Liberals Need to Be Radicals

[Autumn]

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-04-04-liberals-need-to-be-radicals/


The agenda for Biden’s next term must go deeper to restore the American dream.

Media commentators are mystified about why Joe Biden has not gotten more credit for an improved economy, with inflation down nearly to pre-pandemic levels and job creation setting records. The reason is
not hard to grasp. None of the recent improvements have altered the basic situation of most Americans, in which reliable careers are scarce, college requires the burden of debt, health coverage is more expensive and less reliable, and housing is unaffordable.

The American dream of a good job, decent health care, homeownership, college education without crippling debt, and a better life for the next generation was once within reach of most Americans. Now, it’s far harder to attain. Even with a two-income family, the cost of good child care is excessive.

The remedies are all necessarily radical. Biden’s State of the Union address was directionally and rhetorically right. He called for containing Big Pharma to reduce drug prices, raising taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations to finance broad benefits such as housing down-payment subsidies and affordable child care, as well as protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare. But in a second term, and in his campaign to earn a second term, Biden needs to go a lot deeper.

Since Jimmy Carter, mainstream Democrats in the White House and Congress have been complicit in the corporate erosion of the American dream. They agreed to mixed public-private approaches that resulted in systems that were inefficient, lucrative to for-profit players, and impenetrably frustrating to ordinary citizens. Consider four emblematic cases of policy dead ends that now require radical remedies.

I believe that Biden is the only man who can fix this mess we are in.

[Celerity]

1. K & R

[Doc Sportello]

2. K&R

Great article! I only hope we can give him a Democratic congress to help achieve those goals.

[Hugin]

3. That's the GrOPper's #1 fear.

And they project it every time they say the word “woke”.

[arthritisR_US]

21. Your point is so excellent!

[DoBW]

4. Stoke the woke

if any one believes, as I do, the Merriam-Webster definition of Woke = "aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice), then already a Democratic position is enhanced -- i propose

[brooklynite]

5. Clinton, Obama and Biden are "complicit".....

Perhaps those radical liberals should start with a more basic goal: convincing a majority of voters to support their candidates?

[Autumn]

9. Yeah, it's been working so well. Except for the part where

reliable careers are scarce, college requires the burden of debt, health coverage is more expensive and less reliable, and housing is unaffordable.

The people do support those things. Oh by the way. Biden is the one who is calling attention to those problems. I think he's doing a great job of getting those radical liberals, like Bernie Sanders to support his ideas.

[brooklynite]

13. Joe Biden: "I'm a Capitalist"

Pretty radical....

[progressoid]

16. And all capitalists are the same.

[haele]

22. Not really. Many capitalists believe in a regulated market.

Regulations ensure as much of a level playing field as possible.
Other Capitalists believe in a strong social safety net and unions to ensure Labor has access to Capital along with Owners, because, with a few exceptions, they understand that they or their ancestors began as Labor, and were lucky enough to have access to enough Capital to become an Owner.
Socialism is not the opposite of Capitalism. Many Capitalist societies practice Socialism as well. Communism or some of the other Centralized Economy such as a Feudal style Autocracy where the "Crown" or "Church" owns the resources and they dole them out to loyalists or favorites as they choose.
Guess what Dictators practice? Something much closer to Autocracy than Capitalism.

Haele

[progressoid]

23. Agreed.

I probably should have put the little sarcasm thingy in my post.

Oops

[Autumn]

17. Did he say that before or after he and Bernie got Big Pharma to lower the costs on several drugs?

But since you are so knowledgeable let me ask.

Do all capitalists give a shit if reliable careers are scarce, college requires the burden of debt, health coverage is more expensive and less reliable, and housing is unaffordable?

[betsuni]

24. "COMPLICIT! Why Democrats allowed the world to change after the American post-war boom period."

Why didn't Democrats stop time?!

[Sympthsical]

6. It needs to be repeated

None of the recent improvements have altered the basic situation of most Americans, in which reliable careers are scarce, college requires the burden of debt, health coverage is more expensive and less reliable, and housing is unaffordable.

The American dream of a good job, decent health care, homeownership, college education without crippling debt, and a better life for the next generation was once within reach of most Americans. Now, it’s far harder to attain. Even with a two-income family, the cost of good child care is excessive.

