Does not this Wikipedia description of Ted Kennedy sound like a perfect description of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party today? The only difference between the Ted Kennedy liberals and today’s progressives is that the identity politics/political correctness of today’s liberals have become more extreme and visceral.

“Unabashedly liberal, Kennedy championed an interventionist government that emphasized economic and social justice, but he was also known for working with Republicans to find compromises. Kennedy played a major role in passing many laws, including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the National Cancer Act of 1971, the COBRA health insurance provision, the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Ryan White AIDS Care Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Mental Health Parity Act, the S-CHIP children’s health program, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. During the 2000s, he led several unsuccessful immigration reform efforts. Over the course of his Senate career, Kennedy made efforts to enact universal health care, which he called the “cause of my life.” By the later years of his life, Kennedy had come to be viewed as a major figure and spokesman for American progressivism.”