Progressive politics

The Republican and Democratic parties once had liberal, conservative and progressive wings. After Theodore Roosevelt’s brilliantly progressive administration, Republicans turned conservative.

Democrats, starting with Teddy’s fifth cousin who married his (Teddy’s) niece, went liberal, embracing the poor and, eventually, civil rights. They also did progressive stuff like retirement, health care, poverty and farmer safety nets. Also banking reforms and environmental, workplace and consumer protections. Republicans opposed it all as socialist, which it is.

After a bipartisan period of progressive, socialistic public works, including the interstate system, a “mine’s bigger than yours” space program, and a crazy war, Republican conservatives doubled down with their “Southern strategy” (wink, wink) and opposition to taxes except for the military, our most socialist and dangerous institution.

Fast-forward to Obamacare, pragmatic progressivism (and socialism) that helps the poor access health care and provides a solid foundation for the overall system. Global warming, a crazily partisan issue, is one of several 900-pound gorillas progressive Democrats are taking on. The Republican knee-jerk is to resist change, lament the cost, ignore the value (necessity) and call it socialist, which it is.

I like progressive politics but worry that practitioners are too focused on middle-class votes. In allegedly liberal Fayetteville, for example, we progressively spend millions on socialist amenities like a showplace library, bike trails, parks and parking for bars and restaurants. That’s all good. But we spend little on our growing homeless citizenry, leaving them to charity and the federal bureaucracy.

HOWELL MEDDERS Fayetteville