I'm for the infantalization of America.
Who am I?

...that the conservative was represented by a white dude?

There are a lot of progressives out there. A fair number of them are white dudes. We have non-white, non-dude people on TV a fair amount of the time arguing for progressive causes. The fact that this particular time, it happened to be a white dude, isn't something to be beefing with.

Besides, you really think they cast the role "for white people"? I bet they had people of all races at the casting call, and this guy won it because he pulled it off the best.

...this ad is just a political attempt to re-label liberals as progressives and that is just messed up. Blurring the lines between the two will only make the problems in our country worse, because it blurs the line between being part of the problem and being part of the solution.

Actually, distinguishing between the two would make a good article for Campus Progress.

I won't nitpick this ad. It is simple, short and very engaging just like the mac ads. Thanks! Just saying the Progressive word is educational to us truth and info starved Americans.

... isn't this about a year late to the re-make-the-mac-vs-pc-ads party?

I've always enjoyed the political sport: cultivating group moral, beating the opposition, winning. There's value in that--and great entertainment. Thus, I've rationalized the cheap politicking of politicians and parties. They are allowed some showmanship and some superficiality--it's what they do, win elections.

Non-profit organizations, though, have a higher calling: they must promote the public good. Tax payers subsidize these groups, hoping to cultivate a stronger, more vibrant civil society. From high-end research and policy work to grass roots action campaigns, non-profit political organizations motivate and facilitate healthy discourse. I respect that noble purpose, and I even worked for CAP this summer, partly, to be a part of it.

That's why these CAP ads are so disappointing.

They debase intellectual discourse, spewing cheap cliches, not substantive argument. "I'm for tax cuts for the rich," was the conservatives strongest response. That's as unrealistic as it is useless. There are serious arguments for the conservative position--most stemming for a respect for constitutional integrity--and they deserve intelligent response. Framing the debate as hip vs. stodgy only emphasizes the superficiality our enemies criticize. We're not convincing anyone with trite polemics; we're only emboldening and better arming the opposition.

I'm a progressive. I recognize the serious problems in our society, and I look for any solution possible to address them and move us forward. That demands trust of people and government. That's the quintessential difference between a conservative and a progressive. The former fears the ills of government, thus restricting and chastising it; the latter wants and expects more: government can--if only from time to time--be an instrument of good, and we must work to realize that potential.

Let's vocalize that vision, of a trusting society and a trustworthy government. That demands sincerity and respect--two things, regrettably, this CAP ad lacks.