The word “progressive” brings to my mind forward-thinking, organized planning, and optimistic. Someone who is progressive is someone with a plan and the energy to see it through. A progressive is someone with an entrepreneurial spirit.
A regressive person is someone who holds on to old ideas, regardless of their failure in the past, out of conviction that those ideas will eventually bear fruit if only someone puts enough money and effort into the implementation.
The Democratic Party and its supporters are comprised of a wide range of people. I would consider very few of them to be progressive. That’s what they call themselves.
Think for a moment about all the progressives you’ve known, seen, or read about. Do any of them offer a sense of optimism? Do they offer any new ideas? I don’t mean variations on the old ones. I mean new ideas.
Progressives believe that there are people in this country suffering, and those people need to be helped. Okay. I agree.
But what is the solution to all the ills? Progressives feel the Federal Government is the answer. Now they may argue with me on that point. But my only response is, “If human suffering bothers you, what are you doing to ease it?” Correct answers do not include:
- Marching in a protest
- Working in a campaign office
- Writing op-eds bemoaning the lack of some particular program
- Voicing your concerns during a concert
- Appearing as a spokesperson for some group
The standard solution to our social ills always includes tax dollars. You don’t see progressives out working the soup lines. Where are all the celebrities who spoke out against Bush when it comes time to actually do something? They will donate their personna, and perhaps some money. But what have they ever done? Mr Joe Average progressive will put in some time at a shelter trying to help. But those hours are few and far between. There are too few of him. And you can bet all those college-age folks marching in various protests never set foot in one.
These are the folks who are absolutely distraught over the election result. If they are truly progressive, they should be ecstatic. Dubya is the most progressive President we’ve had, possibly ever. The status has never been less quo. Bush is asking people to actually do something, and not depend on the government to do it all.
Face it, “progressives” are really regressive. They want a move toward the socialism which has failed everywhere it’s been tried. Government is inept. Government is inefficient. There is nothing wrong with the ideas, but government will never do anything but fail in trying to accomplish them. Society must make them happen. When you see a government official in a movie or television program, how often is he a bad guy? 90% of the time? Hollywood seem to think the government is inept and corrupt. Yet they want the rest of us to hand our lives over to that government.
What kind of mixed-up world do they live in?
When society fails to change in the way you want it to change, or more slowly than you would like, what do you do?
My answer is that I need to look at myself and my beliefs and ask if they are valid. I then need to consider whether there is anything I could do to make those changes. If not, I need to reconcile myself to the fact that I am out of the mainstream and either change myself to suit the rest of the world, or continue on as myself and accept the inconveniences that go along with being different.
The Progressive answer is to get government to force the changes on the unwilling.
It’s unfortunate that the true Progressives have disappeared, and the title “Progressive” has been coopted by the Socialists and Communists.
The original Progressives – Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Stimson, et al – did some good things for this country. Trust busting, fair labor relations and practices, and national parks are worthwhile.
The Progressives used governmente to create an environment where individuals could succeed (or fail). The Socialists who coopted the progressives don’t believe in individualism, and are unAmerican because of it.
Great post, Bunker.
Comment by Paulie at The Commons — November 6, 2004 @ 7:58 pm
Bunker,
Classical Progressivism, while it did spawn the Temperance Societies and all sorts of other nanny movements, did break up the trusts, establish humane work conditions, establish national parks, and such. It wasn’t all bad, and after a generation of lassaiz-faire governance, Progressivism was positive, on the balance.
It’s unfortunate that the Socialists and Communists made a deliberate play for the title “Progressive” so as to deceive the Teddy Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson loving Americans. The “greater good” aspects of progressivism gave a wonderful cover to the collectivists. Teddy R is probably spinning in his grave, Wilson, who was wayyyyy to pointy-headed for his own good, is probably not. I think Wilson was the James Earl Carter of his age.
