What's a "Progressive", Anyway?

I recently realized that I don't actually know

Image: Getty.

I always thought that “progressive” was just the word liberals started using once “liberal” became a bad word. At some point in the early 2000s, Democrats mostly abandoned “liberal” — any candidate outside of California or Massachusetts avoided the “liberal” label like it was a bag full of dog shit. The word seemed to represent something effete and un-American; it made it hard for Democrats to be associated with things politicians like being associated with, like veterans, dogs, veterans with dogs, and jobs in factories full of machines that make a lot of sparks.

For a while, the non-Socialist left lacked a descriptor. Eventually, “progressive” filled the void. I never thought much about this transition; I thought we were just replacing one word with another. “Liberals” became “progressives” the same way that “secretaries” became “office managers” and “degenerate gamblers” became “crypto enthusiasts”.

That was dumb of me. I didn’t realize that progressivism is more than just caffeinated liberalism; it’s a distinct movement with traditions and beliefs all its own. It’s time that I learned something about progressivism, especially since I’ve written about a way of thinking that I consider foreign to the liberal left. Could progressivism be that foreign influence? Seems like a question worth asking.