Why do Democrats label themselves Progressive?
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  Why do Democrats label themselves Progressive?
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Author Topic: Why do Democrats label themselves Progressive?  (Read 1882 times)
redcommander
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« on: March 22, 2011, 06:08:03 PM »

If a Democrat is liberal own up to it. It's seem odd that so many Democrats shy away from the term. You don't see Republicans coming up with an epithet to describe their political beliefs instead of labeling themselves Conservative.
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phk
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« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2011, 06:09:34 PM »

Not all D's label themselves such.

Progressive is basically code for socially liberal.
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King
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« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2011, 06:11:08 PM »

Why do so many Teabaggers call themselves independents when they have no intention of supporting anybody other than Republicans?

It just sounds better.
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Landslide Lyndon
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« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2011, 06:11:27 PM »

Because to call somebody with a left-wing ideology a "liberal" is wrong?
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Napoleon
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« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2011, 07:00:26 PM »

In America, progressivism is liberalism and liberalism is progressivism. What I mean is that we associate the term liberal with more left-wing economics like welfare programs and union support and the term progressive is associated more with socially liberal positions such as environmental protection and gay rights. Someone like me who would (maybe) be a social-liberal would be referred to as a Progressive. Liberalism tends to be used to describe left-wing populism.
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memphis
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« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2011, 07:15:43 PM »

Why do so many anarchists label themselves libertarians? Why do fat chicks call themselves full figured? You go with whatever has the best connotation.
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redcommander
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« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2011, 07:47:20 PM »

In America, progressivism is liberalism and liberalism is progressivism. What I mean is that we associate the term liberal with more left-wing economics like welfare programs and union support and the term progressive is associated more with socially liberal positions such as environmental protection and gay rights. Someone like me who would (maybe) be a social-liberal would be referred to as a Progressive. Liberalism tends to be used to describe left-wing populism.

Thanks for the clarification. It just seems that many "Liberal" Democrats are adapting the term when it doesn't ideologically fit them.
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Sam Spade
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« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2011, 08:26:06 PM »

Democrats label themselves progressive nowadays because the term "liberal" has attained such a negative connotation.

As a historical note, in America, during the Cold War era, the term progressive was always used by members of Communist party and its various offshoots as a code word to refer to other members.  Just as an FYI (no, I am not claiming so-called progressives nowadays = Communists, just a first-hand knowledge I have Tongue).
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Fmr President & Senator Polnut
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« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2011, 08:29:54 PM »

Because US political discussion has mangled political definitions.

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jfern
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« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2011, 08:53:15 PM »

What about the word Patriot? It's basically code for destroying this country with right-wing policies.
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Mr. Taft Republican
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« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2011, 09:01:14 PM »

It sounds nice.
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snowguy716
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« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2011, 09:13:35 PM »

I'm a liberal... I'd also say progressive... but most fittingly a social democrat or even a democratic socialist.
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bgwah
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« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2011, 09:15:57 PM »

Democrats label themselves progressive nowadays because the term "liberal" has attained such a negative connotation.

As a historical note, in America, during the Cold War era, the term progressive was always used by members of Communist party and its various offshoots as a code word to refer to other members.  Just as an FYI (no, I am not claiming so-called progressives nowadays = Communists, just a first-hand knowledge I have Tongue).

Well, Wallace did run as a Progressive... Tongue And in Canada, the Communist Party was banned and ran as the Labour-Progressive Party during the 1940s.

But, yes, Sam is correct. Republicans successfully turned liberal into a dirty word.
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officepark
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« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2011, 10:41:09 PM »

I, too, criticize the left's use of the term, but for different reasons; I simply don't share their idea of "progress".
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dead0man
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« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2011, 11:25:20 PM »

I like the change to progressive.  Real freedom lovers should take "liberal" back since no one is using it anymore.
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Ghost_white
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« Reply #15 on: March 22, 2011, 11:34:27 PM »

I like the change to progressive.  Real freedom lovers should take "liberal" back since no one is using it anymore.

But then genuine libertarians like Dennis Miller, Glenn Beck and Wayne Allen Root couldn't call themselves that anymore.
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All Along The Watchtower
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« Reply #16 on: March 23, 2011, 03:30:59 PM »

I like the change to progressive.  Real freedom lovers should take "liberal" back since no one is using it anymore.

But then genuine libertarians like Dennis Miller, Glenn Beck and Wayne Allen Root couldn't call themselves that anymore.

I'm not a fan of libertarians, but that is just insulting to them.
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Napoleon
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« Reply #17 on: March 23, 2011, 03:33:58 PM »

I like the change to progressive.  Real freedom lovers should take "liberal" back since no one is using it anymore.

But then genuine libertarians like Dennis Miller, Glenn Beck and Wayne Allen Root couldn't call themselves that anymore.

I'm not a fan of libertarians, but that is just insulting to them.

I don't think any libertarian that wasn't a rightist hack would consider any one of the three remotely libertarian. They are pretty much all sugar-coated conservatives who reject any kind of safety network and therefore have to rebuke GWB-style conservatism in favor of a new name.
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BushOklahoma
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« Reply #18 on: March 23, 2011, 03:40:11 PM »

I can't gripe about the term "progressive", because I call myself a "populist".  I am moderately-conservative socially and moderately-liberal economically.
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Ghost_white
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« Reply #19 on: March 23, 2011, 06:20:09 PM »

I like the change to progressive.  Real freedom lovers should take "liberal" back since no one is using it anymore.

But then genuine libertarians like Dennis Miller, Glenn Beck and Wayne Allen Root couldn't call themselves that anymore.

I'm not a fan of libertarians, but that is just insulting to them.

I don't think any libertarian that wasn't a rightist hack would consider any one of the three remotely libertarian. They are pretty much all sugar-coated conservatives who reject any kind of safety network and therefore have to rebuke GWB-style conservatism in favor of a new name.
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Kushahontas
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« Reply #20 on: March 24, 2011, 07:20:53 PM »

because some of us are further left than liberalism in the non-US sense of the word and are elitist, etc.
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Nym90
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« Reply #21 on: March 25, 2011, 12:16:55 AM »

Well for starters, it's a far more accurate description of what we actually believe in.
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Mechaman
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« Reply #22 on: March 25, 2011, 12:37:16 AM »

I really don't see how "progressive" sounds any cooler than "liberal".
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King
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« Reply #23 on: March 25, 2011, 02:18:02 AM »

BTW, why was this thread not a product of Mike Naso?
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DS0816
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« Reply #24 on: March 25, 2011, 07:36:09 AM »

In America, progressivism is liberalism and liberalism is progressivism. What I mean is that we associate the term liberal with more left-wing economics like welfare programs and union support and the term progressive is associated more with socially liberal positions such as environmental protection and gay rights. Someone like me who would (maybe) be a social-liberal would be referred to as a Progressive. Liberalism tends to be used to describe left-wing populism.

Thanks for the clarification. It just seems that many "Liberal" Democrats are adapting the term when it doesn't ideologically fit them.

It's b.s. Just like Republican Party establishment calling themselves conservative.
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