A great stirring came from the most recent Democratic Debate in Durham, New Hampshire. U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, began speaking about, “Who’s left of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party?” Her statements were in reference to Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders’ recent criticisms against her record as a progressive politician. Senator Sanders argues that, “you can’t be a progressive and a moderate at the same time,” and he continues by saying, “I do not know any progressive who has a super PAC and takes $15 million from Wall Street.” In order to figure out this fight about who is a progressive and who isn’t, let’s look at what it means to be a progressive.
The word progressive, in its most broad sense, is used as a term to describe a “pragmatic system of thought grounded in solving problems and maintaining strong values within society,” according to John Halpin, senior advisor on the staff of the Center for American Progress. So then being a progressive just means using this pragmatic system of problem-solving to further America and maintain strong values in society.
Working within this definition, anyone can be a progressive, the issue that Bernie Sanders is bringing to the table is that his form of progressivism is far different than Hillary Clinton’s form of progressivism. That is what this fight all boils down to. Secretary Clinton believes that there are certain social issues (legalize abortion, protection of Planned Parenthood) that need to be prioritized above certain economic issues, while Bernie Sanders believes that there are certain economic issues (wall street reform, health care reform, campaign finance reform) that need to be prioritized above certain social issues.
Secretary Clinton most certainly believes herself to be a progressive, and of course she uses this broad definition of progressivism when determining the best way to move the country forward - and is therefore progressive - but Senator Sanders is not criticizing her because she isn’t progressive enough, Senator Sanders is criticizing Secretary Clinton because she isn’t as liberal as he is. And I think that is the most important distinction within these two candidates.
Secretary Clinton is a moderate liberal, where Senator Sanders is a radical liberal, a self-described “democratic socialist.” Theoretically speaking, because Clinton is more moderate, she will be more willing to compromise and get things done; however, in her appeal to get things done, she loses the radical nature that attracts people to Sanders. Generally speaking, Hillary Clinton is an advocate for incremental change in liberal values: improving on Obamacare - not creating a new system, sustaining gay rights, improving on income inequality, and because America is a country generally made up of moderates and republicans, Clinton believes this plan will have the greatest appeal going forward. But Senator Sanders is an advocate for a “political revolution.” He wants a plan that will overthrow what he views is a corrupt political system that favors the upper class, by focusing on campaign finance reform, breaking up the large banks, creating universal health care for all, and raising taxes on the rich.
Hillary Clinton said it best during the debate: “we can go back and forth like this, but the fact is most people watching tonight want to know what we’ve done and what we will do.” And she is correct, there is no real debate about who is or is not a progressive, because they both are progressive (in that they want to progress America by using a pragmatic, problem-solving method that exemplifies the values that they hold most dear). The debate about whether or not Hillary Clinton is progressive distracts from the real purpose of these debates, and while this critique of Secretary Clinton is warranted, as politically active people we need to be sure of the terms we use to define each other. If Secretary Clinton does not fit your view of the ideal candidate it may be because she is a moderate liberal, and in this case you should look to Senator Sanders to be your preferred candidate. If Senator Sanders strikes you as too radical, it is because he is just that, and you should look to Secretary Clinton to be your preferred candidate.
