"Progressive" Most Favorable Ideological Term In America

by: Chris Bowers

Sat Jul 28, 2007 at 20:17


AdyBarkan pointed this out in Quick Hits yesterday, but I thought it was worthy of some front-page coverage. I was pleasantly surprised to find that “progressive” is the ideological self-identification with the highest net favorable rating in America. Truthfully, I still thought it was a term that few people were aware of. From Rasmussen Reports:

Ideological Label Viewed Positively Viewed Negatively Net Favorable Rating
Progressive 35% 18% +17%
Moderate 29% 12% +17%
Conservative 32% 20% +12%
Liberal 20% 30% -10%

Rasmussen also polled the term “Like Reagan,” but that really isn’t the same as the terms listed above. I bet “Like Lincoln,” Like Kennedy,” or just “Smart and Cute” also poll well. Not every descriptive term is an ideological self-identifier.

Progressivism is winning the day in American politics. That it is more net favorable than the term “conservative” is a major finding about American politics, and a serious blow to the conservative notion that they are a natural plurality. That progressive is even viewed more favorably than “moderate” is utterly stunning, since that term consistently leads national polls on ideological self-identification. Undeniably, “progressive” is a term that is fairly nebulous and is defined in many different ways by many different people. However, this should still serve as a reality check for those “serious” pundits who think they have their finger on the pulse of America, even though polls indicate the opposite. I wonder how they will react when someone tells them that progressives are the new American plurality.
Chris Bowers :: "Progressive" Most Favorable Ideological Term In America

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"Progressive" Most Favorable Ideological Term In America | 24 comments
progressives (0.00 / 0)
I have noticed on some local blogs that some of the libertarian loonies are calling themselves "progressives" when calling for abolition of public schools and the income tax, etc. They feel they are the forward-looking people wanting to move society forward. Of course, it's a total perversion of the generally-accepted use of "progressive" in politics but it shows the allure of the word itself.
There already was a time without public shcools (0.00 / 0)
It was the Middle Ages. That ain't looking forward... :)
[ Parent ]
Are You Sure? (4.00 / 1)
I have seen people using the term "progressive libertarian" but not in the context you're using.  And as someone who frequents the libertarian blogosphere a lot, I would expect to see it in that fashion if it was really being used in that way.

"Progressive libertarian" is being used by libertarians who are both pragmatic and opposed to the slash and burn style of the previous generation of libertarians who flocked to the Republican Party.

The old school libertarian favored big spending cuts in social welfare, education, and other programs that helped the poor.  They wanted to cut taxes at the top, capital gains, corporate taxes, estate taxes, in the hopes of "supply sided" boosts to the economy, or wealth "trickling down."

In short, cutting spending from the bottom up, and cutting taxes from the top down.

A "progressive libertarian" is the opposite.  They'd favor spending cuts starting at the top.  Subsidies to big corporations in energy and agriculture.  Reform of the out of control spending in the military-industrial complex.  No earmarks.  Taxes would be cut from the bottom up.  Expansion of the EITC.  Expansion of the personal exemption.

In short, cutting spending from the top down and cutting taxes from the bottom up.

It still would appeal to libertarian-leaning voters who favor small government, but it would also appeal to liberals and progressives.

This is the only context I've seen "progressive libertarian" used. 

[ Parent ]
Need to be pro-active about this term (4.00 / 2)
Democrats need to be pro-active about using this term to describe their popular agenda. Republicans have already begun attacking the term progressive, and if their attacks go unchallenged or if Democrats don't embrace this term, then "progressive" will suffer the same fate as "liberal." Indeed, most Americans used to identify themselves as "liberal." There's no polling data on this, but I imagine that the respondents who view the term favorably don't have as deep a feeling about it as do the respondents who view conservative favorably. Because it's a relatively recent addition to contemporary political discourse, the emotional ties to the term may not be as strong.

The term offers Dems an excellent opportunity to rebrand themselves, and they need to take advantage of it. They need to use it, champion it, define it in their way (and not let Republicans define it) and self-identify with it. And around it they'll be able to build a new governing majority. 

