PROGRESSIVE REDUX

You may have noticed lately that I often describe people of liberal taint as progressives. I use this term as a gesture of deference to our left leaning brethren who seem to come apart emotionally nowadays when they are referred to as liberal. I am fascinated by the negative reaction I get when using the term liberal in a conversation with someone who is by all manner of description a liberal. I recently asked a few left leaning folks how they would describe themselves. All but one said they were progressive. None of them used the word liberal.

The use of the word liberal has definitely taken on a negative connotation. Liberals now prefer to be described as progressive because it sounds modern, powerful and forward looking. I have “progressives” in my life that are hard working, tax paying, generous, loving, supportive and genuine people. I wouldn’t trade them for the world but when I throw out the word liberal in the course of a conversation things always get tense. They act repulsed at the use of the term. For some reason they don’t care for “that word” anymore nor do they want to be labeled as one. I can understand their animosity toward the word so I use progressive more and more where appropriate. I’m a softy cone.

I am also a pillar of objectivity so I would be doing them a disservice if I did not let progressives know that they have already tried this word long ago and ditched it. In the early 20^th century people of liberal ideologies proudly proclaimed themselves as progressives. But when their racist/fascist agenda was soundly rejected by the American people they threw the word out, changed clothes, combed their hair and proudly declared themselves liberal.

I have no particular heartache with allowing liberals to rebrand themselves as progressives so that they may shed the baggage and animosity that liberalism has so rightly earned. Polls have shown that “liberal” is unpopular, so there is hope that people won’t feel the same way about “progressive”. Will it fly?

Progressives are in love with the idea of a powerful and controlling federal government. Progressives want the individual to be subjugated to the collective will of this almighty government. Progressive = good. The distortions and lies from the progressives of the 1930’s were nothing short of fascist. They worked feverishly toward establishing a biased media and socialist controlled educational systems. Yikes.  How ironic that the progressives today seem to be riding that same pony. Do you think they would have balked at this name change had they studied this countries history a little? Does history matter to them or are they positioning themselves to pick up where the communists left off?  

Indeed history has flushed leftists, liberals, progressives, or whatever they wish to call themselves down the drain each and every time their agenda is exposed for what it really is, and sooner or later, America rejects them. The emperor got elected by coining the phrase, “Hope and Change”; a true progressive feel good phrase that warms like a good cognac. Picture an aging Hollywood actor (progressives love to get their motivation and marching orders from them. It feels good) sitting in a leather chair in front of a roaring fire, wearing a cardigan sweater, emotionally promoting the virtues of Hope and Change. I think I feel a tear welling up. But would Barry have been elected into office if he used a phrase like, “I will spend us into financial ruin, eliminate your freedoms, rape the constitution and turn all ya all into welfare automatons”? I doubt it. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue right. Not even Leonardo Decaprio would touch that role.

Hope and Change ended up as a series of bumper sticker jokes shortly after it served its purpose for the emperor. The word liberal has been similarly relegated to junk bond status, hence the re-birth of the word progressive.

The Repubs are having a tough time putting a presidential candidate out there that doesn’t make half the conservative population grimace. They all seem to be dead set however on convincing potential voters they are the more conservative candidate. And make no mistake; conservatism is a word no one has ever seen a need to change. The word conservative has never taken on a shameful connotation or been declared anti-American and it has never been rebuked as an ideology, just pushed around here and there by the politically vitriolic left. You will see few if any conservatives get bent out of shape and spew forth ad hominem attacks at people when they are called conservative. But walk up and call someone a liberal and see what happens. They get mean and nasty. When was the last time you heard Democratic politicians proudly proclaiming themselves the most liberal?

I have this strange sense that the term progressive will eventually (d) evolve into something synonymous with radical leftist ideologies which may just result in the return of the term liberal as a mainstream description for those who are more moderate. The emperor is scaring the begeezus out of a lot of people and moderate liberals who are in favor of honoring our constitution and maintaining some levels of personal and religious freedoms are getting sweaty palms. Maybe someday the word liberal will experience resurgence in respect and credibility and liberal people will again embrace its meaning. How’s that for progressive.