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April 09, 2007
Political pendulum may be swinging in a more progressive direction
By NELL LEVIN - Tennessee Voices
For thirty years, our country has been engaged in a cultural war
between conservatives and progressives about how American society
should be organized.
The pillars of conservatism are strong defense, free markets, lower
taxes, smaller government, and family values. Linguist George Lakoff
says conservatism is based on the patriarchal family model with a
strict father whose role is to protect and support the family in a
dangerous world and teach his children right from wrong, using
punishment if necessary.
Conservatives don’t believe government should intervene in people’s
lives (except on “moral” issues like gay marriage and abortion).
Social programs are immoral because they give people things they
haven’t earned and remove the incentive of people to discipline
themselves. Government programs should be eliminated or turned over to
private companies. Government’s role is to protect the country (the
military), protect lives and private property (the police) and
de-regulate the economy to benefit private enterprise.
Because of skillful use of talk radio and other media, conservative
terminology now dominates public debate.
Progressives have been on the defensive for the last thirty years as
conservatives have systematically worked to destroy the legacy of FDR,
to dismantle Social Security, Medicaid, student loans and safety net
services that helped to build the middle class in this country.
The melding of conservative ideology, big business and government has
resulted in crumbling school buildings, the destruction of New Orleans,
forty-seven million Americans without health care, stagnating wages,
outsourcing of jobs, and a growing wealth gap between the rich and the
rest of us. Power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of the
few, seriously threatening our democracy.
Progressives have largely failed to educate the public about what they
are for rather than what they are against.
So what are the pillars of progressivism? They are equity and
opportunity (if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able
to have a decent standard of living), equality for all, democracy
(maximize citizen participation, minimize corporate power),
government for a better future, ethical business, and a values-based
foreign policy.
Lakoff calls progressivism the nurturing family model: it empathizes
with and protects its child, wants the child to be a happy, fulfilled,
prosperous person with opportunities and freedom. Fairness, trust,
honesty, cooperation, and respect for others are also goals.
Paul Waldman, author of Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives
Must Learn From Conservative Success, defines progressivism as “We’re
All In This Together” as opposed to the conservative philosophy of
“You’re On Your Own.”
Waldman will be in Nashville on Saturday April 14 at the Compass IV
Conference at Cohn Adult Learning Center in Nashville.
Waldman believes we have reached the tipping point in the conservative ascendancy and that Americans are now moving in a new, more progressive direction. He urges citizens to come together to create a movement for social change that can rectify the damage of years of conservative governing and
restore people’s faith in the ability of government to work for the
common good.
Nell Levin is Coordinator for Tennessee Alliance for Progress
(www.tennesseeallianceforprogress.org). She can be reached at
info@tennesseeallianceforprogress.org
Commentary and Opinion | By Admin | 12:58 PM