From George Lakoff, Don't Think of an Elephant (2004):
"The basic progressive vision is of community — of America as family, a caring, responsible family. We envision an America where people care about each other, not just themselves, and act responsibly with strength and effectiveness for each other."
Progressive Values	Progressive Principles	Policy Directions
Protection, fulfillment in life, fairness • When you care about someone, you want them to be protected from harm, you want their dreams to come true, and you want them to be treated fairly. Freedom, opportunity, prosperity • There is no fulfillment without freedom, no freedom without opportunity, and no opportunity without prosperity. Community, service, cooperation • Children are shaped by their communities. Responsibility requires serving and helping to shape your community. That requires cooperation. Trust, honesty, open communication • There is no cooperation without trust, no trust without honesty, and no cooperation without open communication.	Equity • What citizens and the nation owe to each other. If you work hard; play by the rules; and serve your family, community, and nation, then the nation should provide a decent standard of living, as well as freedom, security, and opportunity. Equality • Do everything possible to guarantee political equality and avoid imbalances of political power. Democracy • Maximize citizen participation; minimize concentrations of political, corporate, and media power. Maximize journalistic standards. Establish publicly financed elections. Invest in public education. Bring corporations under stakeholder control, not just stockholder control. Government for a better future • Government does what America's future requires and what the private sector cannot do—or is not doing—effectively, ethically, or at all. It is the job of government to promote and, if possible, provide sufficient protection, greater democracy, more freedom, a better environment, broader prosperity, better health, greater fulfillment in life, less violence, and the building and maintaining of public infrastructure. Ethical business • Our values apply to business. In the course of making money by providing goods and services, businesses should not adversely affect the public good, as defined by the above values. Values-based foreign policy • The same values governing domestic policy should apply to foreign policy whenever possible.	The economy • An economy centered on innovation that creates millions of good-paying jobs and provides every American a fair opportunity to prosper. Security • Through military strength, strong diplomatic alliances, and wise foreign and domestic policy, every American will be safeguarded at home, and America's role in the world will be strengthened by helping people around the world live better lives. Health • Every American should have access to a state-of-the-art, affordable health care system. Education • A vibrant, well-funded, and expanding public education system, with the highest standards for every child and school, where teachers nurture children's minds and often the children themselves, and where children are taught the truth about their nation—its wonders and its blemishes. Early childhood • Every child's brain is shaped crucially by early experiences. We support high-quality early childhood education. Environment • A clean, healthy, and safe environment for ourselves and our children: water you can drink and air you can breathe. Polluters pay for the damage they cause. Nature • The natural wonders of our country are to be preserved for future generations. Energy • We need to make a major investment in renewable energy, for the sake of millions of jobs that pay well, independence from Middle Eastern oil, improvements in public health, preservation of our environment, and the effort to halt global warning. Openness • An open, efficient, and fair government that tells the truth to our citizens and earns the trust of every American. Equal rights • We support equal rights in every area involving race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Protections • We support keeping and extending protections for consumers, workers, retirees, and investors.