Great analysis of the history of how we got here and the frames of mind involved, but with a few reservations.
You don't spend much time on Obama, but by implication you give him a pass. The Great Recession of 2008 gave him a rare opportunity to turn away from neoliberalism. It was clear to all that market fundamentalism was bankrupt. Lefty phrases like "privatize profits, commonize costs" were featured on network nightly news shows. But Obama sided with Rubin's boys instead of Romer, Bair, and Born. See Reed Hundt's "A Crisis Wasted".
Thanks for the feedback. Toward the end of the piece, the focus shifted to campaigning, but I agree that Obama did step away from the promises he made in 2008. And one of the biggest culprits was Rahm Emanuel.
Whether Harris will completely disentangle herself from neoliberalism is yet to be determined. The Walz pick is a very big suggestion though. One comfort I do draw in the policy realm is that progressives finally have built up enough community expertise to be able to adequately staff Democratic administrations, which previously were overrun by neoliberals.
Excellent
There is a great episode of the Citations Needed podcast called "The Rise of the Inexplicable Republican Best Friend"
".. blamed media elites for forcing Joe Biden out of the race, it’s undeniable that grassroots Democrats were the ones [cites media elite story].." 🙄🙄
Come *on*. 🤦
Otherwise, really outstanding summary! Great work!
Great analysis of the history of how we got here and the frames of mind involved, but with a few reservations.
You don't spend much time on Obama, but by implication you give him a pass. The Great Recession of 2008 gave him a rare opportunity to turn away from neoliberalism. It was clear to all that market fundamentalism was bankrupt. Lefty phrases like "privatize profits, commonize costs" were featured on network nightly news shows. But Obama sided with Rubin's boys instead of Romer, Bair, and Born. See Reed Hundt's "A Crisis Wasted".
I hope you're right about Harris' populism, but there are reasons to doubt it. See Matt Stoller's column: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/07/opinion/kamala-harris-google-antitrust.html
Thanks for the feedback. Toward the end of the piece, the focus shifted to campaigning, but I agree that Obama did step away from the promises he made in 2008. And one of the biggest culprits was Rahm Emanuel.
Whether Harris will completely disentangle herself from neoliberalism is yet to be determined. The Walz pick is a very big suggestion though. One comfort I do draw in the policy realm is that progressives finally have built up enough community expertise to be able to adequately staff Democratic administrations, which previously were overrun by neoliberals.
Good job.
Thanks!