# Progressive, *not* Democrat. When talking about politics in the US, people often start with the question "Are you a Republican or a Democrat?" I always answer that I'm a progressive. As you probably know, progressives often identify as Democrats, but while their policies usually align, there's one enormous difference between the two: money. --- ### So what is the difference and why does it pertain to money? While Democrats sometimes use the progressive agenda to get elected, they often fail to follow through on those policies when it comes to voting. The reason this happens is because they rely on corporate donors to fund their campaigns and many progressive policies are not exact corporate friendly. Meanwhile, Progressives, *true Progressives* are not beholden to corporate donors and they will actually vote the way their voters want them to. This is because they are primarily funded by the voters themselves and *that* is why Progressives are more likely to help the people they represent. --- ### Growing Progressive power with the help of GenZ As GenZ comes to the table, we're seeing compelling evidence that they are the most Progressive demographic to date. They are well-informed and they know the difference between a Democrat and a Progressive, (whether explicitly or not). But they also understand the importance of combatting the growing problem of Republican Authoritarianism and will still vote for a Corporate Democrat if that's the only option. I fully believe that GenZ is the reason Biden has such low approval ratings and why polling shows people do not want Biden to run in 2024. However, I also believe that if Biden is the Democratic nominee, GenZ will still vote for him because they know what's at stake if the other guy wins. GenZ voters are more knowledgeable about resources available to them that will allow them to find out if a Progressive is really a Progressive. [OpenSecrets.org](https://www.opensecrets.org) is their bread and butter and they can spread information faster than ever with the help of TikTok, Twitter, and other means. This demographic has also experienced blatant attacks on their rights via Republicans with voter suppression efforts dating back to the 2016 election and, more recently, Republican efforts to silence them (Google Tennessee Three), attacks on their ability to control their own healthcare (abortion and gender-affirming care), attacks on the content they're allowed to consume (courses available in school, book bans, social media limits for minors), and lastly, the Republican disinterest in the very serious problem of gun violence in schools and gun violence in general. Let's be clear (as my favorite Progressive, Bernie Sanders would say), the threat of school shootings has been around for decades, but it's prevalence today is growing and the Republican policies are making it easier for these events to happen, not harder.