Commentary - March 2005

“Progressives”

Or Just The Same Old Liberals?

by Lyle Brennan

In recent weeks and months we’ve seen some name changes, all in hopes of winning the race for the buying public’s dollar. In Southern California, it’s a battle over which baseball team can win the most dollars at the turnstile. Even though the Anaheim Angels were the baseball team with the third-highest attendance in the major leagues (the New York Yankees were No. 1 and the Los Angeles Dodgers were No. 2), the Angels have proceeded with changing their name – to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Why? It’s because they need more money, and the Angels’ management think they can increase their fan base throughout the greater Los Angeles market. And get this – the team with the third-highest attendance lost some $20 million! That was even with the City of Anaheim municipal subsidies and a sweetheart lease from the taxpayers of Anaheim.

In the political arena, there is another well-orchestrated name change in the making. This team shall no longer be known as the Democrats; that’s a name that has been taking a beating ever since Ronald Reagan tossed his hat in the ring. And for sure they no longer want to be called "Liberals." Ask former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Massachusetts Senator John Heinz Kerry why "Liberal" is a brand worse than orange dye on an eight-point buck in the middle of deer-hunting season.

So the Dems now want to be called "Progressives." Or should it be the Progressive Party of Anaheim? Either way, in the cultural war, the spin is more than underway. The spin has graduated into a full-on category-five twister, thanks to a more-than-cooperative mass media.

"Progressives" – doesn’t that sound ever so positive? And consider the whole question of opposites. Most folks would probably define the opposite of "liberal" as "conservative," and many people are happy to call themselves conservative. But the opposite of "progressive" would probably be "regressive" or "reactionary," and that would be a difficult label to wear.

"Progressives" sounds like a party whose agenda would always be to move forward. But shouldn’t these "Progressives" be the party that never stands in the way of progress? Shouldn’t it be the party against filibusters, or the blocking of desperately needed judicial and executive-branch appointments?

Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio congressman who had a brief run for president last year before throwing in the towel and supporting John Kerry, is the co-chairman of a group calling itself the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The group dedicated to promoting "progressive ideals" is composed of 53 Democrats and one Independent. Progressives, as far as can be determined by reading their pronouncements, support a variety of liberal causes, including abortion rights, gun control, universal healthcare, price controls on energy, unionism and taking God out of the government. A list of 120 "progressive" groups listed on CommonDreams.org includes Greenpeace, the ACLU, National Abortion Rights Action League, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the AFL-CIO.

In our own state, the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) played an active part in last year’s elections, supporting a variety of liberal (sorry-that should be "progressive") causes. Its member groups include several large unions, gay and lesbian groups, Planned Parenthood chapters and the Sierra Club.

You remember the Sierra Club. That’s the watchdog group to which all of Las Vegas owes a debt of gratitude. After all, with just one frivolous lawsuit they have single-handedly slowed down the US 95 widening project, and at the same time added millions of dollars to the cost of its construction, as well as hefty legal expenses. Oops... that doesn’t sound very progressive at all.

Okay, so they’re not for progress. But if they’re not Progressives, then what do we call them? What name would fit? Wait, I’ve got it! There’s a baseball team that has been selling everything but the bleachers to help its owner out of financial debt. Frank McCourt is a bankrupt parking lot magnate from – of all places – Boston. Perhaps he might sell the Democrats their new name. At least this baseball team’s name would be more genuine than the "Progressives." It works! From now on the Democrats will be known as the Dodgers. Or should it be "the Dodgers of Washington DC?"

COMMENTS? email: lyle@nbj.com

Lyle Brennan Publisher
COMMENTS? email: lyle@nbj.com