"Progressive" thought

"Our politics can get a little unbalanced. We move off to the left or the right, but eventually we find our way back to the center."

This quote from Hillary Clinton, "Progressive".

A buddy was asking me, "What's up with the 'progressive' in quotations?".

Because I'm still trying to find someone who can tell me what is so "progressive" about "progressive" thought.

You know what would be progressive in my mind. Before we started an SCHIP program, we actually did something about the 17 trillion dollar unfunded Medicare liability. I think it's "progressive" to consider private retirement accounts to stave off the 20 trillion dollar unfunded Social Security liability. I think vouchers are a "progressive" solution to a horrible public education system.

So one of you liberals out there. What's a new idea you bring to the table?

The fact is "progressive" is just liberal all dressed up; like putting lip stick on a pig. In my mind, everyone's for "progress" yet you can't get a politician out there to own the label.

Do you see conservatives out there trying to repackage the label and deny that they are conservative? You could even call me a "neo-con", if you would explain what the hell that means.

Don't liberals get upset when the pols won't own their liberalism? I'm always amazed when I read liberal blogs how much acceptance there is for a politician to run as a centrist. Shouldn't you be pushing the envelope of "progressive" ideas without running from the label?

The bottom line is this, the American people have rejected liberals and "progressives" since Lyndon Johnson. Jimmy Carter is the only Democrat to win over 50% of the popular vote since Johnson and he won a whopping 50.1% against a mortally wounded republican.

So for my "progressive" brethren out there, come up with something truly progressive, more of the old doesn't sound that progressive to me and apparently to the American public.