Progressives

[Martin Hash]

It has been a few years now that I have toured “progressive” websites, participated in “progressive” blogs, and immersed myself in “progressive” literature, (my bookshelves are full of George Lakoff and Noam Chomsky). Without making any judgment about the quality of the progressive agenda, I can with certainty equate its goals, ideals, and verbiage with socialism. Most of the World’s inhabitants are socialists. In all probability, if Americans had been raised under a collectivist constitution, we would all be socialists too. In short, I think the word “socialism” in America elicits the same kind of irrational response that “nuclear” does, so the word “progressive” is used in its stead. Since Progressives sound just like Liberals on many issues, most people are unsure of the difference – here it is: Liberals (as in “liberty”) put the individual before the group; while Progressives (socialists) place the group before the individual, often citing the “common good,” a Marxist philosophy.

Which brings me to my point: the Democratic Party, at least in its platform, is not progressive/socialist. Barack Obama is not a progressive/socialist. I am a Liberal Democrat, but I am not a progressive. Because we are a 2-party system, there is no place else for progressives to go but the “Democratic” party, but that is an insidious, oil-and-water combination because socialism has the inherit problem of conflicting with the U.S. Constitution – a document that stresses individual choice (see the definition of “liberty”); and freedom from centralized control, such as ecclesiastic authority (separation of church and state), class (capitalism is essentially classless), and aristocracy (we choose our leaders by popular election - a democracy). Here in Washington State, there is even an acknowledged rift between the two camps:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Centri ... 3-422.html

As our society matures, it certainly accepts more and bigger socialistic manifestations. I suppose it is possible that eventually the individualism underpinnings of American society could be replaced by collectivism via fiat… But I am not ready to let my liberty go! I want everyone to know, if there is a war between the “progressives” and the “liberals” – I will be a bastion against progressives usurping the Democratic Party.