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It’s Time For Liberals to Decide: Are You a Progressive or a Democrat?
Trying to avoid a Hobson’s Choice in the general election.
Is there a difference between liberalism and progressivism? Or are they simply two ways to describe people with “bleeding hearts” who just want everybody to get a lot of free stuff?
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines liberalism this way:
LIBERALISM: a political doctrine that takes protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual to be the central problem of politics. Liberals typically believe that government is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others, but they also recognize that government itself can pose a threat to liberty.
A liberal believes that it is necessary to have a central government in order to protect citizens from each other. They also believe that the governed must have a way to control that government and to keep it from abusing its power. They believe that the purpose of government is to provide the basic necessities to the people.
OK. So what’s a progressive?
Merriam-Webster puts it like this:
PROGRESSIVISM: of, relating to, or characterized by progress; making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities
