A Populism of the Left Can Realign American Politics...A Left Version of Trump is what's needed

[basquebromance]

Trump talked about corporations, named them by name, blasted them on Twitter, blasted them in public speeches more than probably any modern president in history. Democrats would be well-served by following Trump’s lead in this respect — if not in any others

A Populism of the Left Can Realign American Politics

It’s clear that the GOP is capturing new parts of the working class. It’ll take credible appeals to workers’ frustrations and economic interests to win them back.

jacobin.com

 

[pknopp]

Fueled by historically low levels of trust in institutions and off-the-charts polarization — not to mention persistent and growing inequality — Republicans have embraced the specter of civil conflict and turned national elections into referenda on American democracy.

Republicans have no desire (or Trump supporters) to address the growing inequality. But then again, neither do the Democrats.

 

[Votto]

Awe. How adorable.

The Left loves Trump so much, they want a Left-wing clone just like him.

Should they be orange as well?

 

[basquebromance]

Awe. How adorable.

The Left loves Trump so much, they want a Left-wing clone just like him.

Should they be orange as well?

preferably

 

[Indeependent]

Fueled by historically low levels of trust in institutions and off-the-charts polarization — not to mention persistent and growing inequality — Republicans have embraced the specter of civil conflict and turned national elections into referenda on American democracy.

Republicans have no desire (or Trump supporters) to address the growing inequality. But then again, neither do the Democrats.

Inequality…
Be specific.

 

[Mac1958]

Populism appears to be animated by grievance and victimhood.

No thanks. From the Left or the Right.

 

[pknopp]

Inequality…
Be specific.

A growing poor class with the middle class barely keeping above water.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Left wing “populism” cannot avoid having a more reasoned and reasonable approach to complex economic and social issues. Imo, it needs to lower the level of nonsense “culture war” hyperbole, embrace a tough social-democratic program toward social inequality created by Wall Street capitalism and corporate corruption, put forward radical demands for economic transparency, taxation, electoral reform — and separate itself out from the DNC leadership.

Bernie Sanders showed the way (more or less) but he was just one old guy. A radical populism of the left must also be carefully articulated, especially in opposing U.S. imperialism and in distinguishing the differences between corporate globalism and genuine internationalism. Likewise, progressives need to get realistic about resolving border immigration issues.

The right populists have no real ideas but negative ones — returning to bygone America is impossible. But if the crisis of U.S. world-dominating capitalism gets serious, or even if global decoupling occurs & world trade collapses due to war (over Taiwan for example) the right may very well throw up a new wave of fierce popular demagogues … and win future elections. Then right authoritarian candidates will likely also win the support of Wall Street and the “security state.”

This was basically a good article. However the prospects for the growth of a mass left populist and social-democratic movement here are not very good, given the nature of present American society, the lack of a significant organized working class, and the real privileges Americans have gotten used to owing to the worldwide reign of the U.S. dollar.

 

[Delldude]

The left needs to become Donald Trump?

You know what happens when matter and antimatter occupy the same space?

 

[Indeependent]

A growing poor class with the middle class barely keeping above water.

8 years of Obama didn’t solve that “problem”?

 

[surada]

Trump talked about corporations, named them by name, blasted them on Twitter, blasted them in public speeches more than probably any modern president in history. Democrats would be well-served by following Trump’s lead in this respect — if not in any others

A Populism of the Left Can Realign American Politics

It’s clear that the GOP is capturing new parts of the working class. It’ll take credible appeals to workers’ frustrations and economic interests to win them back.

jacobin.com

Heaven forbid.

 

[pknopp]

8 years of Obama didn’t solve that “problem”?

No, he lied.

 

[Richard-H]

Trump talked about corporations, named them by name, blasted them on Twitter, blasted them in public speeches more than probably any modern president in history. Democrats would be well-served by following Trump’s lead in this respect — if not in any others

A Populism of the Left Can Realign American Politics

It’s clear that the GOP is capturing new parts of the working class. It’ll take credible appeals to workers’ frustrations and economic interests to win them back.

jacobin.com

Leftist populism will never happen. Leftists are too individualistic to agree on anything. If they would adopt one-tenth of the "Lock-step" tendencies of the right, they would win all elections. Unfortunately, if there's a shred of light between what a leftist wants and what a politician offers, leftists refuse to get off their butts and vote.

