Jerry Shenk: The backlash to ‘progressivism’ is growing

Merriam-Webster defines early 20th-century “Progressivism” as “a political philosophy and social reform movement that aims to advance the public good through government action…”

Today, “progressive” has become the term preferred by many liberals, even radicals, to define themselves. “Liberal” may have lost favor, but who can possibly object to “progress?”

However, there has never been anything truly progressive about “progressivism.” The failures of “government action” have largely defined the social and, to some degree, the economic history of the last century.

Progressives endeavored, they said, to advance an “ideal of disinterested, public-spirited social control by well-educated elites,” in other words, themselves.

A century ago, progressive racial discrimination was endemic. In fact, President Woodrow Wilson, a progressive Democrat, re-segregated the American military.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines “Eugenics,” a progressive movement, as “The study or practice of attempting to improve the human gene pool by encouraging the reproduction of people considered to have desirable traits and discouraging or preventing the reproduction of people considered to have undesirable traits” — primarily people of color.

Eugenics led to the founding of Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion mill that still disproportionately targets Black women.

Progressives’ promotion of eugenics, the “scientific” racism embedded in progressive thought, helped to inspire Adolf Hitler’s notion of “Aryan supremacy” and the Holocaust.

The temperance movement also found allies among influential progressives whose support enabled prohibition to be imposed nationwide under the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. No governmental policy contributed more to the growth and enrichment of organized crime in America.

But, arguably, no government policy has been more destructive to America’s social fabric than President Lyndon B. Johnson’s progressive “Great Society,” a set of domestic programs allegedly designed to eliminate poverty, reduce racial injustice, and expand social welfare.

The Great Society actually created a permanent, multigenerational underclass dependent on social welfare, concentrated in but not exclusive to urban areas, that decades of data show progressives cannot run. Progressive Democrat-run cities have become crime-ridden hellholes populated by “haves,” whose neighborhoods are largely untouched by crime, and largely dependent “have-nots,” many/most of whom face crime daily and whose local government-run schools have failed.

But, putting aside the progressive history of elitism, eugenics, racism, abortion, dependency, and crime, let’s look at the policies progressives are pursuing today.

Today’s progressives are still Democrats. At their party’s controlling core are the ultra-rich, upscale professional “elite” classes, along with the subsidized Great Society poor.

The party’s policy goals are dominated by the “values” — affectations, really — of bicoastal elites: anti-American globalization, climate hysteria, a “green” economy, open borders, abortion disguised as “women’s health care,” “reimagining” law enforcement, releases/reduced charges/no-bail policies for criminals, LGBTQIA+ “rights,” and manipulative, grievance-based racial, ethnic, and gender preferences in hiring and admissions.

Progressives thought — still think — those are all swell ideas. After all, aren’t progressive “elites” the smartest people in any room?

At least one progressive disagrees.

Ruy Teixeira, a Senior Fellow at the left-leaning American Enterprise Institute, published a piece entitled, “The Progressive Moment Is *Still* Over,” subtitled, “But Democrats don’t seem to know it.”

Teixeira’s piece faults progressives in four points concerning the 2024 Election:

• “Loosening restrictions on illegal immigration was a terrible idea and voters hated it.”

• “Promoting lax law enforcement and tolerance of social disorder was a terrible idea and voters hated it.”

• “Insisting that everyone should look at all issues through the lens of identity politics was a terrible idea and voters hated it.”

• “Telling people fossil fuels are evil and they must stop using them was a terrible idea and voters hate it.”

Overlooked by Teixeira, voters also hate the progressive globalization policies that sent well-paying, often union manufacturing jobs overseas.

Progressives despise President Donald Trump for stopping/reversing progressive policies, and Democrats have no answer to Mr. Trump’s reindustrialization program that’s attracting massive amounts of industrial investment by placing tariffs on trading nations that impose tariffs on American goods.

However, standing in reflexive opposition to President Trump puts progressives in the position of opposing America’s – and American citizens’ — success.

Little has changed in 100 years. Just like their spiritual progenitors’ century-old goal of “control by well-educated elites,” modern progressive “elites” still aspire to control everyone’s lives.

Today, however, Middle America is waking up and pushing back. Election 2024 was merely a preamble.

Contact columnist Jerry Shenk at jshenk2010@gmail.com