One of Progressive Future’s operating principles is that being a progressive American means more than holding a set of sensible but random policy positions. It means buying into a set of broader values that tie our positions together—whether we think that way on a daily basis or not.
Part of our task moving forward, then, is to do a better job of thinking that way and talking that way. Defining and articulating these values helps us work together more effectively and shows our fellow citizens that we’re not just a bunch of special interest forced under one tent.
This is easier said than done because I think we need to aim for a very particular level of abstraction. The values need to be broad and inspiring enough to unite different issue preferences under a common theme. But, they need to be specific and concrete enough to meaningfully differentiate ourselves from those who disagree with us on most issues.
So, I think “freedom” and “equality” are out because they’re too broad. George Bush is for those things—and he even uses them as an excuse to go to war.
I think “choice,” “environmental stewardship,” and “workers’ rights” are too narrow. These are really issues, not a broader framework.
I’ve chosen community, fairness, and security as the three values to begin to articulate on this site.
I like community the best because explains a lot about what binds us together and it so clearly differentiates us from the right. We believe we’re all in this together; they believe that every man is an island. We believe that we should come together to work for the common good and solve large problems collectively; they believe everyone should pull himself up by his bootstraps.
Our different views on the importance of community explain why conservatives are inherently skeptical of government while progressives view it as just a particularly formal way to come together to solve common problems; why progressives support strong safety nets and conservatives do not; etc.
Fairness doesn’t quite meet the “differentiatable” test on its face. Rush Limbaugh has never taken a strong stance against fairness. But, of course, we take fairness seriously and they do not. We worry about every child getting a decent (and ultimately equal) education, and about people facing discrimination for characteristics beyond their control—race, sex, sexuality, poverty. They think that everyone has an equal opportunity to be born to rich parents. Our focus on fairness explains why we support progressive taxation, quality public education, and political equality through sensible limits on the influence of money on public policy.
Security also seems a bit strange on its face. Right wing politicians love to talk about how only they will protect us from terrorists and violent criminals. Of course, we find serious flaws with their solutions to the real problems of threats to our safety—they tend to attack the symptoms rather than the causes. But, more importantly, we define security much more holistically. Real security means not living paycheck-to-paycheck with no room for error. It means being able to take your kids to a safe place while you work and to the doctor when they get sick.
I put these values out to spark a conversation. Perhaps others should be on the list. Sustainability? Is ecology a holistic value that goes beyond environmentalism?
I know I’m not the first to tread in these waters, and I certainly have no hope of providing the final word. Plenty of academics and think tanks have done research that touches on this topic—and I hope to engage with this work in future posts. More important, I hope that this blog and this website will serve as a forum for a conversation about how together we progressives can define and articulate a set of common values, and begin to connect our work in various policy arenas under a set of larger umbrellas.
But, community, fairness, and security are a start. I will work to highlight how our policy work at Progressive Future connects to these broader values as we proceed and grow. And, I encourage you to help me. Where I get sucked into a particular issue and miss opportunities to highlight the big picture, let me know. Where I try to make a connection that seems specious and forced, tell me that too.
And, there’s never been a better time to be talking about these values than now. We’re in a recession and may be on the verge of something worse (86% of Americans think so). We lost 83,000 jobs in March and countless families have lost their homes to forclosures.
Meanwhile, our government is bailing out Wall Street and ignoring Main Street. And, executive pay continues to rise without regard to performance while average workers suffer.
These are not signs of a community coming together to solve problems; of a fair, balanced economy that rewards work and productivity; or of secure families.
