Liberals, Progressives, & Me

I have been asked dozens of times to explain the distinction between a ‘Liberal’ and a ‘Progressive’; I must admit that I, too, was at a loss to explain this difference. I had assumed, as did many that I queried, that the terms were synonymous and inter-changeable. It is true that some liberals are not progressives, and some progressives, it turns out, are not liberals. The fact that I am both is perhaps what led me, in my ignorance, to assume they were the same.

One rainy-grey Saturday afternoon, as I was routinely browsing through the dozens of political news and opinion blogs that I read daily, I came across an article concerned with this very topic. I would post the link if I could remember where it is. I believe the article was posted somewhere on http://www.commondreams.org which, if you haven’t seen it yet, is an awesome website for Liberal news and opinion. I highly recommend it.

The author defines ‘Liberal’ as one who advocates personal freedoms and a strong sense of civil liberty. This defines both the individual’s rights and the limits to which government can encroach upon those rights. The Fourth Amendment, for example, is a guarantor for such civil liberty in terms of privacy rights and restrains the government from overstepping certain well-defined boundaries. ‘Liberal’ also implies how those guaranteed freedoms are expressed and that those freedoms and privileges are extended to all citizens equally. The term ‘Liberal’ refers to how we view the individual in society. The ACLU is a good example of an organization dedicated to protecting and preserving individual liberties over the wants of government or the influence of the majority opinion.

‘Progressive’, on the other hand, refers to how we view the role of government in assisting, solving, and mediating societal or national problems. Education, health care, energy policy, the environment, corporate corruption and exploitation, and public safety are but a few of the national-level issues that ‘progressives’ believe are the role of government to implement and enforce. As in all things, the balance between personal freedoms and the desire to use government as a force for social betterment or change is fraught with obstacles that have to be carefully evaluated. Groups promoting nationalized health care, public education, and control of natural resources are examples of 'Progressive' organizations.

I am both a Liberal and Progressive. I believe that every citizen should have inalienable rights equal to the inalienable rights and privileges of each and every other citizen. I believe that government can be a force for positive and lasting social change, ensuring the freedom of individual expression and at the same time, creating an atmosphere of health, education, honest business dealings, clean air/water, friendliness around the globe, and safe/secure streets and borders.

I believe the union of Liberalism and Progressivism is, by far, the best way of achieving that balance between what are oft considered competing elements within society. There is fairness with strength, freedom with responsibility, prosperity with substance, and every citizen is afforded the opportunity to excel and thrive, but is never forced to do so. I have learned, though, that the two terms are not mutually inclusive, and it is often a harder distinction to make among people than it is to do on paper.

“New times demand new measures and new men;
The world advances, and in time outgrows
The laws which in our fathers’ day were
best.” (James Russell Lowell, 1843)