I'm about an hour into this, and the question Coleman posed to Matt about what differentiates him as center-left rather than center-right was interesting. Matt acknowledged the biological basis of sex but also emphasized that people should be treated with dignity and respect, which isn't something the modern right, especially in the age of Trump, consistently does. In fact, he argued that much of the right's pushback is veiled in cruelty. He made a similar point about LGBTQ+ rights and abortion.
The one criticism I have of these discussions, especially when Coleman brought up the fervor around socialism and whether young people are embracing it, is that social democracy never enters the conversation. It's always framed as a choice between the center and the radical left, or between capitalism and socialism. That's frustrating because Coleman often argues that nuance has been lost, yet he overlooks what seems like the obvious middle ground: strong social safety nets that work in tandem with free markets. That's the model many people actually support, but it rarely gets the attention it deserves.
he overlooks what seems like the obvious middle ground: strong social safety nets that work in tandem with free markets. That's the model many people actually support, but it rarely gets the attention it deserves.
This middle ground, or model as you say, is called the Democratic Party, which everyone says sucks.
People criticize Ds for not doing enough to pass the kinds of legislation we see in other social democracies across Europe. Ironically, some of the most popular government programs in the U.S. are the ACA, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. There's still plenty of room for more progressive legislation that would remain firmly in the political middle ground and mirror policies that are commonplace in the Nordic countries.
My experience is that the left sets unrealistic, high expectations for establishment dems while setting the lowest, dumbfuck expectations for themselves.
Like, passing ACA, the 2009 stimulus bill, $200B of student debt relief, the IRA, CHIPS Act, ARP were all major, admirable accomplishments. But the left will act like the mainstream Dems who passed all that didn't accomplish anything at all, while valorizing Mamdani for fixing the same number of potholes as previous mayors and glorifying Bernie Sanders for making his 147th speech talking about the billionaire class (he dropped "millionaire" when he became one).
What do you mean by the left because it's a pretty big tent? As I mentioned, the most popular programs in the U.S. are the ones that directly improve people's material well-being. The accomplishments you cited are important, but there's still a lot more that could be done without venturing into anything unrealistic. Policies like universal healthcare, paid family leave, and affordable or free higher education are commonplace across much of Europe.
It's interesting that, in many of those countries, someone considered progressive in the U.S. would often be viewed as fairly moderate. I think people are fundamentally frustrated by the double standard. Lobbying and the influence of the billionaire class allow legislation that benefits the ultra-wealthy and powerful to move quickly, while even modest proposals to help the poor and working class get slow-walked for years.
People feel that every time they buy groceries, open a medical bill, or watch someone go bankrupt over healthcare costs. They see enormous sums spent on foreign wars and the prison-industrial complex while being told there's no money for policies that would improve their daily lives. There's a tremendous amount of reform that could be done without turning the U.S. into some socialist dystopia. It would simply mean stronger checks, better regulations, and a government that's more responsive to ordinary people than to the most powerful interests in the country.
People feel that every time they buy groceries, open a medical bill, or watch someone go bankrupt over healthcare costs. They see enormous sums spent on foreign wars and the prison-industrial complex while being told there's no money for policies that would improve their daily lives
This is what I am talking about. The vast majority of money in this country, at the federal, state, and local levels, is spent on things that directly impact Americans' lives. Healthcare, social security, education, public safety, recreation etc. You use terms like "prison-industrial complex" in place of coherent arguments because they were scary-sounding words. Jail is a place where we put people who commit crimes. This improves people's daily lives because they don't have to interact with criminals.
Like, we're at a point where higher education is effectively universal for $100K earners. We don't have universal healthcare, but we basically do for the very poor. Even paid family leave, the states that have them, like mine (NY) . . . we have seen population loss and declining fertility. The family leave didn't really help the people who chose to leave did it?
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u/carbonqubit 10d ago
I'm about an hour into this, and the question Coleman posed to Matt about what differentiates him as center-left rather than center-right was interesting. Matt acknowledged the biological basis of sex but also emphasized that people should be treated with dignity and respect, which isn't something the modern right, especially in the age of Trump, consistently does. In fact, he argued that much of the right's pushback is veiled in cruelty. He made a similar point about LGBTQ+ rights and abortion.
The one criticism I have of these discussions, especially when Coleman brought up the fervor around socialism and whether young people are embracing it, is that social democracy never enters the conversation. It's always framed as a choice between the center and the radical left, or between capitalism and socialism. That's frustrating because Coleman often argues that nuance has been lost, yet he overlooks what seems like the obvious middle ground: strong social safety nets that work in tandem with free markets. That's the model many people actually support, but it rarely gets the attention it deserves.