What Is a Progressive Democrat?

The Progressive Democrats of America is a grassroots Political Action Committee (PAC) that functions within the Democratic Party. Progressive Democrats combine some ideals of the Democratic Party with those of the nonpartisan progressive movement.

History

The Progressive Democrats are a fairly new group in the political community of the United States. The Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) was formed in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention. Members of several presidential campaigns gathered to address their concerns about the direction the Democratic Party was taking.

Names

Some popular members of the Democratic Party are part of the progressive movement. Former presidential candidates Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and Jesse Jackson are among some of the most well-known supporters of the PDA.

Progressivism

The PDA is an offshoot of traditional progressivism. In the United States, progressivism came out of a desire to protect the citizen. Some of the largest issues progressives were concerned with in the early 20th century were unionization, public health, environmental protection and reduction of corruption in politics. The issues have since expanded to include civil rights concerns such as women and gay rights. Progressives support a range of other issues including abolition of the death penalty, Social Security reform and development of renewable energy.

Misconceptions

Progressivism as a movement is not strictly limited to Democrats. Populists, Republicans and members of the Bull-Moose and Socialist parties have all been linked to the progressive movement. Progressivism is a difficult concept to define, because it is not a political party with clear lines of action. The recent connection between Democrats and Progressives has garnered some criticism from non-Democratic progressives who believe that the Democratic Party is attempting to attract progressives who may not understand Democratic policies.

Future

The Progressive Democrats plan to continue working within and outside the Democratic Party to create a government run by the people rather than special interest groups. One of the major concerns of the party is government transparency. They believe the people should see what goes on behind the scenes and that government should be honest with the people who elected them. Election reform, including campaign finance and reliable voting machines, is among their top concerns. Some other areas they campaign for are ending and keeping out of military conflicts, repealing tax cuts that they believe are detrimental to the economy, creating a workable and responsible energy policy, and creating a single-payer health care system.

References

• Progressive Democrats of America