Comment by Paulie at The Commons — November 7, 2004 @ 7:10 am
Very well written post, with a lot of great points. Just for kicks, here’s an alternate perspective: I know a lot of people who would call themselves progressive — one meets quite a few here in Austin — and not a single one of them wants to have anything to do with the Democratic Party. The ones I know have a very specific set of pet issues: the development of a few viable alternative political parties, energy independence, and protecting the environment are always at the top of the list. On those last two issues, they work more as social activists than policitical operatives, trying to spread information and best practices to individuals and businesses. I don’t see either the Democrats or Republicans as being particularly strong in any of those three areas myself, and neither do these self-identifying “progressives.”
It’s very likely that you’ve heard a lot more Democrats trying to present themselves as “progressives” than I have, of course. There’s really no way to argue against that, but I have to say that at core of this post it sounds like you’re saying that anyone calling himself progressive is just another Democrat desparate to ram through that particular agenda, and I think that’s painting with too broad a brush.
Comment by Bogey — November 7, 2004 @ 11:45 am
Invented a word! “policitical”
Comment by Bogey — November 7, 2004 @ 11:46 am
You travel in different circles than I do, so the only people I’ve heard label themselves as progressive are Democrats.
“Making people aware of issues” falls into the same realm, in my mind, as those incorrect answers I mentioned. It is, however, more in the right direction. I hope they are having influence. Most businesses grasp the improvement in profit from doing many things ecologically sound. A little information can have a big impact.
Sadly, the environmental issue was coopted from the Boy Scouts who used to do wonderful things for the environment. No longer wanted. It’s a shame because they raised generations of young men to respect the environment.
As soon as I posted, Paulie, I realized I should have mentioned my favorite President of all time–Teddy. Absolutely right on. He stirred things up in DC the same way as Dubya has. He was just better-spoken!
Comment by Bunker — November 7, 2004 @ 11:52 am
Hmmm… you quoted the phrase “making people aware of issues” although I didn’t actually use it. I honestly think “trying to spread best practices” is something different altogether, and my use of of the word “information” allowed for some misinterpretation.
Just for example: showing a business how to do something in an ecologically sound way and how it will either improve or not detract from their bottom line is one of the best ways a citizen might effect change.
I have trouble being as optimistic as you are that most businesses recognize the need for and benefits of better environmental practices, but that’s probably fodder for a different post.
Bottom line, though: there definitely ARE a lot of people in this country who are wasting time asking (or even demanding) the government do things that they could do better themselves if they directed their resources properly.
Comment by Bogey — November 7, 2004 @ 12:25 pm
What comes to my mind is the proposition in California where they raised more than $25M to get the prop passed to fund stem cell research. Why not spend that money itself on research?
Comment by Bunker — November 7, 2004 @ 1:16 pm
Sorry about the misinterpretation…I’m writing with two dogs on my lap!
Comment by Bunker — November 7, 2004 @ 1:21 pm
Great post Bunker. My experience here in Colorado, as well as elsewhere, has been that the word “progressive” has been entirely consumed or usurped by those posing as Dems while calling for outright socialism. It is often packaged in the cause celebre but the core remains government enforcement rather than personal responsibility.
Comment by Marvin — November 7, 2004 @ 4:48 pm
The use of the term “progressive” is really one of my pet peeves. I live in NYC and the liberal establishment here has latched onto the term “progressive” and claims that if you don’t follow their tenets, you are not progressive. I asked a couple of them how they can call something that results in no progress “progressive” and they look at me blankly.
The part that really roasts me is that they claim some great plan, the plan gets implemented, the plan fails, and rather than attempt to find out why the plan failed they now have some new great plan that is guaranteed to work. They keep coming up with these plans and throwing money at them and never bother to analyze why they didn’t work. In many cases, parts of the plan were very useful and if put together with parts of another plan they already had would fix the problem. Unfortunately, that will never happen because they never even try to analyze it. For a truly sterling example, check any “progressive” educational methodology. All you need to know.
I am waiting for them to finally come up with some great new plan that worked 50 years ago and watch them call it “progressive.” When it works they will pat themselves on the back and I will take great pleasure in showing the b*stards that it is what we told them in the first place years before and without wasting all the money. They won’t believe it, of course, but I will still get the pleasure.
Comment by dick — November 7, 2004 @ 8:43 pm