Utopia and progressivism
The conceptual motif of utopic progressivism has its roots in Enlightenment philosophy. In the same way that the Enlightenment philosophers tended to undermine classical and religious points of view, so also the progressivism movement tends to undo conservative, traditional points of view. If the society decides to change what works, it needs a serious goal worth pursuing for which to strive, and Jacoby offers Utopic philosophy as that goal. If that ultimate (even perhaps unattainable) goal is removed, then the progressive party loses its gravitas, he argues.
Balance and counterbalance
Jacoby takes it as a given that conservatism is around for the long haul. When will there ever be a time when powerful, rich people don't want to conserve the methods and regulations that allow them to accrue wealth? This means that the issue of progressivism isn't a matter of competition and victory, but one of balance and counterbalance. His philosophy has the issue of balance at its center, arguing that there needs to be a legitimate move toward progress if the conservative interests are to be held at bay.
Market alliance
The first betrayal Jacoby outlines is the Liberal Democratic party's alliance with companies and big businesses. Instead of representing the underdog and the common man, the modern Democratic party has tended to serve the progressive interests only with lip service, while behind closed doors and under tables, the party leaders align themselves with big business interests for personal gain—just like a conservative person aligns their support with big businesses.
Media alliance
Secondly, Jacoby claims that the Democratic party has abandoned its essential commitment to skepticism and distrust. Instead of correctly distrusting mass media companies as big businesses (which they are), modern Democrats tend to accept whatever media source says the more liberal thing. Instead of fighting against big business in media, today's liberals tend to support the big business with "liberal flavor." This undermines their interests says Jacoby.
False liberal movements
All in all, Jacoby's allegory is about false liberalism. Instead of hoping for true ideals, the liberal side of America has fallen into a kind of pseudo-activism where big businesses are saying the right words to conglomerate the political interests of the left. Jacoby wants to restore the progressive movement to its philosophical antecedent: distrust of the establishment and a firm resolution to improving the world. This utopic goal would ensure a balanced political climate in a world where the political interests of big businesses seem impossible to defeat.
