Progressives, Liberals, Moderates, Centrists: What Does It All Mean?

I don’t know who came up with the names Progressives, Liberals, Moderates and Centrists for members of the Democratic Party.  Further, I can’t define with clarity what each of those names mean; and I’m not sure that whoever came up with them can clearly define them either.  Why?  Because regardless of who you ask to define Progressives, Liberals, Moderates or Centrists, you never get the same answer from any of them.

I was compelled to mention the confusion on my part regarding these names, and I have no doubt that there are many other voters that are just as unclear on them, before I discuss all of the complaining by “Moderates” about how the “Progressives” in the House are really messing up President Biden’s agenda; especially the Build Back Better part of it.

What immediately makes me suspicious of these sore complaints and this great concern about the terrible damage that Progressives are doing to President Biden’s agenda is that among those who are complaining is Senator Kyrsten Sinema.  Yes, you read it right.  And yes, it’s the same Kyrsten Sinema who along with Senator Joe Manchin have been gumming up President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda from the very start.

These are two senators who are cozy enough with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Republican Party that they can run off to various places and have fundraisers hosted by Republicans.  And here is the best part, no one in the Republican Party objects to it!  Senator Sinema’s antics in Washington caught the attention of Saturday Night Live; so much so that they featured her in a satire.  It was spot on!

Senator Sinema was so angered because the physical infrastructure bill was not voted on like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that it would be that she accused her of betraying the trust of the American people.  Just so you know it, this is the bill that Democratic senators Manchin and Sinema hammered out with Republicans in the senate before sending it to the House.

So it is hard to know if Senator Sinema is upset because, according to her, House Progressives are damaging President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda or because they are screwing with her “bipartisan” infrastructure bill.  She has done more damage to the president’s agenda than any of the so-called damage that Progressives have done.  Progressives are fighting to get President Biden’s entire agenda, including the Build Back Better part of it, implemented.

Republicans have always believed that they are entitled to run things in Washington and around the country whether or not they are the majority Party; they don’t need to be in control of the House, Senate and Executive branches of government in order to control the House, Senate and Executive branches of government.  Unfortunately for Democrats, Republicans have proven this to be a fact time-and-time again.  They simply bully their way through governance.

Republicans have become emboldened since the election and subsequent defeat of Mr. Donald J. Trump.  Almost the entire Republican Party support Mr. Trump and his “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him.  They still believe that he is the rightful president and that President Biden is not the President.  Even those Republican politicians who know better and have been elected officials for many years support and promulgate the “Big Lie.”  It does not matter to them that we are in a Constitutional crisis and our American democracy is at risk.

Americans already know that only one of the two political parties is interested in governing.  So it is a good thing that Progressives have committed to stand up to the Republican Party; the Party that is not interested in governing but instead has chosen to support Mr. Donald J. Trump and his “Big Lie”.  It is a good thing that Progressives have chosen to fight to implement President Biden’s full agenda.

It is unfortunate that we are currently fighting among ourselves but if that is what we must do to deliver on the promises that Democrats made to the American people when Mr. Biden was running for office then so be it.  Democrats will get beyond the fighting and provide the support that the president needs to implement his agenda.  And once that is accomplished, everyone will be okay with it: they might not agree with it or like it but they will be okay with it.  That is, everyone that is living on this planet and not an alternate one (earth 2) where the people prefer “alternative facts” and to live a lie (the “Big Lie”?) rather than the truth.

Again, just so you know it, “alternative facts” is a phrase used in an argument made by U.S. Counselor to The Donald J. Trump of the United States of America, Kellyanne Conway, in defense of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s lie about the attendance numbers of Mr. Donald J. Trump’s inauguration as The Donald J. Trump of the United States.  Ms. Conway said Mr. Spicer was giving “alternative facts.”

Americans must always fight in our effort to utterly rid ourselves of anyone who in any way assists in or seeks to destroy our democracy.  The best way to avoid being saddled with more people in government like Mr. Spicer and Ms. Conway is to vote out those elected officials who espouse “alternative facts” and support Mr. Trump’s “Big Lie.”  Together we can do this!  That is why you must always remember that whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line