Progressive or Liberal ?

[amboy49]

Often while driving I listen to talk satellite radio. I like to tune in to the "progressive" channel to hear the topics they are discussing. Most, if not all of them, are loons or ass hats using the airwaves to promote what they describe as the "progressive" agenda. My question, simply put, is why they don't refer to themselves as liberals any longer ?

What, if any, is the difference between a progessive and a liberal. In my mind they seem to espouse the same philosophies. Veiled or blatant socialism promoted as helping to save the middle class from "the man." The man, in their mind, is anyone who has worked hard enough to earn more money or attain a better station in life and is not sharing the wealth. Hence, their direction is to promote redistribution of wealth through government confiscation in the form of more regulation and higher taxes.


What's the difference between a progressive and a liberal ?

 

[rockhopper46038]

"Progressives" are what Liberals are calling themselves these days, because the word "Liberal" had developed too much negative associations in the minds of the voting public (for good reason). Same dog, different collar.

 

[BogWalker]

As above. "Progressive" sounds good. The word progress has positive connotations so it makes them sound like they're working towards goals that are good for the people.

 

[Piobair]

Plus, it gives them the opportunity to label/brand their opponents as "regressive."

 

[gstanley102]

Who doesn't want progress?

The only problem is,
is what the progressives are proposing actually progress?

 

[rambone]

Its a marketing decision. Re-branding.

I suggest you abandon their language. Don't call them progressives or liberals. Socialist is often accurate, but too many people use it inappropriately and it is somewhat of a loaded term.

"Collectivist" is descriptive and harder to redefine. "Statist" is good too for the same reasons.

 

[g00n24]

Well the way I understand it is the progressive movement started with Teddy Roosevelt, he even ran as a progressive party candidate correct ? Ofcourse it was carried much further with Wilson and others in power around that time. It wasn't really a liberal philosophy, as I understand it, and more of a statist/utopian philosophy. And by liberal I mean it in a classical sense.

Modern day liberals really never were liberals, except on social issues when the issue suited them. They have been pushing the progressive agenda for awhile now. I don't think the liberals became progressives, I think the progressives started calling themselves liberals. When that connotation went bad they took back the progressive name.

 

[MisterChester]

Modern progressivism and liberalism are two sides of the same coin. However, progressivism had a different meaning a century ago. Many platforms of the progressives (like the Bull Moose party) from back then are things that are very popular today and are law in most cases. Women's suffrage, registration of lobbyists, direct election of senators, primary elections, recall elections, strong military, are just some things they stood for.

 

[MisterChester]

Well the way I understand it is the progressive movement started with Teddy Roosevelt, he even ran as a progressive party candidate correct ? Ofcourse it was carried much further with Wilson and others in power around that time. It wasn't really a liberal philosophy, as I understand it, and more of a statist/utopian philosophy. And by liberal I mean it in a classical sense.

Modern day liberals really never were liberals, except on social issues when the issue suited them. They have been pushing the progressive agenda for awhile now. I don't think the liberals became progressives, I think the progressives started calling themselves liberals. When that connotation went bad they took back the progressive name.

It was much more populist than statist.

 

[spec4]

If you can handle the torture, tune in 820 in Chicago on Saturday mornings. A bunch of loons that spout mostly lies and remind me of a bunch of 13 year olds. I usually can't take more than 15 or 20 minutes of it.

 

[findingZzero]

I'm rebranded as a moderate. But y'all may call me what you will. And I'm sure you will.

 

[jwh20]

It's all about "spin" or, to use the original language, "propaganda". The ideas that are being promoted and enacted when possible by today's "progressives" are nothing new. Just pickup a copy of Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto" (highly recommended by the way) and you will see a playbook for the progressives. Originally it was called "Marxism" which later was renamed to "Communism" by those who wanted to spin it into a more user-friendly theology. Of course the McCarthy era led to the abandonment of Communism as a name but not as an ideology. But it was re-branded again as Socialism. Nothing really changed and nobody was really fooled (at the time) by the USSR. That they called themselves a SOCIALIST republic didn't change one thing about their system, it was still Marxism but with the royal-class replaced by the political-class (i.e. The Party).

Socialism, by NAME at least, didn't really catch on in the US due to its long-standing association with the USSR and Peoples Replublic China to name a couple. But the ideology lived on as "Liberalism". Of course even that became a name with a negative connotation so the new spin-meisters came up with "Progressivism" even though their ideology is anything but progressive. The progressive ideology elevates the state at the expense of the individual which is exactly what Marxism promoted. Marx held that especially economic decisions were too important to be left to "random" individuals, companies, businesses, or anyone who might be pursing self-gain vs. the collective good of the entire population. So central planning is therefore a much better system so that all the pros/cons can be evaluated and the ever-benevolent government can be fair to all the people.

Sound familiar? We're hearing this daily from the President and his gang of thugs.

 

[Manatee]

I'm a Teddy Roosevelt Progressive.

We should attack the Philippines tomorrow! and save Yellowstone and Yosemite.

And bigger guns!

Bully!

 

[jwh20]

This would not be the first time a term was co-opted. Teddy Roosevelt's "progressivism" bears little or no relationship to what is called progessivism today.

 

[Manatee]

Ain't dat the truth.

Still, I don't cotton to modern co-opting. I still remember when "gay" meant pleasantly happy.

 

[buckhunter21]

"Progressives" are what Liberals are calling themselves these days, because the word "Liberal" had developed too much negative associations in the minds of the voting public (for good reason). Same dog, different collar.

Bingo.

Not too long ago I read an article about a study that showed the word "liberal" received a very negative reaction with people (which it should). So the libs are trying to cover up the stench from the "ideas" and "plans" by calling them progressive. Its a load of crap.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Whoa...hold on. I'm a huge Teddy fan, but doing the wrong thing is almost ALWAYS worse than doing nothing. That is the whole point of our checks and balances system is to force nothing without concensus.

 

[bartonmd]

I tend to call them "leftists." I would call them "liberals" but apparently, other places in the world, "Liberal" means "libertarian" and I sort of refuse to elevate them to that level.

Mike

 

[Manatee]

Teddy had an imperative to take action. He felt that indecision is the worst decision. It might take ten attempts to arrive at the proper solution. That doesn't mean there wasn't value in the other 9.

 

[eldirector]

This is exactly why I hate the binary political system. It doesn't even remotely reflect ANYONE's beliefs.

This a a little more accurate, if you really want to pigeonhole folks:

What most call "Liberals" or "Progressives" are really Socialists/Statists.

What most call "Conservatives" or "Republicans" are really Conservative/Statists or Conservative/Libertarians.