And Teddy Roosevelt was a class one progressive....geez...and you use inviting Washington to the WH as evidence of what???
I notice you didn’t mention the ever favorite Carter as an example of a horrific example (and yet should have)
Per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Party_(United_States,_1912)...
Here was the social sphere platform for Teddy Roosevelt's Progressive Party:
*A National Health Service to include all existing government medical agencies.
* Social insurance, to provide for the elderly, the unemployed, and the disabled
* Limited injunctions in strikes
* A minimum wage law for women
* An eight hour workday
* A federal securities commission
* Farm relief
* Workers' compensation for work-related injuries
* An inheritance tax
* A Constitutional amendment to allow a Federal income tax
The political reforms proposed included
Women's suffrage
Direct election of Senators
Primary elections for state and federal nominations
The platform also urged states to adopt measures for "direct democracy", including:
The recall election (citizens may remove an elected official before the end of his term)
The referendum (citizens may decide on a law by popular vote)
The initiative (citizens may propose a law by petition and enact it by popular vote)
Judicial recall (when a court declares a law unconstitutional, the citizens may override that ruling by popular vote)
However, the main theme of the platform was an attack on the domination of politics by business interests, which allegedly controlled both established parties. The platform asserted that
To destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day
To that end, the platform called for
Strict limits and disclosure requirements on political campaign contributions
Registration of lobbyists
Recording and publication of Congressional committee proceedings
Yup...women voting in 1912 was indeed "progressive..."
Or perhaps you objected to an 8-hour workday...registration of lobbyists...strict limits & disclosure requirements for political campaign contributions...access for voter referenda...and judicial recalls...etc...
Obviously, the fed income tax has been abused...but somebody who supports RomneyCare -- and what Massachusetts has furthered expanded with that abortion-wise -- shouldn't be hurling stones at what the govt does with precedent-setting open doors...