On the spectrum of left-wing ideology, there is a progression from liberalism, through progressivism and socialism, to communism. Though I would never claim that all liberals are, at their core, communists, I believe that there are many liberals who call themselves liberals only out of necessity, because their real ideological position is far too leftist for mainstream America. But make no mistake, liberalism is the doorstep to communism, and until public opinion shifts significantly to the left, most left-wing radicals will loiter on the liberal threshold, afraid to be exposed for who they really are.

Liberals have been with us for a very long time. The Democratic Party is currently known, generally, as the party of liberals. However, in 1995, following the Republican Revolution, a group of pseudo-liberals broke away from the Democratic Party, disgusted with the liberal elitists whom they blamed for the party’s failure. This group formed the creatively named New Party, which they called a progressive party. In reality, many radical individuals came together from communist, socialist, and progressive backgrounds, to form this new party. As stated by founding member Joel Rogers in a paper entitled After Liberalism, liberals were only interested in providing for the needs of the lower class, and not organizing them around fundamental social change.

This new group, then, emerged in the mid nineties, and started calling themselves, collectively, progressives. They openly admitted to being further to the left than liberals, but as with many of these same people who had formerly called themselves liberals, they rejected the notion that the were socialist or communist.

Early operatives in this new progressive movement were ACORN, as well as Barack Obama, who was a member of the New Party when he ran for the state Senate in 1996.

The New Party did not last long, but following its decline, progressives rallied back to the Democratic Party. During the time from the mid-nineties to today, a transformation has taken place within the Democratic Party. Though most of the Democratic voters are not even aware of this, the Democratic Party is no longer the party of liberals, but of progressives. Many recognize this in a general way, referring to the “far left liberals who run the party”. But the truth is, they do not consider themselves liberal.

Progressives have been busy behind the scenes of the Democratic Party for about a decade now. It is the Congressional Progressive Caucus that controls Congress today, counting 1/3^rd of all Democrats as members, including 11 of the 20 committee chairs. Members include Nancy Pelosi (she left the caucus when she became speaker), Barney Frank, and a long list of Congress’s most left-leaning members. Independent Bernie Sanders, the admitted socialist Senator from Vermont, formed the caucus in 1991. In 2006, the CPC’s Progressive Majority Project was behind the Democrat’s return to the Congressional majority. Moveon.org is an influential partner with the CPC.

In 2003, the progressive think-tank Center for American Progress was opened, with seed money from Moveon.org backer George Soros, as well as mortgage billionaires Herbert and Marion Sandler. Not only will this think-tank provide an Obama adminstration with policy guidance, but it will be instrumental in assembling his new staff. In essence, with Barack Obama as figurehead, and the CPC in control of Congress, the Center for American Progress will be running the country. The blueprint for our new country is ready for publication. It is called “Changing America: A Progressive Blueprint”. 

So liberalism, as we have known it for decades, is a thing of the past. In its place, we have progressivism. The fundamental difference between the two is the goal of progressives to organize and empower the lower classes, rather than simply provide for their needs. It is a more radical ideology, advocating a revolution, either violent or democratic, with the end goal being, though this would never be openly stated, socialism. We need only look around us today, with groups like ACORN and the “grass roots” Obama campaign to see this revolution in progress. At least, for now, it is not a violent revolution. If they fail to seize power by democratic means, though, we will see how they proceed with “plan B”.

Many on the right have been decrying what they fear is a socialist revolution. The left is too crafty for that. Such a bold revolution would not be embraced by a majority of Americans. No, what we face is a progressive revolution. For the first time in my lifetime, we are about to move beyond the threshold of liberalism. If Obama is elected, progressivism will be the new liberalism, and we will be one step closer to socialism. This is how it works, the incremental, almost imperceptible revolution.

As in the past, when communists, socialists, and progressives all worked together under the socially acceptable title of liberal, we now see communists and socialists allied with progressives. Interestingly, many liberals, a large percentage of the Democratic voting base, are now to the right of their party, along with conservatives. It is only by deception that progressives have been able to achieve this quiet revolution. It is my hope that enough people realize that the revolution has taken place in time to undo it. The people who are voting for this revolutionary change are overwhelmingly opposed to it in principle. Most Democrats are content to fight for equality and justice within our capitalist system, positioning themselves as the advocates of the workingman. But progressives are not content with this. They advocate a working class revolution, which would fundamentally change our economic system, and necessarily erode our democratic freedoms. Though they will claim that progressivism advocates a “third way”, a hybrid system that draws on the best features of both socialism and capitalism, I see it as nothing more than the first small step toward that ultimate goal, communism.