Is the Democrat Party influenced by Marx?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Progressivism-
A political philosophy advocating change and progress, especially as led by science. Colloquially, a "progressive" refers to a very liberal person. 2) The U.S. Progressive Movement between 1890 and 1920, which is also known as the Progressive Era. This movement was responsible for introducing the campaign primary in many states (replacing caucuses), the initiative, the referendum, and the recall, among other reforms.

Marxism-
The system of economic and political thought developed by Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, especially the doctrine that the state throughout history has been a device for the exploitation of the masses by a dominant class, that class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, and that the capitalist system, containing from the first the seeds of its own decay, will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat, be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society.

Just because progressivism and Marxism are on the same side of the spectrum does not mean they are interrelated, much in the same way that Nazism and conservatism are related not even though they are both on the opposite side.  Marx, himself, advocated for a brief "dictatorship of the proletariat" that would quickly evolve into a collectivist, classless society- as it says in the definition above.  Yet, a mere concern for the middle-class does not translate into a desire for that kind of fundamental change.  Of course, that isn't to say there are no Democrats might that agree with Marx theory, but in no way does this entail that the national Democratic Party is somehow influenced by Marx.

If you honestly think that what the Democratic Party supports today is a watered down version of Marxism, then your whole interpretation of politics is vastly oversimplified.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Another thing, AN- you should have defined exactly what you meant by 'influenced.'

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Another thing, AN- you should have defined exactly what you meant by 'influenced.'

I think you could say Republicans have influences like Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Adam Smith, etc.  

Democrats have influences like John Maynard Keynes, Che Guevara, and Marx.   You could make the argument that American democrats are influenced by European socialists(who are influenced by Marx) rather than Marx himself.      

"You could make the argument that American democrats are influenced by European socialists(who are influenced by Marx) rather than Marx himself."

So then, you've basically contradicted yourself.

Keynes is pretty influential in Democratic politics, but Che Guevara and Karl Marx?  Give me a break.  And even if what you're saying is true, what point are you getting at?  The Democratic Party as a whole is very far to the right of Marxists and socialists, and it doesn't take a whole lot of thought to realize that.

The only left-wing politicians I'd consider European-lite would be Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown, and Dennis Kucinich.  But even then, to say that they're influenced by the inventor of Communism is a huge stretch.