Personal thought on that 'a progressive is someone who makes progress' meme
It could just be me. At some level it -must be- me. But, I've just been using the label progressive since before liberal became a dirty word. And conservative leaners defining my political identity bothers m
A progressive isn't everyone who has ever accomplished something in a political domain. That is a criterion for election into the old DLC, a pretty conservative organization. So, I am not surprised that a member of the old DLC wanting to promote self-image would focus, by habit, on past accomplishment.
The last thing I think a progressive is, is a person who doesn't want to try because they are afraid of losing having it like it is. That's not progressive, that's a -cautious- person. A progressive isn't a person who says it's too much effort...that's an exhausted or lazy person.
Progressivism isn't really an ideology based on a state of being that compares a past reality to now (Although, yes, it is possible to say that many things we enjoy and take for granted are a consequence of a progressive effort).
It seems to me a progressive ideology is based on belief that things not only could be but -should be- better than they are. It's about the reality of now compared our desire for a future. And commitment to should makes progressives tremendously impatient. A progressive might grudgingly accept incrementalism, but winds of change is what drives them.
Progressives tend to be insatiable in their quest for making not only bad things better, but for making kinda sort ok things, and even good things better (what things is another discussion).
Being a progressive is damned exhausting and very humbling. There's no retirement, not much sitting back enjoying personal or social history. There's always so much more that needs improvement.
My advice for a certain politician seeking the votes of progressives, is to not focus on not what you did for me yesterday, but to call me to an irresistible vision of what you want us to accomplish the day after next year.
It's damned hard to be a progressive and most of us aren't nearly as good at it as Bernie Sanders.
Still hungry for improvement; still able to 'see' needed improvements; still adamantly challenging us to move to improvement, still energized to work for improvement. Still able to share irresistible dreams.
