I’m beginning to think that I romanticized the Progressives, after hearing the claptrap of the one-party state attacking itself.
The Progressive movement had progressive republicans and progressive Democrats. There was a lot of infighting. Intraparty conflicts led to my first book, about the Republican origins of the New Deal. But naturally, I wasn’t there during the battles — hearing the fights in person (no radio, let alone other media) or reading the magazines that popped up, like The New Republic.
What Trump’s whining reminds me is that he’s no party, nor can he even have a party, given his unsuccessful practices slamming the First Branch, headed by Speaker of the House Ryan (himself a Republican with awful policies — possibly more awful than Trump’s healthcare).
Still, I’m not watching much (TV that is), since Trump moves everything to the ALT Right — and to listen to them is like watching a funny-but-not-really-funny horror movie, or a formulaic disaster movie — all bunk.
What we do know is that the Progressive Era couldn’t have been this bad. Was it?
Ruth Frick O'Brien 