Probably saying this for the billionth time on DU. Despite the stories about the economy in the media, people on the ground are struggling with price increases, student debt, and housing costs.

It's possible - and preferable - to acknowledge both that Biden has done a good job so far and that there are serious problems going on with the working classes. One does not oppose the other. It does not diminish anyone to recognize and be honest about it.

[progressoid]

15. +1 And lets stop gloating about the stock market.

Yes, "regular" people have investments in the stock market. But most people are living paycheck to paycheck.

The vast majority of the gains on the stock market go to the already filthy rich.

I get that it's fun to watch right wingers squirm because of a rising stock market during a Democratic administration Unfortunately, it does very little for the average voter.

[dembotoz]

7. we clutch our pearls like the best of them

for them trump clothing, hats, boats, flags
and we put up a yard sign maybe...if it won't offend the neighbors....

being visible is not a bad thing

[Celerity]

14. Not a chance, especially if we lived in a MAGAt infested area, that we would advert ourselves as Dems via signage.

Too many RW motherfucKfucKfucKs with huge proclivities towards violence and potential GBH, up to and including muderous intent gunplay.

[dembotoz]

18. i remember as a county chair a member came up to me and told me

pretty much the same.....i lived in the same gop hell and i understood

It was an act of courage to take a sign. And he did and i appreciated it.

I can not tell you how many yard signs got stolen or how many times our county fair booth was vandalized.

[TBF]

8. Social Security - I will say it - Raise the Cap

that would be day one and the uber wealthy republicans will scream bloody murder, but it needs to be done. And you know the billionaires will scream the loudest. I really don't care if they threaten to leave the country, personally I can't think of anything better than Elon Musk leaving. Now he's down here in Texas mucking things up, and Abbott is such a putz that he's going to do whatever Elon wants.

So, anyway, I digressed there but the message is simple - raise the cap. Everyone should pay the percentage on their income & get their checks when they turn 65 or whatever age it is now. But they should pay on all their income, it's only fair.

You are spot on OP, there are a lot of folks hurting re groceries, gas etc - and they will just strike out and vote for the other party (no matter that the others will hurt them even worse).

[Hope22]

12. The saddest part is that we have to think, discuss and be concerned about the future of SS and Medicare.

The lost opportunity of solving other problems and being able to move forward cripples us. They steal from the fund and manufacture fake problems. I just want it to stop. Homelessness, hunger and abuse go unaddressed as we continue the faux fight with these seriously ill R’s. I really am numb in the head from the circle jerk of the manufactured news cycle we are subjected to.

[ananda]

10. I know. Those "nice", "get along" patterns need to go.

You can't play nice with fascist bullies.

[sop]

11. I agree.

It's really frustrating when the very people who stand to benefit the most from such radical liberalism keep voting against their own economic interests. That's the power of RW corporate propaganda.

[B.See]

19. I wrote something similar a while back

(elsewhere,) in which I asked why liberals weren't as fanatical in suporting liberal causes as Trump's MAGAS are in supporting him and theirs.

Case in point, the issues and concerns mentioned in the op with regard to scarce reliable careers, the burden of debt required by college, the cost and reliability of health coverage, and the affordability of housing,

almost all of which, incidentally, has been exacerbated by Republican obstruction of Democratic efforts to address said concerns, Republican sabotage of consumer protections, and a corporate America gaining record profits while gouging the American consumer to benefit Trump.

To say nothing of the fact that reliable careers were scarce, and the cost of college, health coverage, and housing were high under a Republican administration as well, an administration that hadn't done squat to address any of it,

though one would be hard pressed to find any right winged sources inclined to lay all of that at the feet of Trump and the GOP.

And that's the difference. MAGAS have the ability to look past the weaknesses (if not abject FAILURES) of their party. Instead, they embrace the party that has failed them time and time again, fanatically even, to achieve a greater (and in their case, a more ominously malignant) end. Their slogan now, "Trump or die."

I think liberals can do with some of that.

[Silent3]

20. At the moment, I'll be immensely relieved as long as Biden gets a second term, no matter what he does with it

That given, yes, I can and will hope for more, but in the meantime I sure hope those who aren't currently satisfied with Biden being "radical" enough don't cause us to get Trump instead.