In early November, 2018, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said “The thing about being a progressive is that you are constantly pushing somebody every single day towards a more productive, a more equitable, just society.”
“Pushing” means “exerting force on (someone or something)”. We may, retaining meaning, modify her statement to read “The thing about being a progressive is that you are constantly coercing somebody every single day towards a more productive, a more equitable, just society.” [Altered with emphasis added.]
Omar is saying nothing new about progressives here that hasn’t been noted by observers. She’s being up front and succinct.
Progressives see nothing wrong with constantly coercing people. Progressives are profoundly anti-libertarian. Not only that, in the face of all theory and evidence to the contrary, they believe that such coercion can result in higher productivity, a fair society and a more just society.
Libertarians attracted only about 3.3 percent of the votes for president in 2016. Nearly all the votes went to Democrats and Republicans. That’s because Americans by and large identify with their shared philosophy, which is the progressive philosophy. Both parties are anti-libertarian.
The country’s major institutions have been built up with progressive philosophy as their foundation. This means that coercion supports our major institutions, and it means that we have sacrificed productivity, fairness and justice in the vain attempt to produce and secure them by coercion.
2:51 pm on January 27, 2019
