I remember when Richard Nixon was elected and a bewildered, wealthy New York democrat woman was reported as saying, “How could he have won? I don’t know anybody who voted for him!”

It sums up the attitude of the elitist progressive whether they are in Washington, New York or Rome.

The progressives in the church are enthusiastic about “the synodal way” because they really, honestly, truly believe that the majority of folks think like they do–and all that is needed is to clear away the obstructive, hide bound, rigid conservatives. Once the doors are open wide and everyone can listen to the voice of the people, progress can be made.

They really believe most people think like they do–at least most right thinking people, and if they don’t think their way yet, they soon will because their ideologies are obviously, manifestly beautiful, true and good. They can’t imagine that there are sane, intelligent, well educated and articulate people who simply disagree–and do so for well thought out, substantiated reasons.

They acknowledge the existence of such people but are convinced they are stupid, ignorant, narrow minded and probably –to quote a well known English of this type–“neurotic”.

The blind ness of the progressives turns up like a bad smell in every aspect of life–not just the church. In politics and economics they fail to remember the lessons of history–that Marxism always ends in violence, decadence and total failure. In academia they refuse to recognize that their ideologies can only be implemented through bullying, violence and intimidation of every kind, and that when they are implemented everything soon implodes.

When progressives are faced with the failure of their bright ideas they conclude that the problem is they didn’t implement their programs effectively or thoroughly enough. What is need is MORE of their ideologies and bright ideas. This is like the guy who fills the gas tank of his car with orange juice, and when it doesn’t go  decides there wasn’t enough orange juice so he lowers the windows and fills the interior with orange juice too.

When their way of “listening” to the voice of the people doesn’t yield the results they want, they push through their “reforms” anyway–using legislation, lobbying, bribery, emotional and spiritual blackmail and any of the dark arts that will help them get their way. We experience this when the progressive elitist ideologues in the Church of England was pushing women’s ordination.

If a vote didn’t go their way they did not say, “The Holy Spirit led us through the voice of the people” they said, “We have to work a bit harder and bully (I mean persuade) more people so the vote will go through next time.”

We are learning now that  Fiducia Supplicans was written and promulgated without any real consultation. Edward Pentin reports that FS was the outworking of the ambiguous (and unapproved) bits of Amoris Laetitia, and when the proposals of the dubious Synod on the Family were not approved by the necessary majority the idealogues went ahead and promoted them anyway.

In other words, “Use the synodal way as much as possible to promote your own agenda while pretending it is the will of the people, and when that doesn’t work resort to autocratic forms of leadership.”

And this is always the way with progressives. Pretend for as long as possible that you are a “caring, listening, democratic group of well meaning folks only aiming for the common good” and when that fails, bring in the big sticks, the repressive regime, the watch towers and the thought police.