[p2p-research] documenting america's move to the left

[Michel Bauwens]

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=progressivism_goes_mainstream

excerpt:


The 2008 presidential election not only solidified partisan shifts to the
Democratic Party, it also marked a significant transformation in the
ideological and electoral landscape of America. In two major studies of
American beliefs and demographic trends--the *State of American Political
Ideology, 2009* and *New Progressive America*, both conducted by the
Progressive Studies Program at the Center for American Progress--we found
that the president's agenda reflects deep and growing consensus among the
American public about the priorities and values that should guide our
government and society. Not surprisingly, conservatives are the ones who are
out of line with the values of most Americans.

*****

The rise of progressivism in America today is reflected most directly in
public ratings of various ideological approaches. Today more than two-thirds
of Americans rate a "progressive" approach to politics favorably, a 25-point
increase in favorability over the last five years, with gains coming
primarily from those who were previously unaware of the term. "Progressive"
now equals "conservative" in terms of overall public favorability (67
percent, respectively). Both the "liberal" and "libertarian" labels enjoy
much lower overall favorability, with only a plurality of Americans rating
each positively. (As a side note, conservative elites might want to rethink
their Ayn Rand obsession: a mere 35 percent of self-identified conservatives
rate the term "libertarian" favorably, only 10-points higher than their
rating of "liberal.")

Employing an innovative measurement of Americans' ideological
self-identification, our study expanded the traditional
liberal-moderate-conservative test with a five-point measure that more
accurately reflects the dominant ideologies in politics today. Under this
approach, roughly a third of Americans classify themselves as "progressive"
or "liberal," a third are self-described "moderate" or "other," and just
over a third label themselves "conservative" or "libertarian." After a
follow-up question that pushes moderates to choose between the other
ideological approaches, a roughly even left-right breakdown surfaces: 47
percent of Americans are "progressive" or "liberal" and 48 percent are
"conservative" or "libertarian." The notion that we are a center-right
nation is certainly exaggerated.

On a more substantive level, beyond ideological labels, we presented
Americans with a series of 40 statements, split evenly between progressive
and conservative ideas. Examining the results, it is clear that public
acceptance of the Reagan-Bush model of conservatism--limited government, tax
cuts, traditional values, and military strength--has given way to a broad
and deep cross section of the American public now holding solidly
progressive attitudes about government and society.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans agree that "government investments in
education, infrastructure, and science are necessary to ensure America's
long-term economic growth."


-- 
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