Let me say first that I consider myself liberal left-to-moderate. You won't find me rooting for the conservative wing of the Democratic Party.

I fought for health care as much as anyone who visits this blog. More than most, probably because I had the time to do it. But I have done it, and frankly, I did it because I consider passage of health care reform vital to millions of people, vital to revitalizing the economy and vital to the Obama administration's agenda on carbon emissions, new energy, education and a host of other issues.

But this post is about how my brothers and sisters on the liberal left might understand why they feel marginalized and what they can do to achieve real progress on issues they care about.

My recommendations in all sincerity:

1. Quite blaming the center. Instead, move it. Lure it left. Seduce it with rational arguments and powerful, concise messages.

2. Realize that the problem isn't really the Democratic Party, Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel or any other convenient scapegoats. It's Republicans, who dominate the populations of many states where Blue Dogs won election 14 months ago. This point is important to understand, so I'll elaborate.

Even the U.S. Senate has its share of liberals. Russ Feingold and Sherrod Brown would take strong exception if you accused them of "appeasement," "capitulation," "placating" the right or "pissing away" strong reform. And there are legions in Congress who would stand by them if only 60 members of the Senate's Democratic caucus were really 60 ready votes for liberal policies. But there aren't 60 ready liberal votes among the 60 members of the Senate's Democratic caucus. Some members of the caucus are conservative, moderate or flaky.

One of the flaky swing votes is Joe Lieberman. Connecticut liberals, deal with this problem.

Most of the other conservative or moderate senators and congressmen come from very conservative states where Republicans dominate the state house, the governor's mansion, and the editorial page in myriad small, rural towns. In such places, the Democratic Party is short on workers because there just aren't that many Democrats around. Even fewer liberal Democrats.

So what I'm saying is that the real impediment to progress along the lines of the liberal agenda really stems from the inability to elect liberals of any stripe or party in GOP-leaning swing states.

No, advocating a bold liberal agenda won't get you far in such states come election day. Why? Because there aren't enough liberals there. So the question becomes: How do you build a liberal majority?

3. As on a state-by-state basis, you can't build a liberal national government by sitting home and letting Republicans get elected. The electorate has to be educated, which may take a generation or two. Sorry, no instant gratification. That means, get off your ass and support Democrats in the meantime. Or you can support third-party liberals, but only if they poll very well.

4. Realize that punishing moderate-to-liberal candidates like Martha Coakley is punishing the wrong candidates in the wrong place. There is never an excuse for handing any seat in Congress to a conservative by way of inaction and resentment of the national party. Watching Martha Coakley struggle is a sport only for nihilists and for Republicans delighted to gain a conservative game-changer in the Senate from a liberal state.

If you want to vote out conservative Dems in conservative states, you'd better be replacing them with another conservative Dem or a liberal if you can do it. But can you really?

No, not until liberals invade Montana and Nebraska and Indiana and North Dakota and Arkansas and break the stronghold of conservative ideology by educating the populace.

Ready for that fight? Because in all sincerity and truth, take this as gospel: It can't be done in this decade or the next.

It will take time to advance liberalism through elections and government. That is just the way it is.

The local preacher and the local publisher have more to do with political affiliation than anything printed or broadcast through any medium.

And that's why older, politically seasoned liberals are grateful when their best efforts yield only half a loaf. Because we understand that until we get enough liberals elected, change will always come slowly, if it comes at all.

5. Organize early and often when pressing for consideration and adoption of your pet legislation or issue. Don't wait until things look bleak before you start pulling the levers of the political machinery. Choose your group carefully. Push for better leadership in your grassroots organization before you start pointing fingers at who you elected.

Presidential leadership and a bully pulpit only go so far. Especially when the local pulpit counters with fear, racism, corporate ties and ignorance. And even more so when disaffected liberals ally themselves with conservative criticism of elected Democrats and their policies. In such anti-government atmospheres, even a Martha Coakley can have trouble getting elected in Massachusetts.