Difference between revisions of "Progressive"

Revision as of 06:40, March 1, 2019

The Progressive movement is an extremist position on the American far left and the dominant voter base of the contemporary Democrat Party.

Progressivism supposedly advocates equality regardless of racial origin or sexual orientation. After the mass murder-suicide of 909 progressive activists in 1978 the movement fell into obscurity,^[1] but has enjoyed a resurgence with the election of President Barack Obama in the 21st century.

While the term liberal describes an attitude, progressive describes an agenda.

Origin

Historically, Progressives view themselves as "enlightened" social reformers apart from the ignorant and unwashed masses. Same-sex "marriage" for example is considered a progressive social reform.

Colonialism and the Enlightenment

Progressivism became highly significant during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, out of the racist belief that white Europe was demonstrating that societies could "progress" in civility from uncivilized conditions to civilization through strengthening the basis of empirical knowledge as the foundation of society. Figures of the Enlightenment had the racist belief that "progress" had universal application to all societies and that these ideas would spread across the world from white Europe. By the early-20th century progressivism was tied to eugenics^[2][3][4]

Marxism

Extermination of opponents by Progressive regimes, in millions.

Karl Marx took the Hegelian conception of linear-progressive history and applied the idea of class warfare to address income inequality.

In the mid 19th century Social Darwinism, with its racism and commitment to science, was an important facet of Progressivism; in America however, after the Civil War, many adherents of the Social Gospel movement called themselves "progressive" and advocated for equality for Blacks and social reform. For a time there was an odd admixture of atheists and racists citing a scientific basis for their beliefs, and church people, all claiming the name progressive.

In Europe however, after the First World War, Progressive atheists won a great victory with the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the suppression of the Russian Orthodox Church, and overthrow of the existing social order.

"while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened."^[5]>

Progressive era 1892-1924

It was also meant to create a belief that conservatives are not able to think of a progressive future for the United States. The most famous historical usage of the term in America was in the 1890s to 1920s, sometimes called the Progressive Era. During the Progressive Era, politicians of both parties and various ideologies adopted the term, notably Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican who founded the Progressive Party and implemented the Civil Service Act, and Woodrow Wilson, who imposed segregation throughout the federal government.^[6]

Ironically, progressives began using the word "liberal" in the early 20th century when the word "progressive" openly was associated with Marxism.

Presidential election 1948

Main article: United States presidential election, 1948

The Progressive Party of 1948 was a creation of the Communist Party,^[7] growing out of CPUSA General Secretary Eugene Dennis' February 12, 1946 order "to establish in time for the 1948 elections a national third party."^[8] The Progressive Party's candidate for President was Henry Wallace, one of Franklin Roosevelt's former Vice Presidents. Wallace was reportedly "most impressed" with Soviet collective farming,^[9] and in 1933 had urged FDR to become a "farm dictator."^[10] Wallace said if he were to become President, he would appoint as Secretary of State the pro-Soviet Laurence Duggan,^[11] now known to have been a Soviet agent.^[12] Had FDR died 82 days earlier, Wallace would indeed have become President.^[13] Wallace finally recanted his support for the Soviet Union^[14] in 1952.^[15] In 1955, the Jenner subcommittee cited the Progressive Party on its list of subversive organizations, identified as a Communist front.^[16]

Peoples Temple 1955-1978

Jim Jones was the original founder of the "Rainbow Family" in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a term Jones used to refer to his family.^[17][18] Jones and his wife adopted 3 Korean children, a Native American, and were the first white couple in Indiana to adopt an African American child.^[19] Jones moved to San Francisco in 1970 and was deeply involved in the city's progressive politics.^[20] Jones's Peoples Temple was instrumental in the election of Mayor George Moscone, serving as campaign workers and busing in unregistered people to vote. Jones was rewarded with post of housing commissioner.

It was Kamala Harris's mentor, Willie Brown, who brought Jones in contact with the California Democratic party.^[21] From there, Jones become involved with the DNC. Willie Brown supported same-sex marriage as early as 1977. Jones publicly met with vice president candidate Walter Mondale, and spoke at events with other leading Democrats at the San Francisco headquarters after the election in 1976, among them First Lady Rosalynn Carter and California governor Jerry Brown.

Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician elected in California with Jones help would say: "My name is etched in stone with you."^[22] Milk wrote letters in support of Jones to President Jimmy Carter. Both Milk and Jones were homosexual activists.

Obamunism 2003 -

See also: Obamunism, Gender psychosis, Totalitarianism, Censorship, and Green New Deal

The term was revived in the early 21st century by politicians and media celebrities who considered traditional liberals too willing to compromise with moderates and conservatives. As such, the anti-democratic Marxist ideal of single party control was revived.

