Difference between revisions of "Progressive"

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===Criminal justice===
 
===Criminal justice===
A foundational core belief of Progressivism is to consider crime a treatable illness by social [[psychology]]. In this core precept us the notion that criminals are not responsible for their actions.
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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.
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 16:35, December 6, 2018

In American politics, "progressive" is a euphemistic term that means more aggressively Leftist than a mere "liberal". While liberal describes an attitude, progressive describes an agenda. A "progressive" is more far left than a traditional Democrats.

Origin

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

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).

Progressive era

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 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 (also known as the Bull Moose Party) and Woodrow Wilson.

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

Modern revival

The term was revived in the early 21st century by politicians and media celebraties 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. This revival occurred shortly before the 2006 midterm elections when liberals supported the War on Terror. It was implemented to help distance politicians, mainly Democrats, from the negative history associated with various members of the party at that time.

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".

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.

See also