🐘 Republican Orthodoxy
🫎 PEOPLE OVER FACTION
🫏 Democratic Orthodoxy
A Non-Partisan Historical Retrospective

It Has Never Been About The Party.
It Has Always Been About The People.

"Progress is not the property of any single faction. In our finest moments, American leaders from across the political spectrum chose national advancement over partisan grievance."

Today's political landscape is choked by division and rhetoric that treats fellow Americans as adversaries. But history tells a different story. The enduring breakthroughs that defined this nation—from trust-busting and national parks to the abolition of slavery, civil rights, and worker protections—were achieved by leaders who recognized that real progress requires moral courage, not partisan obedience.
Progress in Common Bull Moose - People Over Faction
The Bull Moose of Reform
Unbought, Unbossed & Fit for the Fight
Foundations of Courage

Two Paths, One Enduring Standard

Two men with vastly different temperaments and political fortunes proved that transformational leadership comes from elevating people over faction.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President (1861–1865) • Republican
Elected on a Razor’s Edge

Lincoln was barely popular enough to win the presidency in 1860, securing less than 40% of the popular vote and relying on a fractured opposition. Yet under the crucible of war, he executed the greatest moral and economic intervention in American history.

"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor... Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
  • Emancipation & 13th Amendment: Dismantled chattel slavery to establish fundamental human dignity.
  • Homestead Act (1862): Distributed public lands directly to small family farmers, blocking corporate land monopolies.
  • Land-Grant Colleges (1862): Democratized higher education for working-class citizens.

Theodore Roosevelt

26th President (1901–1909) • Republican / Bull Moose
The Force of Popular Will

Arguably the most popular politician of his generation, Roosevelt wielded his immense popularity to take on entrenched corporate trusts, protect consumer health, and preserve millions of acres of wild America. When party bosses rebelled, he launched a third-party movement to keep the fight alive.

"We demand that big business give the people a square deal; in return we must insist that when any one people do an injustice, they too must be held to account."
  • The Square Deal: Broke up monopolies and enforced federal food and drug safety standards.
  • Conservation: Permanently protected 230 million acres of forests, parks, and monuments.
  • Labor Defense: First president to intervene in a strike to protect the public and working miners.
Visual Evaluation Dashboard

The Common Progress Index (CPI)

Evaluate any public figure across the 5 pillars of American reform (out of 100 points) based strictly on documented policy actions and institutional legacy.

Popular examples: Theodore Roosevelt • Abraham Lincoln • John McCain • Jimmy Carter • Richard Nixon • Donald Trump • Joe Biden

Evaluating historical record and rendering visual chart...

Major Reform Leader

Leader Name

Era & Affiliation
85 / 100

Summary of policy accomplishments and historical record.

5-Pillar Balance Profile
✦ 1. Economic Equity & Anti-Monopoly 16 / 20

Antitrust enforcement, labor rights, and consumer protection.

✦ 2. Civil Rights & Human Dignity 18 / 20

Expanding legal freedoms, equal rights, and social safety nets.

✦ 3. Public Stewardship & Conservation 18 / 20

Protecting public lands, environment, and public infrastructure.

✦ 4. Democratic Access & Integrity 14 / 20

Campaign finance reform, anti-corruption, and voting rights.

✦ 5. Moral Courage: People Over Faction 16 / 20

Bucking party bosses and standing for the public good in crisis.

The Blueprint

Four Principles of True Progress

The enduring pillars that distinguish transformative statesmanship from short-term factional politics.

01

People Over Faction

Prioritizing broad public welfare over corporate trusts, party bosses, and donor orthodoxy.

02

A Fair Chance in Life

Ensuring that every citizen has equal dignity, worker protections, and access to opportunity.

03

Public Stewardship

Preserving national resources, wild public lands, and democratic institutions for future generations.

04

Moral Courage in Crisis

Willingness to take political risks and enact necessary structural reforms despite partisan resistance.

Historical Index

Leaders Across the Spectrum

Examining the concrete legislative and governance records of figures who advanced the American republic.

Civil War Era Republican

Abraham Lincoln

16th President (1861–1865)

Preservation of the Union & Universal Human Dignity

Elevated the moral foundation of the republic by ending chattel slavery while advancing economic opportunity through the Homestead and Land-Grant College acts.

  • Emancipation Proclamation & 13th Amendment
  • Homestead Act of 1862
  • Morrill Land-Grant College Act
Progressive Era Republican / Bull Moose

Theodore Roosevelt

26th President (1901–1909)

The Square Deal & Public Conservation

Challenged corporate trusts, established consumer safety standards, protected 230 million acres of public land, and launched the 1912 Bull Moose revolt.

  • Broke Northern Securities railroad trust
  • Pure Food & Drug and Meat Inspection Acts (1906)
  • Protected 230 million acres of forests and national parks
Progressive Era Republican / Progressive

Robert M. La Follette

U.S. Senator & Governor (1901–1925)

The Wisconsin Idea & Direct Democracy

Architect of progressive state governance; pioneered direct primary elections, workers' compensation, tax reform, and aggressive corporate regulation.

  • Pioneered direct primary elections in Wisconsin
  • Established civil service reform & worker safety laws
  • Key leader of 1924 Progressive presidential ticket

Join The Common Ground

"It has never been about the party. It has always been about the people." — The Progress in Common Standard

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