Are you opposed to Obamacare or illegal immgration? You’re a racist. Are you opposed to gay marriage? You’re a homophobe. Did you oppose Elana Kagan’s appointment to the Supreme Court? You’re a sexist. After less than two years of complete Democrat control of government, there aren’t many Americas progressives haven’t accused of some sort of bigotry for simply having an opinion different from theirs. The politics of “hope” and “change” have devolved into exactly what those espousing them claimed they would end. Is this really Democrat’s plan to win votes in November?

Barack Obama campaigned under the banner of unity and ending the “politics of division.” But that banner was swiftly furled and the true banner of progressive politics began flying over our country. Progressivism leaves no room for debate or disagreement. To paraphrase former President Bush, to progressives you’re either with them or you’re with the enemy.

During the Obamacare debate, opponents were compared to opponents of civil rights legislation. The ethically challenged Congressman from New York, Charlie Rangel, said “The group that were in Washington fighting against the health bill and fighting against the President, [they] looked just like and sounded just like those groups that attacked the civil rights movement in the South.” Left-wing blogs ran with this mantra and agenda-driven media outlets like MSNBC dutifully followed. They still advance the lie that African-American Members of Congress were pelted with racial slurs as they walked to cast their vote, something even the New York Times has acknowledged there is zero evidence of.

The ends justify the means, no matter how sickening and divisive the means.

When a judge in California overturned Proposition 8, a ballot measure that defined marriage as being between one man and one woman which was passed by voters, these self-appointed champions of democracy cheered its undermining. Whatever your opinion on the issue, it was a rather ironic turn for people who use the word “democracy” as though they respect it.

When Elena Kagan was nominated to the Supreme Court without much of a record, opposition to this life-time appointment was called sexist all across the left-wing echo chamber. Blogs were replete with this unfounded charge, with headlines like “Not-So-Subtle Sexism at the Kagan Hearings” from the blog at Ms. Magazine.

The bigotry arrow has become the default weapon in the progressive’s quiver, only it’s lost its sting.

When Arizona passed a state law allowing police to enforce federal law on immigration, progressives cried racism. It couldn’t be that a majority of Arizonans, and Americans, simply support forcing immigrants to enter the country legally – opponents needed to be painted as bigots.

When 9/11 families expressed discomfort with building a Mosque two blocks from where Muslin extremists senselessly murdered their loved ones they were ignored by Progressives. Why? Because attacking them is a losing proposition. So they attacked those who sided with them, many of whom are Republicans, as bigots. They’ve basically ignored Democrats, including Howard Dean and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who’ve said the same things. Opponents are not trying to “block” the Mosque, Progressives claim, yet no law to stop it has been proposed. They’ve made appeals to sensitivity, nothing more.

Progressives, who act as sensitivity police for others, attack Republicans for standing with people who have every reason to be sensitive.

The difference between right and left on these issues is the right attempts to change hearts and minds; the left simply accused opponents of bigotry. This makes sense when you realize how unpopular their initiatives have been; if you can’t get people to vote for you, try to discourage them from voting at all. It’s a strategy – if you can’t win someone’s vote, convince them the alternative is a bigot, because who wants to vote for a racist, homophobe or sexist? They’re hoping people will stay home on November 2nd.

Progressives show little concern for the will of the people. They have an agenda, and nothing is going to stand in the way of achieving it. They will lie, they will demonize, they will do anything to achieve it.

In their zeal to advance that agenda they’ve gone farther than they ever have before and thus exposed their true nature. Progressives have accused about 90 percent of the country of bigotry, in one form or another. On every one of the issues listed above polls show the American people are unambiguously not buying the spin and siding with their opponents. That’s a fact progressives will learn the hard way when it comes time for these “bigots” to vote.