A recent poll of self-described "liberals" and "progressives" found that most of them support President Barack Obama's efforts to reform healthcare and would like to see the federal government administer a national system — but a majority oppose making illegal immigrants eligible for benefits.
The poll included 600 respondents from across the U.S, and found that 53% oppose providing healthcare to illegal immigrants, with 48% citing concerns about the costs of such coverage.
A Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization called Progressives for Immigration Reform commissioned the poll, and the results indicate that the Democratic Party, which has long counted on so-called liberals and progressives for support, could face a split in its ranks.
Democrats also count on increasing numbers of Latino-Americans, who have helped grow the party's ranks in recent years — and hold the potential to continue the trend for decades to come. Latino-Americans are not in lockstep when it comes to immigration — some native-born and naturalized citizens in the ethnic community oppose granting any leeway or benefits to illegal immigrants. Recent political history indicates, however, that heated rhetoric or dismissive attitudes toward illegal immigrants tends to leave other members of the Latino-American community feeling alienated, regardless of their personal views on policy matters or their immigration status.
The terms liberal and progressive are largely identified with the Democratic Party, and are often used to describe supporters of political viewpoints or ideologies that call for more involvement from government in the everyday life of the nation. Programs such as Social Security and Medicare were established as part of liberal political agendas from the 1930s through the 1960s. Liberalism saw a loss of support starting in the 1970s, when some voters began to view programs such as welfare as having grown too large and given the government too much influence over too many lives.
The reaction to liberal policies helped bring the rise of the conservative movement — a general belief in less government involvement and influence. Conservatism has lost some of its luster in recent years, though, as its representatives have overseen enormous, government-backed actions such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a prescription drug purchasing program under the Medicare system, and the $700 billion Wall Street bailout during the final days of former President George W. Bush's time in office.
The progressive banner has gained prominence in recent years, even though the term is difficult to pin down on the current political map.
Some so-called progressives began to use the term in exchange for liberal at the height of the conservatives' political influence. Other progressives present a vision that differs from traditional liberalism because it focuses intently on concerns about population growth and accepts the notion of a need for limits on everything from the use of natural resources to the American ideal of single-family homes.
The recent poll by the Progressives for Immigration Reform appears to tap into concerns about the limits of our current society and economy, citing an intersection of healthcare and migration patterns as a chief challenge.
"The results of this poll demonstrate that illegal immigration and healthcare are issues that concern all Americans, regardless of political affiliation," said Leah Durant, executive director of Progressives for Immigration Reform. "Although liberals favor extending healthcare to America's poorest citizens and legal residents, without entitlement provisions Americans will be asked to shoulder an ever increasing burden for the world's uninsured."
More info:
* Progressives for Immigration Reform
* Healthcare Survey of 600 Progressives and Liberals
Sam Hassan is a writer for the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Logo from Progressives for Immigration Reform website
ALL the health care legislation currently on the table already blocks undocoumented immigrants from receiving any form of government subsidy for purchasing insurance. So I don't see how this "poll" shows us anything we don't already see reflected in our policies.
What this article fails to mention is that current legislation also perpetuates discrimination against LEGAL residents in the form of waiting periods. These waiting periods, whether to access Medicaid or for the ability to purchase health care like every other American, waste tax dollars, are bad for health, and are just plain un-American.
I'm a "self-described liberal/progressive" who happens to support coverage for ALL people, regardless of status: pushing people to the emergency room just shifts the burden onto the rest of us, anyway. If the poll had asked the question and provided the facts - that emergency room care costs 5-10x the price of preventative medicine - perhaps the responses would have been different. As it is, 44% in this same poll SUPPORT government subsidies for the undocumented - more than in our current Congress, apparently.
I'm also a progressive who is deeply committed to living sustainably, but rejects the racist agenda of some in the anti-immigrant movement who would co-opt the mantle of sustainability to peddle their nativist discourse. I hope real progressives are smart enough to see through the hate.
Wow. This is an impressive piece of concern-troll trash. Was the purpose of the poll to mislead and confuse people into thinking that Democrats are pushing a bill that would provide free health care to illegal immigrants?
There is no "split" among liberals and progressives, and the repeated use of "so-called" is extremely and no doubt intentionally prejudicial.
Liberals/progressives want a robust public option. No significant block of progressives are pushing for free health care for illegal aliens, and there isn't, and isn't going to be, any fight over this. Stop trying to manufacture fake controversy.
Your definition of progressives "that call for more involvement from government in the everyday life of the nation." Is offensive and misleading.
Progressives seek things like an end to capital punishment, preservation of civil and human rights and writs of habeas corpus. They want to end and avoid war. They want to preserve a woman's right to have an abortion, they want to protect the environment, and make health care available to all AMERICANS.
These are the goals, and they have nothing to do with government intruding in everyday life.
This article is transparent, amateurish, and intentionally misleading.
Shame on you!
The story focused on the attitudes of respondents rather than current or
proposed public policies. We believe that's a subject worth examination
above and beyond policy machinations in Washington, D.C.
