To mark the release of their new Progressive Movement project, CAP has a 40-question quiz evaluating how progressive you are. I am, in general, not a fan of these little quizlets, and this one's no exception. The first statement I got, for instance, asked whether I agreed with the statement "Free market solutions are better than government at creating jobs and generating growth." I'm pretty sure the "progressive" answer to this question is to say that that's not true. But, uh, "free market solutions" to what? To market failures? To retail goods? To countercyclical stimulus? To the administration of the Social Security system? One of the useful progressive projects in recent decades has been the effort to dismantle the idea that progressives offer the answer of government before knowing what the question is. Sometimes, the market is insufficient, as in health care, and sometimes, the market is tremendous, as in the provision of flat screen televisions. Modern progressivism has the advantage of being able to simultaneously support both flat screen televisions and universal health care. And it's a real advantage! Recently, I read Tony Blankley's new book, American Grit. In it, he describes his evolution from conservative to "nationalist" in fairly startling terms. “While I usually fall upon conservative policy prescriptions," he writes, "my motive is this: What will help America? What will make her strong and safe? My first objective is no longer to find the policy that best fits my definition of conservative, but rather to find the surest path to protecting my country.” Blankley, of course, is a former aide to Gingrich and Reagan. And he is flatly admitting that his thinking across this period put ideology before country. That is, I'd say, a shameful admission. One of the virtues of progressivism is that it's largely free of that kind of thing.