 

[Esdraelon]

returning to bygone America is impossible.

Yet if the current trends we're seeing from DC continue apace, the America that will result will be far worse in many ways than that "bygone" country. Our main problem isn't economic, it's a sickness of the national spirit. The changes we are watching today are textbook examples of how Marxists take a free nation down and replace it with their evil. Divide and conquer. Destroy the record of the past and remake it in their own image. Imagine the surprise of the useful idiots when the evolution gets around to the mass graves...

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Yet if the current trends we're seeing from DC continue apace, the America that will result will be far worse in many ways than that "bygone" country. Our main problem isn't economic, it's a sickness of the national spirit. The changes we are watching today are textbook examples of how Marxists take a free nation down and replace it with their evil. Divide and conquer. Destroy the record of the past and remake it in their own image. Imagine the surprise of the useful idiots when the evolution gets around to the mass graves...

Thanks for expressing your opinion clearly. I agree the present “liberal order” of U.S. finance capitalism is leading to a lot of social and civic degeneration. I don’t agree that this amounts in any way to rule by “Marxists.”

Indeed, U.S. finance capitalism is readying itself for a fight against the neo-Marxist socialist dictatorship in China.

 

[Orangecat]

A growing poor class with the middle class barely keeping above water.

Do you have a solution that doesn't involve marxist wealth redistribution?

 

[Richard-H]

Yet if the current trends we're seeing from DC continue apace, the America that will result will be far worse in many ways than that "bygone" country. Our main problem isn't economic, it's a sickness of the national spirit. The changes we are watching today are textbook examples of how Marxists take a free nation down and replace it with their evil. Divide and conquer. Destroy the record of the past and remake it in their own image. Imagine the surprise of the useful idiots when the evolution gets around to the mass graves...

You, like most people, wrongly call Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism and the like "Marxism".

Marx never said that a utopian communist society should be ruled by murderous despots. Marx called for a "dictatorship of the proletariat". Democracy is the only way that a "dictatorship of the proletariat" can exist.

The only true Marxist society (that I know of) was the government of Catalonia during the Spanish civil war. It did not last long.

 

[pknopp]

Do you have a solution that doesn't involve marxist wealth redistribution?

What do you think the Fed pumping trillions was?

Why is it that all should not benefit from that?

 

[The Duke]

Trump talked about corporations, named them by name, blasted them on Twitter, blasted them in public speeches more than probably any modern president in history. Democrats would be well-served by following Trump’s lead in this respect — if not in any others

A Populism of the Left Can Realign American Politics

It’s clear that the GOP is capturing new parts of the working class. It’ll take credible appeals to workers’ frustrations and economic interests to win them back.

jacobin.com

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

You, like most people, wrongly call Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism and the like "Marxism".

Marx never said that a utopian communist society should be ruled by murderous despots. Marx called for a "dictatorship of the proletariat". Democracy is the only way that a "dictatorship of the proletariat" can exist.

The only true Marxist society (that I know of) was the government of Catalonia during the Spanish civil war. It did not last long.

I disagree [with your favorable view of Marx’s “Dictatorship of the Proletariat”]. “Marxism” can mean many things to many people. After all, the theories of Marx (and his practical work) developed in a totally different era. But men like Lenin and Trotsky were genuine Marxists who took his theories to a certain logical extreme end, which in the conditions of Russia ended (predictably enough) in disaster. Of course other “Marxists” took his theories in more democratic directions. European “social democracy” is just one example.

P.S.

In the Spanish Civil War, there was a very significant anarchist workers movement in Catalonia. No “government” is really compatible with anarchism. You may already be familiar with George Orwell’s famous book, “Homage to Catalonia.”