by WhatAre Progressive Values [courtesy of Blog for America]

  We interviewed Michelle on Earth Day when she was cleaning up Lake Merritt in Oakland, California.    She's a lawyer and was very careful about the definition and meaning of the words; values, progressive, liberal, conservative, etc.   She sees complexity in these words and doesn't like to generalize. However, she did see equality, fairness and social justice as core liberal values.  Michelle also talked about how she finds it insulting the way conservatives talk about values and imply only they have them.

Progressive Values Stories: Michelle Discussing Values

by WhatAre Progressive Values [courtesy of Blog for America]

  "You learn about equality in history and civics, but you find out life is not really like that."
Arthur Ashe

I interviewed John at his house in Oakland, California.   John says progressives are  looking for equality, for fairness and for justice and that  these are the same values that most Americans have. He went to Berkeley schools in the 60’s and 70’s, and was excited about the overall cultural search at that time of really trying to understand what equality might be.
 

"If we are not striving for equality, in heaven's name for what are we living?"
John Hope

Progressive Values Stories: John on Equality

by WhatAre Progressive Values [courtesy of Blog for America]

 I met Drew at an Obama event  in Oakland, California and Carol Hanelberg at a convention in Los Angeles.  They both had in common a value of openness. Drew is disturbed about the secrecy in government and feels Barack Obama will bring transparency. Carol talked about openness starting at home and extending  out to family, friends and society. 
 

"The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness." 
Niels Bohr

"Where secrecy or mystery begins, vice or roguery is not far off." 
Samuel Johnson

 Progressive Values Stories: Drew on Openness v Secrecy

by WhatAre Progressive Values [courtesy of Blog for America]

I attended and video taped a talk by David Sirota at the Wellstone Club in Oakland, California.   David mentioned  fairness as being the major progressive value.

Edwin:  My name is Edwin Rutsch, and I am working on a documentary about progressive values.  And there are arguments made out there by George Lakoff that say that conservatives have talked about their values, and articulated their values and have organized around their values.  And what progressives haven't done, is that they have not clearly articulated their values.  So what I'm wondering is, what you think about that discussion, and what do you feel progressive values are?