Do all ideas have to be "Progressive" ideas?

[dumpdabaggers]

Sometimes I wonder if we are not being like the rightes when they demand a rigid ideology of their politicians.

What is wrong with having pragmatic ideas? When the left has a good idea, go with it. If someone on the right has a good idea, why not go with it? Why is everything a matter of us against them or them against us? Besides that, what is a "progressive" idea? What is a "conservative idea?"

Republican's oppose things that they once agreed with simply because Obama comes out for them. Do we do the same? Also, I really hate the word "Progressive." Why don't we call ourselves what we are? Be proud to be a liberal! Do you see right wingers come up with a new name for what they are?

Liberal as hell an d proud.

[KansDem]

1. "If someone on the right has a good idea, why not go with it? "

Please provide an example of a "good idea" from the right...

[Cali_Democrat]

4. national highway interstate system

During Eisenhower's Presidency.

Wasn't he a Republican?

[KansDem]

12. Oh, yeah, but that was some 60 years ago...

But he also warned us about the military-industrial complex.

What "good idea" has the right wing had since then?

[Cali_Democrat]

17. Not sure

They pretty much have no ideas except ruin the goverment when they get into power and say "see, I told ya so...government sucks"

[KansDem]

23. You got that right!

...ruin the goverment when they get into power and say "see, I told ya so...government sucks"

It's their M.O...it's why the Tea Baggers love conservatives!

[frylock]

25. obama makes eisenhower look like kucinich

[dumpdabaggers]

8. Jack Kemp had some great ideas while HUD Secretary.

He wanted to establish "Enterprise Zones" in poor neighborhoods, providing large incentives to get companies to create jobs in those places ravaged by unemployment.

He wanted to renovate government housing projects like in Chicago, provide the chance for people to own their units giving them pride of ownership. He wanted to evict all of the crack dealers, and criminals, and make these places safe homes for tenants to raise their children,

These were good ideas.

Richard Nixon wanted to estalish a system to universal health care in the U.S. He tried to get Ted Kennedy to work with him on it. Kennedy refused to deal with Nixon. Later Kennedy said it was one of his "biggest mistakes." Kennedy got caught up in the "us against them" thing back in 1971. The idea ended up dying with Watergate.

The DC voucher program for public schools is a good idea, supported by local Democrats and Republican's alike. For whatever reason, President Obama wants to get rid of it.

Judd Gregg may have had a better idea for health care in one sense. He wanted a public option policy that covered all American's against catostropic illnesses. This may have been better than what we got in the health plan.

[KansDem]

14. It's unfortunate these ideas didn't become reality...

Any good ideas from right wingers in the last, oh...say..., 10-15 years?

[dumpdabaggers]

20. Over the last 15 years? i can't think of any. LOL

NT

[KansDem]

22. I might be tempted to say the raising of the speed limit from 55 to 70...

...after the GOP took Congress in 1994. I know it wasn't good for gas consumption, but it sure made it easier to travel the highways of western Kansas and eastern Colorado!
:hi:

[mikelgb]

2. Can one of them be?

[polichick]

3. No - as long as the policies are progressive. nt

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. If 'we call ourselves what we are,' some of us will call ourselves Progressive.

[Jefferson23]

6. Republicans do have a new name, Tea Baggers, they picked that one.

Democrats have a platform, so does the GOP, when considering policy, it is suppose to benefit the country on the whole,
not push forward an advanced oligarchy.

I'm interested in knowing what good ideas have come from the right? Or perhaps you meant, IF they ever have a good idea, why not
support it?

[ClassWarrior]

7. No, but progressive values are the best of American values. And they're all pragmatic.

As for opposing one's own values simply because a person one doesn't like favors them, that just shows the hollowness of a one's position. I don't do that. Do you?

NGU.

[Enrique]

9. we obviously don't demand rigid ideology of our politicians

Obama is extremely popular among democrats, so we obviously appreciate pragmatism.

[CreekDog]

10. name a good idea from the right

just one.

[dumpdabaggers]

11. Jack Kemp

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x296938#296966

[CreekDog]

15. you waste an OP and can name only 1 idea from a sitting Republican in all of congress?

1 idea...and that idea is pretty sketchy.

but the rest of the ideas are from: Jack Kemp (dead), Richard Nixon (also dead), not to mention, no Republicans are offering them anymore.

buddy, the idea that we on the left are ignoring good ideas on the right...there really aren't many if any being offered there right now.

[Jennicut]

13. No. But the ultra conservative Rethugs of today have no good ideas.

Rethugs have drifted so far right they gave up owning any part of the middle. Mainstream Dems ARE the middle. So there are very progressive and centrist ideas that are talked about every day here. There are no moderate Rethugs left...well, maybe two from Maine and a few moderate Gov.s Not much else.

[Sebastian Doyle]

16. Can someone give me even ONE good idea that has come from conservatism

Seriously..... Who was the last Republican to propose ANYTHING worthwhile? Nixon with the EPA? And before that? Eisenhower creating the Interstate Highway System (Irony there is that Ike no doubt modeled after the Autobahn invented by Nazi Germany, so I guess you could say that was REALLY a right wing invention)

And when I say "conservatism" I don't just mean the admitted Republicans. What good ideas have come from the DLC?

NAFTA? Repealing Glass-Stegall? The Murdoch-Clear Channel enabling Act of 1996? The Insurance Industry Corporate Welfare Act of 2010?

There are no "good ideas" from the corporate right, regardless of which party label it uses.

[HughMoran]

18. Progriberal?

There are a couple of groups that prefer the term 'progressive'. It is a popular word in one circle of people who like to think they're on the cutting edge of political thinking. Liberal is the traditional word that Republicans spent 40 years trying to turn into a pejorative - some 'progressives' are liberals who have run from the word 'liberal'. It gets complicated from there where the 'new' progressives get offended with traditional liberals use of the term 'progressive'. Pragmatic? See Liberal - 'new' progressives find this word equally offensive.

[Robb]

19. I like it. Let's tighten that up a bit:

How about "Gribberish?" :D

[HughMoran]

21. chuckle

Imagine delving into all the semantic wordsmithing done on a political site?

[Dr Morbius]

26. Republicans today are targeting "progressives",

The smear campaign has a new target.

I'm a liberal.

[Prism]

24. No, but we should have progressive *values*

Ideas can and should come from every ideology. Whatever works, works. Great presidents like Lincoln recognized that when he created his Compound Cabinet.

But no matter what ideology originates an idea, I feel it's application should follow certain values that are generally recognized as liberal/progressive. Compassion and state-sponsored help for the poor, equality, personal choice and liberty, etc.

It is the values that divide liberals and conservatives - not necessarily the ideas.