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Overview
Whereas conservatives in America often disagree over which moral and political goods are most urgently in need of conservation, contemporary progressives are principally divided over the means—the kinds of government action—for achieving the progressive ends around which they unite. Varieties of Progressivism in America focuses on the debates within the party of progress about how best to increase opportunity in America and to make social and political life more egalitarian. The contributors to this volume, offering different expertise and different perspectives, combine varying voices, terminology, and views of American politics to provide a better sense of the different meanings of progressivism in our nation today. They examine the Old Democrats of the New Deal, the contributions of the Clinton-era New Democrats, and the future of progressivism in America.
Synopsis
The wide-ranging debate over the best means for promoting progressive ends
Whereas conservatives in America today often disagree over which moral and political goods are most urgently in need of conservation, contemporary progressives are principally divided over the means--the kinds of government and citizen action--for achieving the ends around which they unite. Accordingly his book focuses on the debates within the party of progress about how best to increase opportunity in America and to make social and political life more inclusive and equal.
The contributors to this volume bring to their task a wealth of expertise and an array of perspectives. Examining the Old Democrats who arose in the New Deal and gave shape to the modern Democratic Party, the Clinton-era New Democrats who sought to moderate the party's message, and the future of progressivism in America, they clarify the moral underpinnings and the political implications of the varieties of progressivism in America.
Debate among progressives about the most suitable means for the promotion of progressive ends persists. The book shows that the choice depends upon shifting coalitions; political leadership; developments in culture, economics, demography, and technology; actions and events beyond our borders; and not least engagement with that larger liberalism that undergirds the American constitutional order and so connects the varieties of progressivism to the varieties of conservatism in America.