2029, we believe in comprehensive immigration reform that includes pathways to citizenship, an end to mass deportations, and the dismantling of profit-driven detention facilities because we understand that a nation built by immigrants cannot thrive by criminalizing immigration. There is no reason to remain silent about that, except to win the votes of people who disagree with us.

My question to those in our movement who would seek power through silencing their own convictions is: what happens if it works? What happens if you win only by silencing your deepest convictions? I propose you’ll have won nothing at all.

Here's where we have to be honest—there is no policy position or lexicon that can satisfy every standard of neutrality. Our language appears left-leaning because we are a group of progressives. We're not trying to hide that fact or sanitize it away.

We don't believe the solutions to the problems we face will be found by splitting the difference between opposing points of view. When we talk about student debt cancellation, universal healthcare, or climate action, these aren't positions we arrived at by finding the middle ground between competing interests. They're positions we believe are right based on evidence, values, and the lived experiences of working Americans.

We welcome all people and viewpoints into our movement. We see Americans who want unity, who want solutions that are inclusive and benefit everyone. We share that vision completely. But we disagree that the solution is found through bland compromises that sacrifice our deepest held principles for the appearance of moderation.

We have to fight for what we want. We have to be honest about what we want. And we have to be honest about what we believe. The way to unity is not through patronizing the people we seek to lead with sterilized language that softens the heat of our resolve or the courage we hold for our convictions.

We will win unity through standing up for what we believe, speaking the truth, and never attempting to placate people simply to get their votes. That approach belies a cynicism and contempt for the intelligence of ordinary Americans.

When we say we want to cancel student debt, expand healthcare access, and address climate change, we mean it. We're not going to pretend these are moderate positions when they're not. They're progressive positions that we believe will make life better for all working families.

Unity doesn't require us to water down our convictions. It requires us to fight for those convictions in ways that lift everyone up. That's the kind of movement we're building—one that's honest about its values and unafraid to defend them.