Candidate are using it--is the party? (0.00 / 0)
I have seen a number of candidates flog the term, including Clinton, Edwards, Kucinich and Obama. I agree that it needs to become even more widespread among our most visible candidates and pundits. This is clearly a major potential turning point in the national political discourse. As such, you are right that it will be attacked, just like liberal was. We have to embrace it.
[ Parent ]
The DLC has been using it (0.00 / 0)
[ Parent ]
Fascinating (0.00 / 0)
Progressive has the merits of its own defects: unlike liberal, it comes with no historical baggage. (Clearly, no one thinks the term refers to the Progressives of the TR/Wilson era.)

So it's open to a relativistic interpretation, depending on what the opinion-giver views as progress.

I'm not sure the word has been a top term in Dem party messaging in the last few years: how would it fare (in competition with liberal, say) in a survey question asking respondents to characterise the party in a single word?

I'd be interested in how different sections of the Dem constituency - labor and blacks, for instance - view the word in relation to the party.

Crosstabs are avaialble (0.00 / 0)
at Rasmussen for a subscription fee. :)

We won't get the sort of crosstabs you seek unless major polling outlets such as Pew, Harris, or NES start polling the term. Hopefully, this data will help convince them to start doing just that.

[ Parent ]
Historical Baggage (0.00 / 0)
It's interesting that people aren't attaching historical baggage to it.  I hear progressive and think eugenics, nativism, and prohibition; I am not a fan of the term.  But apparently to most people history isn't something they focus on. 
[ Parent ]
I'd be a bit worried (4.00 / 2)
This is actually a little worrying to me just because it seems like the term "progressive" is getting very popular before anyone really knows what it means. There's no single definition of "progressive", and no single group that definitively embodies it. There's just a series of vaguely-allied causes and groups which are each in their own way "progressive".

This has worked so far-- it's a good thing that the progressive movement is diverse in this way. But combine this with popularity and there's a lot of potential for abuse. There's the risk that people will be drawn to "progressivism" not because they agree with the ideals and goals that have loosely defined the progressive movement up until now, but because of the fuzzy feel-good aura that the movement has acquired through its successes.

This leaves the possibility that unscrupulous politicians who are, or historically have been, antithetical to everything the progressive movement has stood for, will be able to rebrand themselves as "progressive" just by quietly severing ties with the DLC and starting to speak all the right progressive buzzwords. Once that happens we run a real risk that "progressive" will cease to mean anything at all...

People wanting to identify as "progressive" is, by itself, a good thing. In a way we can think of this as the return of liberal identity in the United States. But I think we want to be careful and watch to see whether, when people newly start to identify as "progressive", they're actually using the word the same way that we would use it...

almost inevitiable (4.00 / 1)
"This has worked so far-- it's a good thing that the progressive movement is diverse in this way. But combine this with popularity and there's a lot of potential for abuse. There's the risk that people will be drawn to "progressivism" not because they agree with the ideals and goals that have loosely defined the progressive movement up until now, but because of the fuzzy feel-good aura that the movement has acquired through its successes.

This leaves the possibility that unscrupulous politicians who are, or historically have been, antithetical to everything the progressive movement has stood for, will be able to rebrand themselves as "progressive" just by quietly severing ties with the DLC and starting to speak all the right progressive buzzwords. Once that happens we run a real risk that "progressive" will cease to mean anything at all..."

You just described every major political movement in the United States, like ever. When it works well, people are drawn to it, even if they don't agree with it. And then many others abuse it.  It happened in the labor movement just as it happened in the dot.com era of the 1990's.

It seems almost inevitable that what you describe will continue to happen if the movement continues to be successful. Hopefully, a combination of a vigilant, activist core with good leadership will prevent it in our case.
 
[ Parent ]
Clearly time Chris (0.00 / 0)
For the Progressive Democratic Committee. You could go down as the progressive Al From. Think about the women.

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.
[ Parent ]
This is the first truly funny comment I've seen on OpenLeft (0.00 / 0)
Sorry for ruining it
[ Parent ]
Well, two points.... (0.00 / 0)
First, 'Progressive' is: Peace, Health and Prosperity for Everyone.

Secondly, Left Blogistan is, from my travels through
it, truly ignorant of the positions the citizenry hold on most everything....