Barack Obama with the notorious anti-Semite, Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan called Jews "pigs and dogs." The Anti-Defamation League identified Farrakhan as the nation’s “leading anti-Semite."^[23]

This revival occurred shortly before the 2006 midterm elections when liberals supported the War on Terror. The term came into use to help liberals distance themselves from the feelings of patriotism and bipartisan cooperation Democrats had with Republicans after the 9/11 attacks. Barack Obama established himself as a leader in opposition to the War on Terror during an October 2002 rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago^[24] organized by veteran Maoist and Progressives for Obama organizer Carl Davidson.^[25]

When 2004 Democrat presidential nominee John Kerry's home state of Massachusetts' became the first staue to legalize same-sex marriage, the issue split Democrats. Ballot initiatives appeared in 11 states that brought citizens to the polls in large numbers; all 11 initiatives passed. Proposition 8 in California won by a wide margin, but California Attorney General Kamala Harris bowed to LGBT groups and refused to defend citizen referendums in court. These debates over social policy were reflected in the 2005 campaign for Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, which Howard Dean won. As a progressive, Dean was the first to shepherd civil unions through the Vermont legislature.

Progressive police state

See : Obamagate timeline 2015 progressive police state

Progressives accused liberals who voted for the Iraq War and the Patriot Act of betraying the cause of socialism. Ironically, it was progressives in the Obama administration who used provisions of the Patriot Act that allowed for spying on domestic groups sympathetic to Al Qaeda, and applied them to the Trump campaign from 2015 on to further the anti-democratic objective of single party control.

Policies

Progressive policies, in political science, are those which make progress towards goals seen by progressives as benefiting society. Since all politicians claim that their ideas and policies are meant to benefit the public, calling a policy "progressive" may be thought of as meaningless.

The term has been popular among the media. And although most of the population still refers to the two major philosophies as conservative and liberal, it is often used to describe a more specific type of liberalism. This is likely because these two titles are familiar to the current population and better recognized. Because of this familiarity, it is easier to visualize the contrasts between conservative and liberal than the contrasts between conservative and progressive, because of the specific nature of "progressive".

Progressives use the term in contrast to "regressive" policies of their opponents. For example, progressives will ask rhetorically, "Do you want to go back to the 1950s?" implying that women were oppressed by being forced to be housewives and men were oppressed by being falsely accused of favoring Communism (see McCarthyism).

A useful distinction to keep in mind is this: "progressives want bigger and supposedly better government; conservatives want less and supposedly better government."

Criminal justice

A foundational core belief of Progressivism is to consider crime a treatable illness by social psychology. In this core precept is the notion that criminals are not responsible for their actions. Since collectivists do not respect the notion of private property, the propertyless are considered oppressed victims.

Prisons, which incarcerate property and violent offenders, are usually the targets of "progressive reform." Because extremists do not reject violence to bring about social and political change, violent offenders must be qualified on the basis of their politically correct views.

Far leftists have historically used re-education camps and gulags as the basis of incarceration policy, and offenders graded on ideological grounds.

Incremental radicalism

While progressives seek radical social change, it is often pursued incrementally. Two examples serve in the Obama era: Obamacare and same-sex "marriage".

Obamacare with its individual and employer dictates was designed to fail. The progressive objective of a big government, Soviet-style single payer system was too radical a change to implement during the brief window of opportunity given between 2009-2011, when Democrats controlled both the White House and a veto-proof Congress. Progressives settled on a system that allowed private insurance companies to continue to operate, provided they sold only policies dictated by progressive regulators. A dictate that all American adults - working or not working - be required to purchase insurance, or submit to eligibility requirements for entitlement care by income means testing, was also implemented. Penalties accrued for anyone non-compliant. The plan was phased in over a period of election cycles with the hope that those who received a subsidized entitlement would appreciate "free healthcare," and when the plan failed would support a progressive single payer system. The single payer system then would need progressives in Congress perpetually to insure its annual funding.

Same-sex "marriage"

The first hurdle in the homosexual "rights" movement was overcoming the progressive reform of the 1950s that treated criminals as victims of psychological disorders. By the 1960s homosexuality was considered by experts and the courts as both a crime and a mental illness. Due to claimed "ethical concerns" over locking people up on the basis of a psychological disorder (but in reality, due to political pressure imposed by radical homosexual activists^[26][27]), the psychiatric profession dropped the diagnosis of homosexuality as a mental disorder in the early 1970s. In the 1980s the states began de-criminalizing homosexuality with the idea that law enforcement resources could be better utilized elsewhere, the war on drugs for example. With homosexuality "normalized" now, by the 1990s the Equal protection clause was being invoked for a group in the coalition of identity politics.

Attacks on Free Speech

One of the first steps by Progressives in shutting down all opposition is censorship, shadow banning, and attacks on the free expression of ideas. Progressives do not foreswear violence to attain political objectives, and the terrorist group, Antifa, is a militant progressive organization.^[28] Antifa are the Black Shirts of the Democrat Party.

In addition to random attacks on citizens, the group's manifesto openly rejects free speech and defends assassinations.^[29]

See also

• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Alger Hiss

References