Not for the first time the Progressive of the Year may be a surprise to some. It certainly requires a bit of outside the box thinking. He is not even an American. I certainly don’t know if he would consider himself to be a progressive. All that said, he more than anyone else in 2022, was the most ardent defender of democracy and if that isn’t the core value of a progressive, I don’t know what is.
Tellthetruthonthem.com’s 2022 Progressive of the Year is Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. Since February 22, 2022 he literally risked his life to defend it and, in the process, inspired a nation. On that date Russia invaded Ukraine. Anyone who doubted that Zelenskyy, especially in the early days, was Russia’s number one target simply hasn’t been paying attention. I was among the majority who expected Zelenskyy to flee Kiev setting up a government in the Western part of the country or in exile in Poland. I was among the many who underestimated his courage the likes of which haven’t been seen since Winston Churchill during the Blitz.
Compare that with the courage of our former president Donald Trump who fled to an underground bunker when he learned that several Black people were a few blocks from the White House. Hey, who knows they might have been armed with tomatoes.
This article is being written about six weeks ahead of publishing and at this point my biggest Ukraine related fear has nothing to do with Zelenskyy’s leadership or the courage of his people. It is how long the West will continue to give Ukraine the economic, diplomatic and financial support it needs in order to be successful in what any rational person has to consider a proxy war defending democracy against an evil force.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: a profile in progressive courage and our 2022 Progressive of the Year!
This article was written well ahead of publishing in order to accommodate my year end hiatus and is the property of tellthetruthonthem.com. Its content may not be used without citing the source. It may not be reproduced without the permission of Larry Marciniak.
And he gave an inspired and motivating speech to the joint meeting of Congress on the 21st. Perhaps there is symbolism in the fact that he spoke on the winter solstice. The days grow longer from here…and so does the strength of democracy.