2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Please DON'T CALL Hillary A Progressive [View all]cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... and other "Progressive" entities set up by the corporatist Third Way/DLC groups who are trying to HIJACK this term to sneak in NON-Progressive agendas masquerading as what many of us consider progressive principles.
Just because the Third Way tries to corrupt the meaning of progressive, doesn't mean we have to accept them doing that. We'll call foul and call them out for that attempt at blatant propaganda to LIE about what progressivism is to try and redefine it to fit their own oligarchic agenda, that can't work if it is honest to the American people about what they really want to do.
We moved on from using liberal when Rush Limbaugh was demonizing that as a dirty word. Right Wingers are trying to do the same thing with the term "socialist". But now they are trying to steal the term progressive as a mean to shutting down attempts to speak out against oligarchic agendas trying to shut down our system of democratic principles to get all power over us. There have also been attempts to try and demonize the term "populist" too in the same vein, even though populism in many cases isn't just progressive in stances on issues. It could be argued that in some contexts, that populism could be used to advocate issues like racism too, which wouldn't be progressive in that instance, but might be the kind of populism that tea bagger Republicans might try to push at times.
It's time we draw the line, and tell others when people do not fit the term of what we all feel is progressive (and have explained what is progressive on various issues like TPP, taxation, H-1B Visas, etc.) so that it is clear what this term represents. If you feel those issue stances aren't what you consider progressive, and think that where Hillary is different on them is somehow more progressive, then come out and explain why her stances are more progressive, instead of just playing the labeling game and demonizing those that want real progressivism as being "not as progressive" as the PTB.