I have a confession: I am not a progressive..

[Xicano]

I am left-wing Liberal from southern california and damn proud of it!

:rant:

[Raven]

1. Yikes!!! Get outta here! :-)

[madokie]

2. What the hell???

send me some of that good california bud if you would please :-) Cause I know you're smoking it.

[hfojvt]

3. and what is the difference?

I use progressive and see that as a person who is left of liberal. Liberal is more of a mainstream Democrat. Howard Zinn writes for a magazine called "The Progressive". He's a little bit to the left of Kennedy or Mondale, who would be standard 'liberals'.

Then again, Hillary likes to call herself a progressive and she's well to the right of Kennedy.

[cascadiance]

5. I just see progressive as a newer term for liberal...

I identify with both and proudly call myself both. Not sure there's a lot of reason for us to worry about the distinction.

I think progressive started being used instead of liberal moreso for a while because "liberal" became such a demonized term by the right with tons of other manufactured connotations to it, that when talking with others, rather than getting sidetracked with that baggage, I think many of us want to get more to the point about the things we do belive in, rather than having to explain the right's slander of us.

I think more importantly, what I want to see rather than just "marketing labels" that sometimes the Democrats use these terms to describe themselves, is to be more explicit and call themselves/ourselves "non-corporatist", and MEAN it! That way, we have more of a way to really call them out sometimes for their duplicitous marketing of themselves to us, calling themselves the less explicit terms like "liberal" and "progressive", but probably wishing to avoid saying something that would directly contend with many of their campaign contributors allegiances.

If candidates in the primary call themselves "non-corporatist" in the primaries and can show some actions on their part to back up that claim, those are the folk I'll be voting for, no matter who calls themselves liberal or progressive.

Over the years, other more generic terms such as "natural", "organic", etc. have been similarly abused.

[mrfrapp]

10. Krugman Quote

In the closing chapter of "The Conscience of a Liberal", Paul Krugman defines the difference between "liberal" and "progressive".

... progressive isn't simply a new word for what liberal used to mean. The real distinction between the terms (...) is between philosophy and action. Liberals are those who believe in institutions that limit inequality and injustice. Progressives are those who participate, explicitly or implicitly in a political coalition that defends are tries to enlarge those institutions."

So according to Krugman, it's not a question of where you appear on the political compass but how engaged you are in the political process. My personal take, based on the Krugman quote, is this: being a progressive is a personal choice and shouldn't be seen as anyway "better" or "superior". We are after all, on the same side, the only difference is our circumstances.

[gleaner]

12. I agree with you and Krugman....

I call myself a progressive and I like to be more involved in helping to create the movement that Krugman refers to. It doesn't make liberals wrong or bad, just a different part of the same whole.


Thanks for the quote and your excellent post.;)

[lib_wit_it]

22. I think they *are* wrong. If you believe in causes but don't participate in advancing

them, especially with the nut job Repukes we see now, you are kind of abandoning that cause. Now, more than ever, we need participants, even it it's just writing letters, or signing petitions, but doing something.

[gleaner]

24. I see your point...

I would like to see people more involved too. The only problem is, while I might be comfortable at a vigil for a cause (they used to call them demonstrations) it is all you can do sometimes to get others to write a letter or make a phone call.

Sometimes you have to operate within the comfort zone of others and ask for whatever help they can give. It is better than nothing, and if they feel sufficiently accepted and needed you may be able to get them to do more. I keep posting that everyone is different and has to be treated differently, probably to the point where the people who read my posts are going, "Shut up!" But it is what I have experienced.

Once when I was circulating a petition I caught a man literally with his pants down. He had coming running to the door doing God knows what before. I looked down at the missing pants area covered by his shirt and wondered if he was a pervert and what I was getting into. Then I launched into my petition explanation and asked him to sign for me, please. He looked progressively more desperate. He told me he usually didn't sign petitions, so I went to plan B, which was to tell him this was different and really needed his attention. Finally he grabbed it and signed it and said, "You can go now, lady. I need to put my pants on."

I went with my signature, musing on the idea of catching someone else half dressed who would not sign if they were dressed. It takes different things to create movement in peoples' minds and hearts. You can't affect that unless you hit at the right moment and they are ready anyway.

[lib_wit_it]

26. You're certainly right, however, I think more people could be mobilized if we just had the means to

reach them. I think many are ready. The progressive movement is pitifully underfunded.

[POAS]

4. Since we are doing confessions

I'm a socialist!

[TheCoxwain]

16. +1 ..though

I dont believe the government should be running airlines and hotels ( like Alitalia etc) .. If you have flown those airlines and you will know what I mean.


I believe .. the Government should play an important role in providing a safety net for all its citizens, protect the little guy against powerful and provide an opportunity for all to succeed.

[tavalon]

19. Wow, I wrote almost the same thing!

Before I read yours.

I wasn't a socialist before I came here but I wasn't much of an informed political citizen, either. I credit DU with helping me to become informed and finally helping me to understand what my actual leanings are.

[Xicano]

20. LOL! :)

[orleans]

6. confessions? um, i just made cannelloni for the first time

(from a box, frozen, took an hour to heat it!)

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

7. I belong to an anarcho-syndicalist commune.

[FatDave]

13. Sweet!

Do you take it in turns to act a s executive officer for a week?

[ananda]

8. Thank you!

Proud liberal leftie here too.. in Austin.

[Xicano]

9. Thanks everybody

I enjoyed all your replies.

:hi:

[omega minimo]

11. Thank you. Help us out and tell how you define the terms?

:hi:

[Xicano]

15. I just look at it in a simple way

Since the term Liberal has been so demonized in the so-called liberal media. I see the term Progressive being used by many folks as just repackaging so as not to be identified negatively by others. For example I think many people view the term liberal as being code for commie, and, therefore, folks who are left of center often decide to use the term Progressive.

But for me. My ass is Liberal. And any conservative freak who sees me as a commie, it just makes me laugh and feel more proud to be Liberal.


:hi:

[omega minimo]

17. OIC. Thanks.

[FatDave]

14. "Progressive" is a term we made up after they demonized "liberal"

Kruggman can argue what he wants, but the truth is rather than fight to reclaim the word "liberal" people just came up with a newer, harder to subvert term.

Therefore I am both a proud liberal and a progressive. But I usually identify myself as a liberal just to piss off the right and because I don't think there's any shame in it.

[TahitiNut]

21. Yup. I'm an outspoken independent liberal and have been for over 40 years.

We have a sickness in our 'culture' -- that it's not "polite" to talk about sex, politics, or religion. Bullshit. Those are the only topics WORTH discussion, and in that order.

:dunce:

[tavalon]

18. Well, in the spirit of confessional,

I'm a socialist. But, when Democrats behave, we have a lot of the same goals.

[Aristus]

23. Liberal till I DIE, motherfuckers!

:fistbump:

[southernyankeebelle]

25. Well good for you friend

Am from TN and am a social democrat. I am damn proud of that. Whats wrong with government helping its citizens. So far capitalist having been doing a great job. The selffish bastards.

[PassingFair]

27. Progressive = Non-Corporate Sponsored, Pro-people legislators.

The Progressive Caucus in the House is the largest.

They are forced to contend with the Pro-Corporate
"New Democrat Coalition" and the "Blue Dogs".

I consider myself pro-Progressive.