Professor Kazin appears stuck in a 1990s view of the democratic party. The idea that coastal elite democrats will embrace new, broad based based economic or social programs, while simultaneously tolerating dissenting voices and opinions (e.g. pro choice democrats) is hopelessly naive in 2022.
I tend to agree with you. In a bi-polar political system the, so-called, left and right represent different power bases. Back in the 1800’s one side was based on free traders and the other landed aristocracy. With the rise of the working class the left was based on unskilled workers and the right had to become based on small business. During this transition the working class moved through the right wing side of politics before ending up on the left. Thus a political force needs a support base with the necessary power, either in terms of votes, money or military power, to gain power. Back in the 1980’s it was reasonable clear what those power blocks were for each side. With the decline of the working class in the developed world a new base was required for the left. The new power block seemed to be based on those on welfare and race. I can’t see the left leaving this power base any time soon as there is no alternative, so i see the poolicies of the left continuing. A lot of people talk about the elites, or university educated elitist, but this group lacks the numbers to be a primary power base for a political movement, but they can certain act as the foot soldiers as well as enforcers of the orthodoxy, which is another reason why the left will not change. The right can probably depend on those with deep religious beliefs to act in a similar manner, although not as effectively which is why the right, by absorbing disaffected former working class left-wingers, has dramatically changed. The actual policies can be rather flexible, with the right in the past being the bastion of restricting freedoms based on religious morality, today it’s the left which fulfils this function using the morality of woke-ideology. There are some common beliefs which remain constant over time, such as the left generally believing all should benefit equally, irrespective of their contributions, while the right believes those should benefit in proportion to their contribution. A balance between the two is the optimal position and this balances moves around with time. The true rich control society indirectly as they lack the votes to assume significant power by themselves, so they select one, or both, of the political forces and buys power with their cash. The only thing with the true rich actively opposes is populism, which could explain why most are supporting the left at this moment. This was certainly not the case back in the 1980’s.
Democrats need to stop using the word 'programs' as a sweeping fix all to appeal to non-college educated folks ( me). That term describes bloated, expensive projects that end up not serving the people intended.
My God, I've waited years to read words like this from someone on the Left. I went to a debate between two Colorado house candidates in 2010. The incumbent, a Democrat, constantly referred to all of the "programs" that he'd proposed in his time in office as somehow evidence that he'd actually done something. This was his way of signaling to all of the folks in the room without degrees that he was on their side and was supposedly doing something. Of course, he wasn't, because he had no idea how to do anything that would better the life of anyone. The guy left the state house to go sell frisbees. There are so many things about the Democrats that to me, a small-c conservative who's sympathetic to center-left economic populism, should allow them to actually get things done and earn the power they seek genuinely because they (used) to have the ideological flexibility to cover a huge swath of ground policy-wise. Now, they use slogans and phrases to pander and condescend to the population, while (to me) myopically pursuing power with the mentality of organized criminals.
One thing that's missing from this conversation is how the current system of legalized corporate bribery prevents the Democratic party from enacting any of their economic agenda. Manchin and Sinema didn't oppose Build Back Better for only ideological reasons. Especially not Sinema, who ran as a progressive.
I love watching Marshall, but Kazin has zero clue what the left or progressive is if he equates it in any way with Democrats. So I checked out. I hope my watching for 5 minutes still helped the algorithm.
@@tribalypredisposed We don't want to be anything but new ideas and a new way - FORWARD. / As for me, The Dalai Lama said ( It is when you give something a name you give it value.)
Professor Kazin appears stuck in a 1990s view of the democratic party. The idea that coastal elite democrats will embrace new, broad based based economic or social programs, while simultaneously tolerating dissenting voices and opinions (e.g. pro choice democrats) is hopelessly naive in 2022.
I tend to agree with you. In a bi-polar political system the, so-called, left and right represent different power bases. Back in the 1800’s one side was based on free traders and the other landed aristocracy. With the rise of the working class the left was based on unskilled workers and the right had to become based on small business. During this transition the working class moved through the right wing side of politics before ending up on the left.
Thus a political force needs a support base with the necessary power, either in terms of votes, money or military power, to gain power. Back in the 1980’s it was reasonable clear what those power blocks were for each side. With the decline of the working class in the developed world a new base was required for the left. The new power block seemed to be based on those on welfare and race. I can’t see the left leaving this power base any time soon as there is no alternative, so i see the poolicies of the left continuing.
A lot of people talk about the elites, or university educated elitist, but this group lacks the numbers to be a primary power base for a political movement, but they can certain act as the foot soldiers as well as enforcers of the orthodoxy, which is another reason why the left will not change. The right can probably depend on those with deep religious beliefs to act in a similar manner, although not as effectively which is why the right, by absorbing disaffected former working class left-wingers, has dramatically changed.
The actual policies can be rather flexible, with the right in the past being the bastion of restricting freedoms based on religious morality, today it’s the left which fulfils this function using the morality of woke-ideology. There are some common beliefs which remain constant over time, such as the left generally believing all should benefit equally, irrespective of their contributions, while the right believes those should benefit in proportion to their contribution. A balance between the two is the optimal position and this balances moves around with time.
The true rich control society indirectly as they lack the votes to assume significant power by themselves, so they select one, or both, of the political forces and buys power with their cash. The only thing with the true rich actively opposes is populism, which could explain why most are supporting the left at this moment. This was certainly not the case back in the 1980’s.
That sounds like the republicans now. They have become the big tent party while the democrats increasingly have the revolutionaries
Democrats need to stop using the word 'programs' as a sweeping fix all to appeal to non-college educated folks ( me). That term describes bloated, expensive projects that end up not serving the people intended.
My God, I've waited years to read words like this from someone on the Left. I went to a debate between two Colorado house candidates in 2010. The incumbent, a Democrat, constantly referred to all of the "programs" that he'd proposed in his time in office as somehow evidence that he'd actually done something. This was his way of signaling to all of the folks in the room without degrees that he was on their side and was supposedly doing something. Of course, he wasn't, because he had no idea how to do anything that would better the life of anyone. The guy left the state house to go sell frisbees.
There are so many things about the Democrats that to me, a small-c conservative who's sympathetic to center-left economic populism, should allow them to actually get things done and earn the power they seek genuinely because they (used) to have the ideological flexibility to cover a huge swath of ground policy-wise. Now, they use slogans and phrases to pander and condescend to the population, while (to me) myopically pursuing power with the mentality of organized criminals.
One thing that's missing from this conversation is how the current system of legalized corporate bribery prevents the Democratic party from enacting any of their economic agenda. Manchin and Sinema didn't oppose Build Back Better for only ideological reasons. Especially not Sinema, who ran as a progressive.
Well, I'm more confused about the terms leftist, liberal.
I'm 70 I don't really know what people you're aged are saying sums up this whole thing.
I love watching Marshall, but Kazin has zero clue what the left or progressive is if he equates it in any way with Democrats. So I checked out. I hope my watching for 5 minutes still helped the algorithm.
So... vote harder says the old lefty. Got it.
Thanks for another good gest and good talk. 👍
Join us. Yang Gang 2024.
Libertarians with fascist tendencies are not part of the Left.
@@tribalypredisposed We don't want to be anything but new ideas and a new way - FORWARD. / As for me, The Dalai Lama said ( It is when you give something a name you give it value.)
Oh great another guy who hasn't left his office in 15 years telling us about the current state of affairs
The link super cast is wrong, update it
The Democratic Party is _not_ left.
The leftists won't be happy until a burger flipper makes as much as a big company CEO!
The CEOs will be fine. They want to make the middle class as poor as the burger flipper.