Hon. Thaddeus G. McCotter: The Cultural Contradictions of Progressivism: The Left’s Hunger to Be Governed

The fourth part of an intermittent series examining cultural contradictions in progressivism is available.

“Woke” If Leftist ideology was practiced personally, then it would be tolerated by most of society. Americans continue to believe that anyone can be tolerated as long they do the right thing. “ends at the tip of another person’s nose.” Unfortunately, progressive (i.e. “regressive”() Movement seeks to control others, and eschews tolerance in favor of demanding universal compliance to their ideology. While one can readily cite numerous reasons for progressivism’s intrinsic totalitarianism, there is one reason that is often missed among the many others – namely, the Left’s hunger To be governed.

This oversight is understandable. Defenders of the permanent things of family, community, and country continually confront the Left’s incessant compulsion to coercively govern others. Yet, spurring the Left’s quest of control of others is the progressive’s own desire to be governed; and it stems not from society but from themselves – the disorder of the soul.

It is, Russell Kirk says. Write In The Roots of American Order:

It is their internal disorder – and the external disorder it creates and exacerbates – that compels the progressive to cede their rights and decisions to an elite (provided, of course, they are in ideological accord.) The cognitive dissonance this causes is self-medicated away by projecting the progressive’s sins upon their victims, branding them as “fascists,” “racists,” “The Patriarchy,” etc. As for themselves, the progressive believes they – and their ideological comrades – are intellectually and morally superior to their benighted, evil opponents.

Yet, the progressives’ ultimate aim is anything but democratic. Although they claim to be seeking a horizontal, collective organization of society, the reality is that they are creating an elite-controlled system. “administrative state” Unaccountable specialists. Power may be collectively delegated, but it is conferred upon a highly centralized bureaucracy – one that grows increasingly unaccountable with every new delegation of power and taxpayer money. However, so long as the ideological dictates of the collective are being implemented and expand the state’s power over both their opponents and themselves, the progressive base is contented and, for a time, sated with the external validation they need to believe their own self-delusions of superiority.

The progressive’s need for external validation is a symptom of their larger disorder of the soul. What are the consequences? “In This House We Believe” lawn signs but a cry for an external validation that stamps them as part of the elite collective – i.e., “our democracy”? Recognizing this need, one realizes that the progressive cannot distinguish between arguments against their politics or attacks on their person. Therefore, they view objections to their ideology and consider them an attack. “our democracy” based on their sense of self.

The result is Manichean: one is either a good person for validating the progressive’s ideology and sense of self or they are a fascist who rejects the progressive’s ideology and refutes their intellectual and moral superiority. Ponder the progressive social media’s calls for severing ties with conservative family members; or recall a political argument where the progressive quickly “shuts down” When confronted by opposing ideas or facts.

Thus, the progressive believes that only through the collective’s pursuit and ultimate creation of a highly centralized, elitist government that controls and, ergo, precludes the self-government of others can the progressive finally order both society and their soul. It is this hope that Governor Gavin Newsom (D.Calif.), believes the Golden State is a bastion to freedom. It is also the reason why Newsom’s novel “The Golden State” was published. 1984 George Orwell wrote: “Freedom is slavery.” Succinctly, the Left’s hunger to be governed confuses subjugation for liberation. Only by being subsumed within the collective can one be free – or, if coerced into compliance, will one be “forced to be free,” Rousseau put it euphemistically.  

(Regarding Governor Newsom, it is important to distinguish between the truly believing Leftist, who wants to be governed, as well as the hypocritical office climber, who hypocritically appeals in vain for progressive votes, while the politician is being feted at the French laundry during a COVID lockdown. Though these latter also have disordered souls, they decidedly don’t wish to be governed by anyone, themselves included, apparently.)

Unfortunately, progressives still have hopes in the collective (a.k.a. “our democracy”) to bring order to society and their souls, this cultural contradiction of progressivism is born of a backward hope: Leftists believe controlling others will one day allow them to control themselves; but their efforts only deepen their disorder in their souls. A sound mind knows that only one can order their soul. Therefore, they recognize their responsibility to respect and protect the rights of others within a truly open and free republic.

In conclusion, then, this cultural contradiction of progressivism, the Left’s hunger to be governed, presents our free Republic an existential conundrum: how can a revolutionary experiment in self-government survive, if an ideological minority pathologically craves a powerful, elitist administrative state to make their and everyone’s decisions for them?

Human Events contributor, the Hon. Thaddeus McCotter (M.C. Ret. represented Michigan’s 11th Congressional district from 2003-2012, and served as Chair of the Republican House Policy Committee. Although he is not a lobbyist, his public speaking skills are well-known and he is also a moderator for seminars on public policy. He is also a Monday host of the Monday Morning Show. “John Batchelor Radio Show,” There are many media appearances.