[Ads-l] The new "progressive" [Was: More on "liberal"]

[Joel S. Berson]

At 1/8/2015 05:12 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:

>The writer of the article said "he made nods to pragmatism".
>
>The Senate leader called himself "very pragmatic".
>
>Was this an Op/Ed or a news piece??

A news piece.  And I read "nods" as a casual acknowledgement or 
concession to pragmatism (OED n.1, 4), not an indication that 
Rosenberg sees pragmatism as his controlling principle.

Joel


>DanG
>
>On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 5:02 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: The new "progressive" [Was: More on "liberal"]
> >
> > 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > At 1/8/2015 04:50 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
> >
> > >Just because he called himself "Progressive", it doesn't mean there was
> > >actually a "progression".
> > >
> > >I read "pragmatic" as an attempt to step back to the middle.
> > >
> > >DanG
> >
> > Not when "Rosenberg underscored the importance of tackling economic
> > inequality in the state, and he made *nods* to pragmatism".  Doesn't
> > sound like a "step back to the middle" to me, more a step back in
> > time to the original Massachusetts' notion of "commonwealth".
> >
> > (Rosenberg didn't actually call himself a progressive; he was asked
> > if he was one.  Perhaps by a Fox News reporter, preparing to throw a
> > squib?)
> >
> > Joel
> >
> >
> > >On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 4:38 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > -----------------------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > > Subject:      Re: The new "progressive" [Was: More on "liberal"]
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > The new "progressive" is ...
> > > >
> > > > /beginquote/
> > > >
> > > > Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, a longtime presence=20
> > > > on Beacon Hill, was elected Senate president=20
> > > > Wednesday, becoming the first openly gay person=20
> > > > and first Jewish person to lead the chamber.
> > > >
> > > > A liberal Democrat from Amherst, the 65-year-old=20
> > > > becomes one of three big players in Beacon Hill=20
> > > > politics. He joins Speaker Robert A. DeLeo =97 who=20
> > > > was reelected to his leadership post Wednesday =97=20
> > > > and Governor-elect Charlie Baker, who will be sworn in Thursday.
> > > > ...
> > > > In his first speech as the Senate leader,=20
> > > > Rosenberg underscored the importance of tackling=20
> > > > economic inequality in the state, and he made=20
> > > > nods to pragmatism and to extending an open hand to Baker, a
> > Republican.
> > > > ...
> > > > Asked if he considered himself a progressive, he=20
> > > > said he considered himself =93very pragmatic.=94
> > > >
> > > > /endquote/
> > > >
> > > > ... "pragmatic".
> > > >
> > > > Note the article's progression from "liberal" to=20
> > > > "progressive" to "pragmatic".   "Communist" and=20
> > > > "Socialist" are hidden around the left corner,=20
> > > > perhaps far enough around to be near enough to=20
> > > > the right wing to be grasped and hurled at the "pragmatics".
> > > >
> > > > [Boston Globe, Dec. 8, 2015, B1 & B5.]
> > > >
> > > > Joel
> > > >
> > > > At 1/2/2015 05:20 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >You are correct. I noticed the irony as well. Socialists and
> > Communists
> > > > >described themselves as "progressives," both as a euphemism and to
> > > > >distinguish themselves from supposedly smug, feckless, and gullible
> > > > >"liberals."
> > > > >
> > > > >JL

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