Which is why I wrote: Why I am an Idiot!

Everybody who comes across this comment really should check that out. The reality of public opinion is far, far different than folks here have internalized after years of Bill0, Hannity, Tweety, PumpkinHead and all the rest of the ReichWing Noise Machine propaganda.

Said propaganda ain't true, Americans don't believe it and yet here in the fabulous blogosphere everyone accepts it as truth.

Take the time to educate yourself about what Americans really believe before you start pontificating about same.

It's the Progressive thing to do.

Peace, Health and Prosperity for Everyone.

Progressive Positives (4.00 / 1)
I wish there was polling about what people associate with the term progressive.  What gives it more positive and less negatives than liberal?
Interesting Development (0.00 / 0)
This is a fascinating new development.

My take is that people who presently describe themselves as moderate will increasingly be shifting their identification to progressive.

As this is taking place, it is worthwhile noting that when you add the people who presently identify themselves as moderate and progressive together, you get a combined total of nearly 65% of the population.

This leaves the conservatives, whom we have seen to be a fairly hard core of roughly 35% of the population.

As a number of commenters have observed, myself included, progressives are united by their fair-mindedness and their rejection of the coercive conservative rule to which we have been subjected over the past several decades.

While many people are labeling themselves as progressives to escape the taint of conservatism and stand-pat moderates, they are doing so not because they are being led down a political garden path by a political party.

They are doing so because the 21st century iteration of American progressivism is taking shape spontaneously and preparing to assume the reins of government as progressive leaders emerge, run for elective office and implement progressive agendas.

Lenny Bruce nailed it. (4.00 / 1)
It's like the Lenny Bruce routine about the N word, say it over and over and over again and eventually the word loses it's meaning.  When I heard Clinton say she was a progressive the other night than I knew the Air America slogan was right - Progressive, it's the new Mainstream - which I've always taken to mean the word's been co-opted, not that things have changed.  Just like Air America moving the former Mr. KABC into the evening drive time slot to interview the Hollywood Madam about what jail will be like for Paris Hilton, when Clinton and Kucinich are both Progressives it's time for a new word.
Progressives and moderates are illusions (0.00 / 0)
To put it simply,
Conservative = more government on social issues, less on economic issues. 
Liberal = More government on economic issues, less on social issues. 

Progressive doesn't have a simple brand making it harder to hate. 

Rasmussen (0.00 / 0)
I am suspicious of Rasmussen polls. They are a GOP outlet and they tilt their questions and results to the right.
Liberal has been framed as "anything goes" and the anti-thesis (0.00 / 0)
of personal responsibility. Progressive suggests moving forward, and making things better. Many who desire a more respectful society, free of discriminatory badisms, mindful of the environment, built on economic fairness and equal opportunity have described themselves as progressives for decades. So what would be really interesting is a poll among the community as to how we describe ourselves.
I like "liberal" (0.00 / 0)
and I'm going to keep using it--no matter what anyone else thinks.
ditto that (4.00 / 1)
you took the words right out of my mouth.
[ Parent ]
Facebook Group (0.00 / 0)
In light of this story I think it has become clear that "progressive" is the term we should be using. Not only does it have much better conotations than liberal, but it implies progressing forward, while liberal is a word that has become bogged down in the past.

Under the 'political views' section on all Facebook profiles the only options are varying degrees of "liberal", "moderate", and "conservative". I think it's time that Facebook makes a change to "progressive" because that's the term that most of us on the left prefer to use. Shouldn't we be able to use our own language to describe ourselves, rather than phrases that conservatives and the MSM use?

If you prefer to consider yourself "progressive" over "liberal," please join the Facebook group here:
http://www.facebook....

I've got a question (0.00 / 0)
What's the difference between "progressive" and "liberal"?  Surely, I could give my own reasoning (or cite examples, such as Edwards constitutes progressivism while Clinton constitutes liberalism) but is there any research on how these terms are accepted in mass society?  The problem with such public opinion polls is that of the 35% who view progressive positively, not all of those 35% have a common definition of progressivism.  Just how close to describing objective reality are we getting with such polls?
"Progressive" Most Favorable Ideological Term In America | 24 comments
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