General Discussion

The old meaning was pretty much interchangeable, liberal/progressive. The good vs evil Us vs Them redefinition that started over a decade ago is purely to divide,

"The term has been highly historically malleable, and even today gets defined in a number of ways. Moreover, however you define it, no one is 'progressive' in all areas. ... It was not the first time the term 'establishment' had been weaponized, but never so effectively, to just the right people at just the right time. And as 'establishment' became the blood-sucking vampire, 'progressive' became the talisman of defense. Since then ... the branding of Democrats into 'progressive' and 'establishment' (or sometimes 'centrist') has come to dominate how candidates are identified -- and often self-identify.

"I think it's time to seriously ask ourselves: just what good is this relic of a disastrous election doing? Not only doesn't it accurately represent the diversity among Democrats, but it clearly fosters fragmentation and resentment ... .But surely, we can give up the old magic incantations, the old revolutionary/sell-out discourse. There is NO huge 'ideological divide' there. ... And so 'Medicare for All inexorably slides down the slope to trashing Obamacare ... while the phony boxing match between 'progressives' and the 'moderates' has Trump and Mitch snickering over the mess." -- Susan Bordo