In Monday’s debate, Hillary Clinton was asked whether she’d describe herself as a “liberal.” I expected the usual Democratic line — “I don’t believe in labels” — but her answer was much, much stronger than the usual talking point.
“You know, Rob — (laughter) — you know, it is a word that originally meant that you were for freedom, that you were for the freedom to achieve, that you were willing to stand against big power and on behalf of the individual. Unfortunately, in the last 30, 40 years, it has been turned up on its head, and it’s been made to seem as though it is a word that describes big government, totally contrary to what its meaning was in the 19th and early 20th century.
“I prefer the word ‘progressive,’ which has a real American meaning, going back to the progressive era at the beginning of the 20th century. I consider myself a modern progressive, someone who believes strongly in individual rights and freedoms, who believes that we are better as a society when we’re working together and when we find ways to help those who may not have all the advantages in life get the tools they need to lead a more productive life for themselves and their families.”
Nicely played. I’ve been reluctant to give up on “liberal” because I resent the notion that the right can berate the left into giving up on our own label, but Clinton made a compelling case.
Just as significant, I think, is this new Rasmussen poll that shows an interesting trend: “progressive” actually beats “conservative” nationwide.
In every poll in recent memory, “liberal” always polls below “moderate” and “conservative.” It’s reinforced the notion that center-right politics have been in ascendance for quite some time.
But if “progressive” replaces “liberal,” the dynamic changes considerably.
From the poll:
During last Monday’s Democratic Presidential debate, Senator Hillary Clinton indicated that she preferred to be called “progressive” rather than “liberal.” The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that is probably a good move — Americans are more receptive to the term progressive.
Just 20% said they consider it a positive description to call a candidate politically liberal while 39% would view that description negatively. However, 35% would consider it a positive description to call a candidate politically progressive. Just 18% react negatively to that term. Those figures reflect a huge swing, from a net negative of nineteen points to a net positive of 17 points.
On the other side of the ideological spectrum, being called politically conservative is considered a positive description by 32% and negative by 20%.
Rasmussen didn’t dwell on the point, but let’s not brush past the head-to-head number too quickly. According to the poll, 35% consider “progressive” a positive description of a candidate, whereas 32% consider “conservative” a positive label. In other words, the left’s label is now more popular than the right’s.
Obviously, the numbers are pretty close, and I’d prefer to see “progressive” even higher, but given that “conservative” has left “liberal” in the dust for a couple of decades now, I consider the results rather encouraging, don’t you?