He criticizes the critical Left, which is exemplified by post-structuralists such as Michel Foucault and postmodernists such as Jean-François Lyotard. Although these intellectuals make insightful claims about the ills of society, Rorty holds that they provide no alternatives and even present progress as problematic at times. On the other hand, the progressive Left, exemplified for Rorty by John Dewey, makes progress its priority in its goal of “achieving our country.” Rorty sees the progressive Left as acting in the philosophical spirit of pragmatism.

Though I think a criticism can be leveled here against him. Without the critical left, how do we know what “progress” entails? Do those in California who enthusiastically support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage think they are advocating progress? Quite certainly. Though you disagree. I’d place you in the camp of the Critical Left.

Is the drive for same sex-marriage progressive? It depends on how one looks at it. If one believes that the drive for same-sex marriage amounts to only the extension of monogamous normativity, then it’s at best a horizontal move, so to speak, supportive of the status quo (albeit more inclusive). Not “progressive.” However, if one believes it to be more fundamentally an upset to that same monogamous normativity, by placing more weight on the feature of same-sex, rather than that of monogamous, then it’s a vertical move up the ladder of “progress.”

(Though the above ignores the existence of the gay community [I'm not ingratiated enough with progressives to be comfortable using "queer"] that is uninterested in monogamous same-sex marriage, and whose interests may very well be weighted higher than those advocating for the new law, especially as they are probably lower in socio-economic status.)