Another take on progressivism

Thanks for starting us off, Salette.
I have a different take, and I love that we could actually engage in a discussion at this level. Hope someone joins us.
The liberal/conservative continuum, when it's boiled down, seems to me is an economic continuum, from socialism to robber baron capitalism. It deals with the social contract around resources, how they are earned, how they are distributed. The basic values tension is whether the "free market" should determine the fate of individuals, each competing in their own selfish interest to grab as much as they can, or whether more sucessful people should be forced to take care of "those less fortunate" through the government (taxes), and to what extent.

Conservatism here says the poor are poor because they are lazy and thriftless, and somehow have not properly employed their bootstraps, with which everyone is equally endowed. It simplistically ignores differences in opportunity and capacity. Unfettered, it believes in funneling all resources to the private sector, ignoring the interest of the public in those resources. In truth, while they claim to enjoy an unregulated market, the market is highly regulated to favor the wealthy.

On the other hand, liberalism responds with the notion, "from each according to their ability, to each according to his (her) need," and the liberal fights for the government to assure the basic wellbeing of all the people, through taxation and regulation, making it comfortable for some people to get by without much bootstrap-pulling going on. It simplistically ignores questions around what motivates people to do what’s uncomfortable or disagreeable, or why anyone would bother to get ahead. All of us know people who won’t work for fear of jeopardizing their disability check, even if their lives would be much better with a decent salary.

I don't want to dwell on this axis of experience. It is absolutely still relevant to decisions today, but it does not define a progressive. Ted Kennedy today on YouTube was magnificent in defending the working men and women who produce our wealth as he fought that the Senate might actually vote on increasing the minimum wage. This is the government acting to assure the wellbeing of the powerless.

Most progressives would believe that both the individual and the commons hold economic responsibilities toward each other, that corporations and consumers ought to fairly pay the full and actual cost of production, and most progressives believe that we should pay for things collectively as we go along in a way that sustains our society for the long run and keeps us self-sufficient.

I would argue that modern progressivism is on a whole different continuum, a “y” axis if you will rather than an “x axis.” In fact, a person could plot his or her position any given day on each axis and come pretty close to predicting their stand on any issue.

For me this axis relates to the social contract around distribution of "rights and powers," in which economic resources are but one factor. And on this continuum, progressives tend to side with Thomas Jefferson, that all power is inherent in the people, and that the government works for the people who vote for them and pay their salary, and that each human being is endowed with inalienable rights and we include in that our undeniable responsibilities toward future generations and Mother Earth.

We speak of ideas of "fairness," "honesty," “equality,” "respect," “responsibility,” "balance," "justice," “human rights,” “human dignity,” “neighborliness,” ideals that had little context in the old discussion of social darwinism vs the nanny state. But these are the ideals of small town America and we can call them up in people.

We intuitively resonate to Howard Dean’s cry for we the people to “take our country back,” we idealize the equality (and the pragmatism) of a 50 state strategy (however imperfectly carried out), we shudder at human rights abuses anywhere in the world, we rebel at the way wealth buys power in this country, and in our own party, and we resent the taxing authority squandering our money and our kids lives without our OK. Taxation without representation is again a rallying cry.
Progressivism grows out of a concerted response to the neocon philosophy, which is held by many powerful people on both sides of the aisle. The neocons believe in elitism as an article of faith, consciously build aristocracies especially of wealth, and believe a select few elite rightly know what’s good for everyone (I’m the decider.”), and the elite is in fact obliged to provide “noble myths” (LIES) to assure a “stable” (COMPLACENT) society. (Leo Strauss)

Leo Strauss and his neocons, believe that nothing could ever eradicate the basic evil in man, expressed in dangerous (sexual) hedonism, to be rigidly controlledby a strong authority, while progressives tend to trust the collective wisdom and basic goodness of ordinary people to make things right. And we all have a little of that neocon in us, if we will but look in the mirror.

Progressives would argue that you don’t sell your birthright as a free citizen to the wealthy or the powerful in order to stay alive, and that even the poorest among us have equal standing before the law, or should have, a level playing field of education and opportunity, and an equal say as to what happens in the commons.
Neocons would hold that by birthright some men (and some countries) are more equal than others, that the elitist social order is to be protected and expanded, that the commons should be privatized and removed from the control of the people, and that really only the elite need to be educated.

Progressives dream of a future sustainable world that offers dignity and equal opportunity to all – a life-friendly world. Neocons dream of a world they can dominate that maintains their social standing.

What are Progressives?

Progressivism is a political movement that seeks to secure justice for the governed. It has its own history, its own culture, and its own politics in America. Its accomplishments include
emancipation, universal adult suffrage, and better conditions for workers.

Progressives of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, kept corporate power in check and expanded rights for ordinary citizens. Later progressives helped the United States to become the leader of the free world.

Today, the progressive movement is associated with:

• economic justice reforms that seek to end the domination of public policy by corporations
  
• the advancement collective bargaining and the right to work for a living wage
  
• fair distribution of the tax burden
  
• fair distribution of government resources to put the needs of ordinary citizens first
  

Progressives believe that the needs of ordinary citizens should be the priority in public policy. Progressivism is pragmatic. It's driven by the American values that have made our country stronger and better. Progressives believe we have the tools to make this nation’s future brighter for all.

Progressivism isn't necessarily the same as liberalism. Progressivism is an attitude towards politics that goes beyond the ideologies of liberalism vs. conservatism.

Liberals promote social justice, sometimes without addressing the underlying economics. Liberals value individual freedom, democratic government, freedom of thought and belief, and equal opportunity. Liberals believe that problems can be solved through government intervention.

Progressives seek systemic change or reform, with an emphasis on economic justice. Progressivism is about the ultimate American ideals of pragmatism and fairness. Progressives see the world as it is, ever-evolving, and choose the best course of action in line with their values.

Progressives encourage personal and moral responsibility, and promote respect for ethical values. They see government intervention as one solution among many. They understand that government can be force for good, but they believe that ordinary citizens can use both public and private tools to solve problems.

One reason that people sometimes equate progressivism and liberalism is that progressivism is grounded in liberal values and ethics. It’s driven by a desire to promote fairness, human well-being, and opportunity. Progressives believe in maximizing human freedom and helping society (and its individual members) achieve their full potential.

Progressives are also inherently democratic. They believe in participation and leadership for all Americans. Power, wealth, and information must flow freely, rather than be concentrated in the hands of a few, so that all citizens can contribute.

The progressive movement within the Democratic Party offers an overarching vision on core issues on which all of us can agree because they affect us all.

Progressives believe in:

• The rule of law
  A secure nation that protects its citizens and respects the sovereignty of other nations
  
• Living wages and fair working conditions
  
• Public office-holders who serve the best interests of ordinary citizens instead of the corporations and the very wealthy
  
• The separation of church and state, including not only freedom of religion, but freedom from religion
  
• Universal healthcare
  
• The right of every person to control his or her own body
  
• Public education from preschool through community college
  
• Helping children and older adults in need of basic services for survival
  
• Protecting the environment
  
• Protecting consumers from harmful products
  
• A progressive tax policy where corporations and citizens pay their fair share based on their income to fund the basic functions of government
  
• A nation that lives within its means and renounces deficit spending
  

This is not extremism. This is life lived with American values and economic justice. This is the center of the Democratic Party.