The Gauls are at the gate!

Machiavelli studied Titus Livy's Early History of Rome. Machiavelli told us,

he who would foresee what has to be, should reflect on what has been, for everything that happens in the world at any time has a genuine resemblance to what happened in ancient times ...

Many are familiar with The Prince. However, The Discourses more fully captures Machiavelli's reflections on ancient and modern times. His observations on government, religion, war, and politics are still relevant.

Today, a conclave of progressive luminaries gathered in our nation's capital. They want to take back America. Their watchword is progressive. Progressivism has a long political history in America. After a quick review of Wikepedia's discussion of this political philosophy, one may reasonably surmise their partisans have been progressively massaging this entry. We may safely assume they are telling us, their politics entail progress. Further into the discussion, we're told they have replaced Liberal with Progressive, because the term Liberal has a "decidedly negative association in the media."

How the mighty have fallen!

In the late 19th Century, Herbert Spencer scolded Liberals for wanting to ever increasingly constrain human activity through legislation (The Man vs the State). Human behavior doesn't change because we call something differently than we once did. Liberal passions are now progressive passions.

... the agents who bring such things about are men, and that men have, and always have had, the same passions, whence it necessarily comes about that the same effects are produced.