You make a point worthy of debate and additional coverage when you mention
some groups who might be using "sustainability" as a cover for other
motives in their advocacy for restrictive immigration laws.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Jerry Sullivan
Editor & Publisher
Los Angeles Garment & Citizen
Group Editor
Labeez.org
This article, if anything, clearly emphasizes that Democrats are not in
favor of extending healthcare to illegal immigrants.
The term “so-called” is used because the terms “liberals” and
“progressives” are not formally defined, and therefore open to various
interpretations. Your mention of “no significant bloc of progressives”
illustrates that point. There is a formal definition of Democrat because
there is a political party that claims the banner and offers a platform of
ideas, principles, etc. Liberal and progressive are terms that shift over
time, and it appears that we might be amid a shift now.
The basic notion of providing and preserving civil rights, writs of habeus
corpus, the environment, offering healthcare for all, etc., speaks of
government functions. The story did not offer any judgment on whether
government involvement is good or bad--it simply stated that progressives
generally see more need for government involvement. The Clean Air Act is
certainly an example of government involvement in terms of the environment,
and it’s a safe bet that most progressives support the measure.
The matter of whether or not liberals or progressives support healthcare
for illegal immigrants is worthy of examination, especially in Los Angeles.
A poll that indicates that a significant number of liberals or progressives
do not support such benefits is newsworthy.
There are few segments of our population more vulnerable than illegal
immigrants. Will anyone speak for them on healthcare if Democrats, liberals
or progressives do not?
This story leads to that question—and the answer remains to be seen.
Jerry Sullivan
Editor & Publisher
Los Angeles Garment & Citizen
Group Editor
Labeez.org
1. Get your wording right, no human being is illegal. Let's be politically correct and say undocumented
2.Don't try to divide the immigrant community by saying that "some native-born and naturalized citizens in the ethnic community oppose granting any leeway or benefits to illegal immigrants"
"Approximately 15% of U.S. households are “mixed status” – at least one parent is a non-citizen and one
child a citizen. Deportation policies devastate American-born children. (The Urban Institute")
3.Stop politicizing the issue of immigration and try to write something insightful that will help both immigration and healthcare reform be resolved.
Illegal refers to immigration status and is not offered as comprehensive
definition of the people or individuals involved. The euphemistic use of
"undocumented" has not brought much improvement to the state of U.S.
immigration policy over the past two decades and more. Perhaps it is time
to give readers a chance to consider in plain terms that there are millions
of indivuals who live and work in our communities without the comfort or
benefit an official, legal right to be here.
The immigrant community is not monolithic in its view of immigration
reform. There are various views in the immigrant community just as there
are in every other community.
The issue of immigration has always been political and always will be. It
our belief and hope that this story will help both immigration and
healthcare reform by prompting readers to consider both as equally
important and inter-related subjects.
Jerry Sullivan
Editor & Publisher
Los Angeles Garment & Citizen
Group Editor
Labeez.org
I think maybe one reason people are reacting strongly to this posting is that it's purportedly framed as a scientific study by some humanistic think tank - nothing coudl be further from the truth.
Progressives for Immigration Reform is not a neutral think-tank. It's a front organization in the Tanton Network (which includes CIS, FAIR, and NumbersUSA): these are all "advocacy" organization that advance an extreme and highly suspect agenda. Leah Durant cut her teeth at FAIR (see more at http://www.newcomm.org/content/view/2130/108/). Some of their leaders have prior connections with white-supremacist and other hate groups, and nobody can seriously argue that this is a progressive group of folks.
Even a cursory review of the poll questions shows that the obvious intention of the pollsters was to elicit negative reactions from the respondents, summoning their stereotypes about undocumented immigrants (see, for example, the blatant formulation of question 6, the first one to really address respondents' opinions).
I'm all for an honest debate about immigration and its impact on health care. I really am: I think immigration is a complex issue, and pro-immigrant "progressives" don't always have the right answers. And it's also no secret that many self-described "progressives" get very conservative when you start talking about immigration (thanks, in no small part, to the success of the well-funded and executed Tanton network).
But if we're going to have that discussion, let's start with some credible sources, not political hacks masquerading as concerned progressives.
We are aware of the various opinions about Progressives for Immigration Reform. The story--and your comments--point to a key aspect of the debate: What does “progressive” mean in socio-political terms? Who is eligible to claim the mantle of a legitimate representative of progressives? Are there basic an commonly accepted principles of progressivism? Or is this a banner--or ideology--that is up for grabs on an issue-by-issue basis. You mention that some progressives get very conservative when talk turns to immigration. That is certainly in line with the results of the poll and the general point of the story. Perhaps it is time for someone to attempt to give some greater definition to progressivism and claim political ground for the term independent of Democrats or Republicans or liberals or conservatives. I don’t believe there has been a clear sense of what “Progressive” means in political terms since Bob Lafollette in the early 20th Century. I believe the Progressive magazine he founded still exists, but the term’s meaning remains unclear on today’s political landscape.
Jerry Sullivan
Editor & Publisher
Los Angeles Garment & Citizen
Group Editor
Labeez.org