Progressivism = Moving to the Left

[Ken Anderson]

As the more reasonable Democrats become Republicans, it might feel like a victory for Republicans; and indeed, it could lead to more Republican wins in the short term. But what else does it do?

As Democrats become Republicans, the Republican Party moves exponentially to the left, while the Democratic Party is taken over by communists, moving much further to the left. So what we're left with is a Republican Party that is more to the left on the political spectrum than it was before, and communists as the only other alternative. Our political choices have moved to the left; that's progressivism.

 

[Shirley Martin]

Is that such a bad thing? I think both parties have gone too far left or right. There used to be cooperation to meet in the middle and work together for the good on the people. Now it's what is for the good of the parties, people be damned.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Is that such a bad thing?

If you're politically motivated to the left side of the spectrum, it's not. Otherwise, yes, it is.

 

[Shirley Martin]

Cooperation is a bad thing? How can they govern if nobody ever cooperates with each other?

 

[Ken Anderson]

I didn't say anything about cooperation, but since you bring it up, I can think of only one elected Democrat at the national level who doesn't vote with the Democrats 100% of the time, and he votes with them more than 90% of the time, while Republicans are constantly "crossing the aisle," where some of them practically live. Cooperation would be fine if both sides did it, but if only my side is cooperating, then I'm on the losing side. However, I wasn't talking about cooperation.

 

[Mary Stetler]

Communism, Socialism...they don't work, not in Communist Russia, not in Cuba, not in Venezuela... and in the end are not for the people.
I used to see communism as the most Christian form of government: Everyone work to their ability and take only as was needed. But when the government gets control, the corruption that follows take all, gives little, and very few, at the top, get wealthy.
If you give the food for free, farmers stop producing. If you don't pay for labor, laborers stop working...

 

[Shirley Martin]

Ken, how do you define progressivism?

 

[Ken Anderson]

Ken, how do you define progressivism?

I try to let the dictionary do that.

Progressivism
1. A political philosophy and social reform movement focused on advancing the public good through government action and often calling for government to be used to meet popular social, political, economic, and environmental needs and demands and to advance rights and protections for marginalized groups: the principles, beliefs, or practices of political progressives.

The "public good" would be how political progressives view it, while others may disagree or not want them to decide what's in the public good. However, progressivism got its name from the way in which it is advanced, moving things to the left one step at a time, while the opposition spends its time trying to hold its own.