My values have not changed much – my desire for an economically equitable and socially tolerant society has not diminished one iota. You won’t see me screaming “I didn’t leave my party, my party left ME!!” then I attack the GOP in a frenzy. But I must say that I now doubt the effectiveness of some of the policies I had adopted years ago. Some still seem like good ideas, but I’ve been disappointed in their poor implementation where they’ve been tried. And many progressive ideas do not seem likely to gain much political support in the near future. It looks like America is headed for the next decade.
I’m not the only person who has noticed the change. Dave Weigel recently wrote a post outlining all the ways Kamala Harris’s campaign is to the right of Biden’s 2020 run, both in terms of tone and rhetoric and actual policy. Harris and other Dems have expressed their strong stance on the border, abandoned new spending programs, stopped talking about public health insurance, expressed support for Israel, embraced oil drilling, and are tough on crime. Harris’ policy agenda includes an abundance of pro-business and deregulation ideas. He even brags about having a gun and is willing to shoot intruders.
Here is the full post. And this, as of late, passed the gate:
The whole list of issues where progressivism seems so disrespectful and misguided leaves me persistent and angry. I believe in the power of wonky technocrats to implement incremental policy changes to accelerate power transition, fix the immigration system, and make policing more efficient and less violent. But what is left to fight for? Other than protecting America from the actions of Trump and the right, what greater political goal can rally the masses to get out there and vote for leftist politicians?
I see two big bright spots here. The first is industrial policy, which promises not only to restore American manufacturing, but to revitalize all parts of the country. The second is the agenda of abundance and YIMBYism, which promises to provide cheap housing, energy, and transportation for all.
Recommended.
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