Many prominent politicians and Conservatives have accurately pointed out how these career politicians who oppose a border wall supported one a few terms ago. This point has been used to illustrate how the Left is moving rapidly leftward. For instance, Medicare-For-All would have never passed with under Obama. Obama implemented the halfway of Obamacare. Today, Medicare-For-All is a prominent movement among Democrats. The border wall supported two presidents ago is unanimously opposed. Many Democrats and those on the left consider themselves “Progressives” without much thought to the historical and politically universal meaning of progressivism.
Progressivism is a political stance with an emphasis on workers or labor. It fights for labor against management within political realms. Progressivism is perhaps synonymous with pro-union. Both Democrats and Republicans with an identity crisis championed progressivism. To say it in a different way, progressivism is government intervention in the economy to benefit workers at the expense of management and free market. So how is a border wall progressive?
Progressive politicians have long been the legislative force for unions. In the past they have mandated union membership, fought for wage laws, labor regulations, antitrust legislation, income taxes, government pension, and number of other policies Conservatives do not like. You see this same political stance in several other countries. Most western countries have a predominant progressive party… England, Brazil, France etc. Progressivism is the “German Worker’s Party” section of the Nationalist Socialist German Worker’s Party that sought to exterminate the Jews in the 1940s. The class warfare inspired by progressivism was likely more responsible for the antisemitism than the Nationalist component, because progressivism creates and thrives on “us vs them” environments.
Progressivism aims to empower and protect the power of labor by manipulating supply and demand. Minimum wage laws, for instance, manipulate the labor supply market to pay workers more at the expense of job (and real wage loss for those making above minimum wage). Famous progressive heroes include Cesar Chavez, from whom Obama got “Yes We Can!” Illegal immigration is something progressivism vehemently opposed. Illegal immigrants are an influx of cheap labor at the expense of America’s blue collar. Big unions would call these workers scabs. Cesar Chavez strongly opposed and fought illegal immigration.
President Obama started out as a progressive icon. He even deported more illegal immigrants than any Republican presidents. But even Obama moved to the left. As of late, illegal immigrants are the top demographical priority for Democrats. Tucker Carlson’s PragerU video perfectly explains why Democrats now support illegal immigration: power. In their ambitious quest for power through demographically shifting our country to the left, Democrats have abandoned progressivism, in favor of socialism.
A border wall is progressive in that it would be the first step in a more comprehensive policy that will raise wages for Americans and eligible non-citizen labor. But the Democrats have abandoned progressivism, keeping the class warfare component and multiplying it with identity politics. This could be seen in 2016 with how Trump won the rust belt states and the rightward movement of states like West Virginia and Missouri, states where progressivism has greater appeal.
What was once okay with Democrats a few years ago is now taboo. The construct of right and left wing has expanded leftward and anything not leftist is considered “right wing” by the media and its favorites. For instance, the Venezuelan opposition leader:
Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader of #Venezuela, uses the motto "Si, Se Puede" or "yes we can" a progressive rallying call. If progressivism is right wing, you know things are bad.
— Raymond Fava (@RaymondFava) January 23, 2019
A US backed coup in Venezuela is not a solution to the dire issues they face. Trump's efforts to install a far right opposition will only incite violence and further destabilize the region. We must support Mexico, Uruguay & the Vatican's efforts to facilitate a peaceful dialogue.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 25, 2019
Welcome to the far right, progressives. Support the wall.
