Progressives and Liberals

Recently, a friend of mine made the statement that "liberals are driving this country into the ground!". I looked at him and commented that liberals were the ones that founded this country. The look he gave me suggested that such a statement deserved an explanation. I thought about this and came to the conclusion that most Americans don't really understand what liberalism is. This prompted me to write an article about it.

Liberalism

Over two centuries ago a group of liberals had the idea of founding a nation based upon the liberal principles of equality and government with representation. Today, we call these people our founding fathers, as they were the ones who established the "more perfect union" known as the United States of America. But what is liberalism any way? In my quest for knowledge I have consulted many a dictionary to answer this question. For the ease of my readers, I will present the definition per Webster's Online:

"2 a ...a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity b: a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard...

But wait a second...that definition might apply to our founding fathers, but clearly does not apply to the modern day "liberalism" we hear talked about on the news or talk radio. So if they aren't truly liberals, then what is this ideology? In my further reading on these subjects, I found out the answer. The ideology referred to as "liberal" in the modern day is actually known as Progressivism. But why the name change?

Progressivism

Websters defines a progressive as "one believing in moderate political change and especially social improvement by government action". Government action...now that sounds like a modern "liberal". If you look at the definitions of the two terms, you will see how contradictory they really are. Liberals are supposed to believe in the individual, but progressives believe in the power of government to change the individual. So I ask again, why are progressives now called liberals?

It all goes back to the early 20th century, when the first progressive movement began. In 1912, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt established the Progressive Party, a split off from the Republican party. This was in response to losing the Republican nomination for President to Taft. By this point, Progressive and Populist politics had gripped the country, and it was seen as "modern" to embrace progressive ideologies in the midst of an ever growing industrial society.

While Roosevelt was able to defeat Taft in the election, making it the most successful 3rd party in American history, the even more progressive Woodrow Wilson of the Democratic party was able to win the Presidency. Because of this the progressive party disbanded in 1916 after Roosevelt declined participating in it anymore, and the name became unpopular in political circles. While the party reemerged twice again in the first half of the century, it would never enjoy success like it did in 1912.

Since then, the term "progressive" has been seen as a political taboo. Only during the most recent progressive movement has that term been making a comeback. Because of this, the term "liberal" has been used instead for the past few decades. The reason for this specific term as a replacement is a secondary definition of liberal:

5:broad-minded; especially: not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional form

By this definition, modern liberals see themselves as nouveau, or "open-minded". The reality is that their ideology is over a century old, and is anything but open-minded.

So, What IS Progressivism?

Progressivism is an ideology that ascribes to the principle that educated intellectuals should be at the forefront of government, and that such a government should have the power to alter human nature. A secondary aspect of this ideology is that tradition, religion, and culture are obstacles to such a lofty goal, and must be overcome through activism, and ultimately government reform.

As I stated earlier, progressivism has been around for more than a century, at which time it had its heyday in politics. Modern progressivism has not changed at its roots, but is adhered to solely by academics and labor unions in the modern day. The emergence of progressivism near the turn of the of the last century was in direct response to the expanding industrialization of the US and its movement away from an agrarian society. Such a radical change in society no longer exists today, and so the progressive movement has not enjoyed the same following as it had back then.

The danger of progressivism is that, for such a small movement, it enjoys great success in politics. One reason for this might just be the natural desire for humans in government to expand power...a necessity for the progressive agenda. Even politicians that are far from progressive, unwittingly advance the progressive cause in their quest for power through government reform and legislation.

Another reason is the prevalence of progressives in our nation's education system and media. Ideologues in the progressive movement are drawn to professions such as teaching and journalism, where they feel that they can make more of a difference in society. Such professions do have a profound effect on society as a whole, even if they fail to change human nature.

The Error of Progressivism

Progressivism, like Communism and Socialism, is a leftist ideology. And like any leftist ideology, it has utopian aims that are impossible to attain in the face of human nature. Like any pursuit of a perfect world, as long as humans exist, they will be driven by innate instincts and emotions that cannot be overcome by government unless enforced through brutality. It is for this reason that communist governments generally devolve into brutal dictatorships and authoritarianism.

Another failing of progressivism is its almost complete reliance on individuals that are in the sheltered existence of academia. It is a scenario of intellectuals peering from atop their ivory tower at the depraved world below, not having participated in such, and deciding that they know what is best for these poor souls. It is thus an ideology based on arrogance and pride, along with a heavy dose of sheer ignorance and an abandonment of reason.

For reasons unknown to me, a common symptom among progressives is a tendency towards misanthropy, or the contempt of human kind. This can manifest itself in everything from demonizing humanity with respect to the environment or animal life (e.g. environmental extremism), to a hatred of their own society and pandering to those against it (e.g. praising terrorists). A good example of this is several professors since 2001 praising the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (e.g. Ward Churchill).

Classical Liberalism

Our country was founded on true liberalism. This was the ideology that "all men were created equal" and that all people had "inalienable rights". These liberals that wrote our Declaration of Independence, and eventually our Constitution, believed that the individual was the most important aspect of a society, not the state. They believed in freedom, from economics to law. What we label as liberal today is not liberal at all. They are progressives. Their goal is to have the state dictate to the people how to live. And that is not what this nation was founded on.

Sources
Howland, H. (2001). Theodore Roosevelt and His Times: A Chronicle of the Progressive Movement. Project Gutenberg.
Webster's Online Dictionary