What Are They?

At Liberal Patriot Ruy Teixeira takes note of something I’ve been pointing out for twenty years or more—today’s liberals don’t believe in liberty and our progressives don’t believe in progress:

American progressives used to embrace a number of universal values and aspirations that defined their political project. They sought to make life better for ordinary people by emphasizing their universal interests across racial, ethnic and cultural divisions, ensuring universal fair treatment in daily life and throughout society, promoting universal standards of merit, achievement and truth and providing universal access to the bounty from scientific achievement and economic growth. The core concept was that all Americans could prosper when treated in this fashion and that existing social and governmental arrangements should be pushed in that direction.

Making progress along these lines was what being a progressive was all about. Today’s progressives are different. They have rejected the universal approach for particularistic defense of professional class cultural priorities and policy preferences. In that sense they have lost the right to call themselves “progressives.” Instead they now stand in the way of progress as progressives used to define it—and progress as most ordinary voters would recognize it.

and

Some progressives have gone so far as to argue that our capitalist economy based on growth must be replaced with a “degrowth” economy focused on simple, healthy communities; efficient resource use; and the elimination of wasteful consumerism. If that means no or negative economic growth, so be it. Most progressives don’t quite go this far but the jaundiced view of growth—and the technological change that enables it—remains.

Indeed, today’s progressives are basically techno-pessimists. Progressives are now distinctly unenthusiastic about the potential of technology, tending to see it as a dark force to be contained rather than a force for good to be celebrated. This is very odd indeed. Almost everything people like about the modern world, including relatively high living standards, is traceable to technological advances and the knowledge embedded in those advances.

I honestly have no idea what the political philosophy of today’s “progressives” is. Many claim to be “democratic socialists” whatever that means. The only observations I can make is that they like power and want to expand the scope and reach of government but much of that just means they want power.

How do you rationalize the positions of a founding member of the Congressional progressive caucus who has never voted for a nationalized healthcare system, worked ceaselessly to consolidate power in the hands of the Congressional leadership, and argued in favor of insider trading by members of Congress? They’re not socialists, they’re not progressives, they’re not liberals. What are they?