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| Source: GBTV- Glenn Beck, talking about Progressives. |
"Glenn Beck on Newt Gingrich, Teddy Roosevelt and other Progressives."
From GBTV
I agree with Glenn Beck on one thing with his little rant here. Newt Gingrich, is a Progressive but on the Right when it comes to progressivism. Newt believes in using government through conservative what’s called free market principles to solve problems that Progressives, Liberals, Socialists, and others on the Left believe should be solved. So by that definition House Speaker Paul Ryan would qualify as a Progressive. Republican Senator Tim Scott and perhaps Senator Marco Rubio, would qualify as Progressives as well. AEI President Arthur Brooks, again under this definition, would also qualify as a Progressive.
Where Glenn Beck goes off the rails and gets lost in Fantasy Land, perhaps on a week-long meth, alcohol, or marijuana high, with absolutely no sleep, is when he compares progressivism with all sorts of statist philosophies. All sorts of collectivist ideologies that put the interests of the state over the individual and believes Big Government should treat all of the people as its little children who aren’t capable of making the most basic fundamental decisions for themselves.
And in that sense even democratic socialism as it relates to economic policy and to a certain extent personal freedom social issues and trying to prevent people through government force from being involved in unhealthy personal activities, certain parts of democratic socialism and certain Democratic Socialists who aren’t Communists, qualify as statists and collectivists.
The real big government statist collectivist ideology, that Glenn Beck seems to be talking about, is actually communism. Progressives both on the Left where Progressives tend to be now (and that means Center-Left) believe in a limited government to use to help improve society so more people can succeed in society.
Things like education and job training for low-skilled workers and for kids who come from low-income families.
Expanding infrastructure to low-income communities and incentivizing companies to invest in low-income communities and hire low-income people so they can work instead of collecting Welfare..
As well as basic financial assistance for people who fall on hard times.
These are the things that Progressives believe in that government can do to create progress and help people in need from an economic standpoint. This is not a big government socialist or statist approach to governing in America. But a pragmatic limited government progressive approach, that perhaps even a Conservative-Libertarian like a Glenn Beck could support.
