The term “Progressive” is the latest classification to be adopted by the corporatists. Hillary Clinton absolutely floored me when she stood up at the Yearly Kos and described herself as a Progressive. Barack Obama also has used the term. What I want to know is what exactly are they “Progressive” about? I feel that they are only progressive in the fact that they are progressing towards corporate fascism.

I told you that I read the right-wing blogs. Those poor people are so caught up in categories that they actually have no idea what anyone’s political views are. Here’s an example of their rhetoric;

“When the economy tanks, taxes go up, and families in America, Iraq and Afghanistan have been truly screwed by the likes of Waxman, Kennedy, Schumer, Pelosi, Reid, Kucinich (and the other serving progressives) and Hillary or an Obama you will have really stood up for your beliefs?” Invincible Armor by mRed on 2/4/08

What Progressives? The only “Progressive” I’ve seen pointed out is Kucinich. Still, it is good business to use these descriptive words to portray a group. The days of being a “proud progressive” are over. The adjective is now totally useless. It seems like all Democrats are now progressives.

What I’m getting at here is whatever anyone calls themselves anymore, the practice only serves to divide people and give them an imaginary agenda that they can side with. It used to be that we had Democrats, Republicans and Independents and various third party candidates. Now we have Social Conservatives, Fiscal Conservatives, Reagan-ites, Neo-Conservatives, Evangelical Conservatives and a host of others. The Democrats have their fair share too, and I’m not inclined to post them. The truth is that there are only two basic political philosophies in 2008. There are those that still believe in a left or right or a center in American politics; and those that realize that there are only corporate politicians. They encourage this divisive status quo and they know the game they are playing with the American people.

I am going to use labels again, as much as I despise them just for the sake of separating the wheat from the chaff so to speak. You have the corporatists and their minions; The Democrats and Republicans and all the different groups that they bring) and for sake of argument; The Realists.

Realists are people from both sides of the political spectrum that understand that the corporatists are using every tool at their command, including antiquated political adjectives to keep the political debate about meaningless affairs that have no place in reality, going indefinitely until they can consolidate their hold on not only the economy, but the government.

I came to this reality when I had a debate with a right wing woman on her radio show (Jennof the Jungle from “Screwliberals.com”), about whether or not the media was left or right. I was unprepared for that debate because my frame of mind was that the corporations had complete control of the media and thus it would be simple enough to state my case. I was soon bombarded with facts and figures about who was “liberal” and how much time the “liberal-progressive media” got compared to the right on the mainstream media. Needless to say I was blown away in that debate because in my mind, the examples of the liberal progressive people and issues that were brought up, in no way, shape or form coincided with my view of liberal or progressives. I was told that Hillary and Obama were mentioned far and above the Republican candidates. The person I was debating was completely right when she used the accepted norm of today’s political jargon.

It really blew me away. At first I was angry with myself for not being prepared for the debate. Then after my chagrin and one of my friends whose opinion I value, told me that “She didn’t get it” I asked him what he meant by that and he basically told me about my frame of mind and hers. That I realized that corporate control of the media is basically the same whether it is a right or left venue and that the corporations only tell you what they want you to know. My frame of reference was different than hers. It still didn’t mean I had an excuse for losing the debate, I should have set the premise of the debate differently and I got my ass handed to me as a result.

I’m glad that it all happened however, because it brought me to a greater realization that we are far too involved in this contrived left-right debate to understand a basic truth. That truth is that the political operatives of the corporate-controlled media would rather have Americans see other Americans as the unpatriotic enemy from within than the people that really are, and that is this Military-Industrial-Complex that has been manipulating us from behind the scenes for decades.

Today I was in a store and I was talking to a young African-American woman and she asked me who I would be voting for in the election. I told her I would be voting for Senator Mike Gravel. She asked me why, and I told her that all the others were corporate controlled politicians that were not really looking after the peoples interests. She nodded and said that she would probably vote for him too, but that he didn’t have a real chance of beating the major party politicians and getting our democracy back. I said “Well what can you do about it?” To my utter astonishment she said;”We are going to have to fight for it!” Now did that blow your mind? It sure as hell blew mine. This is South Carolina mind you, and she was a hip-hop generation female that would never be expected to say anything like that. When my wife and I got in the car, she told me that things are worse than anyone can imagine. I agreed, but I thought to myself that in reality, things may be better than anyone could imagine. I had just met another realist.

I believe that I have touched the “third rail” that everyone speaks about. I still have great faith in human nature, even when I fully realize what some among us are capable of. I believe, even though I am not religious, that everyone has a soul, a conscience and a kind of “collective consciousness”. I believe that we all know when things just aren’t “right” and they aren’t right now.

That’s the way I see it.