Just who are the Progressives? Their earmark photos are above. In 1994, 57 members of the congress signed the progressive Challenge. All were Democrats or Independents. Socialist Party International endorsed the progressive Challenge and promoted it actively. I was trying to find the article which listed who those 57 members of congress were but apparently it has been pulled from the net.

IF they accept support from SPI, and they endorse the same platform and pledge to support

the party Platform(which reflects the progressive agenda), then how can you vote for a democrat if you are opposed to Socialism. They promise to support the platform. The platform determines their stated principles and policies. The policies are Progressive or worse.

I tie the Progressives of this era to the Socialist Party USA where their last election, 1948, was the point at which they went underground and re-emerged as the second wave of the American Left in the early 60s, on each "damned campus" -- vitriolic, anti-US, destructive and radical, especially in the form of the SDS and the "Weathermen". This is what so troubles me about Tom Hayden. William Ayers. And Company. Which means Barak Obama.

Historically, progressives believe in the State doing good works(of course, this requires funding), and undermining individualism. Of course to me this reads of Atlas Shrugged, well of course it does....

Of course, this supports the tennants of the American Labor movement which also was and is supported by Socialist Party International. Back in the 20s as FDR began to formulate his path to power, he knew that Labor was one of two or three keys. Of course, another key was necessary -- to destroy the reputation and contribution of Progressive Golden boy, former President Herbert Hoover.

Of course then, FDR. JFK. RFK, MLK. But also George Herbert Walker Bush and his son George who has yielded to BO.

What do they think? They abhor individualism and this is what makes the two Bush Presidents so confusing. They are both statist Republicans, or, progressive Republicans(Believing in Government doing "good work".

"The man who is now virtually synonymous with Progressivism, Herbert Croly (The Promise of American Life), founded the progressive movement.

He said: "The Promise of American Life is to be fulfilled ... by a large measure of individual subordination and self-denial." Henry Demarest Lloyd, an early leader in progressivism said that individualism is "one of the historic mistakes of humanity."

When did they begin to take effect in American Politics: TR - Ran on the Progressive Party "Bull Moose" ticket.

In 1924, the progressives mounted another election bid in the persons of Robert La Follette Senator from Louisiana, and Burton Wheeler. La Folletted sounded like an early Obama as far as platform policy goes but the point is, across the country he did win about 5 million votes, and Wisconsin's electoral votes. The progressive party remained influential in WI until WWII, but I believe as shown a re-emergence in politics, policy and law in Wisconsin since the mid 1980s.

Election of 1948 - At Philadelphia in July, 1948, a new third party, organized as a challenge to the Democratic party, adopted the name Progressive and nominated Henry A. Wallace for President and Senator Glen H. Taylor for Vice President. Endorsed by the Communist Party and by the American labor Party of New York state, the Progressive party accused the Truman administration of failing to cooperate with the Soviet Union to end the cold war and advocated repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act and reestablishment of wartime price controls. Its candidates won no electoral votes and only slightly more than 1 million popular votes as Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican candidate, by a close margin.

The above material is excerpted: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved...

The progressive Agenda is as follows(Party line not a matter but the DNC and Democratic Party are hearty endorsers of the progressive movement(AKA Socialists).

best Regards,

Dai

Progressive Agenda 2008

End Imperial Foreign Policy, Redirect Funding - All U.S. troops and military contractors must be safely withdrawn from Iraq now with war funding redirected toward social needs at home, and humanitarian and reconstruction aid to the Iraqi people. Under our Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse to cut off funding that prolongs the occupation of Iraq. The disastrous war in Iraq must not be extended into an even more disastrous attack on Iran. U.S. foreign policy must be fact-based, committed to international law and respect for the sovereignty of other nations, and aimed at intelligently countering real threats, such as weapons proliferation and transnational terrorism. Instead of producing more advanced nuclear warheads and promoting weapons into space and building missile shields, U.S. policy should lead by example in non-proliferation by disarming our own nuclear stockpiles. Reducing our nuclear weapons will facilitate negotiations with major powers like Russia and new nuclear countries like Iran. U.S. policy must be even-handed in the Middle East, aimed at justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. U.S. foreign policy must shift from reckless unilateralism toward cooperation and diplomacy with people of other countries knowing us more by our helping hand than our slugging arm.

Healthcare for All - It is immoral for a country as wealthy as ours to have 47 million people with no healthcare coverage, and millions more with inadequate, overly expensive coverage.

Economic Justice - (Redistribution of money to the so-called rest of us) - The Bush Administrations enormous tax breaks for the wealthy must be rolled back so that the richest 1 percent of our population (with yearly incomes averaging $1.3 million) will not pocket $300 billion over the next few years. Protecting the right of workers to form and join unions in the U.S. is essential to preserving the middle class, as is federal investment in job creation, such as the Apollo Alliance for renewable energy, and investment in wireless Internet networks. We need fair trade deals with other countries that protect workers' rights and the environment not wage-reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only corporate rights to globally exploit unprotected labor.Finally, we need humane and comprehensive immigration reform, which insures the rights of undocumented workers in the workplace and affirms the dignity and integrity of immigrant families.

Stop Global Warming - (thus encompassing the green movement, aka Socialist) -

No issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the U.S. political-economic system than global warming the triumph of greed and corporate power over the public good, and the near-sighted focus on the short-term over the welfare of future generations.

Reproductive Freedom/Civil Rights & Liberties - A womans reproductive freedom, including the right-to-choose, is essential to personal privacy and gender equality. Equal rights and equal opportunity must be a guiding principle of society, especially in view of historic and ongoing discrimination against women and racial, ethnic and sexual minorities.

Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections - The U.S. election system is in crisis, with voters facing political and racial obstacles in casting votes and in getting their votes counted. Big money and entrenched power deform the political process, with incumbents unfairly insulated by district gerrymandering and rules obstructing independent candidates and parties.

Media Reform - (IMPLEMENT ONE FOR ONE BROADCASTING, HENCE LIMITING FREE SPEECH AND CHOICE OF THE CITIZEN(consumer) - A half-dozen media conglomerates now sit on the windpipe of the First Amendment, having seized the publics broadcast airwaves; these companies helped facilitate the Iraq War.