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Progressives aren't the problem. The intelligentsia who shit on their successes are. [1]

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Date: 2025-03-15

Before I get to the argument in support of the obnoxious title to this diary, some background.

I am an old school liberal accused of being a socialist and radical feminist back in the day. I am probably to the left of most who post here. I don't give a rat's patooty about Democrats per se. I care about advancing the progressive agenda in order to help average Americans.

That is neither a philosophical nor intellectual project in my eyes. I am not interested in defeating capitalism, neo-liberalism, punishing the wealthy, etc, per se at the expense of advancing the progressive agenda or helping average Americans. I have no attachment to capitalism, neo-liberalism or the wealthy, and in fact considerable contempt, but that is neither here nor there. To those who say the former is the only way to achieve the latter, I say you are either ignorant of world history and the world around you, or so wedded to a world view that you refuse to see it.

In a word, you are part of what I call the progressive intelligentsia. OK that's two words.

We operate within a private property based market force driven economic model and a liberal democratic model of governance. While that paradigm is susceptible to reversion to feudalism and fascism, it is not antithetical to a progressive agenda. The most progressive countries in the world operate within that paradigm. We either win or lose the battle within that paradigm, and if we've learned anything from the collapse of the New Deal coalition and the rise of fascism, there is no respite in that battle. Not to be too metaphysical about this, but it is the nature of life. It has been and always will be an unending struggle between forces of good and forces of evil.

If you insist the only way to advance a progressive agenda is to defeat capitalism, neo-liberalism, and by punishing the wealthy, etc, you might be a member of the progressive intelligentsia.

We also operate within a binary party system, the dreaded duopoly, because we are not a Parliamentary system. That makes the idea of a third party to advance the progressive agenda flat out stupid. If you hadn't noticed in the modern era, advocates from within the Democratic Party for third parties typically blossom whenever progressves have gained the upper hand within the Democratic Caucus. Yes, some moderates are assholes. See Joe Manchin.

If you insist the only way to advance a progressive agenda is to end the 'duopoly', you might be a member of the progressive intelligentsia.

The bottom line is no progressive should advocate ghettoizing progressives into a third party, nor should any progressive vote for a third party, or sit on their hands. Pick whichever of the two major parties you think will most likely advance a progressive agenda, and vote for their candidate. Furthermore, vote for the most progressive candidate in that party's Primary, then vote for whoever wins.

I know, I know. This is where some true Scotsman progressive argues both parties are the same because neither wants to defeat capitalism, neo-liberalism, punish the wealthy, etc. Again, if you insist the only way to advance a progressive agenda is to defeat capitalism, neo-liberalism, by punishing the wealthy, etc, you might be a member of the progressive intelligentsia.

Now to the meat of the obnoxious distinction in the title of this diary.

The progressives within the Democratic Caucus are the positive force. They aren't the problem. The moderates are pains in the ass, but they make it possible to attain a majority so progressives can drag them kicking and screaming to advance the progressive agenda.

That is called incremental progress.

The problem is the progressive intellegentsia. They immediately dismiss any advances under Democrats as too little or not sufficiently damaging to the wealthy, and attack Democrats in terms that echo right wing false narratives. That helps the right regain power shortly thereafter, and all the hard work progressives like AOC, Sanders, Warrens, etc, who had to eat a mile of shit from moderates to move the ball forward, gets dismantled in short order.

The progressive intelligentsia are the worst enemies of the progressive cause, and progressives in the trenches doing the hard work of advancing it, full stop. Not moderates, not Republicans, the progressive intelligentsia. They shit on that hard work and revel in their pile whenever Democrats lose power claiming it proves their point in some grand intellectual battle of paradigms. Meanwhile people suffer who would otherwise be helped if progressives in the Democratic Caucus had more time to build on their accomplishments and advance the cause.

I am fed up with them accusing those of us who call them out for their stupidity of being anything other than serious progressives when they are the ones who are so clueless as to be considered anything other than unserious. The image they wish to project is a classic example of Magritte's Treachery of Images.

And the musical coda…

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/15/2310491/-Progressives-aren-t-the-problem-The-intelligentsia-who-shit-on-their-successes-are?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web

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