Reply #32: I think you may be interpreting terms differently [View All]

[Armstead]

Progressive is sometimes used as a cop-out form of conservatism, or as a term to avoid the "liberal" label.

That's a frequent cause of confusion, because the term gets used in many different ways.

But I think in terms Sirota is using, progressives are what might be called "ultra liberals" or "left progressives" in another context. The kind of progressive I think he is referring is contrasted to liberalism in a "more so" sense.

I proudly consider myself a liberal. But I also consider myself to be a progressive, because I don't think mainstream liberalism goes far enough today to acknowledge and deal with the root causes of economic/social problems.

This is from the article above:

"Let's be clear - most progressives are also liberals, and liberal goals in better funding America's social safety net are noble and critical. It's the other direction that's the problem. Many of today's liberals are not fully comfortable with progressivism as defined in these terms. Many of today's Democratic politicians, for instance, are simply not comfortable taking a more confrontational posture towards large economic institutions (many of whom fund their campaigns) - institutions that regularly take a confrontational posture towards America's middle-class."